"He is Kristian. After his elder brother passed away, he was protected by the former duke. It was kept a secret as no one knew how he survived. But eventually, people discovered that there was a way to lift the curse, and that was how he lived. How he managed to deceive 'it' and escape death remains a mystery."
Henry felt as though the entire paragraph existed only to praise him.
But if Kristian, the mean guy had survived the curse…
'Then I can survive too, right?'
With that fragile hope, Henry turned to the next page.
Nothing.
Every page after that was blank.
"…That's it?"
His brows furrowed.
"But what about the previous dukes? This book only talks about my father and his brother. What about the others?"
Disappointed, he set the book aside and reached for the next one.
"The Cursed Bryxton."
"What the hell?" he muttered. "Is there nothing about this family other than this fucking curse?"
He tossed it aside and grabbed another book.
The curse again.
And another.
Still the curse.
After checking every single book, his patience snapped.
"That's all? Seriously? Not a single useful thing about Bryxton?"
He stood up, irritation boiling over because he only found bad things so far that he might have to worry about in the future.
He called out the name Bryxton again but the same books on the ground floated again around him which he assumed meant they were the only books with the name...
But he didn't give up.
"Felix."
"Kristian."
"...It."
But...he had to give up.
Because that's all.
'Good. So I am cursed and is to die before 20...Maybe the curse was lifted to everyone? Since the mean guy didn't die?...Sigh...'
"Maybe I should leave...'
Henry thought but randomly grabbed a book out of curiosty, close to him from the rack, going through it fast, a frown taking over.
Because...
It was blank.
Completly...
Another book.
Also blank.
"No way…"
He slowly looked around the enormous library, disbelief written all over his face.
"Are all of these just empty pages?"
His excitement completely evaporated.
"Maybe this is again some kind of witchcraft. Sigh...I am tired now."
Henry stormed out, having been unable to find a single clue, except for a curse that appeared out of nowhere and refused to leave his mind.
"I should not have read that book. Maybe..."
Henry walked slowly through the hallway to his room, and just entered his room when...
"Young master! Lady Mareena is here."
Martha entered with a bright smile.
'Lady Mareena?
Who's that?'
Before he could search his memories, Martha grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the living room.
"Wait- !"
He stopped abruptly.
Two unfamiliar figures stood before him.
Two children.
Both around his age.
The boy was roughly as tall as Henry, standing straight with refined posture. The girl, on the other hand, was small, tiny, even cute.
"Henry!"
The moment she saw him, the girl's face lit up. She ran straight toward him, calling his name sweetly.
Henry froze, watching the scene unfold, completely lost.
"Hello."
The boy also approached with elegant steps, bowed politely, and greeted him calmly.
And meanwhile,
The girl jumped onto Henry and hugged him tightly.
"Ah… hello," Henry said again awkwardly.
'Who are they?
And how am I supposed to address them?'
Asking directly would be rude. So he stood stiffly, waiting for someone, anyone!, to save him.
"Lady Mareena, please get off me."
The words slipped out instinctively, in a familiar manner. Maybe this was how Henry addressed this 'friend', by name. But he couldn't find a clear memor-
"How many times have I told you not to call me Lady Mareena?" she pouted. "Call me Pinky." she whined.
Henry sighed internally, a little appalled by that nickname.
Then—
His blood ran cold.
'Pinky?'
No way.
'Pinky...So that's why I couldn't remember the name Mareena much.'
She was that Pinky.
The girl he was supposed to marry after turning eighteen.
Or...could say, his fiancee...
Noble families often arranged marriages even before their children were born, all in the name of alliances and "friendship." This was one of those cases. Henry's father and Pinky's father had been childhood friends.
So they decided to bind their families together.
Originally, Henry and Pinky had a very good relationship.
A perfect one.
Because she was just as bitchy as the real Henry.
She was ignorant, just like the original Henry.
Obsessed with him.
Possessive.
Dangerously so.
And Henry had liked her too.
They made a perfect evil pair.
Sometimes Henry helped her bully those who annoyed her.
And,
She was the one who had helped Henry in his attempts to kill Ricarda.
She was the one who hired the assassins.
'Damn it. I have to deal with her too?'
And also,
Why can't these children just go to school or kindergarten like normal kids?
Why does everything start with murder?
Henry has started to feel sick about this world even more...
Henry watched as Pinky stepped back, pouting adorably.
For the first time in his life,
He didn't find a kid cute.
He felt disgusted.
Seriously,
Who knew what else awaited him?
"…This is such a strange world."
And, Henry wasn't feeling good about here anymore.
Of course...
Not after those discoveries and these people...
'If I die here, will I at least be back in my world? Or...will I just die?'
He kind of wants go back...