Chapter 2 - Why This One!?

When we were a fair distance away from the tea room, I stopped walking and turned towards Emma.

She looked at me uneasily. "Young master?"

I rummaged around in my pockets. Ah, there we go. Pulling out a white handkerchief, I moved closer to her and lightly dabbed on the bloody cut on her cheek. Even if Alexander was the one who did it, I had to at least take this much responsibility. Hurting a defenseless girl, especially on her face, was an unforgivable sin.

"I'm sorry."

"...Eh?"

"This cut, I did it earlier, right? I'm sorry for acting like such a brute, and I promise that I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Eh? Ahh!? Young master, whaaa-!?"

Rather than being happy or touched, it seemed like my sincere apology short-circuited her brain. Emma panicked and bowed at a steep angle.

"Young master Halesworth, please! This one is unworthy of your concern, it was only right for you to punish this foolish and clumsy servant!" She cried out in a high pitched voice. "Please do not take it to heart, I deserved much worse."

My heart felt stifled seeing her reaction. She was terrified of me, to the extent that a simple apology had her fearing for her life again. The other maids looked pretty scared of me too. If my guess was right, then I had my work cut out for me.

"That's enough," I sighed. Insisting right now would only have the opposite effect. "Let's go."

"..."

From then on, we walked in silence while heading to my room, except when Emma had to steer me back in the right direction.

"Not that way, young master."

"That path leads to the kitchen, young master. Are you hungry?"

She looked very puzzled every time I made a mistake, but accepted my half-assed explanation of simply being tired. Though she should be much more exhausted than me after what she just went through. Eventually we went up a grand staircase and headed down the mansion's left wing, where Alexander's room was apparently located.

This place was honestly way too big! If I didn't have a guide, it would have taken me forever to navigate these hallways. However, I couldn't help but be impressed by how luxurious everything was at the same time. With all of the paintings and decorations, plus the massive great hall that we passed by earlier, it really did feel like the home of an ancient noble family.

"We are here, young master," Emma finally said, stopping outside a door.

I nodded. "Please come inside with me. There are some things I want to talk to you about."

Not noticing how tense she became with those few words, I opened the door and went in.

__________________________________________________________

I stared at the mirror in dumbfounded amazement, then pinched my cheek as hard as I could. Ow, it hurt pretty bad. This was definitely not a dream. That much I was forced to admit, but it really was unbelievable.

The first thing I did when I entered the bedroom was rush over to the large mirror hanging on the wall. Unfortunately, it only confirmed my suspicions. My flowing golden hair, the striking azure color of my eyes, the delicate jawline and pretty-boy good looks that would put most women to shame, everything was completely different! The person in the mirror wasn't me… but someone vaguely familiar.

Alexander Halesworth. The infamous secondary antagonist in a game I finished a few months ago.

At that exact moment of realization, the fog covering my memories finally lifted. I remembered how I was heading home, exhausted after a long day at work... but as I crossed the street, a Porsche came screaming towards me… the young driver's horrified expression as his car slammed into my body… crunching sounds, immense pain, then a fade to black...

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, suppressing the urge to swear up a storm. This was that setting, wasn't it?

Look, I'm sure that everyone has fantasized about being transported to or reincarnated in a game world before, and I'm no exception. By all rights I should be thrilled at the prospect. But why did it have to pick this one? Lost in Love, fucking really!? God, if you did this, then I demand a proper explanation!

I've played THOUSANDS of games, even if you had to pick something from the Romance genre, there were at least two dozen better choices! And what's with this character selection!? Why couldn't I be one of the capture targets like the Knight Captain, the Professor, or even the Prince? Well, that would be pretty bad in its own way too, but a villain is just...

Ahhhh! Damn it, how annoying!

Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. Settle down, me, we can still make this work. Lalala, happy thoughts~

"Listen, Emma…" I said, turning back to face the maid that I brought with me. She was hiding in a corner of the room, trying to make herself look as small as possible.

"Yes!?" She jumped at the sound of my voice.

I gestured to a chair next to the bed. "Sit down, this is going to take a while."

She nodded and robotically made her way over.

Then for some reason, instead of sitting down, Emma bit her lip and slowly started to undress.

"!?"

I watched in dumbfounded amazement as bits of her maid outfit fell to the floor, revealing a delicate body with surprisingly ample curves. Her soft pale skin, flushed cheeks, and teary eyes made for a devastating combination. If I wasn't thinking clearly, I'd surely have pushed her down. When she was down to her underwear (and after I got a good eyeful), I finally managed to speak up.

"Hey. Not that I mind, but what in god's name are you doing?"

From how scared she acted until now, I was positive that she wasn't actually coming on to me.

"Wah!? T-this... young master, isn't this what you wanted?" Her face was as red as a tomato, and she kept trying to cover her chest with her arms. The girl's shy, trembling appearance kinda reminded me of a rabbit I saw once at the local pet store.

Oh.

Now that I think about it, telling a maid to come with me to my bedroom does sound like that, huh? Especially considering who I'm supposed to be. She must have thought that I was forcing her to 'repay' me for sparing her life.

"Of course not," I sighed wearily, rubbing my forehead. "Put your clothes back on if you want, silly girl. We're only going to talk."

"Ehh!? I'm sorry, please forgive me for assuming-!" She said in a panicked voice while bending over to pick up her clothes from the floor, unintentionally giving me a great view. But I also noticed her expression crumple up in pain.

"Please wait." I grabbed her arm and took a closer look at her body. The marks from Francesca's earlier beating clearly stood out. They'll definitely leave some nasty bruises.

Compared to the lash on her cheek, it seemed like that bitch did way more damage.

"It hurts, doesn't it? She really didn't hold back when kicking you. Tsk, what a vicious girl," I said disapprovingly while looking at the spots where she was kicked. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop her faster."

"Y-young master!" Emma blushed furiously. "Um, it doesn't really hurt that much! Please don't mind, it was my fault to begin with."

"Don't lie, I saw you wince just now. Anyone would be in pain after getting hit like that." I was going to pat her on the shoulder, but then coughed and politely averted my eyes when I finally remembered that she was half-naked. "Take it easy until you recover, find someone to cover for your share of the work and tell them that it's an order from me. And forget about the punishment I mentioned back there, that was just for show. Eat whatever you want."

Emma sniffled and nodded while looking at the floor. She muttered something under her breath.

"...being so kind…"

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Ah, no! It's nothing, young master." She said while quickly wiping her eyes.

A few moments later, when the girl was fully dressed again, I bade her to sit across me. She did so and looked at me with the utmost seriousness, obviously eager to help with whatever I needed. Such an earnest girl, she really was the perfect choice. And so I began my questioning.

"Emma, tell me seriously. What year is it? Also, how old am I?"

The silence was deafening.

"...Young master, do you happen to have a fever?"

"Just answer the question!"

"Eeek! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!"

I sighed. This was to be expected, I suppose. Anyone would feel doubtful after getting asked something like that.

"Look, don't tell anyone about this," I said in a serious voice, "but I actually fell and hit my head earlier today. A lot of my memories have become fuzzy as a result."

Yeah. We're going with that excuse. Got a problem?

Emma's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly rose from her seat. "Oh my god! Young master, are you okay? We should call the doc-"

"No!"

My voice came out much harsher than I meant it to be. I coughed, "Emma. I forbid you from mentioning this to anyone else, understand? It would be a disaster if rumors spread about the duke's son being mentally unwell. I am fine, I just need you to clear up a few things."

She looked a bit unconvinced, but soon nodded. "If that is what you wish, young master."