The first thing that came back was the pain.
It wasn't the sharp, clean pain of a blade or the burning agony of a spell. This was a dull, throbbing misery that pulsed behind my eyes and settled like a lead weight in my skull. My mouth felt like a desert, dry and gritty. I groaned, shifting on something impossibly soft.
What happened last night? I thought, the words moving like sludge through my mind. Did I get hit by a truck?
Memories, sharp and unwelcome, sliced through the fog.
Not memories of a party or a bar. These were different. I remembered a cold, stone floor. I remembered the taste of my own blood. I remembered looking up at a beautiful, cruel face haloed by silver hair—the game's heroine, Lady Violet. And standing behind her, the man I had called my friend, Prince Cedric, his sword pointed at my heart.
"You cannot be allowed to hurt anyone ever again, Null," Cedric had said, his voice full of sad righteousness.
Null. That was the name I had chosen. I was the final boss of Blooming Love in the Royal Court, a famously difficult otome game. Not the dashing love interest, but the villain who pulled the strings from the shadows. I had spent weeks building my power, outsmarting the knights, and manipulating the kingdom. And I had lost. The "Game Over" screen had been my last sight.
So why did I have a hangover?
My eyes snapped open. I was not on a stone floor. I was in a massive, canopy bed. Silk sheets were tangled around my legs. Sunlight, entirely too bright and cheerful, streamed through a large window, illuminating a room that was… familiar. Obscenely luxurious, with gold-leaf trim, expensive-looking bottles of cologne on a dresser, and a portrait of a handsome, smirking blond man on the wall.
That's… that's Klaus von Herrmann.
A cold dread, colder than any Game Over screen, started to creep up my spine. I pushed myself out of bed, my legs wobbly. I stumbled towards a full-length, gold-framed mirror.
The man staring back at me was not me. He was tall, with perfectly styled blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was handsome in a way that was almost offensive, with sharp features and a strong jaw. He was also wearing ridiculously expensive silk pajamas.
And he was Klaus von Hermann. The third potential love interest in Blooming Love in the Royal Court.
More specifically, he was the one the fandom had nicknamed "The Arrogant, Doomed Bully."
My breath hitched. This wasn't right. I was Null, the mastermind. How was I inside the body of this minor antagonist?
Then, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place with the force of a sledgehammer. It wasn't just memories of my death. It was knowledge. A flood of information about this world, this body, and this story poured into my mind, slotting into place like a downloaded file.
Name: Klaus von Herrmann
Title:Viscount, Third Son of the Herrmann Family
Role:Antagonistic Noble, Rival for Lady Violet's Affection
Fate:[DOOM FLAG RAISED]
Doom Flags. The term screamed in my mind. In the game, Klaus was designed to be an unlikable jerk. He was arrogant, looked down on commoners, and saw Lady Violet as a prize to be won. His entire story arc was a series of bad decisions that led to one inevitable conclusion: ruin.
And I knew every single step that led to it.
I saw it all in a dizzying flash. In two weeks, at the Royal Masquerade, I—Klaus—would publicly mock Lady Violet for her humble origins. Prince Cedric would witness it and challenge me to a duel. I would lose, humiliatingly. My family, to save face with the Crown, would disown me. Stripped of my title and wealth, I would be left with nothing. The game's epilogue slide for Klaus showed him as a broken, penniless drunk in the slums.
My death as Null had been quick. Klaus's fate was a slow, painful, social death. And it started today.
"No," I whispered to my new, handsome reflection. The voice was richer than my own, but the panic was the same. "No, no, no!"
I had gotten a New Game+. A second chance. But instead of reloading as the super-powered final boss, I'd been reborn as the character with the highest density of stupid decisions per minute. It was the universe's worst joke.
A knock came at the door. "Young Master Klaus? Are you awake? You have an appointment at the Royal Academy today."
The voice was familiar. Bernard, the long-suffering, eternally patient butler of the Herrmann household. In the game, he was one of the few characters who ever showed Klaus any genuine kindness, even when it wasn't deserved.
My heart hammered against my ribs. The Royal Academy. That was where it all began. That was where Lady Violet, the commoner who had earned a scholarship, would first arrive. And according to my new memories, my scripted role for today was to be her first, and most memorable, bully.
"I… I'm awake, Bernard," I called out, trying to sound like my usual arrogant self. It came out as a croak.
The door opened and Bernard entered. He was an older man, with silver hair and a kind, weary face. He was holding a silver tray with a steaming cup of what I knew was a vile, but effective, hangover cure. Just another part of Klaus's routine.
"Your tonic, sir," he said, placing it on the bedside table. His eyes, however, lingered on my face. "Are you feeling quite alright, Young Master? You look… pale."
I probably did. I felt like I'd seen a ghost. My own.
"Fine," I snapped, the word coming out with a surprising amount of Klaus's natural bite. I cleared my throat. "Just… a bad dream."
Bernard's eyebrows raised slightly. He wasn't used to Klaus offering explanations. I wasn't used to having a butler. This was going to be complicated.
I drank the tonic. It was as disgusting as the memories promised, but the fog in my head began to clear almost instantly. As I got dressed with Bernard's help—another bizarre experience—I started to form a plan. A desperate, crazy plan.
The rules had changed. I wasn't the player controlling a character anymore. I was the character. And I refused to follow the script.
My primary objective was no longer world domination. It was survival. I had to lower every single Doom Flag that stood between me and a peaceful, non-destitute life.
Flag Number One: The Academy Introduction.
In the original story, Klaus would see Violet getting lost on her first day. He would corner her, make snide comments about her cheap uniform and her "unrefined" manners, and generally establish himself as the number one person she should avoid. This moment would cement his role as the bully and plant the first seed of his eventual downfall.
I walked to the Academy, my footsteps echoing on the cobblestones. The world was incredibly vivid. The smell of fresh bread from a bakery, the feel of the crisp morning air, the sound of other students chatting—it was all so real. This wasn't a game anymore. This was my life.
And then I saw her.
She was standing near the main fountain, looking at a map with a confused frown. She had the same chestnut-brown hair and bright, amethyst eyes from the game. She looked small and a little overwhelmed in her new, slightly-too-big uniform.
My body, moving on some terrible, pre-programmed instinct, started to walk towards her. My lips began to curl into a sneer. This was the moment. This was where Klaus von Herrmann began his march to ruin.
No! I screamed inside my own head. I am not Klaus! I am Null! I was the shadow ruler of an entire kingdom! I will not be defeated by a cutscene!
I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart was pounding. The sneer melted off my face, replaced by what I hoped was a neutral expression.
Violet looked up, sensing my presence. Her eyes widened slightly, probably recognizing my expensive clothes and my family crest. She braced herself, her shoulders tensing. She was waiting for the insult.
I had to say something. Anything.
I took a deep breath. "You seem lost," I said.
My voice was calm. Quiet. It didn't have Klaus's usual mocking tone.
Violet blinked in surprise. "I… I am, a little. I'm trying to find the Alchemy lecture hall."
I knew exactly where it was. Klaus's memories provided the layout of the entire Academy. I pointed down a nearby corridor. "Take the second left. It's the large double doors at the end of the hall. You can't miss it."
For a long second, she just stared at me, as if waiting for the punchline. When it didn't come, she offered a small, hesitant smile. "Oh. Thank you…?"
"Klaus," I said, my own name feeling foreign on my tongue. "Klaus von Herrmann."
I gave her a short, polite nod—the kind you'd give any stranger—and then I walked away. I didn't look back. My entire body was trembling with the effort of fighting that script.
It was a tiny change. A single, small act of basic human decency. But as I walked away from the heroine, a strange thing happened. In the corner of my vision, as if projected by my own mind, I saw the status update.
[DOOM FLAG: 'The First Insult' - LOWERED]
A shaky breath escaped my lips. It worked. I could change my fate.
But as I turned the corner, I almost walked right into a tall figure with piercing green eyes and silver hair. Prince Cedric. He had been watching the entire exchange, a thoughtful, unreadable expression on his face.
My blood ran cold. The game was already changing. And I had no idea what the new rules were.