He blinked. 'Lanchaster.' The word echoed inside his head. 'Wait.' A foreboding feeling slowly filled his system. 'Lanchaster?' he repeated the word in his head until it clicked. Nero blinked once again, face impassive but mind haywire.
Transmigration.
So that would me that he. . . he died.
"Just a moment," Nero finally spoke in deep contemplation.
He twirled the long hair he now had; finally realizing the change of his own body. Was it even his body? One thing for sure, the soul was his. His musings halted at the sound of a soft whimper. His eyes— although he hadn't faced himself in a mirror, he knew it casted a deep shade of red, dull brown eyes gone— trailed to where the sound came from.
"You can go," he addressed, voice still hoarse, to the young woman who was apparently in pain from kneeling too long.
Not caring about the stunned expression that graced the three's faces, Nero ducked his head down as his arm rose to massage his temple. He mentally took note.
So he awoke as Nero Lanchaster, the villain of the novel Linda obsessed over. He was the tyrant that Linda gushed over for his handsomeness, also the villain she spewed curses when he antagonized the main characters, and one of the fictional characters she cried for when he was executed.
He mentally sighed.
To be honest, Nero does not really care. So what if his soul transferred to another dimension, in the body of an evil person that was to die of an ugly end?
For Nero, life goes on and he might as well start getting used to the new world. Unlike the will of those reincarnated with wisdom of the new life, Nero does not bother with redemption and revenge.
"Mother wants you to dine with us."
Nero snapped to reality at the deep voice. He lifted his gaze and was met with a scrutinizing stare of the man who held a serious face. If he was to find reference in Linda's words, then this man would be Calix Lanchaster, his eldest brother and the heir to the Lanchaster estate.
Calix was a tall man with broad shoulders. He got a handsome face with bold and sharp features; bushy brows, hooded eyes, a pointed nose and a chiseled jaw. Aside from appearances, Calix Lanchaster resembled the duke the most.
They both were stoic and took pride for handling the estate. Looking at the lack of the heirloom badge that was to be passed on every inauguration, Nero concluded his appearance in the novel hasn't started yet.
Nero was not the only one who whipped his head to face the heir, the other man did too but with a comical expression that screamed 'Are you being ridiculous right now?!' He must be the middle child, Simone Lanchaster, and the mother Calix was talking about would be Duchess Mirae.
Simone Lanchaster was also tall and muscled. However, his features were much softer like the duchess. Another thing he got from their mother would be the mole under his left eye. He also inherited the duchess' expressiveness. Both of them wearing their hearts on their sleeve.
Nero debated the offer. Although he sought nothing from his reincarnation, it's best if he made careful choices. Attracting the leading characters would be such a nuisance. He can't be bothered to deal with clichés. Others may want drama in their life for the thrill of living only once, but Nero just wants to breathe, eat, sleep then die without any obstacles. Exactly what happened in his past life.
"Okay," he agreed. He'll just follow the flow right now.
Besides, aside from him, the Lanchaster family wasn't the main characters. Although Nero Lanchaster had such a main role, his relatives barely had appearances in the novel. After all, it revolved around the harem of the female lead and Nero was only introduced in the climax of the story. His death was just the final step so the female lead and male lead can confess their feelings to one another.
Nero wondered if he should be grateful that he sat through the long hours of Linda's calls because he can pick out details like this. Then again, it's not like he was expecting to transmigrate into the novel.
"What?!" Simone was flabbergasted as he looked at Nero. He saw the storm that surged within viridian stares; turmoil of shock, wrath, and agony filled his eyes. Nero just stared back, already suspecting the reason. Linda narrated enough scenes for Nero to have a gist of what's happening. But what can he do? The original Nero was gone.
"Brother, don't be reckless." Calix reprimanded Simone.
A suffocating silence followed the interaction afterwards. When it seemed like none of the brothers was going to speak anymore, Nero cleared his throat. Such action was to both catch the attention of the two and to ease the dryness in his throat. He really needs to drink so he spoke to remind the two of their intentions to coming to their youngest brother's chamber.
"I'll get changed then," he announced. Nero turned around but faced back when he remembered something. He cleared his throat again.
"Is it alright if you wait for me?" Nero asked the two. Both responded to him with wide eyes but eventually Calix nodded.
"Alright," he muttered and turned once again, stepping to the large drapes to brighten up the place. Immediately, the sun boasted its light, illuminating everything on its path. Its ray of warmth filtered through the window and basked his figure with comfortable heat. Nero could not help but melt, sighing at the warmth.
In the eyes of the two brothers, the soft beam of the light around him almost made Nero looked like an ethereal being. He looked like a god that had descended to bring light in such dreaded place. The long cursed hair that was said to be as white as snow, shined like pristine pearls; a treasure hidden by the vast seas.
"That feels nice," Nero absentmindedly muttered to himself, oblivious of the deep gazes behind him.