Phenom1

In a world where nobles wield magic like weapons and commoners are little more than pawns, Priam Lockhart—a sarcastic, pragmatic anti-hero—finds himself reincarnated as the butler to Seraphine de Valois, the ruthless villainess of a dating sim game. Tasked with navigating a treacherous academy filled with scheming nobles, jealous love interests, and a system rigged against him, Priam must use his wit, game knowledge, and hidden talents to survive.

But when he crosses paths with Liana Hart, the game’s kind-hearted heroine with a dangerous secret, Priam’s plans for a quiet life unravel. As he works to change Seraphine’s fate and protect Liana from those who would exploit her, he finds himself entangled in a web of political intrigue, betrayal, and romance.

With a harem of powerful women vying for his loyalty and a kingdom on the brink of chaos, Priam must decide: will he play the game, or rewrite the rules entirely?

Themes:

A reluctant hero in a world of villains.

Slow-burn romance with a touch of harem politics.

High-stakes magic, political intrigue, and epic duels.

A witty, overpowered MC who just wants a peaceful life (but never gets it).

Perfect for fans of:

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

The Eminence in Shadow

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs

My Life as the Villainess’s Butler

The Fall of the Obsidian Spire

Erathia's capital burned, but not from Seraphine's failed purge. Priam—no, the Sovereign's Avatar—loomed over the ruins, his form a grotesque fusion of man and void. His clawed hands razed buildings to ash, while Voidspawn swarmed in his wake, feasting on the chaos. Survivors fled through rubble-strewn streets, their screams harmonizing with the Avatar's guttural roars.

Void Corruption: 85% (Critical).

Last Bastion: The Iron Citadel, a fortress carved into the northern mountains.

Liana crouched in the shadow of a shattered statue, her shard dim but pulsing in time with Priam's corrupted heartbeat. Lucien materialized beside her, his voidsteel dagger dripping with ichor.

"He's stronger than I anticipated," Lucien admitted, a rare flicker of unease in his eyes. "The core fused with his soul. We can't kill him without killing him."

"Then we don't kill him," Liana said, her voice steel. "We save him."

Seraphine's Revelation

The Obsidian Spire's vaults had collapsed, but Seraphine survived, dragged from the wreckage by her Blackguard. Beneath the citadel, she uncovered a Hartwell relic—a crystalline archive etched with Elyra's final words.

Elyra's Message (Decrypted):

"The Sovereign's heart is a prison. To break the cycle, a Hartwell must enter it… and a herald must choose to die."

Seraphine's hands trembled. The relic also revealed a truth she'd buried: her lineage was bastard Hartwell, a branch pruned from history. Her blood could activate the archive—and the prison.

Seraphine's Resolve:

Action: Use her blood to unlock the Heart of the Sovereign.

Risk: Death, or worse.

The Iron Citadel's Last Stand

The Voidspawn horde crashed against the citadel's walls. Roland's cultists, now mindless thralls, scaled the battlements, their voidsteel claws screeching against stone. Liana and Lucien fought side-by-side, their uneasy alliance forged in desperation.

Arcane Resonance Overload: She channeled the shard's energy into a blade of pure light, cleaving Voidspawn by the dozen.

Voidsteel Surge: He siphoned corruption from fallen cultists, fueling his fading immortality. "This won't hold long, darling. Decide quickly!"

Above them, the Avatar descended, his void-cloaked wings blotting out the sky.

Priam's Fractured Soul

Within the Avatar's mind, Priam battled the Sovereign's will. Memories flickered—Liana's smile, Astra's laughter, Lucien's betrayal.

"You are mine," the Sovereign hissed. "Your heart is my vessel."

Priam's Resistance:

Memory Trigger: The day he became Liana's butler, mocking Seraphine's orders. "I just want a quiet life."

Action: He clawed at the void, carving a path to the surface.

The Heart of the Sovereign

Seraphine activated the archive, her blood dissolving the relic into a portal—a swirling vortex leading to the Sovereign's core. "Liana! Now!"

Liana hesitated, staring at Priam's monstrous form. "What if he doesn't want to be saved?"

Lucien shoved her toward the portal. "Then you make him."

Cliffhanger: The Choice

Liana plunged into the Heart, finding Priam's soul chained to the Sovereign's essence. To free him, she'd have to sever the bond—but the only blade sharp enough was her shard, the last remnant of Astra.

Destroy the Shard: Kill Priam, sever the cycle.

Merge with the Heart: Replace him as the Avatar, damning herself.

Outside, Lucien whispered to Seraphine: "You've always hated being a Hartwell. Now's your chance to die as one."

Chapter 23: The Avatar’s Wrath