Who would have thought that Day was royalty.
The last time Kang Sihyun saw Day, the image was still shocking, but aside from that, he felt a bit happy.
Finally, his life as Gren was over.
It wasn't as refreshing or happy an ending as he had hoped, but an end is an end. Gren's time was done, and it was time to return to Kang Sihyun's body.
It took longer than expected. How much time had passed in the real world? A day, two days, a month?
Hoping not to have to tear off another calendar page, he surrendered his mind to the cozy energy enveloping his body.
When he opened his eyes afterward, Kang Sihyun had to let go of all the expectations he had harbored inside.
Where is this place?
Once again, he had moved to a strange world, not Korea.
"At least I didn't start over as a newborn," he thought with relief.
When he stretched out his fingers and looked at the size of his hands, they seemed small. It appeared he had possessed the body of a boy around twelve or thirteen years old. He surveyed the space he stood in.
It was a bedroom that stood in stark contrast to the one he had lived in as Gren. Everything from the square footage of the room to the quality of the blanket and the size of the bed was different.
It seemed like a noble's house.
Blinking and turning his head, he saw a mirror. The reflection showed a young boy with silver hair and pale eyes.
The color of his irises was faint, like watered-down blue, though if anything, they were closer to a clear sky blue. Fascinated by his eyes, he was touching the mirror when a loud racket came from outside the door.
"Young master! Young master!"
The one who burst in calling him "young master" opened the door to his room.
Given that this person entered without announcing, their status must not be very high.
When he had lived as Gren, no one could barge into the master's office like that. Recalling this, he deduced as the person entered the room and widened their eyes upon seeing him.
"My goodness! You're awake!"
"Hmm?"
"Come on, it's not the time for this, Master Harunen! We must go quickly, or we'll be late for the academy's entrance ceremony!"
The academy?
Confused, the woman twisted her hair up as she pushed him along, and Kang Sihyun turned his head.
"Did you just say 'academy'?"
Unfamiliar with the way this little one spoke, he roughly used a noble's tone he knew. That meant imitating the way Renard and his father spoke. The woman then cocked her head.
"Why do you speak like that, young master? As if you've become a duke."
"Oh."
Apparently, that was the wrong answer. Kang Sihyun cleared his throat.
"What is this 'academy'?"
Switching to a more casual tone, the woman chuckled.
"You're playing again, aren't you? Let's go quickly, so we're not late for the ceremony."
It wasn't a joke; he genuinely wanted to know.
But it seemed that, unlike with Day, the excuse of amnesia wouldn't work this time, and Kang Sihyun followed the woman with an embarrassed look. Skillfully taking care of him, she helped him change his clothes and tidy up before even packing a bag and seeing him off in front of a carriage.
"You can't bring a servant to the academy, so let's say our farewells here, young master. Don't get too sick, and if you do, be sure to contact Dr. Randel in the nearby town!"
The woman earnestly advised. Kang Sihyun narrowed his eyes as he noticed that no other servants from the mansion came to see him off.
Was this household in decline, or was the boy called Harunen just that insignificant here?
Everyone had bowed their heads when Renard mentioned going to the academy.
It seemed all the useful memories he could recall were solely from Gren's life. Reflecting on that life as he was about to get into the carriage, he felt someone's presence behind him.
Since earlier, it hadn't been the servant taking care of him. This presence was much heavier and more imposing, so Kang Sihyun instinctively turned around.
"Duke..."
The woman's eyes widened, then she quickly bowed her head.
A duke?
That's quite a high rank.
Kang Sihyun was about to bow as well, if not for the voice calling to him.
"You're going to the academy."
Their eyes met. Facing the duke's distinct blue eyes, Kang Sihyun nodded.
"Yes."
"Ensure you do nothing to tarnish the honor of the Lawrence family."
That tone was more of a warning than advice. Kang Sihyun responded by bowing deeply. As the duke turned away, footsteps followed behind him.
"A bastard child, really."
Startled by the added comment, Kang Sihyun lifted his gaze to see a young boy sticking out his tongue mockingly at him.
Was that directed at me?
He quickly looked around.
It was definitely meant for me.
No one else was nearby.
A bastard child of the duke's family.
It seemed this life might be filled with even more hardships than Gren's had been. As he sighed at the thought, the boy with eyes the same color as the duke added snidely, "You're going to die soon anyway, what's the point of going to the academy?"
The boy smirked and hurried after the duke.
What's going on?
Kang Sihyun watched their retreating figures with a puzzled face. His mind couldn't keep up with the unfolding events, and he stood there dazed. The woman who had been taking care of him earlier approached and took his hand.
"Don't take to heart what the young lord says."
Ah.
So, he's the young lord, and I'm the young master.
Sensing the subtle difference in titles, Kang Sihyun guessed what kind of treatment the boy called Harunen must have received in this mansion. To put it simply, he was in the same position as Day had been in his past life.
Though of noble blood, openly mistreated but not as much as a legitimate son might be.
It was an odd situation.
Quite interesting, and as he blinked in response, the woman dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Don't be disheartened. Go and do what you want at the academy. It's not easy enrolling in the academy with a sickly body."
With those words, she handed him about ten handkerchiefs. Kang Sihyun found the situation quite unsettling, but he had no time to express his feelings. The woman, realizing it was truly time to go, pushed him insistently towards the carriage.
"Take care, young master! Write to us occasionally!"
As the carriage moved away, he saw the smiling woman through the window, waving. Her figure grew smaller until she was bowing deeply at the waist, showing respect as the carriage finally disappeared from view. Kang Sihyun fiddled with the handkerchief in his hand.
Now, he finally had time to think.
"So I haven't returned after all."
He had hoped to wake up in Kang Sihyun's body, in a place full of familiar faces, but once again, everything was strange. Nothing was going as he wanted.
What are you trying to show me by doing this?
"Father."
He called out softly, knowing no answer would come, and chuckled to himself.
What am I doing, wallowing like this?
This was the time to keep his wits about him. After all, they say even in a tiger's den, one can survive if one remains alert.
Though this place wasn't a tiger's den, but a strange otherworld.
...The energy he felt rising within him subsided once more. He had barely adapted to life as Gren; how would he fare as Harunen, without any allies this time?
Gren had had Day by his side, but now he faced entering the academy alone. Nervous, Kang Sihyun bit his lip and leaned his head back.
How do I return to Kang Sihyun's body?
Surely it can't be that Adam has to live through every life he's reincarnated into.
Nah, that can't be it.
Adam must have gone through at least dozens of reincarnations by now; when would he have experienced them all?
Despite his denial, his heart thudded ominously. Such premonitions had never been wrong before, so he closed his eyes tightly. He hoped it was just a misgiving. After all, this wasn't where he was supposed to be.
"...For now, I guess I have to live out this body's lifespan."
Suicide didn't seem like it would allow him to return, so Kang Sihyun collected himself and followed the information he had gathered here. From the words of the woman and the duke, to the behavior and speech of the legitimate son and the appearance of the mansion. Combining all the information, he had a fair understanding of who Harunen was.
So, he had possessed the body of a sickly little boy who was the duke's illegitimate son and wasn't expected to live long.
Could possessing any body be like this?
Kang Sihyun hoped this body wasn't one of Adam's reincarnations.
That would be too pitiful.
Life as Gren had been harsh enough; the next life being such a frail body was just too much.
It better not be. However, Kang Sihyun felt the vast divine power within him and rubbed his forehead.
It was less than during his time as Gren, but it was certainly a substantial amount of divine power. This small, frail body
could hardly endure it.
Perhaps the boy's illness was also due to the divine power exceeding the vessel's capacity.
As he was pondering this, the carriage jolted violently. It must have hit a stone.
That's when it happened.
A sudden heat surged up his throat, and Kang Sihyun hastily pressed the handkerchief to his mouth.
"Cough!"
Blood flowed with the cough, staining the handkerchief.
Ah.
Realizing the purpose of the ten handkerchiefs he had been given, Kang Sihyun stared at the blood-soaked cloth and chuckled bitterly. Really, what a miserable body. Soon, his chest felt as if it was being crushed.
Drip, drip, sweat fell onto his knees as he grimaced, mumbling a name.
"Adam."
What kind of life did you live?
Now he wanted to ask Adam directly.
It had been a terribly grim series of reincarnations.
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