From the moment Ethan had arrived in this world, he rarely found rest.

At the beginning, he was anxious and lost. Fear and panic never allowed him to live with comfort. Every day for him was uncertain.

In fact,he was even told that some witch might kidnap him for his Beauty and honestly this scared the shit out of him.

Then came Sophia.

She picked him up when he was at his lowest, and his life changed. From nobody, he became a Lord.

But this did not bring him peace. It did not bring leisure and luxury,one dream of.

Instead, it brought weight, more than he had ever carried before. He became a pillar for others, and pillars could not collapse.

Being a Lord was not about admiration. It was about responsibility. People placed their hopes and belief in him. If he failed, lives would be ruined. Families would be destroyed and he could not allow that.

For others it might not matter,but for Ethan lives mattered.As someone who had walked his way to the top in the past life,he knew the value of followers.

With fans support,he wasn't just any idol rather a God but without them what was he..

The same principle applies here.

And a Lord had to be strong.

The system's timely appearance had helped him more than he could ever imagine. Without it, he would never have reached this far. But even with its help, he never allowed himself to rest.

There was not a single day when he had not touched his sword. No matter the time, no matter the situation, he practiced. He trained and trained until his body broke down, then forced himself to stand again.

He lacked experience, yes, but he never lacked effort. His determination to grow stronger never faded.

What came after training wasn't rest rather it's the ample amount of workload and duties he needed to finish as a Lord.

Despite workload,he have never neglected his training.

Most men became careless when they rose higher. They relaxed, forgetting their early hunger however Ethan never did.

He trained like a man possessed. Yet, even after all that madness, his swordsmanship refused to grow.

It was suffocating. It was like chains wrapping around his chest. He poured his heart into the blade, yet the results mocked him.

It felt utterly unfair.

It felt like injustice.

If not for Sophia and his kids' love, calming him down,he might have already broken apart .

Then came Duke Philip's guidance. Those words cut into him like a sharper blade than steel. Perhaps he had walked the wrong path all this time.

After that, he spent countless hours questioning himself. He reflected with every swing of his sword. Each strike became less about strength and more about thought. Yet reflection revealed something bitter.

He realized he was not the good man he thought he was.

In his past life, before becoming a model, he came from a middle-class family.

He had no real struggles, but he had endless desires. When fame came, it only grew worse.

He craved more. He wanted attention. He wanted women to scream his name. He wanted love, money, respect..in a way he wanted everything in his grasp.

Even now, with the system, his heart carried the same hunger. He told himself he wanted to protect.

He told himself he wanted to be a shield. But deep down, he also wanted to climb higher. He wanted respect and glory. He wanted people to look at him with awe.

These twisted thoughts became chains. They wrapped around his ankles and pulled him into a dark pit.

And soon he began to have nightmares where he found an image similar to him whispering in his mind.

Evil words echoed in his mind.

"Stop pretending to be a saint. With the fortune you hold, you can do whatever you want."

"Beautiful women are everywhere. Buy more slaves, just like Lia."

"You can have hundreds of women serve you."

"With your strength, you can crush other Barons. Why stop now?"

"Just take more women. Sleep with them,fuck them,enjoy the night and breed them."

"Giving heart to women is foolish..Their sole job is to breed."

Ethan's eyes widened.He shook his head and wanted to refuse but a pair of hands appeared grabbing him.

"What no,you dumb fuck?"

"Did you forget?"

"The more children you have the more precious gifts will be bestowed to you by the system."

Ethan clenched his teeth. His chest felt heavy. "No… it's not right."

The voice laughed, sharp and tempting. "What's wrong with it? Isn't that how your system works?"

"Marry more. Breed them. Produce more children."

"Each child gives you rewards. With hundreds of thousands of children, you can build an invincible army. Who will dare to defy you then?"

"You can become a sovereign. You can conquer this world. You can become their god."

"Everyone will bow and then everyone will start to worship you. They will crawl to lick your feet."

The words wrapped around him like a warm poison. His mind shook. His heart wavered.

"Do it, Ethan."

"Let go of those fake morals. Who cares about values? No one."

"Stop lying to yourself. Follow your lust. Follow your greed and become stronger."

"Strength matters the most."

Ethan's breathing grew heavy and his body trembled. His eyes lost their light. It was as if he had fallen under a spell. His thoughts blurred. His will began to sink into the whispers.

"Do it."

"Accept it."

He opened his mouth. The word almost slipped out.

"Yes…"

But then—

A roar cut through the fog in his head. It was so loud, so desperate, that it shook him back to reality.

"My Lord… RUN!"

The voice tore the chains apart. Ethan's eyes widened and the whispers echoing in his mind vanished.

"My Lord… RUN!"

"I will hold him back..So just escape My Lord."

It was Randall's voice filled with desperation.

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