Chapter 2 – A Name That Isn't Mine
The sheets were too soft. The light was too gentle. The scent of lavender in the air didn't belong.
Haruto opened his eyes slowly. He wasn't in a hospital. There were no beeping machines, no blinding fluorescents, no hum of the city. Only a golden glow filtering through gauzy curtains and the faint creak of wood.
He sat up.
His head throbbed, a dull weight behind his temples.
Where…?
That was when the voice came, calm and composed.
"So, Master… you wake up."
Haruto turned his head slowly.
The same old man from the train sat beside the bed in a high-backed chair. His black coat was immaculately pressed, and a thin-bladed sword rested sheathed at his side. His posture was rigid, but not unfriendly.
Haruto stared at him. His voice came out dry and cracked.
"Master… what?"
The old man and a maid nearby exchanged a brief glance, then the man nodded slowly.
"Yes, Master. You are the son of Lord Kael Elgrave, High Duke of the Western Reach."
Haruto blinked.
"What duke…?"
The man's face shifted slightly — surprise, then concern.
"I see."
He stood and stepped toward the window, watching the breeze stir the curtains.
"You suffered a head wound. Perhaps the fall… or the trauma before it… caused a break. You may be experiencing memory loss."
The words felt like fiction. Haruto's chest tightened.
The old man continued calmly.
"It is not uncommon after such events. Perhaps seeing your family will help you recall. They are coming."
Just as he said it, there was a soft knock at the door.
It opened slowly.
Three people entered.
A tall man with long blond hair and stern brown eyes. A regal woman with flowing white hair and deep blue eyes. And behind them, a young girl with white hair and warm brown eyes, no older than thirteen.
The girl gasped the moment she saw him.
"Brother!"
She ran forward and threw herself into his arms before he could react. She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
"You're awake! You're really awake!"
The woman stepped forward next and gently wrapped her arms around both of them. Her voice trembled.
"Thank the heavens… thank the Light you're safe, my son…"
Haruto stiffened.
They were warm. Real. Familiar.
And he didn't know a single one of them.
Then the man stepped forward, voice low and tense.
"Those bandits dared to do this…?"
He turned toward Gaius.
"I swear, if I find out who was behind it—"
But the woman cut him off gently.
"Let him speak first."
She turned to Haruto, kneeling beside the bed, eyes full of tears.
"Tell us, my son. What happened? Do you remember anything?"
Haruto looked at her. Then at the girl still clinging to his arm.
Then at the man — Duke Kael Elgrave — who stared at him like a mirror of authority.
He swallowed.
And said the only thing he could.
"Who… are you?"
The silence was instant.
The girl's arms slowly loosened. Her eyes widened.
The woman's mouth trembled.
The Duke's eyes narrowed.
"This is no time for jokes."
Haruto looked at him, blinking.
"What joke?"
The Duke stepped forward again, face darkening.
"You're my son. Their brother. Leonhart Elgrave — heir to House Elgrave. You were raised here. This is your home."
Haruto couldn't respond.
Because he didn't remember any of it.
Gaius finally stepped forward, voice calm.
"I feared this. His mind may have fractured due to the fall or trauma from the abduction. Memory loss is likely."
The woman gasped, tears welling in her eyes. The girl — Eira — looked up at him, her lips trembling.
"He doesn't remember us…?"
"It's temporary," Gaius said quickly. "Memories may return on their own. Gentle reminders — familiar objects, routines, faces — may help."
Eira lit up.
"His diary! He always wrote in it!"
The Duke turned to Gaius.
"Find it. Place it with him when he wakes again."
Gaius bowed.
The family lingered a moment longer — then, slowly, they left.
Later…
Haruto sat in silence on the edge of the bed.
Gaius returned alone and placed the worn leather-bound diary in his hands.
"Try to remember," he said simply. Then he left.
Haruto stared at the book.
He opened it.
The handwriting was bold and aggressive. Page after page was filled with stories of cruelty. Manipulation. Lies. Servants punished for small mistakes. Tutors locked in basements. Pranks that turned to torment.
This kid… this Leonhart… was a monster.
One entry stood out, shakier than the others:
"Even Eira cried today. She used to laugh at my jokes. Why did she cry this time?"
Haruto closed the book slowly.
And whispered to himself:
"So I've been reincarnated… into the body of a noble."
He looked down at his pale hands.
"But not a good one."