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Prologue
Thud!
A rather heavy bag was thrown down beside me.
At the same time, an elderly butler with an impeccably neat appearance stepped forward and spoke in a cold voice.
“…You are no longer a member of the Veid family.”
Hm, what’s going on?
I was sure that after getting home from work, I’d lain down on my bed, pulled the blanket over myself, and peacefully fallen asleep.
Could this be a dream?
“That bag contains the only belongings you are permitted to take from the Veid family.”
“Uh, just a moment. There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Looking at the elderly butler, who maintained a thoroughly businesslike attitude, I finally voiced the question that had been bothering me.
“Um… where exactly is this place?”
“…”
Instead of answering, the old butler simply looked at me with eyes full of contempt.
Then he spoke.
“Young Master Kamon.”
Kamon?
Is that my name?
“Even if you act like this now, nothing will change. The fact that you have been expelled from the family remains the same.”
The elderly butler explained in a cold yet resolute tone.
Then he took a step closer until he was standing right beside me and continued.
“The Marquis personally ordered your expulsion.”
“…?”
As I silently listened to him, I finally took the time to carefully look around.
A massive mansion.
An elderly butler.
Maids moving about nearby.
The Veid family.
The noble title of Marquis.
And the name Kamon.
This was way too vivid to be a dream.
“Well, I think I more or less understand that I’ve been kicked out of the family.”
After nodding as I pieced together the situation, I spoke again.
“But could you tell me why exactly I’ve been expelled from the family—”
“Young Master!”
The elderly butler suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, as though the anger he had been suppressing had finally burst.
“Trying to pretend you’ve lost your memory now is far too late. Such a pitiful trick won’t work anymore. Young Master, it was the Imperial Princess.”
‘The Imperial Princess?’
The butler steadied his breathing before continuing.
“No matter how free from social status the Academy may be, you attacked none other than the Imperial Princess of the Empire. Did you truly believe you could commit such an act of high treason and simply pretend nothing had happened?”
Hold on.
I attacked the Imperial Princess?
Wait…
Why does all of this sound so familiar?
Kamon Veid.
The Imperial Princess assault incident.
The Academy…
“Ah!”
A sharp jolt ran through me, like being struck by lightning.
“Plines Imperial Academy?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The Academy from which you were suspended is Plines Imperial Academy. Why? Are you going to pretend you’ve suddenly remembered everything now?”
“Wait a second!”
Raising my hand to stop the elderly butler mid-sentence, I shouted with a serious expression.
“Just… just be quiet for a moment! I need to sort out my thoughts!”
“…”
At my outburst, the old butler simply closed his mouth, wearing an expression that seemed to say, I knew it.
I quickly waved both hands in a gesture for him to calm down.
“Sorry. I just need to think for a… no, wait. Why am I even bothering? If this is a dream, I just need to wake up.”
Muttering to myself, I raised my hand without hesitation and slapped myself across the face as hard as I could.
Smack!
‘…Huh?’
A sharp sting spread across my cheek, followed by a throbbing ache.
What the…
Why does that hurt?
Since when did getting hit in a dream hurt?
‘W-Wait… one more time.’
Smack!
Ow, damn! That really hurts!
Smack!
“Why the hell does it hurt so much?!”
I’d hit myself so hard that my eyes were starting to water.
At the same time, I instinctively realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
“…”
Don’t tell me…
“This isn’t a dream?”
Right.
If it were a dream, there was no way it would hurt this much.
With a shock like that, I should have woken up immediately.
‘D-Don’t tell me… this is actually real?’
As I stood there with a stunned expression, the elderly butler shook his head and muttered,
“Young Master. Resorting to self-harm now will change nothing. No matter what you do—”
But I cut him off.
“Excuse me. What did you say my name was?”
Letting out a deep sigh, the elderly butler answered expressionlessly.
“Young Master Kamon.”
“No, I mean my full name.”
“Young Master Kamon Veid.”
Hearing the name once more, I couldn’t help letting out a hollow laugh.
“Hah… this is actually real?”
Watching me, the elderly butler slowly shook his head one last time.
“This is where we part ways. I wish you good health…”
Boom!
With those final words, the enormous iron gate slammed shut before my eyes.
I stood there in silence for a long moment.
Then, at last, I understood.
“So that means…”
I was no longer Kang Hyunsoo, the thirty-three-year-old man who had lived in twenty-first-century South Korea.
“Kamon Veid.”
That was my new name.
Which meant…
This wasn’t just another place.
No.
I had fallen into the world of a novel.
