The Grand Duke's Soulmate - Chapter 489: When Love Hurts

Dane Harper's life was a monotonous grind. Stuck in a soul-sucking 9-to-9 job with barely any time to breathe, his only escape was the world of visual novels. From anime to manga, light novels to webnovels, Dane had consumed it all, but nothing compared to his ultimate obsession: Harem, Dragons, and Deities (HDXD).This legendary visual novel was a masterpiece of high fantasy, packed with detailed lore, jaw-dropping twists, and, of course, an insane harem of monster girls and powerful women.Dane had spent nearly 7,000 hours playing it, chasing every ending possible, especially the legendary [Overlord of Humanity Ending], where the protagonist builds a massive harem and spreads his superior genes across the HDXD universe.But when a cosmic accident caused by a mischievous witch-in-training, Beatrice, wipes out the entire human universe, Dane's life takes an unexpected turn.As the first soul to be reincarnated, Dane is offered two wishes by Beatrice: a world of his choosing and a fragment of her power. Without hesitation, Dane chooses the world of HDXD, a place he knows inside and out, and a unique ability to help him survive: the Omni Harem System. This system not only helps him level up and gain unique powers but also guides him in building the ultimate harem.Now, reborn as some random extra of this hellish game, Dane is ready to live out his wildest fantasies. His life goal, walk over the MC, and replace him... But this isn't just a game anymore; it's real life, and the stakes are higher than ever.From battling dragons and deities to navigating the complex personalities of the women around him, Dane must use his knowledge of HDXD and his new powers to carve out his destiny without getting curve stomp by the overpowered people around him.But let's be real, becoming the Overlord of Humanity isn’t going to be a walk in the park. This is HDXD we’re talking about; a world where one wrong move can lead to a bad ending so messed up it'll haunt your dreams.As such, every step towards that ending requires heart, commitment, and sheer will, and you best believe Dane is aiming for that ending at all costs.

Upon opening his eyes, there before him was a bridal chamber adorned with red candles and windows.A bride dressed in a phoenix coronet and robes of rank sat upright on the nuptial bed, her face covered by a red bridal veil.Zhao Rong rubbed his sleepy eyes, “Have I become a groom? Oh, and a junior one at that.”Understood.His facial expression brewed for a moment before he twisted his mouth into a smile, “Wait a second...”Huh, something's amiss.The bride is my childhood sweetheart who also harbored a crush on me?Oh, then that's alright.This is very fitting.Zhao Rong stepped forward, happily lifting the red bridal veil, “Hey hey, my lady, where are you running off to?”-------------In the great era of contention, the tide of the times surged forth, and Confucian Scholar Zhao Rong bravely faced it head-on. Not only did he seek to catch up to the footsteps of his childhood sweetheart turned Sword Immortal Lady, but he also wished to witness firsthand the dispute that engulfed more than half of the Cultivation World, the strife among the various schools of thought...—————[Slow-burn], [Non-cliché], [Non-level-up], [Romance plot], [Sweet without the angst]This book is also known as “I Have a Fox Fairy Wife”, “Rebirth: I Deliver Parcels in the Otherworld”, “Zhao Ziyu, The Smirking Scholar” “I Really Don't Want to Be a Kept Man”...

Five years ago, Violet Don was framed and accused of causing the death of Noah Bates's child. This led to Noah's sending her to prison and the downfall of her family. What he didn't know was that Violet was also carrying his child.Five years later, upon Violet's release, Noah corners her, demanding, “If you want your child, come and atone for your sins!”Violet smiles, “You can let him call anyone mom.”Noah, filled with hatred, says, “After five years in prison, how can you still be so cruel!”“Yes,” Violet's eyes redden as she smiles, “In your eyes, I'm a murderer.”Later, he finds out that he has owed her an apology all along. But by then, she no longer cares...

Bestselling author Elias Vayne has spent years writing stories to escape the horrors of his past. As a child, he was the sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out his entire orphanage. He doesn’t remember how he survived—only that when the slaughter ended, he was the only one left standing.His latest work, The Arcane Academy Chronicles, takes place in Veylin Academy, a prestigious school of magic and combat. But one night, after finishing the final chapter, Elias wakes up inside his own book—not as the hero, not as the villain, but as an extra. Worse, he’s been reborn as Kael, the very same orphan who survived a similar massacre in the story.But something is wrong. The academy isn’t as he wrote it. Characters are acting off-script, unknown forces are rewriting events, and the mystery surrounding Kael’s survival mirrors the one in Elias’s real life. The more he tries to regain control of the narrative, the more he realizes this world may not be his creation at all.