Winning the male lead

Compared to the naive church envoys who had never seen much of the world, the system was much more composed. “Stop hugging him. Weren’t you planning to make him your secret lover?”

Following his character setting, Le Tian frowned and pushed Land away, his tone carrying a subtle warning. “Land.”

Land continued to smile, which, in the eyes of the church envoys, made him seem even more radiant.

Even the mad king looked a bit brighter.

“I missed you so much.” Land didn’t continue to hold Le Tian’s waist but instead took his arm, though even that was an excessive display of intimacy in the eyes of onlookers.

The system: … It’s only been an hour, and he’s already clinging again?

Le Tian remained calm and whispered, “Just think about it; don’t say it out loud.”

Land led him into the bedchamber, passing through an arched doorway into the innermost room. One wall near the window was completely covered in mirrors. Unlike Cyril’s palace, where the walls were crafted into a single seamless mirror, Land’s mirror wall was assembled from countless smaller ones.

Le Tian removed his hood and gazed at their reflections—two strikingly handsome faces multiplied in the hundreds of mirrors—feeling a sudden wave of dizziness.

The system was horrified. The nightmare had come true!

Le Tian, however, was thrilled. Every subtle expression change was mirrored back at him a hundredfold, and Land’s flowing silver hair gleamed like moonlight in the reflections. It was a feast for the eyes.

“Land… I love this…” he reached out his hand, and the hundreds of reflections mirrored his movement.

Land smiled, pulled him close by the waist, and murmured enticingly, “Do you want to kiss me here?”

Le Tian thought: Not only do I want to kiss you here, but I also want to…

Predictably, Cyril’s eyes lit up as he hooked his arms around Land’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. As they embraced before hundreds of mirrors, Le Tian felt utterly intoxicated. If only his energy wasn’t depleted, he’d take things even further.

“Darling,” Land whispered into his ear, imitating Cyril’s affectionate tone but with a softer, more tender edge. “If you like it, I’ll have mirrors cover every inch of this room.”

The suggestion thrilled Le Tian. His voice was husky as he said, “Even the ceiling.” That way, he could lie down and still admire their reflections.

Land chuckled. “Alright.” One hand slipped under Le Tian’s white robe, his voice reverent. “You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in a holy robe.”

Le Tian thought, No, you are.

Then, his mind went blank.

For someone with no prior experience, it was overwhelming. Land’s touch was clumsy, yet Le Tian still found it unbearable. Having spent over twenty years relying solely on himself, the unfamiliar stimulation sent jolts through his nerves.

He clung to Land’s broad shoulders, breathing heavily. “Not here—there are people outside.”

The church envoys were still hard at work in the outer hall, meticulously placing more mirrors. No matter their usual status, today, they were all laborers.

Land’s hands didn’t stop. He reassured gently, “They won’t come in.” No one dared to enter the Pope’s quarters without permission.

Even so, Le Tian bit his lip, suppressing his voice as his body trembled. Land noticed and murmured, “Hold onto me.”

Le Tian’s mind was a blur as he obeyed, wrapping his arms around his neck.

With one hand, Land conjured a barrier of divine light. Then, turning, he pressed Le Tian against it and kissed him deeply. Le Tian narrowed his eyes, tilting his head back, catching a glimpse of their reflection in the mirrors.

His flushed face and disheveled robes contrasted sharply with Land, who remained impeccably dressed in silver robes. Annoyed by the disparity, he reached out and began undoing Land’s clothing in retaliation.

Land was momentarily stunned before his excitement surged.

Afterward, Le Tian sighed to the system, “One should never underestimate their limits.” He had thought he was completely spent, yet somehow, he still had plenty left to give.

The system: … It shouldn’t have underestimated Le Tian’s shamelessness either.

Wrapped in Land’s silver robe—his own white one having been ruined—he stood by the stained-glass window with Land’s arm around his shoulder, watching the envoys still toiling outside.

The system’s metaphorical eyes burned.

It had assumed that as the Pope, Land would be somewhat restrained. Even if he succumbed to Le Tian’s charms, it wouldn’t be as excessive as in previous worlds. Yet now…

Even if the system’s voice functions were broken, it still wanted to scream: So this is the real Land?!

Land gently lifted Le Tian’s chin, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. “Stay. Whatever you desire, I will give you.”

In the calm of post-passion, Le Tian’s voice was flat. “I want to get married.”

Land: “Alright.”

Le Tian raised an eyebrow, suddenly alert. “Not to you.”

Land’s expression turned sorrowful. His striking features darkened, and his thick lashes cast deep shadows under his eyes, as if he were about to cry.

Le Tian’s heart skipped a beat. “Looking pitiful won’t work on me.”

Land rested his head against Le Tian’s shoulder, whispering, “I’m not pretending. The thought of losing you feels like my heart is being torn open, bleeding drop by drop.”

Le Tian: Damn, this guy is too dedicated. He really looks like he’s about to cry.

“I never said I was leaving you,” Le Tian compromised slightly. “After the wedding, I’ll ‘fake my death’ and stay with you. Isn’t that good?”

Land still looked miserable. “No.”

Le Tian felt like a king ensnared by an enchantress. He sighed. “Then what do you want?”

Land lifted his head slowly, frowning slightly—an angelic sorrow that made one’s heart ache. “I just don’t want you to marry.”

Le Tian: Great, we’re back to this again.

Land added, “If you must marry, I can be the one.”

Le Tian rolled his eyes. “Then how about this? I’ll marry both you and Helena.”

Land hadn’t expected this answer. His sorrowful mask cracked, his face darkening.

Le Tian: “You can be the primary spouse, and she can be the secondary.”

Land, gritting his teeth: “I’ll deal with you first.”

Before Le Tian could react, he was pressed against the stained-glass window. He struggled. “Are you insane? This is glass!”

Land, furious, replied coldly, “What, afraid they’ll see?”

Before Le Tian could retort, Land silenced him with a hand over his mouth and pressed forward.

Le Tian: If this glass shatters and scars my perfect face, I swear I’ll kill you!

Fortunately, Land maintained some rationality, reinforcing the glass with divine light.

The system could only sigh: The gods did not grant you divine power for this nonsense.

When Le Tian woke, he found himself in Land’s bed. Looking up, he saw the ceiling was now mirrored too. Horrified, he asked the system, “When did these mirrors get installed?”

The system: “While you were sleeping.”

Le Tian gasped. “Does that mean they saw everything?!”

The system decided to mess with him. “Yep, a lot of people did.”

Le Tian was stunned before muttering, “I thought you liked Land, but I see now you hold a grudge.”

The system: “?”

Le Tian lamented, “Now he has even more love rivals!”

The system had developed a certain level of immunity to his narcissism. After three minutes of silence, it finally revealed the truth:
“Land used holy light to shield you. No one saw anything.”

Le Tian: “Oh, what a shame.” He had been hoping to see Land get jealous and compete with others for his affection.

The system: …This man is truly a menace.

Inside the Council Hall

Facing the radiant Pope, Helena felt completely at a loss. The Pope’s status was so exalted that even someone like her, who had been exposed to all sorts of grand occasions since childhood, couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous.
“Your Holiness, is there something you need?”

Land carefully examined Helena, confirming that she was just an ordinary-looking girl. Then, in a deep voice, he asked:
“Do you seek revenge?”

Helena assumed that Cyril had already explained everything to the Pope, so she nodded. “Yes.”

Land responded, “Understood.”

Helena wasn’t sure what he meant by that and hesitated before saying, “To be honest, I’m not fully prepared to become a queen. I’m unfamiliar with the affairs of the Orland Empire…”

“The Empire has nothing to do with you,” Land interrupted.

Helena looked up at him in shock as he continued, “Return to Hindor and reclaim your throne. The Church will support you.”

Deep down, she actually preferred this plan. Regaining the throne that was rightfully hers and watching her father weep in regret—wasn’t that what she truly wanted? But since Cyril had voluntarily offered her the throne of Orland, what more could she ask for?

Now that Land was suggesting this, her heart pounded in excitement. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
“I… but… what about His Majesty Cyril?”

Land raised his hand and interrupted her once again. He still wasn’t comfortable dealing with people other than Le Tian. In a serious tone, he said:
“He won’t marry you.”

Helena had no desire to get married anyway, but something about the way Land spoke felt off. His tone… where had she heard it before?

Then, it hit her—her mother had once spoken the exact same way to her father’s mistress. Even the phrasing was identical.

Helena thought back to when she had encountered Land outside the prayer hall. As a royal, she had seen all kinds of scandalous affairs—incestuous marriages between nobles were common, let alone same-sex relationships.

Although she had never seen Cyril in person and had only had that one mysterious conversation with him, she had a strong feeling that he must be a kind and gentle person.

The words he had spoken to her—”Never give up on the courage to love.”—had moved her to tears when he turned to leave.

After a moment of silence, she rose from her seat and gave Land a graceful royal bow.
“I wish you both happiness.”

Land’s expression softened slightly. Finally, he had gotten rid of the “little one.” Now, all that was left was to win over his little prince, who only had eyes for him.