I threw on a black shirt with a relaxed collar... snug enough to look sharp and loose enough to breathe properly.
The kind of outfit that said "rich" without screaming.
One last check in the mirror—perfect.
Time to go negotiate my death in style.
The moment I opened my door, Stella was already waiting. Polite and quiet as always.
She followed two steps behind me like the good maid she was. Thank god it wasn’t a full moon.
The hallway outside reminded me just how ridiculous this place actually was.
Polished white floors stretched endlessly beneath my feet.
Soft lights glowed across the ceiling and to my right was an entire wall made up of glass, offering a panoramic view of the estate.
And what a view it was.
The Ashborn estate looked less like a noble’s home and more like a private city-state.
Vast green fields, training arenas, towers for guests, even two spare mansions that screamed backup palace.
And towering above it all was the Ashborn Spire. The very building I stood in.
Yep, this wasn’t some dusty medieval castle. Nobles here didn’t live in mansions anymore. That was old news. Now, they lived in skyscrapers reaching toward the clouds like they owned the sky.
A 120-floor architectural wonder, stabbing into the sky like it wanted to challenge the gods.
I was currently on Floor 108.
My private suite spanned the entire level. Training room. Dining hall. Meditation chamber. Indoor hot spring.
Even had a tea room with 800-year-old cups that looked breakable just by thinking about them.
This place didn’t have luxury. It was the luxury itself.
I must have damn good karma to transmigrate as Rael instead of some poor, abandoned or forgotten extra.
I couldn’t help but marvel as I looked at the vast space around me. It was all thanks to space compression tech... stolen from those lovely intergalactic enemies called ASS.
It was funny how humanity’s greatest leap in architecture came from alien war criminals.
I stopped in front of the lift. It looked like a modern elevator but moved with magic.
Stella stepped ahead and pressed the button.
Just as the doors slid open—
High-pitched, sweet, dangerous and far too loud for a hallway this quiet.
Incoming child missile.
I turned just in time to catch her.
A tiny girl with midnight black hair tied neatly in twin buns ran towards me. Her eyes were bright red just like mine.
If joy was a person, she’d be the incarnation.
I barely caught her before we both toppled backward.
Seriously, how do kids weigh so little and yet hit like a truck?
Behind her, a maid appeared—panicked, pale and practically hiding behind Stella.
The previous Rael treated most servants like furniture. Of course they flinched when I looked their way.
I turned back to the child in my arms.
Rael’s... or should I say my younger sister.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me like a baby koala.
"I missed you, Big Brotha!" she chirped.
I didn’t have siblings in my previous life. The only person who even came close to that role was Noah.
I had two sisters. Unlike how he treated servants, Rael was too caring for his sisters.
And thanks to the memories and emotions I had inherited from the original Rael...
I cared deeply for them as well.
"I was only unconscious for a few hours, Ru," I muttered, ruffling her hair.
She puffed up her cheeks and smacked my chest with her tiny fist. "You were sleeping forever. The doctor said you might not wake up."
She paused for a moment. Her voice turned low. "Uncle even said you are going to die."
So that’s what this was about.
I sighed. She was small but I could feel it. The fear she wasn’t showing.
Ru was only seven but sharper than she looked too observant and aware.
Unlike me or my older sister, Ru grew up without the love of our mother.
She died giving birth to Ru.
Me and Lyra tried our best to fill that void... but no matter how much we loved her, we couldn’t replace a mother’s warmth.
And Ru knew that. Even if she never said it out loud.
Although it was never her fault, people whispered.
Servants muttered that Ru was cursed—that her birth brought misfortune, that she was bad luck.
Rael heard those whispers growing up. He couldn’t protect her from them. So instead... he turned cruel.
Cruel to the very servants who whispered behind closed doors.
He became the one they feared. The spoiled, arrogant heir.
And in doing so... he pulled their eyes away from Ru.
They still whispered—but less. They feared Rael more than they feared the girl they once called cursed.
"Ru," I said gently, brushing a hair out of her eyes, "I’m fine. See? All alive and annoyingly handsome as usual."
"You’re lying," she pouted. "You always make jokes when you’re hiding something."
"That’s what Sister Lyra says."
I poked Ruri’s forehead.
"I’m not lying. I really am okay. Just... tired. That’s all."
For a moment, I thought she was going to cry but she just nodded and rested her head on my shoulder.
"... you won’t leave me like mom right?"
"I’m not going anywhere, Ru. Not without a fight. And definitely not without saying goodbye."
"Promise." My lips curled into a grin unconsciously.
I never had this. Not in my old life. Not this kind of bond. But now? Even if it’s borrowed from Rael... it’s mine too.
Because I’m not the same orphan as before. I’m Rael Von Ashborn now. And this time... I live my story.
She looked up. Red eyes locking onto mine.
Then—boop—she poked my cheek.
"You look stupid when you smile like that."
"...Wow. I take it all back. You’re evil."
"Nuh-uh~ I’m adorable." She grinned.
I snorted. Still holding her, I extended my hand behind me without looking.
Stella placed something small in my palm—a candy.
Good maid. She always knew what I wanted.
I passed it to Ruri, who held it like I’d handed her some treasure chest.
Just then, the lift dinged again.
I stepped in, still holding her.
"Coming with me?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I’m not allowed on the top floors. Papa gets mad."
Dad didn’t like us going on the top floor without a reason. Especially Ru. She once threw out all important documents out of the window. It was total chaos.
I gently lowered her to the ground.
"Alright then. Go do your evil homework or something."
"Okay~ Don’t die, Big Brotha~"
The doors closed shut.
And for the first time since I woke up in this nightmare, I felt something I hadn’t expected.
So yeah. No cheat system. No OP stats. No mysterious old man handing a god-tier artifact in a cave.
But hey, Rael does have the one thing stronger than plot armor: family.
And for a guy who used to live alone in a cold skyscraper... that matters more than he’ll admit.
: Papa Duke makes his appearance.
He’s not what you expect.
Let’s see if Rael’s smile works on someone who’s immune to bullshit. (Probably not.)
If you’re enjoying the chaos so far—drop a comment or throw a Power Stone, so Rael doesn’t die in emotional silence. He’ll still be smiling, but now you know why.