“Good morning, Lord Kael,” said a man in a perfect suit, bowing with practiced elegance.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked, eloquently.

He raised an eyebrow. “Your personal butler, Marlowe. Have you perhaps bumped your head again, my lord?”

Again?

I squinted at him, then at the room.
A four-poster bed. Velvet curtains. A painting of—was that me riding a black horse through fire?

Okay, yeah. This was serious anime villain territory.

“Let me confirm something,” I said slowly. “I’m Kael Varian. The third prince of the empire. Cold-hearted. Arrogant. Gets stabbed in the back by the heroine halfway through the novel… right?”

“Er… yes?”

“Cool, cool,” I nodded. “Then we’re going to need to change everything.”

Marlowe blinked. “Everything, my lord?”

“Start with breakfast. This body feels like it hasn't had carbs in weeks.”