I rolled off the bed dramatically, arms flailing, and landed on the floor with a thud that rattled the nightstand.
"This is it. This is my villain origin story."
The carpet felt way too real against my cheek. In the game it was a texture. Now it was fibers. Soft, warm, fluffy fibers.
I groaned into it.
"I didn't even like this carpet. I bought it because it was cheap. Now I'm dying on it."
I sat up slowly, hugging a pillow to my bare chest, glaring at the mirror like it had personally betrayed me.
"You think you're so smug, don't you? Perfect jawline, perfect hair, perfect..."
My voice cracked. "Perfect everything."
I crawled back to the mirror on my knees, still clutching the pillow like a shield.
My reflection followed, kneeling like some brooding, shirtless knight. Even the way the hair fell into his face looked effortlessly sexy.
"I hate you," I hissed.
The reflection smirked back. Or maybe that was just my face doing things I wasn't used to yet.
A knock jolted me out of my spiral.
"Sir Leon?" a voice called from behind the door. "Your meal is ready."
Meal?
Wait.
They were going to bring me food?
I scrambled to my feet, panicked. "Uh....just leave it there!" I barked.
Except Leonhart's voice didn't bark. It rumbled. A deep, commanding growl that could probably make mountains kneel.
There was a pause. "As you command," the voice said, reverent. Footsteps retreated.
I clutched my head. "Oh god, they think I'm brooding. They think I'm cool. I'm not cool. I'm a girl trapped in a man's body, squealing internally about his… equipment!"
I stumbled to the bed, fell onto it face-first, and kicked my legs behind me like a teenage girl writing in her diary.
Which looked ridiculous, by the way, a six-foot knight of a man lying on his stomach, feet swaying, hair spilling across the pillow.
"What am I even doing," I mumbled into the blanket.
I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling beams. "Okay. Okay, think. This is fine. Totally fine. You're Leonhart now. You're a man. You can be manly. You can...."
My stomach growled. Loudly. Like a dragon clearing its throat.
I sighed. "Okay, food first. Existential crisis later."
I padded to the door and opened it a crack. Sure enough, a tray sat there, roast meat, fresh bread, soup steaming in a bowl.
Actual smells wafted up, rich and savory. My stomach purred like an engine.
I dragged the tray in and set it on the table. Sat down. Picked up the spoon.
And then… my habits betrayed me.
I sipped daintily.
I blew on the soup.
I even made a little "hot hot hot" face as I slurped.
If anyone walked in right now, they'd see Leonhart, the terrifying guild hero, delicately sipping soup with his pinky raised.
I slammed the spoon down. "No. This ends now. You're a man. Eat like a man!"
I grabbed the bread with both hands and bit into it like a barbarian. Crumbs went everywhere. Soup sloshed onto the table. I chewed furiously. "Manly," I muttered through mouthfuls. "So manly."
A sound at the window made me freeze.
Two guild apprentices were peeking in. Wide-eyed. Whispering.
"Sir Leon eats like a beast," one gasped.
"Truly powerful," the other whispered.
They ran off.
I dropped the bread. "Oh my god, they think that's intimidating."
I covered my face with my hands and laughed hysterically. "I'm doomed. I can't keep this up forever."
I laughed until I cried, tears streaming down my very masculine face. "I can't even sit properly," I wheezed. "My knees keep coming together like..." I broke off, shoving a hand through my hair.
Because here's the truth: everything about me, every habit, every quirk, was still me.
The me that squealed during horror movies.
The me that sat cross-legged in chairs.
The me that spammed emojis in chat.
Now stuffed inside a man's body like some cursed Russian nesting doll.
And tomorrow, I'd have to go out there and pretend to be the mighty Leonhart.
I looked at my reflection one more time. He looked back, every inch the hero people thought he was.
I jabbed a finger at him. "You listen here. You may have abs, but I have anxiety. We're gonna have to work together."
I pointed at my own face in the mirror. "Tomorrow we're training. We're gonna learn how to stand like a man. Walk like a man. Eat like a man. And not squeal when spiders show up."
My reflection didn't answer.
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't you smirk at me."
I flopped back onto the bed, pulling the blanket over my head. My voice came out muffled: "Day one: survived. Day two: try to act like I'm not a complete fraud."
Somewhere in the guild hall below, someone shouted my name. Cheers followed.
"Sir Leonhart! Sir Leonhart!"
I groaned into the pillow. "Yeah yeah, the hero of the realm. More like the heroine in disguise."
And just like that, exhaustion rolled over me. My eyes drifted shut.
Tomorrow, I'd start figuring out how to live as Leonhart.
Tonight, I'd just be me.
A girl, stuck in a hunk's body, squealing inside, clinging to a pillow like it was the last piece of her old life.