Haru threw the silk sheet off, and then glared at the canopy above him, then swung his bare foot from the bed.
He sprinted over, halting in front of the mirror to get a better look at his body.
"Young master, Leon?"
The maid tilted her head, confused. Rather than follow Haru, she narrowed her eyes and quietly observed his odd behavior."
His reflection in the mirror didn’t move, but Haru did.
"Is... this really happening...?" He muttered. "And... by an airplane, no less..."
"And no less than this useless freak."
He cursed at the face staring back at him.
"Leon Valentine..."
The third-rate, most useless villain Haru had ever created, the one created solely to be looked down upon. A villain destined to die.
He shut his eyes tight, rubbing his temples, analyzing just how fucked up he was right now.
He recalled all the humiliations he had added to Leon’s character role, just to make the guy look miserable.
Haru gulped, realizing the depth of his situation.
"Fuck, this is too much to handle...!"
His mind wasn’t in the right place, not considering the fact that he had too many things to process.
But, one thing was clear, and that is: Haru is now Leon.
Raising his head, he stared at his reflection once more. A pair of golden eyes stared back at him. And for the first time, Haru Tsukishiro, the youngest billionaire, the genius of the century, was having an existential crisis.
As he was dozing off, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Young master, are you... unwell again?"
Haru instantly turned his body. He didn’t answer right away.
’Oh, right. She was here too.’
Unwell, huh?
He wanted to laugh, scream, and even cry maybe. But none of that felt like something Leon would do.
He ran a hand through the long strands of black hair falling over his eyes.
"Tch..."
"Ugh... dammit," he muttered, dragging himself back to the bed.
"Young master, you need to get up. Duke—"
He didn’t pay much mind to the maid’s words.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
The mattress was soft. Crimson velvet sheet, embroidered with the crest of House Valentine—a thorny crown with a golden eye on top.
Placing one foot on top of the other, he started tapping on the corner of the wooden frame.
TAP—TAP—TAP
’Leon Valentine, the miserable youngest son. The one they all love to pretend doesn’t exist.’
He fell deep into thought.
TAP—TAP—TAP
’Screw me. Why’d I make him so damn pathetic?’
The tapping sound suddenly halted.
"...So, what now?" he murmured. "Do I have to live as Leon? And die his death?"
’Yeah, not happening.’
The answer was already clear.
What he needed to do was survive.
And for a third-rate trash like Leon Valentine, that meant being several steps ahead of everyone else.
Haru, the original creator of Fivefold Calamities, knew this world better than anyone. He just had to use that knowledge before it crushed him.
The maid cleared her throat softly.
"Young master, shall I prepare your coat? The Duke has summoned you to the Tower."
That snapped him back.
"The Tower?" he asked, blinking. "Which one?"
"Tower of Blood, of course," she replied, a little surprised. "Your sister’s office."
’Ah. Right. Of course. The Blood Tower.’
Haru recalled something really important.
The eldest daughter of House Valentine was the current head of the Blood Tower, one of the five Calamity Towers.
’The youngest to ever claim a seat. House prodigy #1.’
For some reason, that thought made the pit in his stomach grow colder.
"And my father?" Haru asked the maid.
"He’s already there," she said. "As is your brother, and the Lady as well."
’Good lord. A full Valentine reunion.’
He hated the idea already.
He knew the moment he stepped into that office, he’d get acknowledged just long enough to be compared to his perfect siblings, and dismissed all the same.
Still, he stood up, adjusting the slightly loose collar of his nightshirt.
"Bring my coat." He commanded the maid.
"..."
The maid blinked, visibly taken aback.
It was the first time Leon had ever given a direct order to any servant.
’Shit... I forgot I’m not Haru anymore.’
The maid didn’t question it, though. She simply bowed and did as she was told.
The situation made Haru feel awkward.
Alongside Leon’s body, Haru has also received Leon’s memories as his own.
And at that moment, Haru noticed something strange.
The maid in front of him didn’t appear in any of those memories.
But, he didn’t question it, just noted silently.
Maintaining his steady steps, he stepped out of his room, and followed behind the blonde hair maid.
She glanced back. "Young master, the Lord has instructed we skip your breakfast today and escort you directly to the Tower."
Leon’s eye twitched.
’This bunch of golden-eyed NPCs...’
As he made his way to the chariot waiting for him outside, none of the passing servants greeted Leon.
As he walked near the entrance, a young servant rounded the corner and bumped hard into his shoulder.
THWACK!
"Oi, watch it, deadweight—!"
The servant stopped, what he saw made his entire body cold.
A pair of golden eyes stared back at him. Unlike usual, it was unreadable, and ice-cold.
Haru didn’t speak.
And neither the servant dared. That look alone sucked the breath from him.
Those eyes...
He’d seen them before. Or something similar like them.
They reminded him of her, the Lady of the Blood Tower.
"I... I-I apologize, young master," the servant stammered, lowering his head. "It won’t happen again."
He backed away quickly.
Haru adjusted his collar and continued walking, as if nothing happened.
’What a weird guy...’
The maid, still silently observing, led him outside where a black-gilded chariot waited. The Valentine crest was on its door.
He stepped in without hesitation and crossed one leg over the other.
The maid followed.
Catching her lingering glance, Haru smirked faintly.
"Well then," he said, "Shall we go?"
As the chariot rolled, Haru muttered.
"Off to get humiliated, how very charming."