EPISODE 1.5

The first thing Lee Shaun noticed was that the ceiling was wrong. Very wrong. Not because it was ugly.

Actually, it was beautiful.

A luxurious white ceiling decorated with gold carvings and crystal chandeliers. The kind of ceiling rich people in dramas casually lived under. The kind of ceiling Shaun definitely did not own.

Which was concerning.

Because the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his apartment after complaining about a novel during a TikTok livestream.

A very specific novel.

A very stupid novel.

A very frustrating novel.

One that murdered his favorite character.

Azriel Valenhart. The tragic villain. The poor idiot who spent his entire life desperately seeking affection from people who never loved him. Then died for absolutely no reason.

The character whose death made Shaun rage for three days straight. The character whose ending made him curse the author during a TikTok live. The character he had sworn deserved better.

Shaun had spent nearly five hours complaining about it. The livestream chat had encouraged him. Which made it worse.

"If I was Azriel, I'd survive."

"I'd punch everybody."

"I'd save myself."

"I'd make sure that idiot gets a happy ending."

He remembered saying all of that. Very confidently. Very loudly. And now—

"..." Slowly, Shaun sat up. The room was unfamiliar.

Massive. Luxurious. A king-sized bed. Expensive furniture. Tall windows. Fresh flowers. A private balcony.

Everything screamed money. A ridiculous amount of money.

"What the hell?"

For a brief moment, Shaun wondered if he had been kidnapped. A rich person's kidnapping.

Which somehow felt worse. Then he saw the mirror.

And his soul nearly left his body.

The reflection staring back at him wasn't Lee Shaun.

Silky black hair.

Purple eyes.

Pale skin.

Beautiful face.

A face he knew. A face he had seen countless times while reading the novel. The face he had seen countless times on novel illustrations.

The face of Azriel Valenhart.

"PUTANGINA." His scream echoed through the room.

Shaun grabbed both sides of the mirror. "No."

He stared harder.

"No." He touched his face.

The reflection copied him.

"No."

He pulled his cheeks. The reflection pulled its cheeks.

"NO."

His breathing became uneven. Because Shaun recognized him.

Then, the memories hit. Not his memories, but Azriel's memories. Shaun's favorite character.

Fragments.

Like a truck. Like several trucks. Like an entire highway of trucks.

The plot.

The academy.

The princes.

The protagonist.

The court trial.

The rumours.

The false accusations.

The humiliation.

The execution.

The death.

Most importantly, the Valenhart Family. Azriel's family.

His father.

His mother.

His brothers.

Every miserable memory flooded his mind. Shaun staggered backward. His knees nearly gave out. The Duke Valenhart hated Azriel. His mother always compared him to his brothers.

Luciel and Izekiel ignored him.

The servants feared and avoided him.

Nobody loved him. Nobody cared. Nobody listened.

Years of loneliness.

Years of rejection.

Years of trying desperately to earn affection.

Years of failure.

Years of desperate need for attention.

Years of countless mistakes.

Years of desperate attempts to be noticed.

Years of desperate attempts to be loved.

Shaun pressed both hands over his face. "What the hell..."

His voice cracked. "What kind of life is this?"

Shaun stumbled backward. Because now he understood. Really understood.

Azriel wasn't evil.

He was lonely. Painfully lonely.

And somehow...

That made everything worse.

"God damn it." Shaun buried his face in his hands.

Because he remembered the plot.

Every important event.

Every disaster.

Every humiliation.

Every tragedy.

Including Azriel's death.

His favorite character's death. Shaun's death now.

Shaun suddenly felt sick again.

"No."

He pointed dramatically at nobody.

"No."

"I refuse." Shaun stood up.

"I am not dying!"

He pointed at the ceiling. "Do you hear me?!"

Nobody answered. The universe remained rude.

Then—

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

Three precise knocks.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Young Master?"

That voice!

Shaun froze.

The sound echoed through the room. He didn't answer.

Because honestly?

What was he supposed to say?

"Hello?"

"I've been isekai'd?"

Shaun shook his head, even slaps his face.

Knock.

Knock.

Shaun still does nothing. What did you expected him to do right now?!

Finally—

The door slowly opened.

A familiar figure stepped inside.

A handsome man.

Tall.

Black uniform.

Professional.

Perfect posture.

Black hair.

Calm yet emotionless face.

The moment Shaun saw him, he recognized him immediately.

The butler.

Felix...

Felix Velarossa.

Azriel's personal butler.

One of the few recurring characters in the novel.

One of the people who watched Azriel suffer and never stepped forward until it was too late.

Felix bowed politely.

"Good morning, Young Master."

Shaun stared. Felix stared back.

Neither spoke for several seconds. Because Shaun was busy having another existential crisis.

That was Felix. An actual character. A real person. Standing in front of him. Not words on a screen. Not illustrations. Not fiction.

But...Real.

Everything was real.

Felix remained composed.

After a moment of staring contest—Finally, Felix broke the silence.

"As today is a school day, I recommend preparing for departure." His voice was calm.

Shaun blinked. "School...?"

Right. I'm a high school kid now...

Astra Academy. Magic classes. Male leads. Drama. More drama. Even more drama.

'Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. 28 year old but still got school to go.' Shaun cursed.

Felix continued.

"Breakfast will be served shortly. His Grace and the rest of the family are already downstairs."

Shaun instinctively opened his mouth. Ready to nod, ready to agree.Then, he remembered again.

Breakfast. With the Valenharts.

The novel had described those meals many times.

Azriel sitting silently.

His father criticizing him.

His mother sighing.

His brothers acting like he didn't exist.

Every chapter.

Every scene.

Every insult.

Every cruel word.

Every time Azriel desperately tried to fit in. Only to fail.

Breakfast wasn't breakfast. It was emotional warfare.

Every meal became another reminder that he wasn't wanted.

And worse, Azriel pretending it didn't hurt.

Shaun immediately rejected the idea.

Nope. Absolutely not!

His mental health was already hanging by a thread. He wasn't adding family drama before eight in the morning.

"No." Shaun said.

He immediately lost interest. His cortisol levels were already suffering. There was no need to speedrun emotional damage on Day One. He needs peace.

Felix blinked. "Young Master?"

Shaun grabs his school uniform. "You heard me. I'll skip breakfast."

The butler looked surprised. Which is a rare sight.

"Would you prefer eating later?" Felix asked.

"No."

"Then perhaps—"

"I'll just go directly to school." Simple and direct.

Felix frowned, he slightly paused. Because something felt different. Not because of the words. Because of how they were spoken. Normally Azriel would argue. Complain. Demand attention. Or throw a tantrum. Instead—

This version looked exhausted. Not angry. Not spoiled. No attitude, no sarcasms.

Just tired. Very tired. Like someone carrying years of burdens.

Felix nodded, though his eyes lingered. Something was wrong. Very wrong. But he couldn't identify it.

"As you wish." Felix bowed.Then quietly left.

The moment the door closed, Shaun groaned.

"Fantastic."

He buried his face in his hands.

"Absolutely fantastic."

________________________________________

Later that morning, the Valenhart family gathered in the dining hall as usual. As expected. Except—one seat remained empty. Azriel's.

His father glanced at the empty seat. "Where's that useless brat?"

His mother calmly sips her tea. "Probably plotting something again. You know how Azriel is, Honey."

Luciel barely glanced up, not his problem to begin with.

Izekiel raised an eyebrow before continue to eating his breakfast.

A servant bowed. "Young Master Azriel said he will be skipping breakfast today."

Silence.

The family exchanged looks. Because Azriel never missed breakfast. Never. He usually arrived early. Usually he tried speaking to someone. Usually he tried gaining attention. Today—nothing.

Half an hour later, the entire Valenhart household experienced something unprecedented.

Silence.

Because Azriel Valenhart wasn't causing trouble like he always did.

He wasn't demanding attention.

He wasn't picking arguments.

He wasn't provoking anyone.

He simply just walked downstairs. Passed the dining room and ignored everyone. He didn't even greet the family. He's just humming some songs as he skipped happily toward the front entrance.

The Archduke uke and The Duchess stared.

Luciel finally looks up from his coffee.

Izekiel lowered his phone.

Nobody spoke.

Meanwhile Shaun didn't even look at them. Not once. Not a single glance.

To Lee Shaun, they weren't his family. His family existed somewhere else. Back home.

Back in Korea. Back in his real world. Not here. Never here.

Outside the mansion, Shaun walked alone. School bag over one shoulder.

Ignoring everyone.

Ignoring the servants. 

Ignoring the guards.

Ignoring Felix walking several steps behind.

Because he wasn't ready. Not for family. Not for drama. Not for this world.

Then—a fluffy cat appeared. Izekiel's cat. The cat immediately ran toward him.

"Meow"

Shaun's expression softened for the first time all morning.

"Meow!"

A soft meow. Again.

Shaun stopped walking. Immediately. His expression softened.

Another Izekiel's fluffy cats had appeared. One rubbed against his leg. Another meowed. A third jumped onto a nearby chair.

For the first time that morning—Shaun smiled. A genuine smile.

"Good morning, babies."

The cats purred.

Shaun crouched down. Petting them affectionately. Talking to them softly. As if they were the only creatures in the mansion worth acknowledging. A much better conversationalist than most nobles.

Which honestly wasn't far from the truth.

The servants watched.

The family watched, very confused.

Because Azriel had ignored every member of his family. But happily greeted the cats. After a few minutes, Shaun stood up and taking a deep breath.

Because whether he liked it or not—Astra Academy awaited.

The novel awaited.

The plot awaited.

And somewhere in the future—

There's a death ending awaited.

Shaun glanced toward the sky. Then he sighed.

"Well."

A pause.

"If I'm stuck here..."

His eyes hardened slightly. "...then I'm changing the ending."

For himself. For Azriel. And for the lonely boy who only wanted someone to love him.

Shaun adjusted his school bag and headed toward the door. He even told the driver that he was going by himself, he did mentioned that he going to take a taxi or any public magic transportation.

Then, he left.

Without saying goodbye.

Without looking back.

Without acknowledging anyone.

Only Felix noticed the strange sadness hidden behind the young master's eyes.

As the car departed for Astra Academy—

Felix found himself thinking the same thing over and over. Something was wrong. Not dangerous wrong. Not violent wrong. Not rebellious wrong.

Just...Different.

And for the first time in years—Azriel Valenhart looked like someone who had completely given up expecting love from anyone in this house.

TBC....

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***