"Wake… up."
"Wa..ke up."
I slowly open my eyes, my vision blurry. I rubbed my hands across my eyes to clear my vision. A face suddenly appeared just a few centimeters from mine, and I was taken aback.
"Waaahh, a ghost! A ghost—" I started to shout for help.
"Geez, it's me, Liam. I am just wearing makeup."
"Oh… sister, it was you." Realising it was my sister, I took a deep breath to steady my agitated heart.
Haaaa
Huuuu
Son of a mother merry, that scared the shit out of me. I swear I will kill the one who made the makeup by strangling him to death.
I swear over my-
"You know you didn't have to react like that. Oh… my broken heart, what will I even do with it?"
She is clearly overreacting, but I guess I also made a mistake.
"I am sorry, sister, but it was just a misunderstanding, and anyone would have reacted the way I did if they saw what I… you know, when they just woke up."
"Ahhh, Liam, you just crushed my broken heart. Liam, how could you possibly overlook this maiden's feelings and utter such hurtful words? It's beyond me!"
Oh shit, did I just see a tear?
This is bad, Liam; this is bad. She's not really acting anymore. I mean, how could she when she's got tears in her eyes?
I need to—
"Pfft."
Did I hear a… laughing sound just now?
Looking at my sister, I could clearly see she was holding back her tears.
No. Now that I look closely, the water in her eyes is gone.
Surely, she didn't, right? I mean, she is my sister. Oh no, could she have been corrupted by jam-
"Pfft, hahahaha."
Silent.
I stared at her silently as she clutched her stomach and laughed like a drunkard, completely forgetting all the lessons she had undergone for etiquette.
Gone were all tears; now her eyes were wet with tears of joy, and the room was filled with her laughter.
Dammit, you are supposed to be 22. How could you let her fool you, Liam?
"Haha… huff… I am sorry, Liam, but I couldn't help it, you know. You had such a worried look on your face, I couldn't help but tease you a little."
But then again, I never had any siblings, nor did I have anyone to call a friend in my previous life, so I didn't have any knowledge. It is fine, Liam. How could you react when you didn't have any knowledge?
"Haa… fine, sis, I forgive you this time."
"Thank you, bro, but you need to hurry up and dress up. We will be departing soon, and you won't have any time to prepare yourself once we reach the dukedom."
My sister pointed out where I could clearly see that the sun had risen and was now hanging right above the city. Which meant I had barely an hour to get ready.
I slowly get out of bed and walk toward the bathroom. Seeing me act nonchalant, my sister looked at me as if asking, 'What are you doing? Hurry up!'
"I am not a girl, sis, to get ready in hours; I need just 20 minutes to wash up and dress myself properly, so relax. By the way, your face said it all, so no need to look so shocked."
Leaving my bewildered sister behind, I went to take a shower.
Yes, you heard me right, this world has a shower and a fucking proper toilet, unlike those fantasy worlds where the protagonist needs to dump their waste in the open.
I love you, author, for this one.
…
…
"haaa… That was nice."
I come out of the bathroom and see my brother James sitting on a chair, cross-legged, reading a red-colored book about 'How to get a gif—' He closes the book and puts it on the table with a dull 'thud' before I could even read the title.
"Oh, are you done already?"
He asks me with a calm and clear voice.
"Yes, I just took a shower and need to dress up… and you look nice in that."
I meant that genuinely, as he had worn a blue suit the same hue as his eye, accented with a white shirt and a dark blue bow tie to complete it. His brown hair was neatly combed, giving him a dignified presence, and his handsome features only added more charm.
"…Thank you."
You didn't have to turn your face, you know.
'What a tsundere.' Shaking my head, I go towards the luggage and open it.
Hmm…
'What should I wear?'
I didn't think much after that and just randomly picked one.
Quickly changing into the new outfit, I came out of the bathroom, and it was my time to get complimented.
I looked toward James, and he looked back at me. Turning his head, he said,
"…That looks good on you."
Come on, would it kill you to just say it while looking at my face?
"Thank you."
I thanked the tsundere-chan, then went to stand in front of the mirror to give myself the touches.
While fixing my tie, I look at my reflection in the mirror.
'I wouldn't have died single in my previous life; I looked this handsome.'
Looking in the mirror, I really looked like a gentleman or, more precisely, a young gentleman with the brown suit I had worn, which matched my hazel eyes, with a white shirt and a dark green tie.
Knock, knock~
The sound from the door brought me out of my thoughts, and I went to open it only to see a knight.
"Young master, sorry for the disturbance, but we will be departing soon, and please come down to the lobby as soon as possible."
"Understood, we will be coming down shortly after. You may go now."
After that, James and I quickly went down to the lobby, where everybody was waiting for us.
"Did you finally decide to grace us with your presence, my sons?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Yes, Mother."
James and I were hugged by our mother after her joke.
"Now then, let's depart."
We went out and boarded the carriages. The arrangements were the same as before, as I was sitting with Alina, James, and Clara while my parents were in a different carriage.
"Master, have you heard the news?" Alina whispered in my ear.
"News?"
What news? Did something happen while I was asleep?
Alina didn't say anything and pointed her finger outside the window, where a picture with the word 'wanted' underneath it was plastered on the wall. I looked at it, and it somehow felt familiar, so I asked Alina.
"What is wrong with that?"
"Look carefully, master." She said, looking at me with a serious expression on her face.
I looked. This time, more carefully looking at every detail.
A man wearing a black suit, accented with a white shirt and a tie so red that it seemed it was drenched in fresh blood. His face was covered with a black demonic mask that had two horns adorned on its forehead and four fangs beside its mouth.
Beneath the man, the word 'Wanted' was written in bold characters with pitch-black ink. Going further down, there was a bounty of 100,000,0 kottars with the words 'dead or alive.'
I was sure I had seen this man, but where—
A chill ran down my spine.
Demonic mask, black suit, and red tie. Isn't that me? Why? How? When? How did this happ-
"So, you finally understand, master."
I silently look at Alina, and she looks back at me.
"Hmm, what were you two whispering about? And why are you two looking at each other like that?"
That was all I heard before fainting.