Without realizing it, Seo-jun nearly missed breakfast.
Chewie arrived, pushing a trolley loaded with various breakfast dishes. Somehow, she had officially been appointed as a new maid at the Sebastian Hanwick estate—no one knew how she managed to soften the notoriously strict head butler, who was famous for distrusting newcomers.
"Good morning, Mr. Adrian Hanwick. Please relax and enjoy your breakfast,"
she said gently, her voice soothing in a way that put people at ease.
Seo-jun couldn't stop smiling at the sight of the woman he liked serving him so attentively. He smiled so much that his jaw actually started to ache.
After finishing breakfast, Seo-jun returned to his work, which was nearly complete. But just as he was deeply focused, Chewie suddenly sat down on his lap—without asking for permission.
"Hey… what are you doing? You know that's inappropriate, right?"
Seo-jun asked flatly.
Chewie simply gave him a faint smile, then planted a quick kiss on his right cheek before standing up. She walked away without even glancing back, leaving Seo-jun frozen in place, completely unprepared for her bold and spontaneous move.
His mind immediately filled with the memory of her shameless touch. Deciding he needed a break, Seo-jun leaned back to calm himself—along with his other restless problem, which was wild but still very much under control.
Just then, a familiar tapping echoed at the window.
The pure white dove was back, pecking impatiently at the glass. Seo-jun deliberately stared at it without opening the window right away, causing the bird to grow visibly annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah—relax. No need to get so emotional,"
Seo-jun muttered as he finally opened the window.
The dove immediately hopped closer, giving him a look Seo-jun now knew all too well—it wanted payment in the form of cookies.
While the bird busied itself with its snack, Seo-jun opened the letter tied to its leg. It was from the same sender as before—the one marked with the initial O.
"I hope you haven't forgotten our promise today."
Inside the envelope was a single dried sprig of lavender.
"A promise… This reeks of a trap. If I mess up, I could end up dead—especially when I'm this close to success,"
Seo-jun muttered under his breath.
"…Ah, whatever. I'll just ignore it. Who even cares?"
And so, Seo-jun chose to disregard the promise and refocus on the business he was running with his youngest brother.
The work progressed steadily. Seo-jun even stayed overnight at his villa several times to concentrate better. The villa was much closer to Sora's residence, where the production workshop had been established, making it easier to guard with Seo-jun's trusted men.
Then one day, Chewie—who usually followed Seo-jun everywhere—suddenly disappeared without saying a word.
Sensing something was off, Seo-jun immediately ordered his guards to search for her.
Not long after, one of them reported that a red-haired woman had been frequently entering and leaving the palace of Her Highness, Princess Victoria Aurelion.
Seo-jun, who had been suspicious of Chewie from the start, wasn't particularly shocked. He merely nodded calmly, his composed reaction confusing the guards watching him.
"Aren't you… angry, sir?"
one of the guards asked carefully from across his desk.
Seo-jun stopped writing his report, twirling his pen between his fingers as he stared off into space for a moment.
"Hmm… it's nothing. Haha. Alright—go get some rest. Thanks for your hard work,"
he said lightly.
The guards left, clearly confused, while Seo-jun kept smiling and returned to his work.
The moment the door shut, he leaned back in his chair and flicked his pen toward the window.
"Damn it… so she really was Princess Victoria's spy. And I—of course—fell for her anyway,"
he muttered bitterly.
"Tch. Figures. She probably reported everything going on in this household too. No wonder the Adrian from the history books eventually caved to the princess… finally feeling understood, right when the family started bleeding money without knowing why—right after Edmund Hanwick died."
Seo-jun froze. His eyes widened.
"What the fu—so that's the missing reason they never wrote down?!"
He jumped up and started pacing the room, trying to piece together fragments from the story he remembered.
"It starts with internal family conflict… the heir losing his way… Adrian punished by his father after massive gambling losses… Edmund's health declining… then what?"
He stopped abruptly.
"It feels like… something important is missing."
Right then, the study door swung open without warning.
"AAAH—!"
Seo-jun yelped on instinct. When he turned around, Rowan was standing there, beaming with excitement.
"Brother Adrian, I—"
Smack!
Seo-jun's sandal flew straight into Rowan's face, leaving a bright red mark.
"I told you—knock before you come in!"
Seo-jun snapped.
Instead of getting angry, Rowan just grinned. He lifted what he'd been holding—a rubber inner tube, fully inflated using a modern pump Seo-jun had designed himself. A pump that had cost a fortune, including hiring an expensive blacksmith from a neighboring country.
"Well? Pretty cool, right?"
Rowan said proudly.
"Oh, by the way—have you finished the yacht design you promised me yet? Make it nice. I want to travel the world without paying insane transport fees."
Then, casually, he added,
"Oh yeah, Brother… Princess Victoria Aurelion's birthday is coming up soon. Did you already get the invitation to be her escort?"
Seo-jun froze.
"Wait… was I really that close to Her Highness?"
he asked, stunned.
In the book he'd read, Adrian Hanwick only grew close to the princess at his lowest point—depressed, broken, emotionally dependent. There was never any mention of him being a regular escort at royal events.
Noticing the odd tone, Rowan began pacing around the room, opening drawers, checking cabinets, even peeking into corners.
"What are you even looking for? You're being ridiculous,"
Seo-jun said, annoyed and confused.
Rowan scratched his head.
"There's no wine… no liquor at all. I know you quit drinking, but still…"
He stared at Seo-jun.
"Why are you acting so weird? You look drunk even without alcohol."
Seo-jun let out a long sigh and sat back down at his desk.
"I quit months ago," he said flatly.
"And am I really that strange? I'm just asking questions. You know why, don't you? I already explained it to you."
Rowan blinked, then nodded as realization hit.
"Oh—right. I forgot," he said with an awkward grin.
"So yeah. You were personally chosen as Her Highness's escort starting from her debut ball. But the weird part? No one knows how it happened. One day, a royal carriage just showed up with an official invitation. That was it."
Seo-jun fell silent.
He didn't remember any of it—
as if every memory belonging to Adrian Hanwick had been completely erased the moment he entered this body.