The calluses and scars that once covered his palm were gone—completely.
All that remained was a soft hand, the kind that looked like it had never held a sword, let alone a pen.It was so pale—almost untouched by sunlight—that faint blue veins were visible beneath the skin.And it wasn't just his palm.From bone structure to muscle, nothing matched his old body.
Even if someone had been unconscious for a long time, muscle loss wouldn't cause this dramatic a change.At this point, it felt as though someone had cut off his head and attached it to another body entirely.
No way.
A sudden thought made Jake flinch, and he looked around in alarm.Just then, a small hand mirror lay beside him, and he snatched it up to check his reflection.
Staring back at him wasn't the mercenary with scruffy stubble—but a blond boy with his mouth hanging open.It wasn't just his body that had changed; even his head had been replaced!
Why does this face look familiar, though…?
"Young master? W-why are you suddenly acting like this?"
Seeing Jake unable to compose himself, the boy beside him tilted his head in confusion.
Jake steadied his breathing and asked the boy:
"What kind of man is my father?"
"...Sir?"
"My father. Whose son am I?"
What he really wanted to ask was Whose body is this?But phrasing it that bluntly would raise far too many alarms.He intended to ask something vague enough to pass as disoriented murmuring and then deduce the truth from the answer.
Even so, the question was odd enough that the boy tilted his head for a long moment before responding.
"Well… His Highness, Duke Sigmund, pillar of the kingdom, of course."
Jake clutched his head at the boy's answer—an answer that needed no further explanation.Now he remembered whose body this was.
Lucian Valdeck.
The third son of the Valdeck Duchy, closest confidants of the Emperor.A boy who had died at sixteen—fifteen years ago—back when Jake was working as a city-gate guard.
"Unbelievable."
A hollow laugh escaped Jake as he pieced the situation together.Dying and waking up fifteen years in the past was shocking enough,but to find himself in someone else's body?
He was confused, yes—but at the same time, he felt this might be a chance to change his entire life.
He was now of noble blood. Not just any noble—a duke's bloodline.For Jake, who had spent his whole life shackled by low birth and stuck at the bottom because of it, this was nothing short of hitting the jackpot.
And the face is a nice bonus, too.
Jake lifted the mirror again and looked at his new reflection.A bit thin, perhaps, but handsome enough to rank among the top even in a hall full of beauties.Any village girl who saw him walk by would probably faint from dizziness.He used to think his only wish was to be good-looking for just a single day—and now that wish had actually come true.
"Heh… hehehe."
"Young master? Are you sure you're all right?"
"Ahem, I'm fine."
At the servant boy Hans's worried question, Jake gave an awkward cough and pushed himself upright.He had no lingering attachment to his old body anyway.Bloodline aside, his father—the only family he'd had—was long dead by this point in time.With no kin left, what reason did he have to want his old body back?
Since things had turned out this way, he'd live not as Jake the mercenary but as Lucian, the third son of House Valdeck.
Of course, he'd need to check later whether his old body had also done something strange, just in case.
"For now, let's take a walk. I feel stiff after lying down so long."
"Huh? Wouldn't it be better to rest a little more…?"
"No, staying in bed won't help. I need some fresh air in the garden."
Right now, understanding his surroundings came first.Jake—no, Lucian—rose to his feet with Hans supporting him.
After getting lightly dressed and heading into the garden, old memories resurfaced.
I walked through here a lot back then. Though I never had time to enjoy the scenery—always here for security.
Come to think of it, he'd worked for House Valdeck for quite a long time.He had spent ten years as a guard after leaving his hometown.If he hadn't been forced to flee after taking the fall for his superior's embezzlement, he might've advanced even further.Well, even then, as a commoner he would've topped out as a guard captain or centurion.
"…Why does the atmosphere feel like this?"
"What atmosphere, sir?"
"Everyone's staring at me."
Everywhere Lucian walked, eyes followed.Servants working in the distance, guards patrolling nearby—every pair of eyes shifted toward him as he passed.Some even stopped working entirely just to stare outright.And it definitely wasn't the kind of stare you give just to admire someone's good looks.
"Well… it has been a year since you last came outside, young master."
"What? A year?"
"To be precise, a year and two months."
"You're saying I didn't go outside for that long?"
"No, sir. You didn't even leave your room."
What madness was this?
He'd known the original Lucian didn't go out often.But not going outside the room for over a year?Even if the living conditions were comfortable, that was still absurd to the point of disbelief.
No wonder I've been so out of breath since earlier.
At first he thought the frail body meant some kind of serious illness, but maybe it was just lack of exercise.Given how terribly the original owner lived, it was a miracle he hadn't gained weight instead.Putting weight on a skinny body was far easier than trying to lose weight from a fat one.
No—thinking about it, this is actually convenient.
A person who didn't leave his room for over a year.In other words, someone almost nobody had the opportunity to observe.Even if his personality or lifestyle changed, few would notice.Only family would be exceptions.
Speaking of which—why hasn't his family shown up? If your child hasn't left their room for over a year, wouldn't you drag them out yourself?
If it were anyone else, maybe.But Jake knew the personality of the current duke, Sigmund, all too well.A stubborn man who never compromised and the Emperor's most loyal vassal.Far removed from corruption, but equally strict about duty and discipline.He had a warrior's disposition too—he never spared soldiers who complained or shirked their duties.
And that man silently allowed his own son to shut himself in for over a year?
Strange. That's not like him at all.
As he mulled this over, it became harder to keep his body upright.He hadn't walked much, yet this weak body was already exhausted.Lucian let out a sigh and was about to head back to his room.
"Third young master."
Someone spoke from behind him.
When he turned his head, an elderly butler with greying beard stood there, bowing.It had been a long time since Jake last saw that face, yet he recognized him instantly.
Head butler Edwin…?
The unexpected appearance made his body flinch.A man who had once come to House Valdeck as a political hostage from a rival family, yet—over time—became the current duke's most trusted confidant.Rumor said his influence was so great he could even speak on matters of succession.Jake had actually seen, in his previous life, the duke's own children trembling before this man.
"It has been a while, young master. Have you been well?"
"…Yes. My body feels a bit heavy, but I am in good health."
Answering the polite greeting, Jake shot a brief glance at Hans.A silent question—Any idea why the head butler is here?But Hans, missing the hint completely, was frozen stiff with fear.
So much for relying on him. Jake would have to improvise without any information.
"May I ask what brings you here? I don't recall you seeking me out recently. Has something happened within the household?"
"Hmm."
Because Edwin was essentially the duke's right hand, Jake's speech naturally became more formal.Edwin's eyes briefly widened at Lucian's composed manner.But only for an instant.His expression quickly returned to normal, and he shook his head with a faint smile.
"That is not the case. The ducal house is at peace, so you may set your worries aside."
"Then what business brings you here…?"
"The Duke wishes to see the third young master."
** 串串
Lucian lowered his head slightly and glanced at the man before him.Sigmund Valdeck, the current head of the ducal house.Though streaks of white were beginning to show in his beard, there was not a hint of frailty in him.He radiated the presence of a lion—one that looked capable of biting a grown beast cleanly in half.
His sheer intensity made Lucian's skin prickle just standing in front of him.The Duke's sharp gaze swept over him before he finally spoke a single, curt word:
"Disgrace."
Lucian blinked at the voice thick with displeasure.What? Why so sudden?
"Is your little stunt over now?"
"…Sir?"
"I heard you took just enough sleeping pills not to die. At least you measured the dosage correctly."
What the hell was he talking about?Lucian shifted his eyes in confusion, but the Duke's tone only grew more cutting.
"Shut yourself in your room for over a year, and the plan you finally came up with is that? Well, you succeeded in making me summon you, so I suppose that counts as a victory. A victory where you've lost more than you gained."
"I'm… not sure what you mean—"
"I intended to wait and see how long you planned to use your mother's death as an excuse to indulge yourself, but enough is enough. I thought you'd come to your senses with time, but it seems I was the fool."
Lucian's eyes flew wide open.At last, he understood what was going on.
The Duke had four sons, each from different mothers. When I worked here in the past, only the third young master's mother had already passed away.
The original owner of this body had also died young, so Jake had assumed it was hereditary weakness.But it wasn't that.
The third young master had thrown a tantrum after losing his mother and feeling the Duke's attention slip away.Shutting himself in his room was his way of screaming, "Look at me! Pay attention to me!"And when nothing happened for over a year, he escalated, taking sleeping pills—not to die, but to force a reaction.
Of course, since it was a protest, he never intended to die… but with this frail body, taking sleeping pills near the lethal limit would absolutely kill him.
The boy's miscalculation was simple: he had no idea how weak he'd become.A "lethal dose" was measured for a healthy person.But someone who hadn't left his room for a year, who ran out of breath after a short walk?Taking that amount was basically boarding a one-way carriage to the underworld.
In his previous life, people said the third son died from an accident—but so this was the story behind it.
Goddamn it.
Now that he understood, a sigh escaped him.The original owner was even more pathetic than he'd imagined.
Sigmund Valdeck was the Emperor's closest confidant and the head of a great ducal house.A giant in an imperial court filled with wolves and invisible blades.Naturally, his view of his children—who affected his reputation—was cold and exacting.
Raising only lion cubs and cutting off the rest wouldn't have been strange at all.Yet this boy chose petty sulking instead.
"Good. Things have gone exactly as you wished, so if you have anything to say, speak freely. We may not have further reason to meet."
The Duke's cold words jolted Lucian fully awake.At first glance, it sounded like he meant to continue ignoring him—but the tone was far too ominous.
In the worst case, the Duke might be preparing to cut him off entirely.Sending an unworthy child to the frontier or forcing them into a monastery wasn't uncommon among nobles.If he wasn't careful, the original owner's foolishness could cost him the second life he'd just gained.
No choice, then.
At this point, there was only one method left.Even if it carried risk, he had to break through head-on.
Lucian straightened his back, lifting the head he had bowed, and looked the Duke directly in the eyes.