No sooner had I met her eyes, the girl immediately jumped up with a bow and ran off.
I stood there in a daze, taking back my outstretched hand.
“Well, that was strange.” I pondered out loud. “Did I scare her too much? Am I too good at being a villain?”
“Young master.” I jumped at the sound of a voice behind me. Turning around, I see Vincent behind me with a quizzical look. “What are you standing around here for? You should get home before dark. The Marquess and Marchioness will worry.”
I nod my head and head into the waiting carriage.
As soon as I arrived at the Marquessate, I fell onto my bed. Closing my eyes, I thought back on everything that happened.
Last night, I remember finishing The Hero's Justice and was planning to read onto its sequel. Though I guess I fell asleep before I had the chance. What was the title of that book again? I never really paid attention to it in case of spoilers. I kinda regret not reading it now. If I knew I was going to end up in this predicament, I would have continued to read the series without any breaks.
Well, there's no point in crying over something I can't change. And even if I read the sequel, all the information I procure might end up useless. After all, who knows what major changes will occur once the character Lucian Devonshire surrives.
Yeah, don't beat yourself up over this Caleb. Just do what you can for now. The most important thing is to survive. There's no point in thinking over the sequel if I end up six feet under.
Now, on to the major questions. How did I become Lucian? Did I die or was my soul swapped with the original Lucian like in those isekai novels I read? How is my body? If someone else was occupying my body, I hope they aren't doing anything weird with it.
Then, there was the most important question of all. Can I go back to being Caleb and if I can, how? I sat up, staring out at my balcony. Would I be able to go back if I died? No. I shook my head. There's no guarantee that I would. I can't think like that. Not if there's a chance that I would just... cease to exist.
Instead of thinking about questions with no answers, the only thing I should be thinking of first and foremost is how to survive.
So, after falling asleep, I woke up in this world and was forced to go on a date with a fiancée I knew next to nothing about. The novel never really got into detail on Sharinne or her family. Sharinne seemed decent in person, but I felt nothing for her and I’m also not ready for marriage. I want to marry someone I actually like, but it doesn’t seem like I can get out of this just by asking.
“Should I start flirting with other women?” I pondered out loud. “Would that be going too far? Or would it be better if it was with men?”
“No. Before that…” I looked out my window. “I’ll need to begin with my new family.”
I rolled around for a bit before sitting up. “Maybe a bit of wine will help me.”
***
Morning couldn’t have arrived any sooner. When Vincent came into my room to help me dress, I shooed him away. If I was to start my villain plan, I wasn't going to look presentable. Not even to my very own family. Slowly, I dragged my feet downstairs and into the dining room.
But not before grabbing a half empty bottle of wine I had the night before. Taking a couple sips, I pinched my cheeks a bit to make sure my face looked red. Good. Let's hope my acting skills aren't that bad.
Slamming the door open, several pairs of eyes turned my way.
“Lucian.” An older yet graceful woman smiled at me. “How’s my baby boy-”
Her voice stopped mid sentence and her smile dropped.
I sluggishly dragged my feet across the room and plopped down onto the only available seat.
“Good morning.” I slurred as I took a sip of wine straight from the bottle.
Through the corner of my eyes, two sets of mouths dropped, eyes bulging. Guess they’re Lucian’s younger brother and sister, Aiden and Evelyn.
“Lucian…” I turned to a man who looked like an older version of Lucian. His eyes crinkled in concern. “Have you been drinking since early morning?”
“Hmm…” I hummed a halfhearted answer as I took yet another sip.
“Luci…” The older woman, who I guess was my new mother, slowly reached her hand out to put on top of mine. She tried to pry my hand away from the bottle. “Did something happen? Is it Lady Sharinne?”
I stared at her long and hard before gently taking her hand off mine, just to take another sip. I needed to make sure I was tipsy enough to play the role.
“Nothing happened, mother.” I set the bottle down and grabbed a fork for my salad. Taking a bite, I yelled out some obscure things while pointing my fork towards a maid.
Another chug of wine.
“And bring me another bottle of wine! I just finished this one!” I turned to another maid.
Slam.
I gave a good loud slam on the dining table with my now empty bottle.
Marquess and Marchioness Devonshire looked at each other and gulped.
“No.” The Marquess stated firmly with a hand raised in the air. “You are not having another bottle. In fact, you are not permitted to leave this room until you tell me what is going on.”
“Really, it’s nothing father.” I leaned back in my chair. “I just found love in this brand of wine. Have you tried it? It tastes exquisite.”
“I don’t believe you for one second. Can’t you see how worried your mother is? This also isn’t the appropriate behavior you should be showing to Aiden and Evelyn.”
“I don’t know what more I can say, father.” I shrugged. “It’s your choice whether you believe me or not, but it’s the truth.”
I finished off my meal.
“Now if you’re done.” I stood up, wiping my mouth with a napkin. “I have a meeting today so I do need to get going.”
“And where are you going looking like that?” The Marquess asked with narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong with the way I look?” I cocked my head to the side. “Aren’t I always handsome?”
“Son!”
I heard the marquess yell angrily but quickly left the room, not looking back a single time.
Smirk.
This is only the beginning of my new villain's life.
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