Aiden's eyes opened to silence.
For a long moment, he lay still, staring at the ceiling — expecting to see the cracked plaster of his apartment, the glow of his monitor screens, the hum of his PC.
Instead, he saw carved oak beams gilded with faint traces of gold. The air smelled of aged wood, dust, and something faintly metallic — like the lingering echo of rain on stone.
He sat up slowly. The sheets that slid from his body were silk, not cotton. A deep crimson canopy hung above him, the fabric heavy and old, trimmed with gold thread that shimmered faintly in the pale morning light.
Light.
He turned his head. Sunlight — soft, real sunlight — poured through tall arched windows, filtered through pale curtains that swayed with a faint breeze. Outside, he glimpsed a courtyard glistening with dew, the faint sound of distant birds, and the faint toll of a bell.
He swallowed hard.
This wasn't his apartment.
This wasn't his world.
The room was vast — like a royal chamber, built for ceremony and command. The furniture was carved and ornate, each piece radiating the kind of craftsmanship that only existed in museum displays. A large mirror stood in the corner, its frame shaped like wings of marble. Aiden's reflection stared back at him — but it wasn't his.
The man in the mirror was younger , taller — weak posture . His blond hair caught the morning light, and his eyes — gold, bright as molten metal — looked back at him but apparently appeared sickly and weak like the type of guy who will one shooted in a single slap
This man appeared like his character of the game , maximus but has different hairstyle and that sickly weak look
Aiden's breath hitched.
"...No way."
He stumbled toward the mirror, gripping its edge. The reflection followed every motion perfectly, yet his hands — his hands — were no longer his own. They were gloved, strong, unfamiliar. A golden ring glinted on one finger, bearing an insignia he recognized instantly.
The insignia of the house of valdric or the symbol of royal family
"No… no, that's—" he whispered, stepping back. "This is the game. This— this can't be—"
But it was.
He hurriedly looked outside the window and saw , huge garden but not like how he remembered, they were overgrown and from his view he could tell he was in west guest building and there were more difference like eastern hall and king main building was covered with huge trees and bushes which made it hard to see. But He knew every detail — he had upgraded this palace with every little detaild in mind he knows it in his head and even better than his house , he has memorized every thing and secret about this palace from his last playthroughs
Except now, he could feel it. The smooth cold of the marble beneath his bare feet. The faint rustle of curtains in the morning breeze. The soft warmth of sunlight on his skin.
He turned toward the writing desk by instinct. There, among the scattered scrolls and wax seals, lay a letter and he instinctively opened it
" If you are seeing this then that means you survived aiden , you know you are the only one who stayed with me and understood my ambition and nearly helped me reached it but my story will never have a good ending that's why I am giving you the chance to accomplish your goals as we are the same , we both were not able to complete our goals , so in this new world
I wish you a happy life
Yours truly
Maximus von valdric "
Aiden stared at it for a long time. but instead of being happy , he was kind of feeling empty and sad
Everyone had one time dreamt of reincarnating into another world and doing those said thing and somehow, impossibly this happened to him.
He stumbled back, his heart pounding, a thousand thoughts colliding in his head.
A sound stopped him.
A quiet knock.
He froze.
"Young master ?" a voice called from the other side of the door — formal, calm, and respectful. "It's morning. The duke awaits you for breakfast."
Aiden's mouth went dry.
This meant he was some kind of young master and not maximus as maximus was called crown prince not young master at his youth but who is this guy
Being relative is impossible as maximus had no distant or close relatives who were from noble household
For a moment, he considered answering. Then he didn't. His hand hovered near his chest, feeling the slow, rhythmic beat of a heart that wasn't his own. The world outside the window shimmered with sunlight and fog — unreal and vivid all at once.
He forced a breath. He calmed down and said in his mind
If this was a dream, it was flawless.
If this was the game, it was beyond any simulation he had ever known.
And if it wasn't either…
Then he was no longer Aiden Cross, a frustrated player sitting in the dark.
He was someone from Valdric family
Aiden looked once more at the letter resting on the deskwhich slowly disappeared in this air
He swallowed hard. "...come in ," he said loud for outside person to hear
The door creaked open.
A ray of golden light spilled across the floor, illuminating the room and a maid came and bowed to him
Aiden gave no response and observed and she quitely pulled him and took him to dressing room where after half a hour he came out in as a proper noble and a red face because of the shame he suffered for being dressed by a female
She then said " young master , would you like to go directly to dining hall or somewhere else " to which aiden replied " ahh , I would go to dining hall "
Maid was surprised but ultimately led aiden to hall