A Way of Redemption

Chapter 3

I didn't know what happened, but when I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar place where everyone kept calling me young master. Before I could say anything or even learn where I was, I passed out. But everything kept getting crazier and crazier. I was certain I had passed out, so why was I now outside my body? I asked myself multiple times before a wave of clarity suddenly washed over my mind.

"What the heck is happening to me?!" I shouted, looking around the room. My mind was having such a hard time processing everything that I'd forgotten to question my appearance and the two people who had entered the room. In shock, all I could do was watch them talk about me as I learned my name was Frances and that something had happened to me. I gathered some information about this place—it seemed to be an old kingdom system where nobility ruled. But that wasn't what intrigued me most. They spoke of someone attempting to murder me, which differed completely from what I remembered. My last memory was of trying to kill myself by jumping from our apartment complex, trying to escape my regrets about my family. Now, as if in some divine play or curse, I had entered this bizarre reality where I was a young master of nobility. It baffled me. I tried pinching myself to see if this was real, feeling foolish as I attempted to pinch my ethereal form outside my body. With no other choice, I calmed down and listened to the people discussing me.

"So, have you accustomed to this reality yet?" a voice suddenly said beside me. I jumped, turning to find a complete copy of myself standing there. "Wha—what are you? Who are you?" I stuttered, startled by his sudden appearance.

"I am the original owner of this body," he said, leaving me slack-jawed at this revelation.

"Then why am I here? Shouldn't you be in my place right now?" I asked as a calm wave washed over my mind.

"Unfortunately, my soul is already vanishing from the incident," he said sadly, tears welling up at his helplessness.

"So, what am I doing here?" I asked in exasperation as everything I knew crumbled around me.

"Well, didn't you wish that if you had a chance to redeem yourself, you would do so?" He looked at me with envy.

"But why am I here? I said my life in my world! Not here in your world—I chose my family, not yours!" I shouted desperately. The information overwhelmed me, forcing me to sit down beside my body on the bed.

"Well, that I don't know all. All I know is that I should tell you that you may find the answer here in this world," he said, smiling with both pity and sadness as he began to fade away.

"Wait, what? You're just disappearing like that? Can't you give me a little more information?!" I stood up, trying to grab his shoulder, but my hands passed through him.

"Please take care of my family, especially my mother," he said as he continued to fade. "I love you, Mom. Please know that I am in a good place now," he said, taking a final look at his mother before breaking down in tears.

I couldn't help but cry at the scene before me. My respect for the real Frances grew, sensing our connection and similar circumstances. I thought about what my own mother must have felt when I jumped. But I knew that standing here depressed and aloof would dishonor Frances's gift of a second chance. My contemplation was interrupted by twelve different-colored rays in the sky. As if on cue, I felt myself being pulled back to the bed. I tried to resist, but the force was too strong to fight.

What I didn't realize was that this force was simply returning me to my body. My vision blacked out momentarily, accompanied by a piercing headache.

"Ugh, why does this keep happening to me every time I wake up?" I grunted, clutching my head in pain.

"Frances! Thank God you woke up!" I heard the woman cry out in concern. Thankfully, I hadn't fully passed out earlier and had retained the information I'd overheard. This beautiful woman was Frances's mother, and the distinguished gentleman was his grandfather.

"Daughter, please calm down. As you can see, Frances is having a hard time processing everything right now," Lucianus said, but his eyes held something different—he was judging me, as if sensing an anomaly. I felt that one wrong move would mean death by this old man's hand. But the pain in my head was so intense that I couldn't focus on anything else.

"Boy, control your aura. If you keep releasing it like that, of course it will bring you pain," Lucianus said, grasping my shoulder. The moment he did, relief flooded through me like a tidal wave clearing a blockage. I gasped for air, trying to calm my racing heart.

"It's okay now, son, just take a deep breath," Seraphina said, gently patting my back in reassurance. Meanwhile, Lucianus pulled the rope by Frances's bed, ringing a bell outside. The two maids immediately rushed in.

"What can we do, patriarch?" they asked in unison, their quick thinking determining that Lucianus had summoned them.

"The child needs nourishment and water," Lucianus ordered. The maids bowed and left, while one stayed to pour water from a pitcher near the door. I grabbed the offered water eagerly, my body feeling as parched as if I'd been stranded in a desert for months. The cool liquid soothed my throat and brought another wave of comfort.

"Mom, where am I?" I asked naturally, though I felt guilty for the original Frances. I knew I needed to adapt to this world—not just for my sake, but because something inside me insisted that the faster I accepted this reality, the sooner I'd find answers to my own problems.

"Don't worry now, my son. Everything is safe. You're in the family manor," my mother said, sitting beside me and embracing me tightly. I felt her tears wet my back, and something deep inside urged me to return her embrace. As I hugged my new mother, emotions crashed over me, and I too began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry for everything," I wailed, knowing that even though she wasn't my original mother, she was now my mother, and her tight embrace showed how worried she'd been. This hug provided the greatest comfort after everything that had happened, perhaps explaining why I felt safe being vulnerable in this unfamiliar environment.

Watching our embrace, Lucianus sighed sadly, clearly pitying me. This raised more questions in my mind: What really happened to Frances? Why was I, of all people, here? These questions pounded in my head as my logical self demanded answers. But I knew nothing would be accomplished by dwelling on them.

"What happened to me, Mom? I don't remember anything?" I asked, straightening up and composing myself. Everyone looked shocked—even Lucianus, the most collected person present, couldn't help but gape in surprise.