Before I could fully process the absolute horror of finding myself trapped inside the vessel of a mid-level boss I used to casually dismantle in my apartment, the distinct sound of approaching footsteps echoed sharply through the structure.
The sprawling estate was supposed to be completely uninhabited, so even the faintest shifting noise stood out like a beacon in the night.
I rose from the sofa, feeling utterly bewildered and deeply irritated—wondering who would dare disturb me at such a late hour in a house that had long stood empty and abandoned by the high nobility.
Reluctantly, I yanked open the heavy bedroom door with an irritated sigh, headed down the worn, dust-covered staircase, and opened the main front door.
Standing right before me on the wooden porch, illuminated by the pale moonlight, was Princess Lilia.
Her clothes were tattered and looked wet. She looked utterly exhausted. Her body trembled as she stepped into the lobby of my family's residence.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to trespass," she stammered, her voice trembling. "I was running from someone and saw this old mansion. I just needed a place to hide for a moment."
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She looked up at me, but the moment her eyes met mine, a flash of pure terror crossed her face. She quickly looked away, trying to hide her face in panic.
From her reaction earlier, I think she actually knew exactly who I was. She seems to recognize me as Landra Aurelius, the son of General Aurelius. But she was pretending not to know me, maybe because she was terrified of our history.
"Running from someone, you say?" I said, my voice cold and flat. "Well, what is Her Royal Highness, Princess Lilia, doing in an abandoned building like this? And at this hour, no less?"
Hearing me speak her name, she flinched. She knew I still remembered her. The quiet distance between us was suddenly cut short by the sharp, rhythmic clanking of iron-toed boots drawing closer through the night air.
If my new memories were correct, this spoiled royal girl was one of the main reasons the original owner of this body family became ruined, and he finally became a villain. What was she doing here now that made her run to an abandoned place like this?
Realizing her cover was blown, Lilia looked at me with desperate eyes. "...Landra... please," she sobbed, dropping the act as her knees shook violently. "I have nowhere else to go. Hendrix—that bastard Grand Magus—has staged a coup and rebelled against the imperial family in the capital."
She gasped heavily for air, trying to calm herself down. "He uses a legendary poison to weaken all the Royal troops and even the Emperor."
"His men are hunting me down. The Black-Clothed soldiers—they are everywhere. The Royal Guard couldn't stop them. They're strong."
"I barely escaped the palace because my older sister, Maria, sacrificed herself to protect me. But... she died," she confessed, her face twisting with heavy guilt. "They want to kill the whole royal family, except my little brother. They want to use him as a puppet to control the Empire."
The moment she mentioned Maria's name, a sharp pain pierced directly through my chest. It was the residual emotion of this body's original soul.
In Landra's deepest memories, Maria was the sole reason he had been thrown into a dungeon prison for almost a year.
Lilia clutched the torn, dirty fabric of her expensive black dress. "Please... help me get out of this city. Not just for me, but for the future of Regalia. We can't let Hendrix rule the kingdom."
Her desperate words were cut short by the sound of clanking armor and muffled shouts from the vanguard soldiers outside. They were getting closer to the estate.
She still clearly remembered my name and what had happened a year ago.
In the game, Princess Lilia was always portrayed as a calm, cold strategist. But right now, she looked like a pathetic stray cat begging for shelter.
I really am inside that game now, aren't I?
Closing my eyes, I used Landra's trained warrior senses to focus on the sounds outside. I ignored her crying and counted the footsteps.
One, two, three... six... no, exactly seven people in total.
Are they royal assassins?
No, those guys would never reveal themselves this easily.
With my knowledge of the game, I could easily understand what was happening in the capital. But considering what she and her family had done to the original Landra, she really had the nerve to show up at my door asking for protection?
"Well, I understand what happened in the capital, Your Highness," I muttered coldly.
I turned my back to her, walked toward a worn wooden table, and poured a cup of water. "But I'm not a member of the Royal Knight anymore, am I?"
I paused, letting the heavy silence fill the room before adding, "And I'm pretty sure you haven't forgotten why I was kicked out in the first place, Your Highness?"
In the memories flashing through my mind, I saw the harsh truth of what her family had done to the original soul of this body a year ago.
Landra and his family had given ten long years of loyal, bloody service to the kingdom. They had won countless impossible battles against northern barbarians and enemy invasions. Yet, Landra's life was ruined over a stupid misunderstanding caused by someone just because of jealousy.
It had all started with Maria, her older sister.
Maria had once confessed her feelings to Landra. But Landra said he was liking someone else, and rejected her harshly in front of all the people.
That rejection sparked a petty desire for revenge in Maria's heart from that day forward, making her do something really foolish that even marked the beginning of the Aurelius Family's downfall.
I held my palm into a grip, holding an anger inside this heart that even I don't know if it was mine. "Really, this royal family is something, aren't they? We haven't seen each other for two years, and when we do. Is this the first thing you ask of me?