He turned sharply toward the door.
The young woman stepped inside, her footsteps soft but deliberate
"Young master, you're awake," she said with a polite bow.
Her voice was calm, but her eyes carried something. It was as if she was studying me in return.
"Good morning " Leon responded with a calm tone, offering a slight nod.
She said nothing in return but walked crossed the room without hesitation, pulling back the heavy curtains. Sunlight poured in. The shift in air carried a faint scent of garden blooms, mixed with polished wood.
Leon studied her carefully, everything about her seemed controlled, deliberate. Even the faint lavender scent felt intentional.
"I've come to prepare you for the day," she said, moving toward a wardrobe. "Afterwards, we'll go for our usual morning walk."
"Usual morning walk?" The words snagged in my mind. I wanted to ask who she was, where I was, and why this place felt like it had stepped out of another century, but my mouth refused to form the questions. Something in me… hesitated.
So I played along.
The clothes she laid out were unfamiliar. No zippers, no buttons, just ties and clasps I had to watch her fasten, the fabric rich and heavier than anything I'd worn before, rich with the smell of fresh linen and faint spice.
"We stepped out into a long corridor".
The silence was deep, broken only by the muted thud of boots on carpet. Light streamed through tall arched windows, painting the marble columns with pale gold. Paintings of grim-faced men and women in regal attire lined the walls, their painted eyes following us as we passed. Part of the walls were coated entirely with crystal and gemstones, while the floor was blanketed in a royal carpet.
Leon's eyes swept across the grand hall as he walked pass it, he attempted to maintained a composed expression but he failed, he has never seen such luxury before.
Other maids crossed our path. "Good morning 7th young Master" Some dipped into respectful bows, their eyes lowering. Others barely nodded, a flicker of something, disdain? suspicion?, in their faces. One group whispered behind their hands, glancing at me when they thought I wasn't looking.
It was the same with some of the guards. They stood at attention, but their eyes lingered on me just a fraction too long, assessing, weighing.
The air felt different here, cleaner, cooler, but heavy with unspoken judgment.
We crossed into a vast courtyard, paved in pale stone. The morning sun struck the fountains at its center, sending shards of light across the carved griffons. Roses climbed along trellises, their fragrance drifting on the breeze.
You seem quiet today, young master," she said.
Leon glanced at her, opening his mouth to reply, but the words stuck in his throat. "I…"
A voice cut through the air. "Hoo… if it isn't my beloved younger brother, Adrian," the tone dripping with mockery, not even attempting to hide it.
It was the first time Leon had ever heard the name "Adrian".
"Adrian"?" The name snagged in his mind, strange and unfamiliar, yet heavy with a weight he couldn't explain.
Leon turned to see who it was , standing there,His uniform was more ornate than any guard's, his hair neatly combed, his steps unhurried. Even at a distance, there was a weight to his presence, as if the air shifted to make way for him.
The maid beside me slowed instantly, lowering her head.
"Greetings, Second Young Master," she said, her voice dipping into formal respect.
looking at him.
And something inside me snapped.
My chest tightened. My breathing turned shallow. My palms dampened. Fear surged,sharp, immediate, primal. But it wasn't mine. I knew it wasn't mine.
Why am I feeling this?
The sensation grew heavier, pressing down until my knees trembled. Every instinct screamed to step back.
Then the pain hit.
It tore through my skull like a blade, white-hot and merciless. I staggered, falling to one knee. My hand clamped to the side of my head. The courtyard dissolved into a whirl of light and shadow.
Then, images began flashing in his mind—fragmented and jagged, like fractured memories crudely stitched together. Scenes, faces, and places he had never seen before yet now somehow knew. For a moment, it was as if another life, belonging to someone else entirely, was being forced into his own, unfolding violently behind his eyes.
Several agonizing minutes crawled by before the pain began to ebb, fading as abruptly as it had struck. Leon stayed where he was, chest rising and falling in uneven gasps, his body trembling. Slowly, he pushed himself upright from his half-collapsed position, the lingering echo of those foreign images still clawing at the edges of his thoughts
They weren't his, but now, somehow they were.
He had just witnessed the life of the soul that once inhabited this body.
Every moment, every wound, every scar was now etched into his consciousness, fused with his own as if they had always been there. The weight of it settled heavily inside him, leaving him frozen in place, stunned by the sheer reality of what he had seen.
The maid was kneeling beside me, her hands hovering but not touching, her expression tight with concern. "Young master, are you" She cut herself off, glancing up as guards moved in.
Four armored men stepped forward, their polished breastplates flashing in the light. Two positioned themselves between me and the Second Young Master, "Aron", though I couldn't tell if they were shielding me… or shielding him.
I looked up.
He was watching me, his expression unreadable. Not surprise. Not concern. Just a steady, evaluating gaze, like a man studying something he had seen before.
The maid's hand finally gripped my arm, steadying me. Her voice was firm but quiet. "We should return to your chambers, young master."