Chapter 2: The Boy Who Would Become a Monster

“Young Master! Where are you?”

The nanny’s urgent voice echoed throughout the ducal castle.

As if this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, urgency was clearly written all over her face.

With a long sigh, she pressed her forehead, already dreading the thought of searching the vast estate.

However, from afar, a child was watching her.

Perhaps pleased with the reaction he wanted, the child beamed brightly and began running in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, the child was only eleven years old.

With such a small frame, it was impossible for him to outrun a grown woman, and she spotted him almost instantly.

“Young Master Kebel!”

“Damn it!”

At the nanny’s voice from behind, a curse that didn’t suit a child slipped from Kebel’s mouth.

If only he weren’t so small, he would have escaped easily…

Muttering under his breath, Kebel began running with all his might.

Then suddenly, a sense of injustice welled up inside him.

How had he ended up here, suffering like this?

All he had done was fall asleep after drinking as usual.

But when he woke up, he was no longer in South Korea, but in a strange world, and his body had become that of a child.

He denied it again and again, insisting it couldn’t be real, that it was just a dream.

But even after several days passed, he didn’t return, and his body remained that of a small child.

The despair he felt then was beyond words.

It was so overwhelming that he wondered if he had ever experienced such a shock in his entire life.

After that, Kebel shut himself inside his room.

The fear that he might never return tormented him every single day.

How much time had passed like that?

One day, suddenly, something flashed through his mind like a passing reel.

The reality he had failed to recognize because he kept denying it.

That he had transmigrated into a book.

And not just any role, but one destined to be killed by his childhood friend, the psychopathic sub-male lead.

Of all things, even after transmigrating, he had ended up with a doomed lifespan.

The future laid out before him was so absurd he nearly foamed at the mouth and fainted.

The moment he realized the truth, his body fell ill.

After lying in bed for days, unable to tell how long it had been, a surge of frustration finally pushed him up.

If he was going to die anyway, he might as well live recklessly.

But life wasn’t that easy.

Even here, he was forced to study, under the pretense of successor training, the ducal family kept him occupied all day long.

Eventually, the overwhelming schedule made Kebel snap.

Still, he soon accepted it.

He needed knowledge to survive in this world.

Lost in thought, he suddenly felt something solid hit his face.

At the same time, he lost his balance and fell.

“Ow…”

A clear, melodious voice slipped from Kebel’s lips.

It was so pure and bright it could enchant anyone who heard it.

But the eerie voice that followed made him frown.

“Oh my, that must have hurt. No matter how large the ducal estate is, you should be more careful.”

The tone was unmistakably mocking.

Even though a child had fallen, the man didn’t seem to have any intention of helping him up.

But as if he had expected this, Kebel smiled faintly at the middle-aged man.

If he had known they would meet like this, he would have stayed in his room…

Biting down on his molars, Kebel looked at him.

“You seem to be in quite a good mood for someone who just saw a child fall.”

His voice was soft and gentle.

But the meaning behind it was anything but.

Truly, if he had to pick the person he hated most since transmigrating here, it would undoubtedly be the man before him, Count Sulleban.

Ignoring the attendant beside him who looked flustered, the count stood stiffly, looking down at Kebel.

In response, Kebel met his gaze head-on.

Though he tried to glare fiercely, his childlike body made him seem completely non-threatening.

Proof of that was the count twisting his lips in amusement.

“As expected of the duke’s young master, your spirit is quite impressive. But glaring at an innocent person like that, wouldn’t that make me rather upset?”

It was blatant mockery.

If Kebel had truly been a child, he might not have understood the hidden meaning.

But he wasn’t, and he had no intention of falling for it.

So what now?

An eye for an eye.

Kebel softened his expression as if nothing had happened and smiled gently, curving his eyes.

“It seems I showed you something unpleasant. What you saw earlier was merely a mistake, so I would appreciate it if you could forget it.”

With a smile like morning sunlight, Kebel looked at the count calmly.

At that gentle smile, the count’s face stiffened instantly, his brows twitching.

Perhaps his tone had been too unnatural for a child, but it didn’t matter.

Watching the count’s face shift through colors brought Kebel a sense of satisfaction.

Brushing himself off, Kebel stood up.

Then, as his eyes met another pair, they widened.

If a god had sculpted a single masterpiece, it would look like this.

The child’s face was that beautiful.

And yet, for some reason, his eyes were lifeless.

It was as if he wasn’t even alive, his face devoid of any expression, blinking blankly.

At an age where he should have been running and playing, the child stood still like a doll.

For some reason, Kebel felt a pang of pity.

Whether it was sympathy or simply his appearance, Kebel couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Unaware that this was exactly what the count wanted, he stared blankly at the child.

“What are you doing standing there? Greet him.”

With a voice devoid of warmth, the count tapped the child’s back.

Only then did the child bow mechanically.

It looked like a circus animal performing a trained trick.

“Hello. I am Osh Sulleban.”

The child’s voice was flat, without any rise or fall.

There was no emotion in it.

Kebel frowned slightly, then smoothed his expression.

Then suddenly, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.

The name Sulleban felt oddly familiar.

‘Osh Sulleban… where have I heard that name before…?’

As he repeated the name several times, a long passage suddenly flowed into his mind, as if transmitted directly.

****

“The red hair reminiscent of a lion was soaked thick with blood. Having cut down countless people, a metallic stench clung to him. He gazed indifferently at the grotesque pile of corpses.

Without even a trace of guilt, he stepped on the bodies as if climbing stairs.

Though he had merely cut and cut again, the war had ended too easily.

As if disappointed, he scanned the countless fallen with dry eyes.

Without a hint of emotion, he raised his bloodied sword high into the air.

The blade glinted under the sunlight.

As if on cue, countless knights erupted into cheers.

At last, history had been rewritten.

Without hesitation, he stepped down from the pile of corpses and mounted his prepared horse.

For the first time in his life, emotion surfaced on his face as he slowly licked the blood from his hand.

Whether he had developed a taste for it, or had someone to take revenge on, he curled his lips crookedly, his eyes gleaming ominously.

With a blazing gaze rivaling the sun itself, he lashed the reins.

Osh Sulleban.

The man who would bring the empire to ruin had returned victorious from war.”

****

A chilling sensation crawled up Kebel’s spine.

It felt as if someone had grabbed his heart and was squeezing the air out of him.

Osh Sulleban.

The name of the sub-male lead he had been unable to recall, the one who would take his life.

The child standing right in front of him.

Thinking that such a gentle-looking face would one day slaughter people sent a cold shiver down his spine.

And for good reason.

This child wouldn’t just become a psychopathic sub-male lead, he was destined to become a man who would bring ruin to the entire empire.

“…Osh?”

Without realizing it, Kebel let the name slip from his lips.

Startled by his own words, he quickly shut his mouth.

But the child didn’t react at all.

Even though he must have heard his name, he remained still, like he was waiting for his master’s command.

He looked so much like a doll that, if he hadn’t blinked, one might have doubted he was alive.

“Oh my. It seems the young master has taken a liking to my son, Osh?”

At the count’s words, Kebel’s face filled with shock.

How could such a perfect face come from that old man?

Kebel glanced back and forth between the count and Osh.

But taking his reaction as confirmation, the count smirked slyly.

“Osh, what are you standing there for? The young master-”

“It has been a while, Count Sulleban.”

The count’s words were cut off.

At the voice of another middle-aged man from behind, the count quickly composed himself and responded politely.