Winning the male lead

A thin layer of streamlined muscle covered the slender skeleton, with skin in a soft ivory hue exuding a healthy glow. His straight, square shoulders were neither too broad to appear burly nor too slender to seem frail—everything was just right, as if meticulously sculpted by God.

The owner of such a beautiful body also had an exceptionally handsome face. Soft golden curls playfully draped over his sharply defined profile, partially veiling his deep, lake-green eyes. Just one glance at his side profile was enough to make men and women alike lose their senses over him.

The person in the mirror was none other than Field III of the Orland Empire—Cyril Phimond.

Blessed with extraordinary looks and noble lineage, he was intensely narcissistic and arrogant. To admire his unparalleled beauty at all times, he had transformed his bedroom into a palace of mirrors.

Le Tian: “…I’ve finally met a worthy opponent.”

When selecting a world for Le Tian, the system was instantly drawn to the character of Cyril, thinking that Le Tian could truly play this narcissist as himself.

Surrounded by mirrors reflecting his own body, Le Tian found himself arriving in this world at midnight. Cyril, believing his body was too beautiful to be hidden, usually chose to sleep without clothes. He often woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of his own dazzling beauty, and got up to admire himself in the mirror.

Such a narcissistic darling… Le Tian: I can’t handle this.

The system never expected that after all this time, he would finally find a character he couldn’t bear. It was delighted, gloating, “You requested six-pack abs and a v line.”

Le Tian glanced up and down at his new body, then suddenly his eyes lit up. “Wow… my thing looks really good—perfectly straight, just the right size.”

Because he was naked, the system automatically blurred out the key areas. Hearing his comment, the system’s speech module nearly crashed. It stammered, “Y-You—mind your decency!”

“I’m gonna touch it,” Le Tian said excitedly.

System: !!! Someone save me! Please, someone turn on the emergency filter!

Le Tian reached out and noticed that even Cyril’s hands were flawless—long, slender fingers with well-defined joints and nails that were round and slightly pink. A true work of art, without a single flaw. No wonder he adored himself so much. As the system shrieked, he casually ran a finger down the bridge of his nose. “This nose—no amount of plastic surgery could recreate it.”

The system nearly spat blood. “…You’re doing this on purpose.”

Le Tian smirked. “Watch your tone. I am the Son of God, the only perfect being in existence. Call me Your Majesty.”

The system wanted to curse but held back. Then it couldn’t hold back anymore. “Screw you.”

Le Tian: “Fine, from now on, you’re my mom.”

It lost the argument…it fell into self-imposed silence.

Le Tian had no interest in admiring his own body and climbed into bed to sleep. But as soon as he lay down, he was startled—above him was a massive chandelier, and an entire mirror on the ceiling, reflecting his own stunned face.

He shut his eyes, heart still pounding. “I truly respect Cyril. Looking in the mirror while standing isn’t enough—he needs to see himself while lying down too!”

System: “Ha, you’re no better. One male lead isn’t enough; you have to mess with one after another.”

Le Tian perked up. “Tell me, who’s the male lead in this world?”

The system, having been worn down in the past two worlds, knew that going against Le Tian only led to its own suffering. Resigned, it answered, “Land.”

“More details.”

System: “Why can’t you ever take an interest in the female lead?”

Le Tian: “Because… I can’t give her the happiness she wants?”

System: “…”

Le Tian: “Fine, I’ll care about the female lead first. I’m too handsome—I should stay away from her in case she falls for me.”

Though the system didn’t want to admit it, the body it had chosen was indeed devastatingly handsome. It proceeded to introduce the female lead.

She was Helena, a princess from the neighboring Kingdom of Xiongduo, and Cyril’s childhood betrothed. Due to his extreme narcissism, Cyril believed no one in the world was worthy of him. So, ever since coming of age, he had continuously delayed the marriage, refusing to fulfill the engagement.

However, the King of Xiongduo had run out of patience. He had already sent an escort team to bring Helena to the Orland Empire, forcing Cyril to marry her. The journey had begun a month ago, but the princess had yet to arrive.

“No rush, then. Once she gets here, I’ll let her pick any handsome man in the country, and whoever she chooses, I’ll hand over my throne and leave,” Le Tian said casually, already plotting to shave off Cyril’s gorgeous golden hair.

System: “No need for that—your throne is already slipping away.”

Le Tian: “???”

The system explained that although the continent was divided into several empires, they all fell under the joint rule of the Church. The other kings showed utmost reverence to the Pope, but Cyril, in his self-obsession, didn’t even acknowledge the continent’s deity, let alone the Pope.

Believing himself to be the closest existence to a god, he had declared a week ago that he would no longer accept the Pope’s authority. This caused an uproar across the continent.

The Pope was furious and had summoned Cyril to the Holy Church’s main hall to atone—within a week.

Le Tian: “…Don’t tell me today is the last day.”

System: “No.”

Le Tian sighed in relief. Cyril might refuse to yield, but he had no such qualms.

System: “It was yesterday.”

Le Tian: “…You did this on purpose…” He had never imagined that becoming king would mean immediate risk of losing his kingdom. Cyril was truly willing to stake his life on his narcissism!

System: “Want to hear some good news?”

Le Tian: “No thanks, I don’t. Tell me about Land instead.”

The system paused deliberately before saying, “Land is the Pope.”

Le Tian immediately relaxed. “Oh, then I’m fine. My throne is safe. Time to sleep. Goodnight, Mom.”

System: “…” Your mom…

After a full night’s rest, Le Tian woke up, saw his reflection on the ceiling, and got startled again. He quickly got out of bed to put on clothes—he wasn’t about to let the palace servants see everything.

Cyril disliked elaborate outfits. He quickly dressed in a simple robe, trousers, and a bright red outer garment left open at the front. Standing before the mirror, he admired his reflection. No matter how casually he dressed, his natural elegance was impossible to hide. “Gotta admit, I look amazing.”

System: “Your appearance score is indeed high.”

Then Le Tian thought of something and grew curious. “If I already look this good, then just how handsome is Land?”

The system let out a subtle sneer and thought, You’ll know when you see it.

“Your Majesty, are you awake?” a maid called softly from outside the door.

Le Tian walked out directly, only to be startled again when he saw the maids outside. Every single one of them had their eyes covered with a black cloth.

Confused, he asked the system, What’s going on?

System: You said that mortals are unworthy of beholding your beauty.

Le Tian: Cyril was wrong for this. A beauty like mine should be a treasure shared with all of humanity. Too selfish.

But since that was the established character setting, he couldn’t outright change it. Maintaining a haughty demeanor, he ordered, “Get lost, all of you. Stop following me.”

One of the maids gathered her courage and said, “Your Majesty, an envoy from the Church is waiting for you.”

The Pope’s verbal warnings had failed, and after waiting in vain for Cyril to present himself and apologize, he had sent a representative for a strong rebuke. If he still refused to comply, the next step would likely be force.

Le Tian hesitated. If he were to follow Cyril’s arrogant personality, he should tell them to get lost again. But he was also curious—he really wanted to see for himself whether Land, the man rumored to be even more handsome than him, truly lived up to his reputation.

So, lifting his chin arrogantly, he said, “Tell him to get his ass over here.”

Outside the palace, the Church’s envoy, was growing increasingly irritated. Cyril had a terrible reputation across the entire continent. He was nearly never seen in public, and rumors claimed it was because he deemed others too ugly to be in his presence.

Most nobles and members of the Church alike believed him to be a complete lunatic.

A maid approached the envy

(Mikut) and said, “His Majesty invites you inside.”

Mikut suppressed his anger and replied, “Lead the way.”

The maid then presented him with a black blindfold.

Mikut was stunned. “What is the meaning of this?”

The maid recited matter-of-factly, “Mortals are forbidden from gazing upon His Majesty’s divine visage.”

This wasn’t the first time Mikut had heard of Cyril likening himself to a god. Furious, he threw the blindfold to the ground and snapped, “Forget it!” before turning on his heels and leaving.

Le Tian never got to see the envoy. Instead, he received news that the man had stormed off. After hearing the maid’s report, even he was speechless. Cyril really doesn’t see anyone but himself as human, huh?

Fine, let the kingdom fall if it must. Whatever. He decided he might as well enjoy himself while he still could. After all, being king meant he should indulge. A few days into his slacker lifestyle, he shamelessly summoned all the palace guards—each of them robust and muscular—for a personal inspection.

Of course, all the guards were blindfolded as well. None of them knew why the king had ordered them to stand there, but they didn’t dare disobey, so they remained perfectly still.

He swept his gaze over them and felt his heart sink. I’m done for. My beauty standards are ruined. Why do they all look like deformed potatoes? This doesn’t make sense. How can the royal guards be this ugly?

System: Cyril’s narcissism is too overwhelming. It’s slightly affecting you.

Le Tian: “Slightly?” He felt like vomiting.

“Get out! All of you, get out!” he shouted in frustration, storming back into his chamber. Only when he saw himself reflected in the three mirrored walls did he finally exhale in relief.

With a pained expression, he lamented, “I’m doomed.”

The moment he saw his own sorrowful face in the mirror, he was struck by how breathtakingly handsome he looked.

Tears welled in his lake-green eyes, trickling down his flawless, porcelain-like skin. Even his grieving expression was a masterpiece.

Without thinking, he took off his clothes.

The system, fearing he was slipping too far into Cyril’s mindset, hastily warned, Calm down! And then—it was forcibly muted by its own filters.

Having spent eight years as a eunuch in his previous life, Le Tian had almost forgotten what it was like to pleasure himself. Inexperienced and awkward, he wept as he indulged in self-consolation before the mirror, mourning his irreversibly altered beauty standards.

Meanwhile, Land, using divine power to manifest as a projection within the Orland royal palace, was preparing to deliver a stern warning to the insolent king. But the moment he appeared—

He saw…

The young king, whose beauty rivaled that of the gods, shedding tears as he… comforted himself.

Shimmering teardrops fell from the youth’s lake-green eyes, leaving delicate trails on his ethereal face. His body was perfection itself, every inch akin to a masterfully sculpted divine statue. Not even the holiest temples had ever depicted gods as breathtaking as him.

His movements were unpracticed, emotions a mixture of pain and longing.

Land froze.