My Lord Chapter 3

A short while ago, a war hero died.

 

The first tragic news announced by the kingdom, which had fought for decades against the empire seeking to dominate the continent and finally achieved a peace treaty, was this: Reina Khan, the great warrior and hero who stood at the forefront of countless battles, safeguarding the kingdom’s citizens through the fiercest trials, had passed away… or so everyone believed.

 

In truth, Reina Khan is alive.

 

However, it would not be accurate to say that this Reina Khan is the same person everyone once knew, because I have taken over her dead body.

 

Why?

 

I, who had lived in Korea, am dead. Or so I believe. I was hit by a drunk driver and left abandoned in the mountains.

 

Furious at the injustice of such a death, I fell into a state of spiritual rage before losing consciousness, only to wake up as Reina Khan.

 

But how did I realize this body belonged to Reina?

 

The reason is simple.

 

This world is the setting of the novel Can Love Be Forgotten by Love? which I couldn’t help but hold onto even as I crossed the pedestrian crossing with my phone in hand.

 

Can Love Be Forgotten by Love?

 

Abbreviated as CanLove, it’s a melodramatic romance novel overflowing with tragic main characters, making it the kind of story you can’t help but feel pity for. It was an easy read that I would pick up often, so remembering its contents isn’t difficult.

 

The main character relevant to my current situation is the secondary male lead, Sedian Luciano.

 

He was the eldest son of a duke’s family who gained great fame in the war between the empire and the kingdom, but his background, while giving him immense pride, also plunged him into unbearable anguish.

 

As the duke’s family joined the war and the scales of victory tipped toward the empire, the kingdom, now desperate, exploited the great mage. The mage cursed the duke’s family with a forbidden spell, a spell that succeeded and left Sedian Luciano, their sole heir and pride, in a dreadful state.

 

By now, you must have guessed who that mage was.

 

It’s me.

 

Originally, Reina Khan was supposed to die by Sedian’s hand five years from now.

 

But for some reason, she died prematurely, and I entered her body.

 

There’s no way to know why things turned out this way. Entering a fictional world was already absurd enough, so whether a character who should have survived instead died was of little concern to me.

 

What mattered to me was to ensure the survival of this body, which has a fated death—namely, my neck.

 

I hate torture.

 

The torture scenes in the novel were described with such excruciating detail that my body is already trembling. To avoid that future, I had to stay as close to Sedian as possible and lift his curse.

 

I glanced sideways at the maid guiding me.

 

When I mentioned that I had come for an interview as a butler, she had initially seemed delighted, but now that we were climbing to the second floor, her face was pale, as if she might die at any moment. Why does she look like that?

 

“Uh, your name is Mr. Rey?”

 

Just then, the maid spoke. ‘Rey.’ This alias was created by simply taking the last syllable off “Reina.”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“Yes, Mr. Rey. Be… careful. I’m about to open the door now.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I paused momentarily, unsure of her meaning, and the maid opened the door.

 

The moment it opened, an overwhelming roar erupted, apparently due to the soundproof nature of the door.

 

“Did you really bring this filth expecting me to eat it? Even a beggar passing by wouldn’t eat this, and you dare serve it to me…!”

 

“M-My lord! Your lordship has a sensitive stomach, so I prepared a thin soup. I assure you it’s delicious. If you’d just try a little…”

 

“I said I’m not eating it!”

 

Crash!

 

Something flew and shattered against the wall. It barely missed grazing my ear and turned out to be a teacup, but the maid who had guided me had apparently anticipated this and quickly stepped aside, calmly gathering the shards into her apron.

 

“You all must think I’m weak, but I’m not sick! I’m sick of being treated like a patient! All of you, get out! I’ll handle this myself!”

 

Another crash echoed, followed by the sound of something liquid splattering onto the carpet. It looked like the soup bowl had been shattered.

 

The maids, however, seemed accustomed to this. None of them appeared shocked; they all simply retreated quietly.

 

Come to think of it, readers had a nickname for Sedian…

 

Cranky.

 

A cranky cat.

 

He was so temperamental to everyone except the female lead, so he was dubbed Cranky  And since he hasn’t met the female lead yet, he must be even crankier.

 

“Didn’t you hear me say leave? All of you, get out! Vanish from my sight!”

 

Sedian’s voice quivered as he shouted, his body trembling as if he were about to have a fit.

 

If I don’t leave immediately, I have a feeling the next object thrown at me will be a knife rather than a teacup.

 

Perhaps sensing the same, the maid tugged on my sleeve. She seemed to want me to retreat. The maid assisting with the meal was also backing away.

 

But…

 

I continued to stare at Sedian, still trembling with rage. For a 17-year-old boy, he seemed unusually small. He must have grown frail due to the curse, which prevented him from receiving proper nutrition. My brows knitted on their own.

 

“Mr. Rey, you should step out.”

 

The maid tugged at me again, but I shook my head.

 

“The others may leave. I came here for an interview, so I should finish the interview before I go.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

The maid’s eyes widened.

 

“But it might be best not to approach him when he’s in this state…”

 

“I’ll manage.”

 

At my firm response, the maids were slightly taken aback, but soon left the room, leaving me alone, with expressions suggesting I could do as I pleased.

 

Thud, the door closed behind me. Only then did Sedian seem to calm a bit, his breaths slowing as he clenched his fists tightly.

 

He muttered something, but I couldn’t make it out due to the distance.

 

Does he not know I’m still here?

 

Come to think of it, they said the curse has affected his vision. He can barely see what’s nearby, let alone anything further.

 

Thanks to that, I could freely observe him.

 

In the novel, when someone first saw Sedian Luciano, they wondered if he might be an angel temporarily borrowing a human form.

 

As cheesy as it sounded, it’s true.

 

He’s stunningly handsome.

 

His slightly curly hair was silver, as if imbued with radiant sunlight. His skin was as translucent as if it could shatter with a touch, and his downturned eyes held pupils as beautiful as emerald shores of the Hilton Sea.

 

However, this beauty was only partial.

 

His left arm was shriveled like a withered tree, and every movement caused bits of skin to peel away. Like a decayed tree rooting and spreading branches throughout his body, the curse that started in his left arm had overtaken his shoulder and was steadily consuming his torso.

 

I think it said the curse was cast with a corrupted tree spirit.

 

It must be painful.

 

Living each day must be a torment.

 

The information conveyed to me in the novel had been mere words, and direct empathy was challenging.

 

But now, with Sedian right before my eyes, I could feel his pain, agony, sorrow, and anger, even though I hadn’t been the one who cursed him. A sense of guilt settled in my chest.

 

Before this possession, as a nurse, I had once lost a boy of similar age. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t see Sedian merely as someone to be saved but rather as a pitiful child.

 

Reina, why did you place such a curse on him? What crime has he committed?

 

I gazed at Sedian and let out a low sigh. His shoulders jerked, and he turned his head.

 

“Who’s there? Who’s in here?”

 

On closer inspection, his eyes seemed clouded, as if covered with a layer of fog.

 

It must be hard for him to see. I let out another sigh and approached him.

 

“Hello, my lord. I’m Rey, here today for the butler interview.”

 

At this, Sedian’s brow furrowed.

 

“Oh. That lunatic.”

 

Calling me a lunatic seems a bit much, considering all he knows is my response to the interview questions. Besides, I had filled them out sincerely and desperately.

 

I reined in my frustration, about to speak, but Sedian cut me off with a sharp tone.

 

“Didn’t I tell everyone to leave? Why didn’t you?”

 

“Well,”

 

“Are you treating me like a helpless one because of my damaged eyesight?”

 

“No, that’s not…”

 

“If that’s true, you could be thrown in jail for insulting a noble!”

 

“…”

 

Can I say something, please? I mean, just let me talk.

 

I continued approaching Sedian, who was still shouting into the empty air.

 

No matter what I said, it seemed futile, and there was something more important than this interview right now.

 

“You’d better leave this instant…”

 

His words came to an abrupt halt. With a look of panic, he jerked his hand away from mine.

 

“What…what are you doing?”

 

“You’re injured.”

 

I pulled his hand again as I replied.

 

Earlier, I’d noticed him grimacing as he broke the soup bowl and gripped the edge of the tray.

 

I thought he might be hurt, and sure enough, shards were embedded in his palm.

 

“I’ll just treat this and then leave.”

 

I held his emaciated hand, carefully removing the piece of the dish. Sedian remained rigidly still, allowing me to work quickly.

 

“Did… Did you just… touch me?”

 

I tilted my head, unsure of his meaning.

 

“Yes. I need to touch you to treat you.”

 

“Take your hands off me now!”

 

Crash! Sedian pushed me away forcefully. Then, flailing his hand in the air, he finally grabbed a bell rope and tugged hard.

 

“Young master? What’s wrong?”

 

“Bring holy water, quickly!”

 

The maids hurried over at the sound of the bell, and Sedian shouted at them loudly.

 

“Pour holy water on this man! Now!”

 

Pointing at me, he declared,

 

“You will be cursed!”