I glanced out the window as I walked down the hallway toward the Duke’s office.

The summer sun blazed, casting a warm glow over the meticulously groomed garden. Bright rays shimmered, painting a cheerful scene against the deep blue sky, a soft backdrop that felt surreal.

Summer… it’s actually quite beautiful when seen like this.

In my previous life, though, it was the season I disliked the most.

Lost in these thoughts, memories stirring like old dust, I suddenly heard footsteps trailing behind me.

“Wait a moment, young master!”

A girl with long, emerald-green hair caught up, her voice warm and unyielding.

“We should go together.”

My brow furrowed. “Father called me, didn’t he? You don’t need to come along.”

Eralon frowned, her gaze defiant. “I already told you! I’m your personal servant now! I’ll follow wherever you go!”

“Personal servant… I don’t really need one,” I mumbled.

But Eralon only puffed out her cheeks, a small act of rebellion. “I don’t care! Even if I weren’t your personal servant, I’d still follow you!”

I paused, glancing at her sulky expression, then reached out and lightly pinched her cheek.

“Mmph…”

The soft, squishy feel gave me an odd sense of comfort. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her surprised expression.

“Huh…?” Eralon’s eyes widened as if she’d just witnessed something miraculous.

A smile like that didn’t quite suit Liam, the “villain,” did it?

“Young Master… did you just smile…”

“Don’t say unnecessary things. Let’s go,” I muttered, turning away to avoid more questions.

Eralon fell silent for a moment, a complicated look in her eyes as she followed. Then, almost hesitantly, she spoke again.

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“Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you really… yourself?”

“Who else would I be?”

Her confusion deepened, eyebrows drawing together. “You seem… different, somehow.”

“Maybe because we haven’t seen each other in a while?”

She shook her head, sadness creeping into her expression as she murmured, “You haven’t smiled like that… since that day…”

—Stop.

I halted mid-step.

That day.

The words hit like a buried landmine, unearthing the worst of Liam’s memories—loss, self-loathing, obsession. My hands trembled slightly, and a foreign pang echoed in my chest.

Eralon seemed to realize her slip, quickly bowing her head in apology. “I-I’m sorry, Young Master… the words just slipped out…”

“It’s fine, Ral,” I said, forcing a calmness into my voice that I didn’t quite feel.

Damn it. This wasn’t even my trauma. Why was I trembling? Liam’s emotions seemed to still linger in this body, deeply rooted.

“Young Master? Aren’t you going in?”

I blinked, realizing I’d already arrived at the Duke’s office door.

Taking a steadying breath, I knocked carefully.

—Knock, knock.

“Father, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

As I entered, I glanced around, feeling a strange sense of displacement. I’d died once, after all. I had no scars or wounds on this body—maybe I had been poisoned? Or perhaps I was simply borrowing it… maybe permanently, due to certain circumstances.

Of course, I couldn’t say any of this, so I only offered a polite nod.

Stanley’s eyes widened a bit, seemingly caught off guard by my obedient response. The “evil” Liam would’ve been arrogant, likely snapping back at his father. His surprise was almost amusing.

“Ahem…”

Stanley cleared his throat, regaining his composure.

“So, where have you been, and what have you been doing these past five months?”

“Just… living,” I replied simply.

Honestly, this body was practically dead for five months, so what could he expect?

“…”

Stanley gave me a look, half-puzzled, half-somber, as did Eralon. They both wore that expression every time they looked at me. Well… Liam had been a troubled child, after all.

“...So, what about the academy?”

“The academy?”

“You’ll be a student, won’t you? Now that you’re seventeen, it’s the right age to enter the academy.”

That made sense.

“I’ll attend,” I said with a nod.

“Yes… I thought as much. Good to hear.” Stanley looked genuinely surprised, almost pleased. Liam had once refused to enter the academy, retreating to his room to drink away the days. But now? A change of heart, perhaps?

The old Liam would’ve isolated himself, locked away in his room. But I’m different. I’m no longer the same Liam.

—Ding!

[Main Quest Appeared!]

Title: Time to Move Forward

Objective: Go to Archi Academy.

Reward: None

Penalty: None

With a new quest urging me on, I couldn’t ignore it.

I needed to find happiness. I needed to move forward to discover things I’d missed in my previous life.

‘I wonder…’

Could even someone like me, someone who’d ended his life in exhaustion and despair, find happiness?

I wasn’t sure I even had the right to hope for it. But still, this time… maybe just this once, I wanted to try.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll truly work hard this time.”

So, let’s go.

To Archi Academy.

To the place where the answers to my long-lost dreams might lie.