The smell of books slammed his nose as he groaned in pain. His hand felt so hard and stiff. Liam tried to move his legs, only to realize he was stuck in someone else's chair. He couldn't move his body.
He stares at the dim source of brightness and the single candlelight in front of him. The words in the documents are legible, but he's unable to understand them. A sudden headache shoots through his head as he tries to stand up. He knows his feelings, his movements, and his stiff body.
Liam looked at the cup on the side table. A cup of tea for him, prepared by his daughter.
'My daughter? I don't have a child.' Liam tried to stand up but fell instead.
His head hit the table and his hand tried to support himself. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and pulled the cup with him. A loud noise alerted the servants.
"Master!" A man in a butler's suit rushed to his side. Liam tried to open his eyes. He can't. The last thing he remembers is the sight of a dazzling pair of emerald green eyes and blonde hair beside the front door. The girl looks at him with empty eyes. Isabella Raphaelis. Somehow he knows her name.
His surroundings darken abruptly. Then he remembers.
'The Fairy Tale of the Blue Rose' is a fantasy story about a reincarnator from another world, he was a former king. The word Blue Rose symbolizes the royal family. The young Reincarnator was reborn in the body of the third prince, the illegitimate child of the emperor with the palace girl.
He's then chosen by the Holy Sword and begins his journey to kill the Demon Emperor. A normal, typical heroic novel. And now comes the problem: it's him. No, the body Liam is currently living in. Allen Raphaelis. The first cannon fodder villain holds the key information for the hero.
His son, the final villain, is betrayed by the protagonist because they love the same woman, the daughter of the King of Helne. In the end, both his son and daughter lost the battle and were banished from the realm, accused of treason.
A bright sun covered his entire bedroom. Liam sat up and looked towards the large window. The sunlight sent warmth into the cold and empty bedroom. Liam understood. He looked at the window again.
What was happening? He couldn't remember the last confrontation of the war. But he remembers the day he spoke to Luminaria, the goddess who asks for his forgiveness and gives him a chance. While he remembers the content of the novel, he concentrates on his current situation.
'Both Adrian and Isabella wish Allen dead'. However, this is the first time they have acted so boldly. Most of the lines in the novel focus on the protagonist's point of view. He only has a rough idea of the plot of the Raphaelis family line.
The sound of the door opening catches his attention. The little maid's face turned to horror as she knelt and apologized.
"Your Grace! P... Please forgive this lowly... How... How..." The maid continued to kneel and cry. Liam tensed up a little.
'Damn, is he that scary? Although people called him the Demon King after Claude's death, no one had ever treated him with so much fear and terror.' Liam just stared blankly at the maid.
*****
The maid was still trembling and knelt. She cried and begged for mercy. She knew that the moment she opened the door, she would die! They say the duke is still unconscious, but he is already awake. She never knocks on the door!
*****
Liam, who was still trying to calm down, looked out of the window.
'I should act like a normal person, but I can not just draw my sword and slit her neck Think and act like the real 'Allen Raphaelis'. A madman, a madman, a madman. Liam kept repeating his own words and finally made a decision. Let us be a neutral madman. Not a madman.
Liam took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Go."
The maid stopped shaking and looked at her master. She stared at the handsome man who was still looking out of the window.
Allen Raphaelis, the famous Duke of the North, is a tyrant. He kills anyone who messes with him. He never loved anyone in his life. He was just a sadistic man who loved to play with lives. A drunkard and womanizer. He guards the north against the monster of the mountain.
"Are you done freaking out?" Cold, a bone-chilling atmosphere. But Amelia can sense a little hesitation in his words.
*****
Amelia quickly ran away and closed the door behind her. Once again, she looked back at the closed door. A painful stab suddenly pressed on her heart.
'The Duke looks lonely,' she thought to herself.
"Miss Amelia, has something happened?" The voice she hears is etched in her ears as she looks to her right. It was the butler. Little Hariel. His face is as cheerful as ever.
"No, it's all right." He had always followed his father in the past, but now, after the death of the previous butler, he had immediately taken over the position of the duke's butler. Amelia looked at the charming man and bit her lip. She knew. The tea.
"About the tea..." Amelia opened her mouth, but Klein stared at her with a sad smile.
Klein walked past her and knocked twice on the door. He took a deep breath. If Isabella wants to kill the duke, she will be in danger. He never thought an illegitimate child like her would dare to rebel against her blood father, who had raised her like a street cat.
Nevertheless, Klein would never blame the thirteen-year-old child. The duke was an evil madman. His father always warns him about the duke. That is why he will protect Lady Isabella if he has to, even at the cost of his life.
"Come in." Klein was stunned for a while. The tone the duke always used sounded different. Klein hurriedly came to his senses and opened the bedroom door.
*****
Liam glances at one of the minor characters, no. More like a side villain who will end up helping Adrian and Isabella. This brutal schemer. But nothing's happened yet. Yes. He knows he wants to die. But Liam will make sure it is part of his plan, which includes dying. The villain is still so small.
"Master, about your tea..." Klein slowly opens his mouth. For Lady Isabella's sake, he would do anything. But the duke just stared out of the window, as if ignoring him.
"Do not bother," comes the cold voice. Klein tried to finish his word.
"The Invest... What?" His voice caught. Klein looked at the duke again.
'He told me not to interfere? Because he knows I will choose the lady's side? That...!'
" I told you. Do not worry about it." The usual expressionless face looks calm. As if nothing had happened. As if it were a perfectly natural thing. If the duke were angry, he would give him direct instructions. But this time: do not worry about it.
Klein's words somehow stuck in his throat. What if...
"Your grace? Do you know about this? The preparer behind the tea?" Klein spoke quietly.
'What if he...' The duke may not always know everything that goes on behind the scenes. After all, he can be somewhat incompetent compared to his predecessor. He serves Adrian more as his own master.
"Yes," Allen averted his eyes and stared at his two hands. Like a pitiful sinner trying to accept the truth.
Deep inside his heart, Liam tries to convince himself. He lowers his head and grumbles at the girl's stupidity. If she wants to kill someone, she should prepare it more thoroughly.
"Should I then..." Klein was speechless once again.
"I told you not to worry about anything. You are just a servant." Allen blinked coldly and opened his quilt.
"Master!" Klein tries to reach out to Allen. He thinks Allen went to the brothel and the bar instead.
Raphael manages to get to his feet. The body's recovery is pretty high. "What's the plan for today?"
Seeing that his master is suddenly getting very strange, Klein raises his voice. Something is not right here! Normally he says he needs a woman or something to drink, but he's asking for work! "You need some rest, master!"
"Small. I hate repeating the same word." Allen furrowed his eyebrows. Since when had this two-faced butler taken an interest in the real Allen?
"But..."
"Klein, my schedule."
"Right. You have a meeting with the vassal at ten in the morning. You will have lunch with Marquis Terrain. In the afternoon, you will inspect the knights and the northern border. That is the main activity you will have today." Klein recites it all in a single breath. He is still looking at the strange duke.
Allen nodded and called the servant to prepare the equipment. In the meantime, he thought to avoid any unnecessary movements that might distract the plot too much. One of the most important things right now is to find a new helper. And two of them. Someone who can work with him in the light so he can take care of the duchy, and someone who will be his shadow, who will stand next to one of the three kings of the underworld.
Given all the probabilities and plot deviations, he will steal the brave cannon fodder that dies at the beginning. These humans are strong, but the author tries to emphasize how strong demons are. So they end up as cannon fodder who die because they underestimate the demons. If it was not for that stupid restriction and oath, he should be able to live free.
Allen grabs a piece of paper and writes down a few points. Sitting on the sofa in his bathrobe, water drips from his half-dried hair. He makes a clear note.
-Stay away from the figures
- Protect the heroes and prevent the descent of disaster
-Do good things
-Become a madman (but a cool, neutral madman)
-Take revenge
-Plan your death by assassination
Even if he simply wanted to die, he refused to let innocent people die. At least he hopes to atone for his sins a little. He will not blindly follow the will of another.
Allen went to the mirror and looked at his reflection. Deep green, emerald eyes, and a pair of jet-black hair. He looked younger than he had expected. He also looked a lot like himself in his former life.
A knock sounded from the other side of the door. There were only five knocks, five seconds apart. Always in the same order. Allen knows that the person standing behind the door is none other than the villain of the story.
"Come in." Allen swallows his saliva. An expressionless face has been chiseled into his face. Allen is now the real Allen Raphaelis He reminds himself again and again. Be ruthless, cold, and unwavering. If he wants to survive and continue writing the story according to the predetermined plan, he must become the true Allen. Even a small suspicious move will blow his identity in Adrian's face.
The door creaks open as a boy no older than sixteen enters. When he sees the child in front of him, Allen's heart is struck by lightning. It is empty. But he has seen it, deep in his heart the child is angry about his father's existence.
"Duke." The emotionless voice won his attention again. His hands began to tremble. Allen ignored him and looked to the side. Adrian stared at the man standing in front of him with deep hatred and bitterness.
"Do you need something?" Allen would like to run away immediately. He wants to finish his things in a hurry. He knows that his business might have something to do with Isabella's attempt to poison him. Allen was really confused. The book never mentioned an attempt to poison the duke. It's as if the duke is dying at that moment and the plot is falling apart at the seams.
In other words, someone has already tried to change the fate that was written. It ended with him replacing the real Duke. But is the real Allen dead?
Adrian suddenly falls to his knees and bows. He bangs his forehead on the floor. "Isabella is innocent. Please spare her. "