"This woman... she's perfectly fulfilling her role," still slumped in his bathtub, Kaiser muttered these barely audible words, thinking back to what had just happened.
After his hot bath, Kaiser calmly dried himself off, put on his clothes, and left his room. He descended the wooden stairs leading to the dining hall, still moved by the grandeur of this house he hadn't yet grown accustomed to.
After going down the stairs, he quietly followed a silent corridor, gazing at the family portraits that recalled the county's history.
"If a count's house was this ostentatious, I'd love to see the homes of the greatest families in this damn world..."
Covering the distance quickly, Kaiser was now in front of the dining hall door, where his substitute family was already waiting for him.
With a sigh, he entered the room, catching sight of his father, Count Addams Paragon, seated in his usual spot, back straight, his short black hair perfectly matching his neatly trimmed black beard, which highlighted his stern face and piercing blue eyes. His gaze was fixed on his eldest son, Isaak D. Paragon, with whom he seemed to be having a discussion.
"Look at that, you'd think I'm just a stranger in this family," Kaiser thought, referring to the perfect resemblance (aside from the beard) between Addams and Isaak.
Kaiser sat down without a word. It didn't seem to bother the other two, who continued their meal. The scent of the sumptuous food filled the air.
Anyway, he couldn't raise any suspicions. He was Kaiser now, even if it pissed him off, and he had to act the part. So, as usual, he kept a low profile, focusing only on the mouth-watering meat in front of him.
"Might as well stay in the skin of that good old bastard..."
From childhood, the former owner of this body had well understood that no one expected anything great from him. He had no particular talent, and over the years, people had grown used to ignoring him. That didn't really bother him. This indifference made his life easier, allowing him to spend his days without getting involved in the county's affairs.
This county lived off its trade, and everyone knew that the family's economic power rested on activities no one spoke of openly: the slave trade, which the empire seemed to prohibit. The count had to remain irreproachable, so it was his eldest son, Isaak, who handled the sensitive files.
Kaiser had never poked his nose into the papers or asked questions. Politics didn't interest him. Noble balls either... after all, why bother going to play the hypocrite when he knew full well that at those balls, his authority was worth nothing.
But that hadn't really changed his life. He remained an outcast, a transparent second son, engaged by convenience to the eldest daughter of Duke Hornraven.
Thinking of that girl, Kaiser then remembered another asshole, Kris Donoghan. His name was as shitty as his personality.
"I really think I should do everything to avoid that bastard. Above all, I must not get mixed up in the story of this cursed world." Taking another bite, Kaiser made this internal decision to ensure his safety.
As long as he avoided that virtuous hero who was going to turn the world upside down, everything would be fine. His goal was simple: survive. He wanted to stay alive through all the chaos that was coming.
The meal proceeded in ordinary calm. The soft clinking of cutlery against plates gave a tranquil rhythm. Kaiser ate slowly, focused on his plate, when his father asked a question.
"How is the Donoghan duchy faring?"
Kaiser slightly raised his head. His father rarely spoke of the duchy, and even less during lunch. Why was he suddenly interested in the protagonist's family? Was this bad luck?
Isaak answered in a confident tone.
"Trade with them has increased. Everything is going as planned. I've taken care of checking every detail. There's nothing that could raise the slightest suspicion."
Kaiser nearly choked on his bite. He quickly brought his glass to his lips and took a sip of water to calm down.
"Wait... damn it, how did I forget something so important... Our county is a vassal of that damn protagonist's family." He thought, gripping his fork tightly, wanting to curse the bastard who had reincarnated him just to toy with his life like this.
A shiver ran down his spine. The memories of the novel came rushing back all at once, like a cold wave cutting his breath.
Three years before the official start of the story, the protagonist dismantled a slavery network run by a disgraced vassal. It was a vague passage, but the hero had found one of his future companions there: a fox demi-beast girl locked in a cage. It was a key moment, a turning point in his destiny.
And suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in Kaiser's head.
"Shit... I'm really in deep shit..."
The word escaped him in a whisper. He stood up abruptly, causing his brother to start slightly. His father looked at him, not understanding.
"I have things to take care of. I'll be back later," he said, forcing an awkward smile.
He left the table without waiting for a reply and quickly climbed the stairs. His heart was beating faster than usual. He closed the door of his room, grabbed the calendar on his desk, and examined it carefully.
The academy opened its doors the second week of January in the year 1548. Today was January 3, 1545.
He stood still for a moment. His breathing was shorter. His thoughts spun like a broken clock.
"I must have screwed the wife of the god of bad luck to end up with karma like this... There's less than a week left before our duchy falls into disgrace."
He now remembered the overlooked detail from the novel. The vassal destroyed by the protagonist, the one who had been humiliated in front of the entire nobility, was none other than his own county. He also recalled the end of that mini-arc, where his older brother lost everything, becoming a fallen noble filled with hatred toward the main hero. Everything fit perfectly.
Kaiser ran a hand over his face. He felt like he was caught in an invisible vice. His future, already fragile, was suddenly threatened by something far greater than himself.
"I have to avoid the Donoghan duchy's inquisition at all costs... Otherwise I'll just end up with my head chopped off."
He closed his eyes to think. He knew he couldn't change the entire course of history. He wasn't a genius, not a hero, not a brilliant strategist. He was just a talentless second son, used to being ignored. But maybe that status could become his chance. No one suspected him. No one paid attention to what he did. He could still slip between the cracks and avoid disaster.
He paced slowly around his room, searching for an idea. The most logical plan was to cut all ties with the county's affairs. He had to distance himself as much as possible. He had to become invisible, truly invisible, even to his own family.
But suddenly someone knocked at his door.
"Kaiser? Are you okay?" asked the voice of his nanny, who had quietly followed the scene.
Kaiser took a silent breath, then answered in a neutral tone.
"Yes, everything's fine. I was just thinking about something."
Not entirely convinced but having no choice, the nanny could only reluctantly accept before leaving, letting Kaiser collapse onto the edge of his bed.
He looked out the window. The sky was clear, without a cloud. It was one of those peaceful days when everything seemed normal. Yet, for him, the ground was giving way beneath his feet.
He eventually stood up. He had to play his role, at least for now. He had to pretend to be the uninteresting second son. As long as he didn't become a suspicious element, he might have a chance to divert the protagonist's and his duchy's attention.
Anyway, he had to at least try something... at worst, he could even flee the county and get the hell out of this cursed place... With Ruby...