Ethan's Secret

Three days ago ….

Adam woke up from sleep gasping for air. He thought he had died in a powerful explosion. However, it turned out that he woke up somewhere …. unfamiliar.

Last night he was scolding his little sister who was still engrossed in reading novels during exam season. He forced his younger sister to study immediately. He snatched his little sister's cell phone and slammed it hard against the TV cable. It was then, a strange thing happened. The blue light and sound of explosions disrupted the situation, leaving him unable to figure out what happened next.

"Is this a hell?" he asked, confused. Heaven couldn't be this ugly. Then, where was his little sister?

The man got up from his bed, and he then ran around looking for his sister. However, he found no one. From the outside, he saw that the place he was living in was a hut beside a luxurious mansion.

The temperature outside told Adam that it was summer. How could it be? It was still winter.

Adam then checked what was happening around him. "All of these are foreign places. The building is also ancient… could it be?"

Adam immediately ran to the bucket of water to see the reflection of his face. And how surprised the man was when he came closer and found that his face was one hundred percent changed. His blonde hair had turned black. He could only find amber-colored eyes instead of his light blue ones. His pale skin had turned lightly tanned. Not bad. Only …. he looked different and unfamiliarly lean. Even better with his handsome, manly face and eight-packed abs. (glowing)

That was a dream body he wanted so badly.

"Ethan! Ethan!" shouted an old man, approaching him.

"Ethan?" Adam asked.

"Yes, you! Who else is Ethan here?" snapped the old man. "Baron Stevenson is calling you! Hurry and come to his room!"

Slowly, memory enters Adam's consciousness. As it turned out, he was trapped in the body of an eighteen-year-old boy, named Ethan. Good grief! Had he been sucked into the novel his younger sister was reading?

The Duke's Granddaughter.

That was the title of the novel his little sister was reading when she snatched the cell phone from her little sister's hand. Adam did check all of his sister's readings because he was afraid that his cute sister would read erotica novels. Then, did he was sucked into the novel as a side character? It seems so because he was Ethan. A commoner who was sentenced to death for attempting to kill an evil character named Helena Arkwright? Cousin of the heroine of the story, Liana Arkwright?

Bad! This is so bad!

If he stayed in Baron Stevenson's place, he would suffer the rest of his life from being enslaved. Only limited to eating and drinking what he would receive in return for his all-day hard work in the field.

The background story about Ethan was not much discussed in the novel because he was a side character. However, from Ethan's original memories, Adam knew that he had been secretly practicing swords with an old knight named Alfred who was guarding the baron's mansion.

Ethan likes swords. However, he didn't get many opportunities to show his worth because this was a time of peace. The young man's misfortune was further compounded when the baron found out that he was practicing his sword practice in secret.

He punished Alfred for that. Ethan begged for mercy but the baron took advantage of it. He would release Alfred from the dungeon if Ethan succeeded to kill Helena Arkwright. Of course, Ethan had no choice. He loved Alfred more than anyone in this world.

By sending Ethan, the baron would be spared the blame because the names of illegal slaves were not registered in the palace, unlike those of the guards. Many illegal slaves like Ethan were put to work in the barons' territory to save costs.

With a tight chest, the new Ethan stepped into Baron Stevenson's room. By now, the baron must have tied Alfred up in the dungeon.

"Good, you came on time," said the baron when he saw Ethan enter his study.

"Release him. He's innocent," Ethan said angrily. He already had a plan in his head to free the old knight.

"Innocent you say? Do you think that practicing swords without a license is not a crime?" asked the baron haughtily. "I need you to do an errand for me if you want Alfred to be free."

Here he was! Right now, he would be asked to attack Lady Helena's carriage.

"I want you to lead the bandits to attack the evil woman who wants to sell my title and territory to others," said the baron confidently.

"No."

Ethan had made up his mind. Lady Helena was not just anyone. He was doomed to fail.

"What did you say? So you chose to sacrifice the life of your sword master?" the baron was furious.

"If you want to attack your opponents, make sure your skill is above them, right?" Ethan replied. "Have you never heard of Lady Helena?"

"What do you know about her that I don't?" asked the baron in disbelief.

"She is not an ordinary lady. She's a swordsman whose skills are on par with her grandfather," Ethan answered. "This means, she can defeat me and Alfred in one swing."

"Nonsense!"

"It's up to you to believe it or not. However, if I fail to kill Lady Helena, I will not hesitate to drag you down to hell with me," challenged Ethan without blinking.

The baron's eyes widened. He didn't expect Ethan to threaten him. Hadn't he always been a gentleman who was a loser?

"How dare you!"

"I'll help you in my way," Ethan said. "If you want."

"And why should I believe that your method will work?" asked the baron sarcastically.

"Because I guarantee your debt will be paid off."

Baron Stevenson gasped, his mustache and red hair all standing up. Ethan's hawk eyes stared at him intently, without the slightest hesitation.

The greedy baron gulped. "What would you do?"

Sneering, Ethan came closer to the baron and said, "Make me your adopted son!"