Erwin was on his way home when it happened. The sky was turning purple, giving him a melancholic feeling. Another day has ended. Going to the university, earning money afterwards, and then study to prepare for the next day; for a poor college student with a part-time job, this was a regular occurrence. He was so tired, so with a sleepy head and a growling stomach, he did not notice the red on the traffic light as he crossed the street. He heard a loud horn as a warning, which prompted him to turn his head toward a barreling truck. His eyes widened for a second, body going stiff as if preparing for the impact, before closing his eyes shut waiting for the inevitable. The force of the truck was blunt, taking his breathe away, before he felt his body being dragged on the road. It was numb at first, then pain assaulted his entire body. Everything hurts- he wanted to scream just to mitigate the pain, but his throat was dry. When even breathing became painful, he had one last thought before his mind shut down- It hurts.

___

Erwin woke up with a jolt, his back drenched in cold sweat. He was breathing heavily, so he tried to calm himself down.

What a nightmare. It felt too real.

He was still shivering from shock when he noticed that the ceiling was unfamiliar. It did not have the old light bulb he has in his room. Looking at the expanse of the ceiling, it did not have even a single light bulb. Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion, he sat up and investigated his surroundings. Everything was unfamiliar! This room was larger than what his poor college student self rented. The small studying desk squeezed beside his bed filled with papers and books was nowhere. Even the drawer at the foot of the bed was missing. Instead, the large bed he was sitting on was in the center of this spacious room, two coffee tables were beside the bed and a large cabinet was attached on the right wall near the door. The big window was opened, white curtain slightly waving as the gentle breeze of the afternoon entered. Below was a big desk, clean and empty. It was very quiet, he noticed, unlike the busy city he had grown accustomed to. The room also felt, old yet new at the same time. It was definitely clean, but it had no modern feel to it, as if he was in a mansion or palace.

What?

His mouth was agape as he tried to understand his situation. Where am I? What happened? Is this another dream? As he was mulling these questions, the door opened and a young man entered with a woman carrying a basin in tow. He turned and saw the newcomers, and when he was about to ask them questions, the young man spoke with excitement.

"My lord, you're awake! Quick, call the doctor!"

The woman carrying the basin turned back and hastily went away.

My lord? Me? What is happening here?!

Suddenly, images flashed through his mind. Memories belonging to someone else poured in like a movie in fast forward mode. He groaned in pain as his head tried to accommodate the information, his hand pressing his temple to alleviate the pain. The young man quickly went to him and helped him lie down. 

"Are you all right duke? The doctor should be on his way, please lie down a bit." He can vaguely hear the man spoke due to the intense headache.

I am definitely not alright. Damn!

He was slowly losing consciousness as the pain endured. A few minutes later, the doctor came in with the woman still carrying the basin. However, Erwin was already unconscious.

___

It was already dark outside when Erwin woke up, and he was not alone in the room. Although the light source was only candles, he can clearly people with him. The young man earlier was sitting on a chair on his right, immersed in the documents in his hands. An old man was standing on his left, eyes sullen showing his tiredness. Beside him was a woman carrying a small basin. The old man was the first to notice that he had woken up.

"My lord."

" What happened?" he asked groggily. He sat up but flinched when he felt throbbing headache.

The sitting young man stood up before quickly answering, a relieved expression visible on his face.

 "You were poisoned, my lord. You were unconscious for three days."

"Hmm."

"It was a miracle that you survived, my lord. There was no known cure for the poison. I was not able to do anything, my deepest apologies."

The one who spoke was the old man. He assumed he was the doctor judging from what he said. 

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"Doctor, am I fully healed or do I need to drink a medicine?"

"It seems you're fine now. Do you feel any discomfort?"

"I have a slight headache."

"I believe your body is still slowly recovering. The headache should not pose any threat, young lord. I recommend a light meal for your stomach. I'll also send a medicine for the headache."

"Alright. You can now leave. You too." he gestured toward the other person.

"U-understood, my lord."

The young man seemed hesitant to leave, but cannot go against the order. The lord seemed different. It was subtle, but for him who had been his companion for many years, he can easily notice the change.

Before the two can leave, the door opened and an old man entered. He was wearing formal attire unlike the other two. Erwin thought that this man was an important person. When the old man saw him sitting and awake, his eyes widened in disbelief for a second before going back to a neutral expression. 

"It seemed the news is true. How was he able to wake up doctor?" 

"I'm not sure, count. Even with my expertise, I cannot explain what happened. This could be regarded a miracle, if I say myself." the doctor replied.

"I see." The count glanced over at Erwin, eyes still neutral, before addressing him.

"I came to see how you were faring. It looked like you are doing fine, so I'll be taking my leave, young master." The count slightly bowed before turning away towards the door. When the count left, the other man angrily muttered, but Erwin was able to hear it.

"Young master he said? Lord Claude is the duke so it should be young lord. And coming inside without knocking, how could someone be so disrespectful?"

After everyone left, Erwin calmed himself. Although he maintained his cool in front of those people, the truth was that his mind was a mess. He took a glance around the room he was in. It was not as bright as he was used to. Candles installed on the walls were the only light source unlike the fluorescent back in his room. Looking over the big window, it was pitch black outside. It was moonless he thought, because the stars were brightly shining. He heaved a heavy sigh, before plopping back in the bed. Staring at the ceiling still plain and without a bulb, he closed his eyes. How he wished that there was just a blackout and the candles lighting this room were all just temporary. Or these were all just a dream. But this was real and he is not dreaming. There was no need for him to pinch himself to wake up, the throbbing headache was enough. He then remembered those memories that brought about his headache. Images foreign to him, people he has not met and places he had never been to; they were all in his head. Opening his eyes, he gained a new determination. He will survive this mess, and he will start with these memories. Erwin stayed awake for a very long time before sleep overtook his frail body.

---

Inside a room, where a few people were gathered, mask hiding their faces from each other.

"He woke up?! Sir, that would be impossible! I concocted the poison myself; he should have succumbed to an endless sleep!" the man was flustered as he defended himself.

"Then, are you saying that what he said is false?" a seated man asked accusatorily, putting the letter down on the table to emphasize his point.

"Er, n-no, I mean, yes? I'll verify it myself, my lord. Who knows, maybe there was a mistake. Or, or maybe the spy messed with the poison which decreased its lethality."

"Very well, do what you must."

The flustered man bowed and hurriedly left the room, closing the door as he went out.

"What if the spy is actually telling the truth? If the young duke is actually well, wouldn't that hinder our plans?" someone asked, voice laced with worry. 

"It would just be a minor step back, but it wouldn't matter. What would a wimpy young duke be capable of? We can just control him, or dispose him. The plan is still set." Someone else answered, this time, it was a woman.

"We shouldn't we careless though. Even if the young duke is powerless, there are people who protects him. Now that the assassination failed, they will surely be more cautious." Another man replied.

"Right. Let us expect an investigation. If we became too hasty, it may lead them to us. This kingdom still needs us."

"Ha! How ironic. You talk about what's best for the kingdom yet you have no qualms killing an innocent young man?! Sometimes I don't know what our objective actually is."

"Our goal is the same as before - cleanse this kingdom and create a new regime! The people are wailing for help and it is our duty as nobles to answer them. What we do is for the benefit of the many."

"Benefit of the many? Maybe t

the benefit of old greedy men."

"Are you calling me greedy?"

"Are you not?"

"Why you!"

"Stop!" A voice said, stern and clear. Everyone became silent. This man, sitting ot the head of the table, got everyone's attention.

"The duke may have survived but our goal is the same. We will wait for a better opportunity to execute our plans. In the end, this kingdom will experience a rebirth, and we will pioneer a better era."

With just a few sentence, everyone was reassured. They all nodded, as if the conflict some moments ago had not happened. 

When the meeting ended, everyone in the room left one by one until the man at the head of the table was left alone. Just then, a figure hidden in the shadow showed herself. She walked towards the sitting man, embraced him from the back and intimately whispered in his ear.

"Was there a problem, marquis?"

The man did not respond, but he closed his eyes and leaned more into her touch.

"You promised me the queen's seat, marquis. You know I hate men who can't keep their words." she said, voice sultry at first, before switching into firm and threatening at the end.

"There is nothing to worry. Soon, I'll gift this country to you." 

The man, with his eyes closed, did not notice the eyes of the woman. It glinted red, akin to a beast focusing to a prey.