Chapter 2 — Awakening as Leo
Kang opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the smell of flowers. Soft sunlight entered through the tall windows, filling the luxurious room with warmth.
He slowly looked around. Everything in the room was unfamiliar.
Then a man's voice came from beside the bed.
"Young Master Leo, you're awake."
Kang slowly turned his head. A butler was standing beside the bed, looking at him with a relieved expression.
"Doctors are coming."
Kang frowned.
"Leo?"
The butler looked slightly confused by his reaction.
"Yes, Young Master. You are Leo Rosard."
Kang stared at him.
He didn't understand what was happening.
He slowly pushed himself up from the bed and looked around the luxurious room again. Nothing about this place felt familiar.
Then his eyes landed on a large mirror across the room.
He slowly turned toward it.
And froze.
The person staring back at him wasn't Kang Do-Hyun.
It was a young man, around eighteen years old, with a slender body and smooth skin. There were no scars, no signs of the hardened body he had built through years of military training.
"What..."
A sharp pain suddenly struck his head.
Kang grabbed his head as countless memories flooded into his mind.
Memories that didn't belong to him.
---
A garden appeared in his mind.
A young boy was playing with a young girl.
Evelyn.
They had grown up together, spending their childhood side by side.
One memory became clearer.
Evelyn looked at the young Leo with a smile.
"Leo, when we grow up, let's get married."
Leo smiled back.
"Yes! I will marry you!"
Their families watched them from a distance.
Leo's father was Duke Drake Rosard, one of the five great dukes and the strongest man in the kingdom. Evelyn's father, Arzen Bellamont, was also a powerful swordsman.
Their childhood promise eventually became an engagement.
For Leo, Evelyn wasn't simply his fiancée.
She was the girl he had loved since childhood.
But Leo had never been talented.
He loved books and magic more than swords, yet his mana was terribly low. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't live up to his family's bloodline.
Then came the Royal Academy entrance examination.
Leo was fifteen.
Evelyn stood among the accepted students and received praise for her talent.
Leo wasn't accepted.
His magic was too weak, and his sword talent was nonexistent.
Evelyn left for the academy while Leo remained at home.
Even after they separated, they continued exchanging letters. Leo waited eagerly for every letter from her.
Then two years passed.
And slowly, things began to change.
---
At the academy, Evelyn met many talented people.
Among them was Julian Valerian, the Third Prince.
He was a genius swordsman, even stronger than Evelyn.
At first, she only admired his talent.
Evelyn had always admired talent because of her mother, Natasha—the kingdom's best swordwoman and the only woman to ever become a Sword Master.
She had grown up looking up to her mother and wanted to become strong like her.
So when she saw Julian's incredible talent, she naturally admired him.
But it was only admiration.
She still loved Leo.
Then Julian confessed his feelings to her.
Evelyn rejected him.
"I already have a fiancé."
Leo.
She didn't tell Leo about Julian's confession because she knew it would only hurt him.
But Julian didn't give up.
As time passed, they continued spending time together and sparring.
Every time Evelyn crossed swords with him, she saw more of his talent. His swordsmanship, strength, and determination impressed her.
The more she saw, the more she admired him.
At first, she thought nothing of it.
But slowly, something inside her began to change.
She started noticing Julian more.
She found herself thinking about him even when he wasn't there.
Still, she tried to ignore those feelings.
She reminded herself of Leo—the boy she had grown up with and the person she had promised to marry.
But feelings weren't always something a person could control.
After two years at the academy, Evelyn finally understood what was happening.
Her admiration for Julian had become something deeper.
She had fallen in love with him.
And that realization hurt her.
She didn't want to hurt Leo.
She didn't want to betray him.
She didn't want to pretend that her heart was still the same when it wasn't.
Then Julian confessed to her again.
This time, Evelyn didn't reject him.
"I need to talk to someone first."
That someone was Leo.
---
When Evelyn returned, Leo was happy to see her.
After waiting for so long, he finally had his childhood love in front of him again.
But something felt different.
She was distant.
Leo noticed it immediately.
"Evelyn?"
She looked at him.
There was sadness in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Leo."
Leo's heart began to pound.
"I loved you. I really did love you..."
She paused.
"But I realized that love is not the only thing we need."
"In these two years, I met many people and learned many things."
Leo remained silent.
He didn't understand.
He wanted to.
But something inside him already feared the answer.
Evelyn took a breath.
"I found someone... Julian, the Third Prince."
Leo's heart tightened.
"I know you're probably wondering why."
She looked down.
"When I first met him, I only admired his talent. He was an incredible swordsman."
"We sparred many times, and every time I saw something different in him. His talent... his determination..."
She paused for a moment.
"My mother, Natasha, has always been the person I admired most."
"She's the kingdom's best swordwoman, and the only woman to ever become a Sword Master."
"I've always wanted to become strong like her."
"So when I saw Julian's talent, I naturally admired him."
"But at first, it was only admiration."
She looked at Leo.
"I still loved you, Leo."
"I really did."
Leo's chest tightened.
"But as time passed, I started spending more time with him."
"We trained together. We sparred together."
"Somewhere along the way..."
Her voice became quieter.
"My feelings changed."
She lowered her eyes.
"I tried to ignore them."
"I kept telling myself that you were the person I loved, and that I couldn't feel this way about someone else."
"But I couldn't lie to myself forever."
She took a shaky breath.
"That's when I realized..."
"I had fallen in love with him."
Leo's heart shattered.
Evelyn looked at him.
"I'm sorry."
"I never wanted to hurt you."
"That's why I came back to tell you myself."
"I could have hidden it from you, but that wouldn't have been fair to you."
"I didn't cheat on you."
"I want to be honest with my heart."
Leo couldn't speak.
Evelyn continued.
"In these years, I learned that love is not the only thing in life."
"To live, we need to become stronger. Power also matters."
"Leo... we need to go separate ways now."
"I am going to accept his confession, and we are going to Senior Academy together."
Leo stood there silently.
Evelyn knew she had hurt him.
But she didn't want to lie to him.
"You can hate me as much as you want. People's perspectives change with time."
She slowly took off the ring Leo had given her and placed it on the table.
"This is the ring you gave me. I return it to you."
"My father will send the official engagement cancellation letter to your family."
She looked at him one last time.
"We came a long way..."
Her voice became soft.
"But our paths are different now."
Then she left.
---
Leo didn't move.
His father was disappointed.
The household began whispering.
Evelyn was going to the Senior Academy with Julian.
The girl he had loved his entire life had chosen someone else.
He felt worthless.
Lonely.
Powerless.
Unwanted.
Everything he had believed in had collapsed.
That night, Leo sat alone.
He wrote only a few words.
I am sorry.
And then—
Leo ended his own life.
---