And just like that… Ethan found himself trailing quietly behind the servant who was pushing the male lead's wheelchair.
He still couldn't wrap his head around it. Ever since this body—Xia Lian had gotten pregnant, the family had insisted on separate rooms, claiming it was better for his "mental health." Translation: they didn't trust the male lead not to throw Xia Lan out of a window.
Yet now, out of nowhere, the patriarch had issued an order: they were to sleep in the same room. Together. Like a real couple.
Ethan's heart was practically screaming, Why?! What kind of twisted family bonding activity is this?
They eventually stopped in front of a large, heavy door. The servant respectfully opened it and guided the male lead inside without a word. Ethan followed behind reluctantly, each step heavier than the last.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
The atmosphere changed instantly. The room was suffocatingly dark, the kind of darkness that clung to your skin and made you want to turn back. There wasn't a single bright color in sight. Everything—curtains, sheets, carpets, even the furniture—was either black or a dreary shade of grey.
It didn't feel like a bedroom at all.
It felt like a mourning hall prepared for someone who had already died.
Ethan shivered. The room was so cold it felt like even his bones were freezing.
The servant gave a quick bow before slipping out. A moment later, there was a faint click—the unmistakable sound of the door being locked from the outside.
Ethan's heart skipped. Locked? Seriously? Who even locks people inside these days?!
Now, there were only two people left in the gloomy room: Damien in his wheelchair, staring silently like some emotionless statue… and Ethan, standing stiffly, unsure whether to sit, speak, or pretend he was invisible.
The silence stretched on. Damien's unreadable gaze never shifted.
It was… awkward. Painfully awkward.
"Only two hot guys locked in a room at night?! This is how all spicy scenes start, right?!" Xixi's excited voice suddenly rang beside his ear.
Ethan nearly jumped out of his skin. "Shut up!" he hissed under his breath, waving a hand as if to swat the floating rabbit away. "Go float somewhere else!"
Of course, to Damien, it looked like Ethan was scolding the air and randomly swatting at nothing. Not helping his reputation as the "mentally unstable" one.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Ethan forced himself to look at Damien. "Uh… nice weather tonight, huh?"
Silence.
Damien's cold gaze didn't budge.
Ethan laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. Of course not."
Damien finally shifted his gaze and wheeled himself toward the bed, completely ignoring Ethan like he didn't exist.
Ethan sighed and rubbed his temples. This was harder than expected.
"Look," he said, voice calm but serious. "I know you don't want to be in this marriage. Trust me, I don't either."
Damien paused mid-movement. His eyes flicked toward Ethan, cold and unreadable.
"I mean," Ethan continued, "This whole forced marriage thing? Not my idea. And not yours either. So… what if we ended it?"
Still no response.
Ethan pressed on, trying to sound logical. "Your family might not let us get divorced that easily, but maybe we can find a way. Quietly. Peacefully. No drama."
His heart thudded nervously in his chest, each beat screaming: Please don't kill me! Please just agree!
Honestly, he didn't care about the goddesses' so-called missions anymore. To hell with them. He just wanted to survive.
If he could leave this place alive, he would divorce the male lead, vanish somewhere quiet, and live peacefully.
He had a new goal now... A wish he didn't get to fulfill in his previous life.
Marrying a gentle, beautiful wife, raising three adorable kids, and living in a little home filled with laughter and love.
And he knew one thing for sure—he would never achieve that dream if he lingered around the male lead.
No, if he stayed here, only death was waiting for him.
Accidents, betrayals, that suffocating cold gaze… he could already picture himself being buried six feet under while Damien didn't even blink.
Just as Ethan was silently plotting the fastest escape route, a crisp [Ding!] echoed in his mind.
A glowing screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
Hidden Task Unlocked: Help the Male Lead Rise to Power Again.
Ethan's eyes widened. "...You've got to be kidding me."
The details appeared one by one:
Reward: Temporary Authority — control over one decision of the male lead (duration: 24 hours).
Penalty: Soul Fragment Burn — each failure consumes a piece of your soul, leading to memory loss, unbearable pain, and eventual erasure.
Ethan's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, WAIT—temporary control over him? For only one day? And what the hell is soul fragment burn?!"
He clutched his head, his face pale. Just imagining pieces of his soul being ripped away made him want to collapse on the spot. Memory loss? Pain? Erasure?! What kind of horror game did I get drafted into?
The goddesses weren't exactly leaving him any room to wiggle out. In plain words: if he refused to save their precious worlds, they would kill him.
It seems like he had no choice but to do what they said... To act like their little puppet.
In most isekai stories, ordinary characters who got transmigrated into new worlds ended up with overpowered abilities, armies at their command, and harems of beautiful women fawning over them. They became heroes, chosen ones, or rulers of kingdoms.
On the other hand he...
Clenching his fists, Ethan took a deep breath.
Maybe it's just this world. Maybe the next world would be different.
They wanted him to help the male lead rise to the top again?
Fine.
He wasn't happy about it, but it wasn't like he had a choice anyway. Compared to dying a tragic death and being erased from existence, playing assistant to a cold, brooding male lead didn't sound too bad.
At least… that's what he tried to tell himself.
"No big deal," Ethan muttered under his breath, crossing his arms. "All I have to do is babysit a disabled cultivator with major trust issues."
But the real problem was...
He might die in the process.
The sound of wheels turning made him snap out of his thoughts. Damien had moved closer, stopping just a few feet away.
"Have you finally decided to drop the act?" Damien asked, his voice low, smooth, carrying a weight that made Ethan's stomach twist.