* * *

In the original story, there were only two characters with silver hair: the protagonist’s mother, Gabriella, the late Empress, and her descendant, Luinael—the very Grand Duke of Eukrencia whom the protagonist had just ordered Isaac to marry.

“…The Grand Duke of Eukrencia?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Hah…”

The Luinael in Isaac’s memories was just a boy.

That made sense, of course—his last memory of him was a fleeting encounter when Luinael was only fifteen, before heading to the battlefield.

Isaac back then hadn’t paid him much attention and barely remembered his face back then.

And now, here he was, all grown up—both imposing and incredibly handsome.

Isaac was taken aback.

“It seems you’ve already heard His Majesty’s command from the messenger,” Luinael remarked.

“Oh, yes… That’s correct, but…”

Luinael’s words jolted Isaac back to reality.

Come to think of it, what about Luinael’s opinion on this?

‘Surely, he must feel as bewildered as I do. Even in a world where men could marry each other, being suddenly ordered to wed a sinner was absurd. He must be as unhappy about this as I am.’

Clinging to one last shred of hope, Isaac fixed his gaze on Luinael.

“Surely, Your Grace doesn’t agree with this order…!”

“Please marry me, Isaac.”

“…What?”

“I have admired you for a long time.”

“…?”

‘Excuse me? You’ve admired me? As in, Isaac ‘the villain’?’

Isaac blinked dumbly, struggling to process this unexpected side story that hadn’t appeared in the original novel.

And in that moment—

[A genre shift has been detected.]

“…!”

A status window, which had been absent all this time, suddenly appeared. Isaac stared wide-eyed at the bright blue screen before him.

[A new genre has been unlocked.
New Genre: BL]

“…Ha…”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Isaac frowned at the letters emblazoned across his vision: BL

What exactly is BL?

Boys Love.

The love between men.

It wasn’t a genre Isaac was remotely interested in or wanted to know about, but thanks to the novel’s female readership, which had grown significantly despite its male-oriented focus, he’d inadvertently picked up a few things.

The story even took place in a world where same-sex marriages were possible—a detail likely included by the author without much thought, as it had only been mentioned in passing as a way to justify noble families engaging in more strategic marriages.

But that tidbit had caused a massive uproar among the fandom.

While the initial readership was predominantly male, the setting spread on social media, attracting a wave of female fans.

This led to a surge in fan creations: second-hand stories, comics, and theories, including one where the protagonist, Maximilian, was forced into a political marriage with another male character to stabilize the imperial power.

Among all these pairings, Isaac—one of the major villains—was the most frequently shipped character with the protagonist.

“…”

A shiver ran down Isaac’s spine.

He suddenly remembered a fan comic he’d stumbled across out of sheer curiosity, one that paired Maximilian and himself.

He shouldn’t have looked at it, no matter how intrigued he’d been.

Isaac scowled, biting his lip in frustration.

“Isaac?”

“Ah…”

Luinael called his name with a puzzled expression, snapping Isaac out of his thoughts.

Right, Luinael had just said something utterly outrageous, hadn’t he?

But the unexpected appearance of the status window had distracted him, leaving him unable to respond.

Forcing his reluctant lips to move, Isaac spoke.

“So… You’ve admired me for a long time?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Since when?

The last time the real Isaac saw Luinael was five years ago.

That meant he’d been harboring these feelings for at least five years…

Wouldn’t that make Isaac his first love?

At such a young age, he wouldn’t have had the chance to fall for someone else.

As a royal, his social interactions must have been limited.

Isaac being Luinael’s first love—it was such an unexpected revelation that it left him dazed.

On top of that, now that he’d had time to process, Luinael bore an uncanny resemblance to his older brother, the protagonist.

The memory of the comic he’d accidentally seen kept resurfacing, making Isaac want to crawl into a hole.

“But marrying a sinner like me would only tarnish Your Grace’s reputation,” Isaac protested.

“It’s fine. My brother has already given his permission.”

“Ha…”

Luinael’s reasoning was baffling enough, but what truly defied comprehension was the protagonist himself.

To him, Isaac was an unforgivable sinner. There was no way he’d have allowed such a union.

[Would you like to enter the BL genre?
Yes/No]

“…”

The status window popped up again, oblivious to the tension of the moment.

Isaac glared at it in annoyance.

‘No, thank you! I’m not interested!’

Frowning, he moved to select “No.”

[By entering the new genre, you will be granted the “Protagonist’s Authority.”

Players with the “Protagonist’s Authority” can significantly influence the storyline.]

Isaac froze, his finger hovering over the “No” button.

“……!”

Isaac’s eyes widened as he stared at the status window flickering to life once again.

The fact that this was a BL genre weighed heavily on his mind, but being the ‘protagonist’ was no ordinary role.

Not only could he access the status window, but he was also bestowed with all kinds of abilities and skills, effectively making him an unstoppable force.

Isaac trembled as he thought of Maximilian, the protagonist of the original story.

“No, but seriously… a BL protagonist? Are you kidding me?”

Then, a critical fact struck Isaac.

BL wasn’t a genre where the protagonist was the only focus.

If there was a protagonist, there would inevitably be supporting characters involved with him.

Moreover, the relationships here were far more intense and entangled than in typical genres.

“Just imagining it makes me want to throw up…”

Isaac was a heterosexual to the bone.

The thought of pretending to fall in love with another man, even for a role, seemed utterly impossible.

[Failure to enter the new genre will result in the scenario proceeding as planned.
Isaac Liam Drake’s fate: Death.]

---

“…….”

Was this status window threatening to kill him?

Isaac glared at the flickering screen in disbelief, as if it were urging him for an answer.

“I understand it’s sudden.”

“No, I just—”

“Being forced to choose in such a situation must feel like coercion.”

“…….”

A soft voice pierced Isaac’s ears.

But Luinael was not just a man with a pleasant voice.

His unbearably beautiful face inched even closer to Isaac.

“I promise to do my best. My feelings for you are sincere.”

“No, you’re too close—”

“Please marry me, Isaac.”

“…….”

Was this the infamous face attack he’d only heard about?

To be honest, Isaac barely caught any of Luinael’s words.

He was too busy gawking at his face, as if appreciating a masterpiece crafted by the gods.

How could a human look like this?

Even Maximilian, his older brother, wasn’t this handsome.

No, handsom* didn’t even begin to describe Luinael.

His looks were so transcendent that even in this fantasy world, Isaac wondered if elves—those mythical creatures—could possibly be this otherworldly.

Luinael was the epitome of ethereal beauty.

“Isaac?”

“Ahem. Ahem, ahem.”

Luinael tilted his head and called Isaac’s name twice, causing him to hurriedly clear his throat and look away.

It seemed Luinael had misinterpreted Isaac’s reaction. He appeared nervous, as though he believed Isaac’s silence stemmed from displeasure at the proposal.

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

Marrying a man and being thrown into a BL genre were the last things Isaac wanted.

[Do you accept entry into the BL genre?
Yes / No]

“…….”

* * *