Something flipped inside Konrad's head, and he wanted nothing more than to hide in a dark corner. Alone with his thoughts and existential dread, avoiding everyone else.
Especially demons, dragons, and angels.
The whole damn harem thing, and the fantasy crap he never had to deal with before—
Or, well, as it seemed now, he did without knowing.
He even gave up his presidency for three months in heaven—with a demoness.
Now that was nothing short of ironic. And who was he kidding?
As a lonely, hormonal teenager, dating someone like Lily was the dream.
She gave him everything he needed. Courage, love—and sure, she took it all away, but—
Even knowing what he knew now, he would've chosen her again.
His mundane family cared little for him. They were only interested in his results. Rich and influential, they could push him into prestigious schools. But did he actually want that life?
Konrad was sure it was his parents' pressure that got him into politics.
After Lily's explanation, he would have been angrier at them than at her girlfriend.
Girlfriend, huh. She could've ruined him for no reason—being a demoness—but she only did it to save millions. And to mess with the angels, of course, who had it coming.
The same Lucifer who reincarnated him protected one of the worst genocidal dictators.
No, he should've been even thankful to Lily for setting him straight.
If only she stayed with him forever—but he wasn't a lover.
He was a mere pawn in her celestial game.
A huge downgrade from becoming the president, but oh well. She did come back for him in this other life and saved his skin more than once. Plus, she took his virginity—again.
In a sense, SHE was his life, and—
He wondered what would've happened if he hadn't chosen her.
On that other timeline. How his path to greatness would've looked like.
Apart from being, well, assassinated. There had to be a reason for that, too.
Did that timeline turn him into a tyrant? The very thing he wanted to fight in this other one?
Could his personality turn out better or worse if he hadn't had to suffer through thirty years in a dead-end job? If he had never met Lily. Or, was it better that he did, and could start over here?
He was a duke now, after all.
Not as high a rank as being the President of the US, but close.
And yet, for some reason, he never felt more powerless than today.
Lonely, in the middle of his harem. Weak, surrounded by powerful allies. Directionless, with a neatly-filled map in front of him. There was so much to do and so little time.
He felt depressed, right when he made the first huge steps towards his dreams.
And the clock was ticking. Always ticking—with Maou Midori on his way to come for him.
Now that he realized he could die for good, he was even less eager to face him.
And how reckless he was until now. Today, he wanted to run away like a coward.
But no, wasting one life on taking the safe and boring choices was more than enough.
Now, he was taking risks, acting braver than he had felt, treating this world as his playground.
As a challenge. Because what was the worst that could happen to him?
He'd die? He had already done that. Dying and getting reincarnated was a strange, liberating feeling. Up until they told him, it was a one-time deal, and his next death will be his last.
Now, he had to fight back the bile rising in his throat.
The recklessness of his past was catching up to him. Even if things worked out well so far, he was balancing on a knife-edge. If Lily hadn't come to his rescue more than once—
Not that he wanted to hide behind a woman's skirt, but at least that was an option, too.
In fact, he surrounded himself with fearless, beautiful, and powerful girls.
Ones who could read his mind, as well—so he better pulled himself together.
At least they had the tact to leave him brooding over his map. The small office was empty again, seeming much larger and hollow without them.
He had to set his priorities straight. The 'I'll figure something out' would no longer cut it.
He liked his new life. He wanted to survive—not because of himself. For his harem—to see if it could ever function as one. He had to become powerful. To chase after that elusive control.
"Who can take care of things here while I go back to Aset to learn?" he pondered out loud.
There was no real question. Only Eyna could come into consideration. The one girl who was like him, caught up in someone else's plans, and tagged along, trying to survive.
As if on cue, the door creaked, and the violet locks appeared.
"M-master," she whispered before entering. "I'm sorry that your previous life didn't turn out the way you wanted. If you let me, I'll do my best to make this one worth living."
Not a hint of doubt. She didn't question the impossible, because he and Lily said it.
How could he regret how things turned out when people like her surrounded him?
And while she was still in cover, Konrad could tell from her voice, she was all flustered.
He already liked her. But when she said things like that, he realized he wasn't appreciating her or his new life enough. Yes, control was more than what he did or how he did it.
It was about why, too, and for whom.
"You already are, Eyna," he said, stepping closer, pulling the door out of the way. "It feels like I take advantage of your talent all the time. I don't give you enough credit, and I also—"
He couldn't finish, the girl tiptoeing and stealing a kiss from his lips.
That was it. No announcement, no coming halfway and waiting for him to take the hint.
And she was as soft and sweet as he imagined.
Her lips like chocolate—did this world even have it? Her silvery hair smelled like coconut.
He got no more than a quick peck, but even that left him breathless.
Yes, he noticed her jealousy earlier, but this—
"Then please," Eyna whispered. Her dark skin flushed, her purple eyes looking everywhere but at him. "Treat me like you treat your other haremettes, too. If I'm good enough—"
Konrad grabbed her arms, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"You're the best," he said, feeling the need to confirm this. Over and over. "You're great. You're smart and beautiful. And you're like me in many ways—but better."
That might have been the reason why he never looked at her that way.
She felt too good for his kind, and he had already hit the jackpot with Lily.
That said—
"What do you mean by 'my other haremettes', though?" he asked, a hand paused mid-caress on her face, raising her chin to meet her gaze. "Lily's the only one that I—"
"Lady Gabrielle might be tough, but when nobody's watching, she—"
She had to stop there, and so did time itself as well.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," the archangel demanded, appearing from thin air.
Now they were in trouble.