Prologue – The Forgotten Side Character

When I woke up, I wasn't the hero.

I wasn't the villain.

I wasn't even the second male lead.

I had become Lucien Everhart, a side character whose name was mentioned only three times before dying during the final war.

"I refuse."

This life would belong to me.

If I wanted to survive, I needed power before the story even began.

So, instead of chasing the protagonists...

I disappeared from the capital.

Arc One – The Hidden Heir (Age 12–18)

For six years, Lucien never attended noble banquets or social gatherings.

The capital slowly forgot he existed.

Rumors spread.

"The youngest Everhart son is sick."

"No, he's weak."

"I heard he can't even use mana."

Lucien smiled whenever he heard those rumors.

The less people noticed him...

the longer he lived.

Meanwhile, he secretly built his own strength.

He mastered swordsmanship under retired mercenaries.

He learned ancient magic from forgotten ruins.

He established an intelligence network made up of merchants and adventurers.

He even founded a secret guild called Silver Eclipse, though no one knew its mysterious master.

By eighteen...

Lucien had become one of the strongest people on the continent.

Yet no one knew.

HIs first friend

Deep within the Frost Mountains...

Lucien discovered a dying dragon hatchling.

Instead of taking its crystal heart, as most humans would...

he stayed beside it for weeks.

He hunted for food.

Protected it from poachers.

Read stories aloud because he thought dragons might enjoy them.

"...You're strange."

The silver dragon finally spoke.

"My name is Kael."

Lucien smiled.

"I'm Lucien."

That day...

the world's youngest Dragon King gained his first human friend.

Neither of them realized it would become something far deeper than friendship.

His Second Friend

Months later, while exploring the Beast Kingdom...

Lucien found a young beastman imprisoned by slave traders.

Covered in blood.

Half-conscious.

Golden wolf ears twitched weakly.

Lucien quietly cut the chains.

"Can you stand?"

"...Why... help me?"

"Because someone should."

The beastman stared silently.

No human had ever helped him without asking for something in return.

"My name..."

He lowered his head.

"...Riven."

Lucien smiled.

"Then let's go home."

For the first time in years...

Riven smiled.

The three of them traveled together.

A human.

A dragon.

A beastman.

They became an inseparable family.

Unknown to Lucien...

Kael secretly found himself fascinated by Lucien's older brother, Adrian Everhart, after hearing countless stories about the honorable knight.

Riven, meanwhile, would one day lose his heart to the Crown Prince's closest friend—a brilliant duke who always treated beastfolk as equals.

The Five Male Leads

When the original story finally begins, the five male leads are:

Prince Cassian Valerius – The cold and calculating Crown Prince.

Duke Rowan Ashford – A genius mage with a gentle smile hiding dangerous ambitions.

Commander cassian Everhart – Lucien's protective older brother and the empire's greatest knight and the adopted son of the ever hart family

Marquis Elias Ravenshade – A charming noble, master of spies and politics.

High Priest Caelum – The youngest saint in history, beloved by the people but burdened by prophecy.

None of them have ever met Lucien.

As far as they know...

Adrian simply has a quiet younger brother who never leaves his estate.

The Imperial Gala

Everything changes on one night.

The Imperial Gala.

The event where every noble family must attend.

The night all five male leads gather for the first time.

And the first time anyone lays eyes on Lucien Everhart.

No one expects much from the forgotten youngest son.

Until the grand doors open.

A young man with silver hair, dressed in black embroidered with silver lilies, steps into the ballroom.

The music stops.

Conversations die.

Five pairs of eyes lift toward him.

For reasons none of them can explain...

They cannot look away.

And from that single moment, the fate of the novel begins to change.

End of Arc One.

The slow-burn romance begins at the Imperial Gala, where the five male leads meet Lucien for the very first time, while Kael the Dragon King and Riven the beastman each begin developing feelings for people close to the male leads, creating intertwined romances throughout the story.

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