Got it, bro — correction locked in. Flora is not the betrayer. She is a loyal maid (assassin background, but she doesn't betray Nicolas). The woman in the broken/sealed memories (the one who comforted then betrayed the child version of Nicolas) is Flora's sister. Those memories are sealed by his father and will only be revealed much later (around Arc 4 or 5, nearly 300 chapters in). I won't connect the dream woman to the current maid in any way that hints at betrayal now.
Here's the natural webnovel-style rewrite of your latest scene, with every detail preserved exactly as you described, plus the fixes for Flora. It flows right after the previous breakfast/assassin/regression scenes as the new awakening (post-first or early regression). Nicolas's scaredy-cat reactions + leaking sarcastic/cold inner voice stay consistent.
A faint cry echoed in the suffocating darkness.
"Please… don't…"
It was a child's voice — weak, trembling, like a broken whisper.
The scene flickered like a shattered memory. A young boy curled up in the corner, his small body shaking uncontrollably as silent tears streamed down his face and dripped onto the cold floor.
Slow, steady footsteps approached. With every step, the boy's trembling grew worse.
A woman appeared and knelt gently before him. Her presence felt warm, comforting.
"It's alright, young master… I'm here," she said softly.
The boy looked up with tear-filled eyes. Her face remained unclear, hidden behind shifting smoke.
"R-Really…?" he asked weakly.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes."
She wiped his tears and pulled him into a gentle embrace. For a brief moment, everything felt safe.
Days passed like fleeting light — playing in the garden, eating together, small moments of happiness that almost felt real.
Then everything shattered.
The same woman stood before him again. This time she didn't kneel. She didn't smile. Instead, she turned away. Two men dressed in dark clothing stepped forward.
"…Take him."
The boy's eyes widened in horror.
"W-Wait… no… please—!"
His voice broke as he struggled, reaching desperately toward her. But she didn't look back. The men grabbed him and dragged him away. His helpless cries echoed into the void before darkness swallowed everything.
Rowan's eyes shot open.
"Hah—!"
He gasped for air, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. His chest rose and fell violently, heart pounding like it wanted to burst out of his ribs. The dream felt too real — too vivid, too painful.
He raised a trembling hand and pressed it against his face.
"…What the hell was that…?"
His voice came out weak and unfamiliar. Slowly, he looked around the room — and froze.
This wasn't his room. Gold patterns decorated the walls. Expensive paintings hung neatly. The bed beneath him was far too soft and luxurious. Everything screamed wealth. Nobility.
Yet a strange sense of familiarity crept into his mind.
Before he could process it, sharp pain exploded in his head.
"Ah—!"
He grabbed his skull tightly as memories flooded in — fragments that weren't his. Faces, voices, events rushed through. At the same time, another memory surfaced: heavy chains, a dark room, the smell of blood, unbearable pain.
His breathing turned uneven.
"…Wait…"
His eyes widened.
"…Didn't I die…?"
The memory was clear — the dagger piercing his chest, the pain, the darkness that followed.
"…Then how am I alive…?"
Silence filled the lavish room as realization slowly formed.
"…Reincarnation…?"
His body trembled as memories from two lives overlapped, creating chaos. He forced himself to breathe, trying to calm down, but the fear didn't leave. It wasn't just confusion — it was the lingering terror of torture that this body still remembered.
The door creaked open.
"Young ma—… Oh, you woke up early today, young master."
Rowan froze.
That voice.
Slowly, he turned his head. A woman stood near the door, holding a tray with a cup of coffee, steam rising gently. She smiled warmly.
"I brought your morning coffee, young master."
It was Flora. According to the body's memories, she had only joined recently. No clear connection to the blurry woman in the dream. His body still reacted with instinctive fear, but he pushed it down. I need to be careful.
"Young master… are you listening?"
He forced himself to respond, voice trembling slightly.
"Y-Yes… I'm fine. Leave it on the table… and go."
Flora hesitated, her eyes lingering on him as if noticing something unusual, before she nodded and placed the cup down.
"…Alright, young master."
She left quietly. The door closed behind her, leaving the room in silence once again.
"…What is happening to me…?"
He looked at his hands, then around the luxurious room. He wasn't Rowan anymore — or rather, he was, but inside someone else's body. A different life. A different world.
He slowly stood up on weak, unfamiliar legs and walked toward the mirror. Each step felt heavy, like the body didn't fully belong to him.
When he finally looked, a young man stared back — silver-black hair, sharp features, and red eyes that reflected noble blood.
"…Nicholaos Santos."
The name slipped out naturally as memories aligned. Second son of Marquess Walerian Santos. A family that would soon fall. Parents killed. Himself tortured.
Rowan's expression darkened.
"…How cruel."
A faint, bitter smile formed on his lips.
His gaze shifted toward the bed. Instinct warned him something was wrong. Slowly, he approached and lifted the blanket.
"…No way…"
The dagger lay there.
His fingers trembled as he picked it up. The moment he touched it, a flash hit him — the blade piercing his chest, blood spreading, pain consuming everything.
"Hah—!"
He threw it away instantly. His breathing turned chaotic, chest tightening as if dying all over again.
"…Get a grip…" he muttered, forcing calm. One breath. Two. Three. His body reacted faster than his mind.
Then a thought struck him.
"…Wait."
Memories — dates, events — aligned rapidly. He turned toward the calendar on the wall, steps uneven.
17 Martius, Year 486.
His blood ran cold.
"…I died on the 24th…"
His voice trembled.
"…That means…"
"…I went back one week…"
Silence.
"…Regression…?"
His eyes moved to the dagger on the floor.
"…This thing…"
No answer came. He clenched his fist.
"…Doesn't matter. Survival comes first."
His thoughts sharpened.
"…19th. My parents will be killed. 20th — the funeral. 21st — the academy letter. 22nd — I leave the mansion."
His expression darkened further.
"…The maid…"
His brows furrowed. The memory of someone injecting something stayed blurry. He hadn't seen the face clearly, and he had left alone in the carriage. Confusion built, followed by the memory of two days of torture — and death.
Rowan slowly sat down, his thoughts turning cold and precise.
"…So I have one week."
He clenched his fists.
"…First — save my parents. Second — reach the academy safely."
That was the only path.
Later, standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he splashed cold water on his face.
"…Why am I even here…?" he muttered.
Then he froze.
On the back of his left hand, faint words appeared.
Misfortune: 0%
Luck: 0%
"…What?"
His brows tightened. This wasn't in the original memories. Something new. Something unknown. Something dangerous.
"Tch."
Too many questions. No answers.
He stepped out and picked up the dagger again, holding it firmly.
"…For now… I just need to survive."
Outside, the sun slowly rose, casting light into the room. A new day had begun — but for him, it wasn't a beginning.
It was a countdown.
Seven days until death.
And this time… he would not die.
This keeps Flora completely neutral/loyal in the current scene (no betrayal hints). The dream woman remains mysterious and unlinked to her for now — perfect for the sealed memories reveal way later in Arc 4-5.
The two scenes now connect cleanly: previous one (breakfast attempt + assassin death) → this awakening as the next loop's start.
If you want me to combine them into one full Chapter 1 (or separate as Chapter 1 awakening + Chapter 2 breakfast), add more sarcasm/fear, or polish the next raw part (academy, factions, big brother "is it really you?", Karma stacking, etc.), just say the word and paste the text.
Your sealed memory arc sounds epic for the long run — readers will go crazy when it finally drops. What's the next scene or adjustment you need?