* * *
Perhaps because it was the first day, the lesson wasn’t particularly difficult.
It was more of a quick review of what I had learned so far, with just a light introduction to more advanced concepts.
“I didn’t expect we’d actually start lessons on the first day.”
In this aspect, Arthur Sothes resembled the version of himself I had encountered in the novel.
“This concludes today’s lesson. Thank you for following along so well, even on the first day.”
Arthur Sothes’ gaze, gentle as his tone, landed squarely on me.
“…!”
‘It’s not my imagination.’
His gaze was sharp and inquisitive.
The kindness in his demeanor was just a façade; his deep green eyes held no emotion as they studied me.
They resembled the eyes of a researcher examining a test subject.
‘What is he trying to figure out from me?’
Was he beginning to question whether I was truly Sean?
No, that couldn’t be it. If he’d ever met Sean or heard about him, the duke and duchess wouldn’t have entrusted him with this position.
Then… what could it be? His curiosity about me must somehow tie into why he became my tutor.
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just stick to the act.’
He’s simply another new figure I need to deal with.
All I had to do was keep performing as I always had.
I flashed a bright smile at Arthur Sothes.
“Oh no, I should be the one thanking you! I had a lot of fun!”
“Haha, I’m glad to hear that. I must admit, I was surprised at your level of academic achievement. It’s much better than what I’d been briefed on.”
‘Ugh.’
Was he fishing for something?
No way.
Even if Arthur Sothes was as brilliant as they said, he couldn’t possibly imagine that I was a reincarnator.
The only reason I felt a pang of guilt was because I had pretended not to understand certain lessons in the past.
“Yes! I’ve been reviewing a lot lately!”
“Oh my, reviewing? How impressive, young master.”
It sounded like praise, but somehow it came across as mocking.
Of course, I hadn’t done any actual reviewing.
Remembering material at an elementary school level was child’s play for me.
The only reason I had held back before was to avoid drawing too much attention.
‘Why the sudden change of heart, then?’
Perhaps Arthur Sothes had his own reasons for wanting to dig into my background.
But I didn’t think the duke and duchess had planted him here out of any suspicion toward me.
If they had, they could’ve just relied on Mila to uncover the truth.
‘I just… didn’t want to disappoint them.’
The former tutor of Raizen was now assigned to me.
It was likely intended as preparation for Sean, who would eventually return to the Kreveta family—even if he was missing for now.
But to outsiders, it probably looked like they had given a prestigious tutor to a commoner adoptee.
‘Even if no one said anything outright, they’d definitely whisper behind closed doors.’
The duke and duchess must have known that, yet they still gave me this opportunity.
‘That’s all there is to it.’
“For today, I won’t assign any homework!”
“Wow!”
Yeah, sure… thanks a lot.
“Take care on your way out, young master.”
“You too, teacher!”
With Arthur Sothes seeing me off, I left the room with Mila by my side.
“Great job today. Are you hungry?”
“Nope, I’m fine. It’s almost dinnertime anyway!”
Mila nodded, though she looked a little disappointed.
It seemed she was thoroughly enjoying the task of fattening me up.
‘I suppose that’s understandable.’
Since arriving at the duke’s estate, I’d been following a diet prescribed by the family physician—three square meals a day with snacks in between.
Despite this, Sean’s body remained painfully thin, though Mila and the chef had been thrilled to see even a bit of weight returning to my cheeks.
“Oh! Are you meeting with Young Master Raizen today?”
“W-With Hyung?”
“Yes. You haven’t spent much time together lately.”
“Well…”
That was because there was no longer a need to hold hands every day.
The birthday gift I had given him seemed to have worked, as Raizen hadn’t sought me out since.
The day after, he had smiled that insincere smile of his and said he didn’t think we needed to hold hands for a while.
Just thinking about that moment made my blood boil.
‘Does he think I held his hand every day because I wanted to?’
Every time he pretended to be kind with that face that looked so much like his older brother, it stirred up a mess of emotions I didn’t want to deal with.
On top of that, he’d even made absurd suggestions like sleeping together.
That was part of why I had focused on creating a holy relic.
And yet, now that he’d actually backed off, I couldn’t help but feel a little… wistful.
‘In the end, all he ever cared about was my power.’
“Young master?”
I must have been making a strange face, as Mila called out to me with a concerned expression.
I quickly shook my head.
“Hyung’s been really busy! But we’ll play together again soon!”
Whenever his divine power ran low, he’d have to come find me anyway.
“I see. In that case, how about a cup of hot chocolate back in your room?”
‘Why hot chocolate of all things…’
But seeing Mila’s face light up with excitement, I didn’t have the heart to refuse.
“Okay! Sounds good!”
We were rounding a corner, chatting away, when I suddenly froze.
Walking toward us from the opposite direction was an entirely unexpected figure.
“Oh…!”
The moment our eyes met, he strode toward me without hesitation.
“Sean, how have you been?”
It was Raizen.
“W-Wow, Hyung!”
Despite my surprise, I plastered on a cheerful smile.
Mila greeted Raizen politely, and he acknowledged her with practiced ease, though his gaze remained fixed on me.
‘Has he grown taller?’
It hadn’t been that long, but he seemed noticeably different.
Not only was he taller, but his shoulders were broader, and his features more defined.
“…”
He was looking more and more like the older brother from my memories.
The thought was unbearable, and I instinctively averted my gaze.
That’s when Raizen reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Heading back to your room after lessons? I’m glad I caught you.”
‘Why is he being so uncharacteristically chatty?’
“How was your lesson with Mr. Sothes?”
For a moment, my heart plummeted.
‘Wait a second.’
The person whose reaction I should have been most wary of was Raizen.
‘Damn it.’
To Raizen, the title of heir to the Pantheon dukedom was everything.
Despite the curse that tormented him, he bore the responsibilities of an heir with an almost obsessive sense of duty.
It was this very mindset that led him to distrust people and grow hyper-aware of how others perceived him.
Perhaps that’s why, in the novel, he eventually killed both his adopted younger brother Sean and Arthur Sothes—the mentor who was almost a father figure—after suspecting they were plotting against him.
And yet, here I was, essentially having stolen his personal tutor.
I swallowed hard.
‘I’ll admit it. I’ve been too complacent. I thought I’d proven my usefulness enough that Raizen wouldn’t keep a close eye on me anymore.’
‘But maybe… I was wrong.’
How should I handle this situation?
Taking a deep breath to calm my startled heart, I studied Raizen’s face.
His smile seemed a little deeper than usual, but that wasn’t the problem—it wasn’t a genuine smile of joy.
‘He came all the way here himself, so it looks like he’s pretty upset…’
“Are you two planning to spend some time together now?”
Mila’s voice broke the silence, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
‘Mila, no. That’s not it. That’s definitely not it!’
“Yes, we’re heading to my room. Bring the snacks up there.”
“Understood!”
Mila left, practically skipping with joy.
‘Mila… Oh, Mila…!’
In the end, it was just me and Raizen.
“Shall we go?”
“…Sure.”
It had been a while since I’d been to Raizen’s room.
It was almost unchanged from my memory—still tidy and strangely serene.
“How have you been?”
Raizen asked the moment he sat down at the table.
‘Didn’t he just ask me that earlier?’
Even though it had been a while since we were alone like this, we saw each other regularly at breakfast and dinner.
Surely, he wasn’t that curious about my well-being.
So why ask again?
Unless…
‘Are you trying to say, “After taking what’s mine, did you sleep soundly”?’
“I’ve been fine. What about you?”
I opted for a neutral response, avoiding any unnecessary remarks that might spark his temper.
At my reply, Raizen smiled softly and nodded.
“I’m doing well, thanks to you, Sei.”
That was… a dangerously misleading statement.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
When Raizen gave permission to enter, Mila came in with two apple pies, hot chocolate, and herbal tea. She set them on the table and left with a cheerful wave.
‘Of course, hot chocolate made its way here.’
I didn’t dislike sweet things so much that I’d shudder at the sight of them.
I just didn’t prefer them.
‘Still, since it’s something prepared for me…’
Taking a sip of the hot chocolate, the thick, overly sweet drink slid down my throat.
‘Sweet. Ridiculously sweet.’
But it didn’t have the cheap sugary taste, thanks to the use of high-quality chocolate.
It was tolerable.
‘I better drink it quickly.’
As I prepared to take another sip, Raizen’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“Are you going to drink all of it this time, too?”
“…?”
“You don’t like sweet things.”
Startled, I almost spat the hot chocolate back out.
“How did you…?”
“You always frown before eating anything sweet.”
Had I really done that?
It wasn’t something even I was aware of.
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
It wasn’t the fact that Raizen had noticed my distaste for sweets that unsettled me.
‘It’s because I don’t prefer sweets… not Sean.’
I had no idea if the real Sean liked sweet things or not.
This was just me.
And now, Raizen had seen the real me.
Ever since waking up in Sean’s body, I’d been acting as him, living each moment in disguise.
Being exposed in such an unexpected way felt… far from pleasant.
Raizen didn’t press for an explanation. Instead, he asked another question.
“If you don’t like it, why do you always finish it?”
“…”
“Is there a reason for that?”
* * *
