Later, as the sun dipped low…
The manor's halls buzzed with whispers.Servants talked of the young master's strange behavior.The knights muttered about his collapse during training.
Change breeds fear.And fear breeds opportunity.
I stood at the window, watching the crimson sunset bleed across the sky.It reminded me too much of spilled blood.Of that day.
A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Enter."
The steward bowed low, his face stiff with forced politeness."Young Master, the Duke requests your presence in the main hall."
The Duke.My father.A man who had watched my execution in the last life without blinking.
I smiled.A thin, sharp thing.
Let him summon me.Let him think I was still the same pawn he could discard when convenient.
This time, I would smile and bow and play the obedient son—Until the knife found its way into his back first.
"Tell him I'm coming," I said.
The steward bowed again and hurried off.
I glanced at my reflection in the polished glass.The same noble features.The same cold blue eyes that everyone feared.The same smile that never reached them.
But they didn't see the cracks.They didn't see the man beneath — broken, bleeding, furious.
Let them look down on the villain.Let them brand me cursed.
Because by the time they realized the truth—By the time they saw who I had become—
It would already be far too late.
The main hall was a cathedral of marble and gold.Cold, sterile.Like a coffin dressed in jewels.
The Duke sat upon his chair, not quite a throne — no, that was for the royal family — but close enough that it served the same purpose.
Power.
Duke Gregor Valenstein.Father by blood, executioner by choice.
His gaze was like a blade, sharp and searching.In the past, that gaze had frozen me in place.This time, I met it.
Unflinching.Unbowed.Smiling.
"Leonhart," he rumbled. "You look pale."
"A minor ailment," I said smoothly. "I apologize for causing concern."
The courtiers standing in the shadows tittered behind gloved hands.Their amusement was a poisonous thing, thick as fog.They smelled weakness like hounds.
Gregor's lips twitched — not a smile.More like a predator baring teeth.
"Your illness is ill-timed," he said. "The royal envoys arrive in three days. The engagement announcement cannot be postponed."
Ah, yes.The engagement to Evelyne Astera.The political chain that had sealed both our fates in the last life.
"I am aware, Father," I replied.My voice was calm, practiced.But inside, I could feel the storm rising.
"See that you do not embarrass this house," he said coldly. "You are a Valenstein. Your disgrace reflects on me."
The same words.The same tone.Like an old wound torn open again.
But this time, I let the blade slide past.This time, I smiled.
"Of course, Father. I will not disappoint you."
His eyes narrowed.Suspicion flickered there — brief, but real.
Because the Leonhart he remembered would have bristled.Would have argued.Would have clenched his fists and cursed under his breath.
Not this Leonhart.Not me.
"You may go," he said at last, waving me off like an insect.
I bowed, deep and graceful.Another lie.Another mask.
And as I turned to leave, I caught sight of a figure watching me from the upper balcony.
A boy.Blonde hair like spun gold.Eyes like clear sky.Smile bright as the sun.
My half-brother.Cassian Valenstein.
The "hero."The "chosen one."
In the last life, he had been the one to drive the blade through my chest.He had worn righteousness like armor and smiled as he called me a monster.
Now, he watched me with a lazy grin.As if he already knew he would win.As if fate had already written the ending.
My hands curled into fists at my sides.But I kept walking.
Not yet.Not here.I would smile and bow and play the fool—Until the moment I ripped his crown from his head.
Back in my chambers, I collapsed into the chair by the hearth, my body trembling with suppressed rage.
Too soon.I couldn't act yet.Not until I had pieces to move on the board.
But the sight of him — Cassian — made my vision blur with red.The hero.The golden son.The one the world loved.
While I was cast as the villain.The cursed one.The snake in the garden.
Fine.
If they wanted a snake, I would show them fangs they'd never forget.
There was a knock at my door again.This time softer.
"Leonhart…?"
Evelyne.
I forced my breathing to steady.Forced the mask back on.
"Enter."
She stepped in, a bundle of parchment in her hands.Letters, sealed with various noble crests.
"These arrived today," she said quietly. "Invitations. Congratulations. Thinly veiled threats."
Her mouth twisted bitterly at that last part.Good.Bitterness was better than the blind loyalty that had gotten her killed before.
"Leave them on the desk," I said. "I will deal with them later."
She hesitated.Her gaze flickered over me, searching.Suspicious.Worried.
"You're different," she blurted."Since your collapse… you've been—"
Careful.Too sharp, too soon.
I let my shoulders slump, let weariness seep into my posture.A carefully crafted show of vulnerability.
"Near-death makes a man reconsider many things," I murmured."Perhaps… I grew tired of fighting battles that cannot be won."
Her eyes widened slightly.Hook set.
"You mean… Father? Cassian?"
Ah.So she already suspected the cracks in the golden facade.
"I mean the world, Evelyne," I said softly, voice heavy with false resignation."A villain's role is set from the start. Fighting it only brings pain."
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.Her hands tightened on the scrolls.
"You are not—"
"Am I not?"I let the bitterness leak through, just enough."Even you flinch when I raise my voice."
She opened her mouth to deny it— then closed it.Because she had flinched.Earlier today.
The silence hung between us, thick and suffocating.
I stood, slowly, deliberately, closing the distance between us.I stopped just close enough to make her breath hitch.
"But," I said softly, "if I am to be the villain… I will choose how this story ends."
Her violet eyes locked on mine, wide and unblinking.Conflicted.Afraid.But also… intrigued.
Good.Very good.
"Rest well, Evelyne," I said, stepping back."We have a grand performance ahead. Let's not disappoint our audience."
She left without another word, her mind clearly spinning with a thousand thoughts.