A knife slowly pressing into your back has a way of quickly sobering you up, I should know considering I currently have one pressed against it.

"Nothing to say, pretty boy? That's fine, just stay still and this'll be over soon enough." I could feel the man's hand slide across my body searching for my purse, not like he would find anything since Selena insisted she be the one to carry it around.

Speaking of Selena I could feel her stiff body next to my own as she tried and failed to not panic as the man's hands switched from searching me to searching her, getting much more frisky than he had been with me. I don't know what it was that did it for me in that moment, maybe it was the terror on her face, or my own seething rage at being held so close to death once more, or maybe it was the feeling of the knife moving away from my skin, but I snapped.

Faster than the eye could see I had rounded on the man and snatched his wrist with the knife in hand to the side, with my right hand occupied keeping the knife out of reach, my left slammed into the man's stomach. I could practically see the blood leaving his mouth at hyper velocity as I slammed my fist into him over, and over, and over, and over again.

I didn't just stop at his stomach, soon enough I was on top of him and pounding his face, somewhere along the line he wasn't a thief anymore, but a soldier, the soldier, the first man I had killed. I could see his eyes, the terror in them as I didn't stop my assault, even with a blade through my arm, I just kept beating him until his face was mush and his body stopped moving.

Suddenly I was back in reality once more, the soldier was gone and the thief was back, the blade in my arm replaced with a worn down knife, but the beaten and bloody face remained.

The arms wrapping around me were a shock to my rapidly devolving system as I tried my best not to hyperventilate. "It's ok master, you're safe, I'm safe, everything will be ok I promise."

My lungs ached as I fell backwards into her embrace as the strength left my body and I suddenly felt as if I had sprinted a thousand meters in full kit. She didn't say anything as I slowly came back to my senses and my body came out of fight or flight mode, she didn't say anything as I grabbed our purses from the thieves cold hands, and she didn't say anything on the slow agonizing walk back to the estate.

It was an hour long walk, one during which the knife in my arm sent shocks of pain throughout my body with every jostling step. Finally though, after what felt like an eternity of walking we reached the gates of the estate.

"My lord it's good to- MY LORD YOUR WOUNDED!" The shouts of the guards in front of the gate acted like a siren as the entire estate seemed to wake up immediately. I was carried to my room by the guards while Selena tried her best to stay by my side.

"Vahid, Vahid can you hear me?" The sound of Elias's voice was like a drum in my ears as the doctor began to extract the knife. "Vahid, please say something, you're worrying me."

'Please just leave me alone Elias, I can't deal with you right now, not right now.' I wanted so badly to tell him to leave me be, but the look in his eyes was enough for me to reconsider, if I didn't know better I would say it was a look of pure grief. Which is impossible considering what I know. "Please bring me Selena. I need to make sure she's ok."

Elias nodded and called her in, and what a sight she was. Maybe it's just the blood loss talking, or maybe the shock from the realization that yes this world really was real but she almost seemed like an angel in human form.

Even as the tears stained her cheeks, the way her flowing platinum hair fell across her shoulders and framed her picture perfect face was beyond beautiful, and those eyes. Deep pools of infinite and shining blue. It's a wonder of wonders that she hadn't already been claimed by some other man, or hell Elias himself. I know from the novel he was supposed to have been quite the rake before he met the princess.

Maybe that's why he assigned her to me in the first place? As some sort of gift? I don't think I would ever know truly, and honestly I didn't care at the moment, not with the blood loss and complete shattering of my view of the world. "You needed me master?"

Oh yes that's right, I called her to make sure she was ok. "Yes Selena, I wanted to make sure you were ok before I had run out of strength to stay awake. It seems like I shouldn't have worried at all." I think I had a smile on my face as I said that as her cheeks went pink. Adorable.

"I'm fine, Master, thank you for worrying, but please stop worrying about me and get your rest, I'll be here if you need anything."

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"What she says is true my friend, you needn't worry yourself about us, just try and relax. The doctors already extracted the blade and he's bandaging your arm now."

'He already extracted the blade? When did that happen? Actually now that I think about it, where am I? Why do I feel so light headed?' The sweet embrace of sleep didn't take long after that to steal me away from the land of the living, leaving me floating through the realms of dreams, weightless and confused.

My dreams themselves were nonsensical. Images flashed in front of me of a life I had never lived, memories from a time that never was.

I saw a man and woman who I could only guess were Vahids parents as they showered him with gifts. I saw the man run Vahid through his paces in the drill yard. I felt Vahid's heartbreak as his mother lay dying covered in her own blood. I could feel the grief slowly leave him over the years as he and Elias grew ever closer, the tension between them always being close to snapping, but never quite taking that step.

It was a kaleidoscope of memories and emotions that were not my own, that I never wanted to be my own, and yet I experienced them all anyways. Then all of a sudden I was awake once more, the dream at its end, and my mouth so dry it's a miracle I wasn't dying of dehydration.

"Selena."

My voice came out as if a whisper in the wind, and for a moment I feared she had not heard me. "Master your awake!"

'Fuck that scared the shit out of me!' How was I supposed to know she was literally right fucking next to me? "What do you need Master? Food? Water? More blankets?"

"Water."

"Right away master! I'll be right back, please stay in bed. Your body is still weak from the blood loss." My only confirmation that I had heard her was a small nod, which seemed to be good enough for her.

The sound of the door opening and closing was my confirmation that she had left the room, leaving me alone once more. Alone to think and self reflect.

This world was real, despite all logic and reason somehow this world was not only real, but I had been deposited into it as the secondary male lead, one destined to die. Not only that but from what I remembered from the book Vahid never passed out in the drill yard, never got mugged, and never spent a week in the Jakoban estate recovering.

On top of that Selena didn't exist in the novel, oh sure there were maids and the like, and the plot loved to have a few of them try and get in the middle of the love triangle every once and a while for that extra dose of drama, but Selena herself never appeared as far as I could remember. I'm pretty sure Vahids personal maid at the Jakoban estate would have at the very least warranted a passing mention, but as far as I could remember Vahid never had a personal maid. He was too proud to let servants do anything for him that he could do himself.

Something was wrong with this world, it wasn't as I remembered it and if I couldn't even trust the book's story then what did I have going for me? Sure a killer body and a powerful name, but I wasn't interested in becoming a gigolo, or getting into the politics of the Empire. Maybe I could simply return to the Gallick estate and take up some kind of administrative job under Vahids older brother?

"I'm back master, and I brought Lord Elias with me." I broke away from my train of thought and turned to Selena, not only did she have water but also a full cart of food. Elias himself was pushing it as if he planned to be my personal recovery service.

"Thank you Selena, you've been a doll but I would like to talk to Vahid alone." While she looked conflicted for a second Selena ultimately bowed and left the room. 'Dammit Selena why did you have to leave me with him?'

No words were spoken as Elias poured me a glass of water and slowly helped me drink it, and by god was it the best tasting water I've had in my life. You don't realize how good water can taste until you've been close to death by bleeding out. "Thank you Elias."

"You don't have to thank me my friend, I would do this for you any day. I should be the one apologizing, if it weren't for the laxity of my patrols in Koen you would have never been hurt in the first place. I will have the captain of the guard reprimanded and the guard itself undergo intense retraining."

While I felt bad for the poor bastards I didn't say anything in their defense, it's kinda hard to sympathize when I had been stabbed and almost mugged. Not to mention how the bastard had been feeling up Selena. "I appreciate that Elias, but can I ask why you're the one nursing me to health instead of the doctor or one of the maids?"

"Because I love you silly." What?

'What?'

"What?"