Maxi lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come to him, his mind caught in a relentless storm of thoughts. That light—the overwhelming rainbow glow that had stretched infinitely into the horizon—only meant a handful of things. And none of them were good.
Either someone else had been reincarnated, just like him, and was blessed by all the earthly gods, or a child born in this world had been granted the same fate.
Both possibilities terrified him.
If a reincarnator had arrived, then they could very well be from his previous world, someone who might recognize the patterns of this world better than he did. Or worse—someone who had read about this world before. A reader. A player. Someone with "protagonist privilege" that made everything fall into place for them.
And if it wasn't a reincarnator?
Then this meant the birth of the "main character" of this world.
Maxi felt a sharp pit form in his stomach. No matter what the answer was, his life had just become significantly harder. Worse, a tragedy would almost certainly follow. After all, main characters needed suffering to grow, to develop, to push the plot forward. And what were side characters—background characters—if not stepping stones for that development?
Maxi clenched his fists. "I won't let that happen."
The words escaped before he could stop them, his voice sharp with conviction. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, forcing himself to calm down. But his thoughts didn't stop.
He wasn't going to let himself be just another tragic loss in someone else's journey. He had been reincarnated for a reason. He wasn't here to be some side character.
A deep frustration burned within him as he thought about overpowered protagonists—ones who never had to struggle, who never had to fight tooth and nail for their power. He despised those types. He always had.
Maxi wanted a protagonist who struggled, who suffered, who had to outthink and outmaneuver stronger opponents just to survive. He wanted to see them truly earn their strength, to fight for it rather than being handed godlike abilities from the start. There was something truly satisfying about watching someone grow—someone who lost sometimes but still pushed forward, getting stronger and stronger with every battle.
And then there were harem protagonists.
A shiver ran down his spine at the mere thought. He didn't judge people for liking harems, but he absolutely despised them.
First, from a writing standpoint, how could you possibly make each romance feel real? Love wasn't something that just magically happened at first sight. People weren't drawn to someone so easily, especially not in a way that felt genuine. Relationships took time, patience, and emotional investment.
A proper romance required effort—conversations, shared experiences, deep understanding. And if you were writing multiple love interests, then you had to make sure each one was fully developed, unique, and had a believable reason for falling in love. Otherwise, what was the point?
But what truly disgusted him about harems was that most books didn't even bother exploring how the love interests actually felt about the situation.
How did they deal with the emotional strain? Did they truly accept sharing their love? Or were they just written as mindless objects to cater to a male fantasy, existing only to boost the protagonist's ego?
So many stories never addressed this, never treated the love interests as people—just trophies for the protagonist to collect.
Maxi sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. His thoughts were spiraling again, but he couldn't stop them.
And the worst part? Even if someone could somehow evenly love and care for multiple people, how would that even work?
It was hard enough to love a single person, to truly understand them, support them, and meet their needs—both emotionally and physically. Each person had unique traits, different personalities, their own struggles.
Maxi knew this better than anyone.
His wife—his wife from his past life—had been someone who needed more emotional support than anything else from what he remembered. She was fragile in ways people didn't understand. He had to learn her pains, her anxieties, the things she struggled with most. He had to love her the way she needed to be loved.
And that was just one person.
How could someone do that for multiple people at once?
Maxi groaned, feeling exhausted from his own thoughts. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but as the first rays of sunlight crept into his room, he realized he had spent the entire night thinking.
His mind continued racing as he finally concluded his long rant with one last thought.
How the hell would you even equally love and take care of every single love interest?
But before he could spiral any further, a knock echoed through his room.
Maxi sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "Come in."
The door opened, revealing a tall maid with long black hair and dark blue eyes. Her flawless peach-toned skin made her look almost doll-like, but her expression remained calm and detached. In her hands were two letters.
She spoke in a soft, emotionless voice. "Young Master Maxi, I have two letters for you—one from Master Colen and the other from the King. Would you like me to read them for you?"
Maxi blinked in surprise. It was rare for anyone other than Angelina to enter his room, but he barely had time to process that before the weight of her words settled in. A letter from his father? His stomach twisted uneasily.
He forced a smile. "Yes, please."
The maid nodded, but before opening the first envelope, she met his gaze with icy precision. "Which letter do you want first?"
Maxi hesitated, then exhaled. "Read Colen's first."
The maid unfolded the letter, revealing a delicate snowflake seal on the parchment. She read aloud:
"Dear Maxi,
I managed to convince Father to let you enter the library every day until after your test. However, Techxin informed me that you'll be bedridden for a few days. Because of that, I pushed even further and got permission for books to be sent to you. Trust me when I say it wasn't easy—Father gave in, but only under a condition, which he has outlined in his own letter.
Do not screw up what I worked so hard to get for you.
P.S. The maid reading this letter will be the one delivering your books. She knows the library well.
—Your brother, Colen Bloodheart."
Maxi sighed in relief, feeling a small wave of gratitude for his older brother. At least he wouldn't be completely cut off from knowledge while recovering. But as the maid moved to open the second letter, his body tensed.
The King's letter bore his personal wax seal, deep crimson like dried blood. As the maid unfolded it, her voice remained as calm as ever:
"Dear Maxi,
Your brother came to me with a request, and I have granted it—on one condition.
You must either wait until you are sixteen to have your Blessing Awakening Ceremony or accept one of two marriage arrangements from a branch family of the Nine Main Houses.
We will discuss this further once you are able to walk to my quarters.
—From the King."
Maxi felt his blood run cold.
Wait until sixteen? That was practically a death sentence. Without his blessing, he'd be at a severe disadvantage against his siblings and everybody his age, who would be allowed to use theirs freely. But the alternative…
A political Marriage.
His stomach twisted at the thought. He had wanted to not marry at all since he still had deep love for his wife.
Maxi then thought frantically what the hell was he going to do