When I woke up, I initially thought I had gone to heaven. But my vision cleared to reveal I laid down on a king-sized bed in a stone-walled room full of luxurious furniture.

Then a servant girl comes into the room, saw me woke up, ran outside the place to call the doctor.

"Doctor! Lord Leander has woken up!"

I was confused because the girl is wearing servant clothes and the room I situated in styled so elegantly. Moreover, did she just called me Lord Leander? What??

When the doctor came in, he told me that I lost consciousness being knocked over by the luggage that fell from the top of the carriage. The servant boy who was trying to lift the luggage lost his strength.

The timing was unfortunate because it fell just as I was coming down the carriage. Without delay, the servant boy apprehended and thrown into the dungeon under the castle grounds.

I was so confused I couldn't talk. All I could remember was a huge stone, not luggage. Maybe I'm dreaming right now? Or perhaps I was something in a place in between my world and heaven? Or hell? Wait, no purgatory can be this accommodating, right? It's so comfortable and relaxing here. Yep, this is not purgatory. So what is this place?

"You'll be fine if you take a rest for a day, my Lord. If you need me again, just pull the rope at the side of your bed." said the doctor who was facing the ground. 

My Lord again. I nodded at him even though he's not looking at me. I'm just going to play along for now. But first, I need a mirror because I felt something was amiss.

"P-pardon me, do you have a hand mirror?" I asked the servant girl with a polite tone. I immediately noticed that my voice was hoarse, and it doesn't sound like me.

The servant girl, as well as the doctor, were relatively shocked by my request, but still, the girl handed me the mirror quicker than expected. 

After I was handed the mirror, the doctor and the servant girl promptly take their leave.

After the door was closed, I raise my hand to look myself in the mirror.

"WAAAAAA?! What sorcery is this?!" My eyes went wide as I shouted from my bed. 

"My lord? Is something the matter?" An unknown man who was wearing a butler suit came inside the room, not a minute passed after I screamed.

"W-wha-ahhh. No! No, nothing's wrong. Everything's fine! Totally fine! You can go now." I was in confusion and utterly shocked by my face. I need this guy to leave so that I could contemplate what the bloody hell's going on! But instead of him listening to me, he entered the room and walked by the side of the bed.

"My Lord, I have taken the servant to the dungeon. We await your order on what to do with him." The butler said apathetically, but I noticed a slight crease on his brow. It was like he was a bit mad.

"Ah... Maybe later? I'm still feeling pain in my head. Ah! I need to rest." I closed my eyes, feigning to drop asleep. 

"...... Then I'll leave you to your sleep, my Lord." said the butler. Shortly after, I heard the door closed. I sighed as I open my eyes. 

For a long while, I was deep in thought about what happened until now. Why is my face different? Why am I in this place? What happened to my body? Where is my master?

As I was thinking about many things, I lifted the mirror again and observed my face. My face is so pale but smooth. I have wavy blond hair and sky-blue eyes with a stern look. Even though I'm a bit chubby, I still looked handsome. 

I sighed. I don't even know what to feel right now. I was evoking a whole range of feelings I'm still trying to fathom. Should I mourn my death? Should I be glad that I'm not going to see my ugly face every day ever again?

All of a sudden, I felt a dull pain in my head, gradually becoming prickly, then stinging. Now, it became a full-fledged headache! I can't help but lay on the bed, curl into a fetal position, and clutched my head due to the intense pain. My thoughts became murky and were all jumbled up. My head feels like a thousand needles stabbed it!

Time has passed, I recalled my previous life and the present life all at the same time! All the memories are intermixing, making my stomach turned.

"Bluuurghh!" I retched on the floor by the side of the bed. There was only so much my brain could handle. Soaking up that much information made me nauseous.

I remember everything now. I'm a noble young man named Leander Neville, and I'm 14 years old. I'm the eldest child of Duke of Iscania from the House of Neville.

In my previous life, I was a poor peasant named Cris Costa. I was a blacksmith apprentice, and I'm one of the workers hired by the Duke of Iscania to build a castle for his family and pregnant wife, the Duchess, Lucrezia. I speculated that my soul could have occupied the fetus inside the wife, Lucrezia.

I find it miraculous that I was reincarnated into the House of Neville. My father, Duke of Iscania, is from one of the top elite families in the kingdom of Estrir. The House of Neville is well-known for its military power.

I didn't remember the day I died, all I could think about was I killed by a huge falling stone and heard a blood-curdling scream. Was it my scream? Why is it sounded so high pitched?

As I was massaging my aching head, the door suddenly burst open and came rushing in my mother, Lucrezia. She looks delicate and beautiful — light brown hair with sky blue eyes.

She's from a 2nd generation relative of the family Neville. She's father's second cousin once removed¹. She's also from a wealthy noble family, one of the elite noble families, the House of Aberffraw.

The ladies in their house were all lovely. Every day there would always be suitors visiting the single Aberffraw ladies.

Even though tears smeared her face, she still looks beautiful. When she approached me, she was fussing around, saying that I could have died and everything. 

"My s— What? What's this?!" My mother exclaimed as she stepped on my puke.

"Uhm, it's mine..." I gave her a sheepish smile.

"O-oh? ...What? ...Oh no! OH! My son is ill! My son is going to DIE! NOOO!" My mother wailed as she plopped herself, unceremoniously at the floor near my bed. She was looking like a deranged plague victim. She didn't even care about the vomit on the sole of her shoe.

Mother, please don't kill me off. I just died a few hours ago.

Is what I was about to say, but she would definitely go hysterical, so instead, I told her...

"Mother, please. I'm not going to die. I only had an upset stomach." I assured her as I pat her head.

"No! The injury might be inside you! I need to punish that servant!" She madly exclaimed.

"Mother, you're getting excited again. There's no need to punish him. I'm really alright." I looked at her intently. I need to downplay this because if not, the servant would be punished to death, and his blood will be on my hands. 

She looked at me in astonishment while her hand pressed on her chest. I exactly knew what she was thinking. To mete out punishments to servants who blundered is deeply entrenched in our aristocratic society. But I don't want to do anything like that, not anymore.

"......Son, does your head hurt? You are definitely not well. I'm going to call the doctor! Doct—" she said as she put her palm lightly on the top of my head. 

"Mother, please, I'm fine. I'm not hurting." 

"But, my son, it's unlikely for you to let go of that condemned servant. Wouldn't we at least whipped him as a punishment?"

I was horrified. I wasn't hurt that much, but the punishment for the poor guy is like ten times more painful than what I've experienced. I know what it feels like to be whipped.

I had an encounter once with the carriage driver when I was still Cris. He whipped me because I was blocking his way. What I felt like was a searing pain in the back. I don't want to suffer like that again; neither I want others to experience it.

"Mother, I will have Alfons bring the servant here tomorrow. I'll be the one to discipline him." I said.

The man before who walked in on me after I screamed is my butler, Alfons. He's been with me since I was a baby. I have never seen him in a disordered manner or even smile. He always remains expressionless and somewhat apathetic; nevertheless, he's my trusted butler.

"Are you going to bloody your own hands?! Why not let the guards do it for you?" She said.

I let out a sigh. Mother always agonizing over anything.

"What are you thinking about, Mother? I'm not going to do gruesome stuff. I have other plans." 

Yes, I'm going to make use of that servant for the goals I have in mind.

"What plans?" 

I avoid answering her question. "Mother, I have been thinking. I would be an adult in a few years. I want to take on some responsibilities of this house, so I want to start now." I seriously said.

She was completely surprised by my statement. I wouldn't blame her because I've been a slacker for many years. I've been pushing my obligations to Father, Alfons, and a bothersome mentor. I can't slack off anymore, especially now that I've regained my previous life's memories.

"Are you sure, Lian? I'm so worried about you. Maybe you're not exactly well after you hit your head."

"I'm completely fine, Mother. You should worry about yourself, particularly your foot." I said as I raise my eyebrows.

She made a complicated expression before having a complete understanding of what I meant. She immediately glanced down and was shocked at the sight of my partially digested food that almost covered her whole foot. 

"My goodness! I need to clean up! Maids!" She shouted, looking at the door, and in an instant, servant girls came in carrying a towel, a basin, and a pair of shoes. These servants really are reliable. They already know what to do and what to bring.

After my mother primped and preened with the help of the maids, she walked back to my side and held my hand.

"Lian, darling. You heaved out your food, so I'm going to call the servant and let the chef cook your favorite, eggs benedict!²"

"?!..It's all right, Mother, and I'm not hungry." I believe the reason that I'm like this was due to Mother always fussing about me not having enough food to eat. She would force me to eat her baked treats. I can't seem to go against her before.

The only time I'm able to escape her grasp is when I go to school. Whenever I'm here, she would always fatten me up. Do you have a grudge against me, Mother?

From now on, I'm going to try my utmost effort to resist her. I'm also going to train my body like in my previous life. I surely needed training with my upcoming opening ceremony at Estrir Academy, getting closer.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm really fine, mother. I only want to have tea, and I have to write something."

"Oh, fine. I'll have the servant bring you tea then."

"I appreciate it, Mother."

"I have something to do after here, be sure to take a rest!" She said before she kissed my forehead.

"I will. Thank you, Mother." I did my best not to wipe the place I was kissed and to shake my head. She still considered me a kid.

As Mother walks outside and closes the door, I uncover the sheets and walk over to my desk. I sit down and pull the drawer. Inside the drawer, there were only stationery, envelopes, and seal I saw. I took out the stationery and started to write a draft consisting of information from my previous life.

I have a vague recollection of my previous life, but I can still remember the necessary parts. I didn't know how to read and write back then. I started to work menial jobs at the age of 8.

There were six siblings in the Costa family, but the older three had their own family and lived elsewhere. I'm the youngest of the 6. It's the opposite of my present life, which I'm the oldest sibling.

After the maid brought in the tea, I resume my writing.

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[1] - here's the chart for the second cousin once removed. No.1.563