How many cycles has this happened?

Victor has lost count.

Each time he dies and is resurrected, he returns to this time.

Then, the experience is repeated again and again.

He wanted to make Leah hate him, he wanted everyone to hate him.

He wanted Gwen to sign a marriage contract with him so that she couldn't fall in love with anyone else.

And then... then what was he going to do?

Oh right, I want to confess my feelings to Erica.

But why did he do that?

What person or thing are you looking for?

Having gone through this so many times, I've basically become subconscious and act according to the plan whenever that time comes.

Numbness, repetitive numbness.

Once this is over, let's give up.

Viktor closed his eyes and waited quietly for time to pass.

...

When I was five, a new baby arrived in the family.

Tisnato named her Lya.

But he had repeated it so many times that the slight surprise he felt when he first saw her was long gone.

Besides, Victor doesn't need any surprises.

As long as he continues to be the brother she hates.

Even though she, as usual, developed a strong dependence on him, her older brother.

It's like a plaster that you can't get rid of no matter what you do.

Fortunately, Victor got used to it; after all, Lydia used to be like that too.

However, it will be fine after a while.

When Lia grows up.

She will then realize how wrong she was as a child and what a cold-blooded villain Victor is.

He only has eyes for himself.

Ten years old

November 6th.

"Your Excellency, your child possesses extraordinary magical talent!"

ridiculous.

Even with only a superficial degree of recognition, he was able to gain the high approval of a royal mage.

If he wanted to, he could become a second-tier mage at the age of five.

The memories stored in her mind and the physical gifts she possesses are unmatched by anyone else in this world.

But even genius has its limits.

Geniuses are generally not highly regarded.

But a genius who is one of a kind in the world, as long as he doesn't urinate on the emperor's face.

Even if you kick your own father, someone will still praise you.

Well played!

At the age of ten, he 'awakened' his magical talent—this was the standard Victor had always set for himself.

At this age, his talent won't be fully revealed, and it's the perfect time to do so.

Importantly, he had a good enough reason to stop Leah from getting any closer to him.

Just as he has done time and time again.

The next day, little Lia opened the door as usual.

Viktor was already sitting at his desk, reading a book.

He then warned Lia in the coldest tone possible.

"go out."

"Don't get in the way."

He could see that Lia opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something.

In the end, Lia remained silent, her petite figure pushing open the study door again before calmly leaving.

He didn't know if Liya would be very sad.

But this was the action he had to take in order to make Liya stop depending on him.

Fortunately, he's gotten used to it.

Doing this will not make him feel any guilt.

Readjust your emotions and keep your mind calm and free of distractions.

Viktor refocused his gaze on the book, intently studying the ancient text written on parchment.

Then, one hour, two hours, three hours.

Squeak—yah.

The study door was pushed open again.

This time, however, her voice was unusually cautious, as if she was afraid of disturbing him.

Although Viktor still heard it.

He took a deep breath and was just about to look up at the person who had come in front of him.

What came into view was the figure he had just kicked out.

She was carefully holding a glass of water, standing on tiptoe, deliberately elevating her body.

I gently placed the water glass on the desk.

Finally, before Victor could speak to her, Lia noticed his gaze.

She immediately grinned and giggled, then quickly ran out of the room.

Gently turning the doorknob, I closed the door.

There wasn't even a chance for Viktor to reprimand him again.

Viktor frowned, looking at the glass of water in front of him.

The water was clear, and there were no foreign objects in it.

Up close, it looks like a very ordinary glass of water.

But……

When did Lia bring him water?

In countless reincarnations, he never remembered ever doing such a thing.

Perhaps he misremembered?

Viktor took a deep breath, after all, his mind was filled with so many memories, it was inevitable that there would be some minor discrepancies.

Just as he was about to pick up the water glass, he noticed a note left beside it.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the paper strip unfolded.

The writing on it was slightly immature, but clear and distinct:

"Have a glass of water if you're tired!"

'You're my absolute favorite—Lia'

Viktor remained silent.

Unconsciously, he clenched his fists.

The paper strip gradually became crumpled as he gripped it tighter.

Until Victor released his grip, the note turned to ashes due to the overheating of the magic.

Has anything changed?

Viktor didn't know, and dared not think about it.

Countless cycles of reincarnation have hardened his heart to the point of being as hard as iron.

He only trusts himself.

But the heart is not stone.

The harder it is, the easier it is to crack.

The cracks can only be smoothed out once they become soft again.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!