Aries stood before the mirror, silently studying the unfamiliar face reflected in its polished surface.

Morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting a warm glow across the spacious room. It illuminated silver hair that fell neatly over his forehead and a youthful face untouched by the hardships he remembered. Delicate features, pale skin, and crystal-blue eyes painted the image of a noble born into privilege.

Only the gaze remained unchanged.

Calm.

Steady.

Quietly observant.

It was the gaze of a man who had spent years witnessing life and death without allowing either to cloud his judgment.

He raised a hand and brushed a loose strand of silver hair behind his ear.

The movement felt unfamiliar.

This body was lighter than his own had ever been. Even the smallest motion lacked the instinctive precision he had cultivated over years of holding a scalpel.

"...Inconvenient."

The word had barely left his lips when a sharp pain bloomed behind his temples.

His vision blurred.

The room around him dissolved.

.

.

"I'm telling you, the ending made no sense."

A familiar voice echoed through the haze.

Mikhail looked up from the stack of medical records on his desk.

Kim Haerin sat across from him, a novel resting in one hand while the other gestured animatedly.

"You've been talking about that book for days."

"Because it deserves better."

She closed the book with an irritated sigh.

"It had an amazing beginning. The world-building was great, the politics were interesting, and almost every character had depth."

"But?"

"The ending was rushed."

Mikhail rested his chin on one hand, silently waiting for her to continue.

"There was this noble family called House Lelouche."

The name meant nothing to him.

"The story kept hinting that one of its members was connected to something important."

"And was he?"

"I don't know."

She threw her hands into the air.

"That's exactly the problem."

Her frustration was almost amusing.

"Aries Cain de Lelouche disappeared near the end of the novel. Some readers believed he was innocent. Others thought he had been manipulating everything from the shadows."

"And what do you think?"

Haerin shrugged.

"I think the truth was somewhere in the middle."

Her smile slowly faded.

"But we'll never know."

"The author killed him before explaining anything."

The memory shattered.

.

.

Aries caught himself against the edge of the dressing table before he lost his balance.

A dull ache lingered behind his temples.

House Lelouche.

The name echoed quietly in his mind.

Until now, every clue had seemed like little more than coincidence.

The noble estate.

The unfamiliar customs.

The fragments of memory that surfaced from time to time.

Individually, they proved nothing.

Together...

They formed a possibility that was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss.

"My Lord?"

The maid hurried toward him, genuine concern replacing the fear she had shown when he first awoke.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Aries blinked once before straightening himself.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I'll manage."

She hesitated, unconvinced, but wisely chose not to press the matter.

Aries studied her in silence.

Earlier, she had looked at him with caution.

Now there was only worry.

People could pretend to be respectful.

Concern, however, was far more difficult to fake.

Perhaps the original Aries had not been as universally hated as appearances suggested.

Or perhaps she alone had chosen to remain by his side.

Either possibility was worth remembering.

After a brief silence, Aries looked toward her.

"When will the attending doctor arrive?"

The maid blinked.

"...Doctor?"

She tilted her head in confusion.

"What is a doctor, Young Master?"

Aries paused.

Right.

This wasn't Earth.

Even the terminology was different.

"I mean the attending physician."

Realization dawned on her face.

"Oh! The attending physician."

"Yes."

"The attending physician is scheduled to visit in three days, Lord Aries."

"Three days?"

She nodded apologetically.

"He only visits the estate twice a week."

Aries frowned slightly.

Someone had remained unconscious for nearly a month, yet the attending physician visited only twice each week.

Either his services were in extraordinary demand...

Or someone had decided that this patient was no longer worth frequent attention.

He quietly filed the thought away.

There wasn't enough information to draw a conclusion.

"Young Mast—"

Aries raised a hand.

"You don't have to call me 'Young Master' every few seconds."

The maid froze.

"W-What?"

"It's exhausting to hear."

His tone remained calm, almost conversational.

"You may call me Lord Aries or Sir Aries. Whichever feels more natural."

The maid stared at him, visibly stunned.

The previous Aries would never have permitted such familiarity.

After several moments, she lowered her head.

"A-As you wish... Lord Aries."

Aries gave a small nod.

"Now."

His gaze shifted toward the window overlooking the estate.

"My memories are incomplete."

He spoke matter-of-factly, without embarrassment.

"I remember fragments."

"Tell me about the person I used to be."

The maid lowered her eyes.

For a long moment, she searched for the right words.

Finally, she spoke.

"Before everything happened..."

Her voice softened.

"...Lord Aries was considered one of the prides of House Lelouche."

The maid drew a slow breath before continuing.

“Lord Aries was talented, intelligent, and admired by many. Most believed you would one day become one of the pillars of House Lelouche.”

Aries listened without interrupting.

Her expression gradually darkened.

“But everything changed when Lord Aries presented as a Beta.”

A slight frown crossed his face.

Fragments of unfamiliar knowledge surfaced within his mind.

Alphas.

Betas.

Omegas.

A secondary gender that shaped a person’s place in society as much as their noble status.

A dominant Omega and a dominant Alpha could wield influence equal to that of powerful aristocrats.

Betas, on the other hand, were often regarded as ordinary.

Reliable.

Yet easily overlooked.

What a peculiar society.

The maid continued quietly.

“After Lord Aries presented as a Beta, many of the people who once supported him slowly drifted away.”

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her apron.

“Not long afterward, Young Master Lucien awakened as a Dominant Omega.”

There it was.

The younger brother.

The favored child.

The one everyone began comparing him to.

“From that day on,” she said softly, “Lord Aries was constantly measured against Young Master Lucien.”

Aries remained silent.

Comparison had always been a cruel thing.

It demanded that one person shine while another faded.

“Even so,” the maid continued, “Lord Aries never stopped studying or training. He said that even if he could no longer become the heir, he still wished to serve House Lelouche.”

A faint memory stirred within him.

Not his own.

A quiet determination.

It disappeared as quickly as it came.

The maid lowered her gaze.

“But Young Master Lucien didn’t seem to like that.”

Aries had expected as much.

“He secretly arranged for Lord Aries to take supplements with dangerous side effects.”

The room fell silent.

“They were introduced as medicine to strengthen your body.”

Fragments of memory flashed before Aries’s eyes.

The bitter taste of medicine.

Sleepless nights.

Hands that refused to stop trembling.

Broken glass scattered across the floor.

Panicked voices.

Blood.

Then darkness.

“The incident happened not long afterward,” the maid whispered.

“Lord Aries suddenly lost control and caused chaos within the estate.”

Aries closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Along with the memories came emotions that did not belong to him.

Humiliation.

Despair.

Hopelessness.

The lingering sorrow of someone who had tried their best, only to lose everything.

“You remained unconscious for nearly a month.”

The maid’s voice grew quieter.

“Afterward, Young Master Lucien spread rumors claiming Lord Aries had done everything intentionally.”

“How convenient,” Aries murmured.

She lowered her head.

“He told everyone that Lord Aries harmed himself in an attempt to gain sympathy… and reclaim his position.”

“And they believed him?”

“…Most did.”

Aries let out a quiet sigh.

Rumors were curious things.

They required no evidence.

No witnesses.

Only people willing to believe them.

“Because of those rumors,” the maid continued, “very few physicians were willing to treat Lord Aries.”

“The attending physician only visits twice each week.”

Aries found that more disappointing than surprising.

Even in his previous life, abandoning a patient because of public opinion would have been considered disgraceful.

He had never been a good man.

But professionalism was another matter entirely.

The maid suddenly bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Lord Aries.”

He looked at her.

“For what?”

“If I had realized what was happening sooner…”

Her voice trembled.

“…perhaps none of this would have happened.”

Aries regarded her quietly before looking toward the window.

People often believed tragedy could have been prevented if only someone had acted sooner.

Sometimes they were right.

More often…

The outcome had already been decided long before anyone realized a game was being played.

“The blame isn’t yours,” he said simply.

The maid looked up in surprise.

Without another word, Aries began walking around the room.

His muscles protested almost immediately.

A month confined to a bed had weakened this body far more than he liked.

One lap.

Then another.

Slowly, his steps became steadier.

The maid followed several paces behind, watching silently in case he lost his balance.

Lost in thought, Aries turned the corner of the room—

—and walked straight into someone.

Thud.

He instinctively stepped back.

Standing before him was a young man with neatly styled blond hair and refined features. His skin was fair, though not as pale as Aries’s own, while sharp blue eyes regarded him with a smile that never quite reached them.

The servants in the hallway immediately lowered their heads.

The atmosphere shifted.

“My, my.”

His voice was smooth and pleasant.

“So the fallen heir is finally awake.”

Every word carried the faintest trace of mockery.

Aries studied him in silence.

The expensive clothing.

The confident posture.

The carefully practiced smile.

Fragments of memory answered the question before he needed to ask.

Lucien de Lelouche.

The younger son of House Lelouche.

The family’s favored child.

The person who had turned the original Aries’s life into a nightmare.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

“What is it?”

“Has your month-long sleep stolen your voice as well?”

Aries simply looked at him.

Then, after a brief pause, he sighed.

The second person he met after waking up just happened to be his troublesome younger brother.

What unfortunate timing.

His gaze lingered on Lucien’s face for another moment before a single thought crossed his mind.

Oh.

This one definitely smells like trouble.

A problematic brat.

And judging by that smile…

Their reunion was unlikely to end peacefully.

TO BE CONTINUED….