Winning the male lead

“Move aside!” Le Tian stood on the bed, speaking to Land, who was blocking his way.

Land, with malicious intent, was determined to get Helena out of the picture. He had already arranged for the Church’s messengers to escort her back to  while Le Tian was sleeping. So he calmly said, “She’s already gone, and you won’t catch up with her now,” then gave Le Tian a meaningful glance. “Unless you still have the strength, that is.”

Le Tian, upon hearing his words, subconsciously felt his legs go weak.

Land, the divine son, aside from his ability to enhance beauty, track, and his all-powerful holy light, was most famous for his physical strength and endurance. He was practically inhuman.

Le Tian coughed lightly, thinking to himself that Cyril would never back down, and stubbornly said, “I don’t have the strength now, but I will soon.”

Land chuckled, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll do my best.”

Le Tian: …

When the handsome king got angry, it was uniquely charming. The more Land looked at him, the more he liked him. He opened his arms wide, “Let me carry you to chase after her.”

Le Tian: …

What is going on? It feels like every male lead who messes with me ends up unlocking the “flirty line” skill, and it’s kind of heart-fluttering.

He gritted his teeth and said, “What’s the point of stopping me now?” If you’re a man, then imprison me.

Land still held out his arms, his silver robe sleeves fluttering, his expression gentle. “I just want to hug you.”

Le Tian’s heart skipped a beat, but he steeled himself, jumping off the bed and walking barefoot toward the door. His guard was still with the Church; if he charged out, the pampered messengers and priests from the Church would probably be no match for him, except for Land. But even Land, no matter how powerful, couldn’t fight off all of them at once.

He was confident he could at least make it a 50/50 fight.

Land followed behind him, and when he saw him walking faster and faster, he couldn’t help but grab him, pulling him back into his embrace. Le Tian, caught off guard, spun around and landed with his shoulder on Land’s. Looking at Land’s suppressed angry expression, he immediately understood the disparity in their physical strength.

It seemed Land could defeat him with one hand, without even using divine power.

His six-pack abs were completely useless except for when doing push-ups in bed.

He dryly said, “What are you doing?”

Land struggled to calm himself, saying evenly, “I told you, I just want to hug you.”

Le Tian couldn’t find words for a moment. After a while, he said, “Do you plan to keep me here at the Church for the rest of my life?” Bro, please don’t.

Land seriously considered the question for a moment. “I will respect your wishes.”

Le Tian: … No, I don’t need that kind of respect.

Land said, “If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Le Tian: … Forget it, you don’t understand me.

Land changed the subject. “The joint council is coming soon. Just stay here for now and don’t think about that matter, okay?”

Le Tian thought to himself, Are you giving me a way out so I’ll back down? Then he nodded, “Fine, we’ll talk about it later.”

Land knew that to get Cyril to agree to stay, he couldn’t rush it. He was planning to slowly boil the frog in warm water, thinking of hundreds of excuses to keep him here. He thought: If I can keep him here for a year or so, he will eventually accept my proposal. As for the Oland Empire, it wasn’t even on his radar. After all, Cyril wasn’t particularly interested in his country’s affairs. Plus, with Land around, who would dare touch Oland?

To make Cyril give up on Helena completely, he  secretly sent a messenger from the Church. “Go to Xiondor and find out about their princess.”

The messenger from the Church was puzzled. “Princess Helena? Isn’t she the one who fled to the Church and was sent back by the Pope?”

Land nodded. “Find out more about her and who she associates with.”

The messenger was still confused, with a blank expression on his face.

Land furrowed his brows. “If you find a suitable match, try to pair her up.”

The messenger finally understood, and his pupils shook in surprise. This task was incredibly difficult for a pure, celibate Church messenger.

Land, completely unaware of the messenger’s discomfort, continued, “If you can’t finish this task, don’t bother coming back to the Church.”

The messenger seemed struck by a thunderbolt and wobbled away.

Le Tian had no idea that Land not only sent Helena back to her country but was also planning to marry her off behind his back. If Land had told him, he would have definitely said, Please don’t. You’re basically signing my death warrant.

He didn’t know what was going on and continued playing his little love games with Land, where he’d run and Land would chase. Each day was filled with fun, especially in the bathroom with the mirrors fixed up.

The system was practically dying. It even began to regret why it had assigned Land to such a world.

After Le Tian had his way with Land in the bathroom, he was left exhausted, sprawled on Land’s body. He thought to himself, My wish has finally come true; installing mirrors in the bathroom was such a brilliant idea.

Land scooped up some warm water and washed his hair, discovering that he enjoyed the bath more than the holy light showers.

For example, at this very moment, the quiet afterglow of their time together made his heart melt. Le Tian, exhausted, leaned on Land’s shoulder, half-awake, feeling Land’s long fingers slide through his damp golden hair, massaging his scalp. It felt so good.

He thought: Bro, your skills in beauty and hairdressing must be the best in the village, like a top-notch tony hairdresser.

Seeing Le Tian close his eyes in contentment, Land took the chance to make his pitch. “Stay, will you?”

Land, though enjoying it, never let go of his “bad boy” persona and hummed, “Let’s talk later.”

Even just hearing “let’s talk later” was enough to satisfy Land. At least Cyril wasn’t as resistant as before, and he hadn’t mentioned Helena at all these past few days.

Tomorrow was the joint council where royal families from various countries would participate. Land planned to observe carefully to see which royal family member seemed like a good match for Helena, finally severing Cyril’s thoughts.

He cupped Cyril’s face and lightly kissed his lips, thinking, Soon, you will belong only to me.

…

This was Cyril’s first time attending the joint council, and he was a bit nervous. Recently, he had been hanging around Land so much that Land’s angelic face had spoiled him, and his sense of beauty had reached new heights.

Land kindly said, “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

Le Tian rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you say you wanted me to stay for the council?”

Land, completely unbothered, said openly, “That was just an excuse to keep you here.”

Le Tian loved his straightforwardness. He loved the fact that Land said exactly what was on his mind. It was sweet, though he still didn’t know the good deeds Land had been doing behind his back. If he knew, he would definitely stop him from doing such foolish things that could lead to his “death.”

Though he didn’t want to sit with a bunch of oddballs, he still reluctantly attended. He had his pride—since everyone was there, he had to be the most dazzling person in the room.

The kings of various empires knew each other, and those who arrived early found their seats in the hall, chatting together. Their shared topic was—Victor has gone mad lately.

“Have you guys seen that poetry collection?” Doug laughed, “I almost threw up.”

Everyone burst out laughing. Victor had published a poetry collection—praising Cyril, which was being freely distributed everywhere, and had invited many bards to sing its praises. Now it was spreading across the continent.

Abraham, much more composed, leaned on the table with a wine glass in hand, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve only seen the poetry collection, but after you see the plays he wrote, you won’t be saying that anymore.”

Inos, hearing this, spat out his drink. “Plays?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Abraham.

Abraham, who was from a neighboring country of Victor’s, knew more about him. Shaking his head, he said, “You should be thankful you haven’t seen it. It’s a thousand times worse than the poetry collection.”

Everyone recoiled.

The two key figures of the conversation, Victor and Cyril, had yet to appear.

Victor had heard that Cyril was at the Church and had been waiting outside Land’s palace. His heart was racing and he was extremely nervous. He kept pacing on a small stone near the palace door.

Le Tian walked out in armor, and Victor immediately approached him, startling him. “It’s you?” The emo guy.

Victor’s face lit up. “You remember me?”

Le Tian thought, Not many people call me “dad,” so I definitely remember you. He replied coolly, “What’s the matter?”

Victor cautiously pulled out a thin notebook from behind his back and silently handed it over.

Le Tian suspiciously took it, opened it, and almost spat out. It was titled—For the most beautiful and supreme Lord Father Cyril.

He glanced at the obsequious Victor, feeling a slight sadness in his heart. He said to the system, “What a pity, if only he were a bit better looking… then maybe…”

System: “Then what?”

Land: “Marry three of them?”

The system was becoming increasingly familiar with the shamelessness of Le Tian.

The poetry collection was hand-written, and he couldn’t decide if it was due to the craft limitations of the time or if Victor had just put in that much effort.

As he flipped through the pages, he was deeply shocked. “So this is what cultured people do when they blow rainbow-colored compliments?”

The system, having been forced to follow along, was also struggling. It felt sick and was on the verge of vomiting.

Le Tian said, “System, you have a camera function, right? This poetry collection has to be kept as a souvenir.”

System: “…Storage is full.”

Le Tian: “Clear it.”

System coldly responded, “Can I clear you instead?”

Le Tian fell silent.

The system sighed in relief.

“How about this, I’ll memorize it,” Le Tian said confidently. “I’ll read it three times a day—morning, noon, and night—and I’ll definitely get it memorized.”

Just thinking about it was pure mental torment. The system, gritting its metaphorical teeth, resigned to the fact. “I might have a tiny bit of storage left.”

Le Tian cheered, “Thank you, thank you!”

The system wished it could delete Victor from existence. What kind of person writes a poetry collection like this? Insane!

Victor, seeing Land reading carefully, felt his efforts weren’t in vain. Excitedly, he said, “I’ve even written a play for you. Would you like to appreciate it?”

System: … Someone please drag him away.

Fortunately, Le Tian declined, not wanting to deal with the drama. Just the sight of Victor made him feel uncomfortable.

Victor seemed disappointed. “I also wanted to have some portraits of you painted, but I couldn’t find anyone who could capture your divine beauty.”

Le Tian consoled him, “My beauty doesn’t belong to this era.” It was a shame that there were no phones in this time.

Victor wholeheartedly agreed. “You’re absolutely right.”

Just as they were about to continue talking, Land appeared. Victor immediately became formal upon seeing the radiant pope and greeted, “Your Holiness.”

Land nodded and, with a gentle tone, asked Le Tian, “Shall we go together?”

Land nodded and waved at Victor to say goodbye. Victor, realizing he was also heading to the meeting hall, rushed after them.

Land, dressed in the most formal white papal robes with red accents, made Le Tian’s heart itch. He had already mentally stripped Land down in his mind, though he maintained an outwardly composed demeanor.

Land asked, “What did he just say to you?”

He replied, “Nothing much, he gave me a poetry collection. It’s pretty decent.”

Land said, “Let me see it.”

He handed the poetry collection over. Land flipped through it, sneered, and dismissed it with a snap of his fingers. The collection instantly burned to dust.

Le Tian: … Good thing the system saved it.

Seeing that he wasn’t upset, Land’s mood lightened slightly. “Soon you’ll realize, I’m the best one.”

When they entered the meeting hall, the atmosphere shifted to one of tension. All the kings stood up, waiting for the arrival of the pope.

The young pope, though not very talkative or temperamental, still instilled a sense of awe in those around him due to his overwhelming divine power.

When Land entered, everyone immediately recognized him. But what shocked them was that Land, who was supposed to be the king of Orland, was with him.

The kings glanced at each other with surprise. Some had seen the reference to the “black mask” and “sun-bright beauty” in Victor’s poetry, but it still left them bewildered.

Land signaled to Le Tian to sit beside him at the head of the table, and then he gestured for the others to take their seats.

Land calmly began, “The first item on the agenda is the approval of a new appointment.”

The kings immediately grew nervous, especially since the King of Hindor wasn’t present due to being ordered by the pope to stay home and reflect. They were worried about becoming the pope’s next target.

Land’s voice cut through the tension. “From today, I appoint King Westrey of the Orland Empire as the ‘Officially Designated Handsome Man of the Continent.’”

Victor, who had just entered the hall, immediately clapped enthusiastically. “Yes, I agree!”

The kings stared at Victor in disbelief. “The Red Lion” was truly an idiot… and so was their pope.

The room fell into an awkward silence. One of the kings raised an objection, “Your Holiness, what kind of appointment is this?”

Victor, as if offended, cursed, “What do you mean it’s not an appointment? Do you not understand? The Officially Designated Handsome Man of the Continent—how is that hard to comprehend?” He looked around the room and added, “Let me tell you, if anyone else calls themselves the most handsome man, I’ll be mad. I wouldn’t even be worthy to serve as Westrey’s attendant!”

System: … Is this what a crazy fan looks like? Terrifying.

Le Tian, however, was completely unfazed. He even considered taking a glance at a small mirror.

Land continued calmly, “If anyone has objections, they can leave the united continent.”

Everyone fell silent.

Land nodded with satisfaction. “Very well, it seems everyone agrees.”

The rest of the meeting, which usually involved heated discussions about food trade, passed in a haze. No one could focus, still stunned by the “Officially Designated Handsome Man” decree.

System: Pfft, this is nothing. These weak mental defenses are bound to collapse soon enough.

After the meeting, Victor tried to approach Le Tian, but Land blocked him by draping his arm over his shoulder. “His Majesty can go back now.”

Victor, eager to continue speaking to Le Tian, persisted, “Westrey, we’re headed in the same direction. Let’s go together.”

System: Stop kidding. One’s in the south, the other’s in the north.

Le Tian also rejected him. Sorry, buddy, you’re just not handsome enough. You were born in the wrong time.

Land, holding him, walked past a corner. Once they were out of sight, he eagerly leaned in to kiss him deeply. “Darling, did you like that?”

Land licked his lips and asked, “Like what?”

Land smiled sweetly, “Actually, I was thinking of announcing another appointment.”

Le Tian, who had an inkling of what was coming, played along. “What?”

Land whispered, “The pope’s lover.”

He thought to himself, Your ambitions are huge. We agreed that I’d be your wife, but now I’m your lover instead? But he wasn’t too concerned about the title. He patted Land’s waist lightly. “A lover should act like a lover.”

Land’s eyes lit up. Le Tian continued, “For example, you should marry a queen.”

Land’s expression dropped, and he snorted. “By the time you marry her, she’ll probably be married to someone else.”

“What did you say?!” Le Tian was shocked.