Chapter 2
us3wlDThe palm full of calluses and scars was nowhere to be found.ppi
0NugoHAll that remained was a hand so soft it didn’t even look like it had ever held a sword—or even a pen.goW
2DKm0It didn’t even look like it had been exposed to much sunlight; it was so pale that the bluish veins showed through.X7z6
Uf4Mp2And it wasn’t just the palm.MBuV
ejPHxFrom the bones to the muscles, nothing matched his former body.uUD
4AiO75QThey say that when a coma is prolonged, the muscles atrophy, but this wasn’t a change that could be explained by that alone.juhbHn
mVoqCThis felt more like his head had been severed and transplanted onto another body.2GenUG
GR2w‘Don’t tell me…’f0GYel
isBhAkEAt the sudden thought, Jake jolted and quickly looked around.46ZtT1
WXjYmMRight next to him was a small handheld mirror, so he immediately grabbed it and looked at his face.Ph863
JAL“…!”XUpoDvv
HepIn the mirror, instead of the scruffy-bearded mercenary, there was a blond boy with his mouth hanging open.4e3LNA
SHFAK8Not only had everything except his head changed—even the head had changed!R1Ta8T
IOKDw‘But this face feels oddly familiar.’F205fZF
iFqW0m“Young master? What’s the matter all of a sudden?”85qxIVX
60vMivThe boy beside him tilted his head, seeing Jake so bewildered.5bX5
vSsiJake steadied his breathing and asked him.XQJx
qod“Who is my father?”954MKQL
wEg“Huh?”fEtqDxO
QyjhEG“My father. Whose son am I?”3Q2BT
DBdp0KyWhat he really wanted to ask was whose body this was, but he couldn’t pose the question like that if he wanted to play along.2qM
9kWeNHe figured that, if he asked it like a silly question from someone who just woke up, he might deduce his identity without raising suspicion.pTGhfB
xLmaEven so, the question must have seemed strange, because the boy hesitated for a long time before answering.oVMcBt6
96IS4“Well… isn’t His Excellency the Grand Duke Sigmund, the pillar of the realm?”41s
En7J8GzAt such a clear response leaving no room for doubt, Jake clutched his head.Fw4
LiM6Y7qHe finally remembered who the owner of this body was.Cfm
hly‘Lucian Valdeck.’3EifBdo
u3NzxThe third son of Grand Duke Valdeck, one of the emperor’s closest men.ZK89iG
WZ3And the boy who had died at sixteen years old—fifteen years ago, when Jake was still a gate guard at the castle.fVc6Yf
5EvM***Ulu
hOi03“Well…”s3dZCKf
iFcA disbelieving laugh escaped Jake’s lips as he processed the situation.8zF8w
CivvAS5It was shocking enough to have come back fifteen years after death—but to do so in someone else’s body?zVST
zyBHe felt confused, but at the same time, he wondered if this wasn’t a chance to change his life.U3Tqvu
xACGNo less than noble blood—and of a grand duke, no less.Y0sPg
2AfHQUFor Jake, who had never overcome his lowly origins and had only known the bottom, this was a stroke of unbelievable luck.yMIM
DmIH2‘And I like this face, too.’5mF3
luj70jeJake looked at himself again in the mirror.LBCntL
T5TZiHe was a bit thin, but by conventional beauty standards, it was a striking face.fANW25
eCa5RAny girl in the neighborhood would faint just from seeing him pass by.oPEux1
6MGHe used to think he’d give anything to be handsome for just a day, and now that wish had come true.0RGq9np
RSwqyQ5“Hehehe.”rwW
nvbvC80“Young master? Are you truly all right?”cHXZ
5HYNFA“Uh-huh, yeah, I’m fine.”yZjNSm
6vUqVxAt the words of the young servant, Hans, Jake cleared his throat and got up.Q27o0
MNpUcIn any case, he had no particular attachment to his old body.kK2luG
NVQOESAside from his blood, even the only family he had left—his father—had already passed away in that time.FCFTy
K2WWith no blood ties left, there was no reason to return to that body.jSj
ARBHAyDSince things had turned out this way, he planned to live as Lucian, the third son—not as the mercenary Jake.mXz7ATL
zJwHAlthough, later on, he would have to find out what had happened to his original body.k4RvxHa
Raj“First, let’s go for a walk. After lying down for so long, my body feels heavy.”OYf0X
fGck3“Huh? But you should rest a bit more…”WZQU89
9Gk“No, I don’t think lying down will help. I need at least some fresh air in the garden.”mHt
M4OSWaFor now, the first step was to understand his surroundings.lDogl
N5Kxh7cJake—no, Lucian—stood up with Hans’s support.bxAQ
nX5niYFAfter tidying up a bit and stepping into the garden, old memories flooded his mind.deHHtUT
DgX5iSb‘I used to pass through here quite a lot too. I came as part of escort duties, so I never had time to enjoy the view.’l9geN
A8ZYrKWThinking about it now, he had worked quite a long time for the Valdeck family.sUnt3qU
ktSczAfter leaving home, he started as a guard and spent ten years here.pA2VT
PpxeIf he hadn’t taken the fall for his superior’s embezzlement and fled, maybe he would’ve risen even higher.Zf17f
b6iz04UOf course, even then, as a commoner, he could’ve only reached captain or centurion at best.BqzO
JqcQ“…Why is everyone acting so weird now?”5ZfZRfr
nhx“Weird?”6BA1qch
4Dm“They’re all staring at me.”139KUR
LXkDEvery time Lucian moved forward, gazes landed on him from all directions.RTrwUE
FBTLxzServants working in the distance, guards—even their eyes followed him.yV5kP
TRzoVSome even stopped working outright and openly stared at him.i6J
SQUxJIt didn’t seem to be just admiration for a handsome face.meaoVdD
hmHT“Well… this is the first time you’ve come outside in a year.”5lnLbE
uBLJ9“What? A year?”KSS0PwD
2RgI1IX“To be exact, a year and two months.”bP2NC
X2KNBWV“I didn’t go out all that time?”NBSuKk
zyKp6“No, you didn’t even leave your room.”beUqv
LLJc“…!”NKUByn
MWz76Now this was insane.DEF
RGfR2CNHe knew the original owner of this body wasn’t very outgoing.AxnruX
ATFIBut more than a year without even stepping outside the room?9TdH
t0FQNo matter how comfortable everything was, that seemed excessive.EZ5T3l
XzQ‘No wonder I’ve been out of breath.’Enn
YTfxsGhAt first he thought it was illness from how thin he was, but in the end, it was just a complete lack of exercise.aiKvheX
Mrexv0At least it was lucky he hadn’t gotten fat living like that.RRo9N4A
gKyL7tLosing weight is much harder than gaining it.Kbm
s9EbPMa‘Actually, thinking about it this might be convenient.’4ZGkgeN
EEjTOver a year without leaving his room.MvjDs
CkiQS7In other words, almost no one had had the chance to observe him.HCm
WNKzpEven if he changed his personality or lifestyle, no one would likely notice.3GYqcL
xilThe only exception would be family.fDJ
lEpxd‘Now that I think about it why didn’t his family come for him either? If a son locks himself in for over a year, shouldn’t they drag him out, even by force?’tWF7L
ONCCzLucian knew well the temperament of the current grand duke, Sigmund.w79ItP
1MRAn incorruptible man, incapable of compromise, and a loyal servant of the emperor.7VD
XggdwFar from corruption—but also strict with duty and discipline.ujtg
nzsEPHe had a harsh military temperament, and treated even soldiers who complained without mercy.ScWl4
0kVmjvHAnd he had allowed his own son to stay locked away without interfering?jjQrGh
QC4‘That’s strange. That’s not like him at all.’sURS89
1cSWhile thinking all this, his body began to falter.eaWl
4MAJSTvHe hadn’t walked much, but this frail body was already exhausted.8MqD
lXze7Lucian sighed, about to head back to his room.I0V520s
GMUQC“—Third young master.”1Sn7Q
0l2SoSomeone called out from behind.xs5pRUP
z2HWhen he turned, he saw an elderly butler with a now-graying beard bowing his head.gnZ70jx
5kDiEven though it had been a long time since he’d seen him, he knew instantly who it was.yITUuLX
znnpCsX‘Head butler, Edwin.’ouI
RvXWJ0At the appearance of such an unexpected figure, his body instinctively tensed.GjaNko
5SVhK3In his youth, Edwin had arrived as a hostage from an enemy family, but over time, he had become the trusted right hand of the current grand duke.ON6Xu3
S2sJiThey said his influence was so great that he could even weigh in on matters of succession.5cHk
qMYpIn fact, in his previous life, Jake had seen the grand duke’s sons go tense in front of him.gSs
5ZBn“It’s been a long time. Are you well?”UF9Nw
kOFy1Vt“…Yes, though my body feels a bit heavy, I’m fine.”IR0w5
CrEpvVWhile answering the greeting, he shot a sideways glance at Hans.WnH17e3
pWIxT5qAsking with his eyes if he had any idea why the butler was here.AZHj68
U29NBut Hans didn’t catch the signal and stood there stiff as a board.nyTSGm
sO0There was no choice but to improvise without any info.jThU
0fUw5CT“By the way, what brings you here? I don’t recall you looking for me recently. Has something happened in the family?”2ShkjN
jHWz“Hmm.”sNTZP
wCnvJeBeing practically the grand duke’s right hand, his tone naturally became respectful.Yix
cemIdKeEdwin’s eyes gleamed briefly at Lucian’s calm demeanor.E3X
tiASBut it lasted only a moment.t7BN
INRSoon returning to his usual expression, Edwin smiled and shook his head.KL78h
yttA“It’s nothing like that. The house of the grand duke is at peace, so you needn’t worry.”b9SS8Os
2B3vGu“Then, what’s the reason…?”ffZDX
0tH“His Excellency the Grand Duke requests to see the third young master.”WZVsj
uHT2mCF“…!”6xUAM
lqLlTU***QaapgEH
xJGQLucian slightly tilted his head while glancing sideways at the man in front of him.FcS2u
vtWwHSigmund Valdeck, the current head of the house of the grand duke.vle9d
SInVfHmAlthough his beard was beginning to turn white, there wasn’t a hint of old age in him.tk3
2g7xnHe had the presence of a lion capable of tearing apart any beast with ease.5pks
F7f37His aura was so fierce that just standing in front of him made your skin tingle.DzpWGY
T3b9The grand duke, staring intently at Lucian with sharp eyes, spat out a brief phrase.fjj
gxRcji“Despicable.”40xKeW
WiglIAt that voice full of disdain, Lucian blinked.SOv
czJR8Where had that come from all of a sudden?zy8S
JUPQx“Have you finished your little performance?”np3SrF
DrBxv“Huh?”aWSp7
Mzv“I heard you put sleeping pills in your mouth, just enough not to die. Quite the precise dosage you calculated.”BM08z
w5GsWhat was he talking about?ShPlhU
p61qFBuNot understanding a thing, Lucian glanced around in confusion, but the grand duke’s tone only grew harsher.O9Tp
lBsYst“That was the best plan you could come up with after locking yourself in your room for over a year? You managed to get me to summon you, so you won that round. But you lost far more than you gained.”3Lzt
FbFftlm“I don’t understand what you mean…”SyB5ZS
1m0leG“I was planning to watch how long you’d keep using your mother’s death as an excuse to act like a child, but enough is enough. I thought time would make you come to your senses, but I was a fool.”GSf
ZEefvx1Lucian’s eyes flew wide open.VFk
OXL6BHe was finally beginning to understand how things had played out.lKCf
sGz‘The grand duke had four sons, each from a different mother. When I worked here, only the third son’s mother had already passed away.’wnjGF
WbwSince this body had also died young, he had thought maybe it was a weakness inherited from the maternal side.ifw
x1lODBut now he saw that wasn’t the case.Dt56
ubfed4nThe third son, feeling the grand duke’s attention drift away after his mother’s death, had started a kind of protest.HjFwh
cQ9Shutting himself in his room without coming out had been, in truth, a desperate cry for attention.tfab
IAwAnd when he got no response, even after a year, he resorted to sleeping pills.phQN
gNelYh‘Of course, since it was a protest, he didn’t intend to die—but with a body like this, taking sleeping pills up to the lethal limit is a sure death.’p9SjYTs
dsEpLThe third son’s mistake was not understanding the condition of his own body.nyA
1gk3A lethal dose is calculated based on a healthy person.3cbPG
5tv0kyUBut taking it with a body that, after a year in isolation, runs out of breath just from walking a bit?XfFA
731That was like boarding a one-way cart to the underworld.BlNrluq
wljW8In his past life, he had heard that he died from an accident—he never imagined there was a story like this behind it.UJ87CW
pw7PN‘Damn it.’lqzJBec
IWvYUnderstanding the situation, a sigh escaped on its own.W8HgP
5srThe original owner of this body was more pathetic than he had thought.0fgSr
GDvfK0Grand Duke Sigmund was the man closest to the emperor and the head of a great house.AeU
GehalDMA central figure in imperial politics, where invisible knives and hungry hyenas were everywhere.LTP
z8nSNaturally, his view of children who tarnished his reputation could not be lenient.yPOI3
odO0HAnd yet, instead of forging himself like a lion cub, he threw nothing more than a cheap tantrum.HUKAQM
3QijI“Fine. You’ve gotten what you wanted, so if you have something to say, say it all now. I might not see you again after this.”MuGF3
4WIN4HTThe grand duke’s cold words made Lucian react immediately.1dkIfv
pLOvwTo the untrained ear, it sounded like he was simply going to keep ignoring him—but the tone was anything but normal.Vzc3U
gkcAt worst, he could be planning to dispose of him right then and there.Hd7j
NDESending a useless son to a border region or forcing him into a monastery wasn’t uncommon among nobles.5wrn
35oAIf he let his guard down, the entire opportunity he’d just been given could vanish because of the old body’s stupidity.XQ3JDm
srcb‘No choice.’jQlzf
nyaee3At this point, there was no other path.nA8O
nrMnLxLEven if it meant taking a risk, he had to face it head-on.wVoa
JppT5zILucian straightened his previously inclined back and, looking the grand duke in the eyes, spoke.65ML
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