Chapter 1: Reincarnation as the Grand Duke's Younger Brother
He knew it was a dream, an undeniable nightmare.
However, he could not wake up from the nightmare - the evidence was that his body was moving forward painfully and woodenly, as if driven by unconscious austerity and silence.
(elder brother……)
Walking through the reveling crowd, amidst the torrent of rainbows and music, beneath the huge statue of the goddess of love, there is a beautiful figure shining with white light.
(elder brother……)
She wore a long purple cloak over a pure white dress, her long, shiny black hair fell like flowing water, her deep eyes sparkled like stars, and her beautiful and peaceful face had a kind and warm smile.
Just as I remembered.
No, he was even more dazzling and charming than the brother in my memory.
The man extended his hand, as white and smooth as ivory, to him: "Lucien, welcome home."
(elder brother.)
His dry throat tried to squeeze out a sound, but it shattered before it reached his lips. His eyes seemed to lose focus as if they were stung by the white figure under the goddess statue. The music and conversation that originally seemed to be noisy to him sank into the silent bottom of the water.
(I...what's wrong with me...I...)
In a trance, his vision froze again, and he saw a sword in his hand, a sword that he had drawn out at some unknown time.
The noise of the crowd exploded in my ears without any warning.
"Lucien! What are you going to do!?"
“Stop immediately!”
"How could you—"
"Everyone, step back! No one is allowed to come forward!"
"But--"
"That's an order."
The man exhaled slowly, his smiling lips curled up in doubt, like a beautiful statue: "Lucien, why do you want to kill me?"
"Because I hate you! I've hated you since the day I was born! I want—I want to kill you!"
(No! That’s a lie! A lie! I did this to get back to you—)
"Honestly?"
As if joking, the man asked in a low voice, with a mocking smile, his slender fingers took the initiative to unbutton the highest button of the collar, revealing the white throat hidden under the silk.
"Lucien, if you hate me—stab me this way."
(No--)
(I don’t want to kill you! I—)
A heart-wrenching pain arose in my chest.
Two voices argued fiercely in my head.
(I hate him... He is my enemy... All the suffering I have endured since I was born is because of him... I want to kill him... I...)
(No! It shouldn’t be like this! It shouldn’t…it shouldn’t…I shouldn’t kill him! I can’t kill him!)
(Kill him! Avenge Milia! That child was only fourteen when he died!)
(No! I can’t do it! If you ask me to kill him, I’d rather kill myself! I—)
(Stab! Stab—)
(No!)
ah--
The sword stabbed down.
Temporarily regaining his composure due to the excruciating pain, he looked down at the blade lodged in his chest and his blood-stained hands, revealing a relieved smile: "I... I... What have I done... Fortunately... Fortunately, brother is okay..."
"Lucien—"
My vision was filled with black hair like the night sky and a pale face as beautiful as a statue, and a gentle voice sounded in my ears.
"Lucien...Lucien..."
He raised his eyes with difficulty and saw that the black eyes that always shone with an unfathomable mysterious light in his memory were now filled with tears of anxiety.
The man hugged him tightly, his lips trembling, and his voice was urgent: "Doctor! Doctor! And - the Demonic Dao Tower! Tell the Demonic Dao Tower to send someone over immediately!"
"Brother... please forgive me... I..."
(I want to protect you, I...)
He raised his blood-stained hand tremblingly, trying to touch the cheek that was softer and smoother than a woman's, but his lips once again uttered a vicious curse.
"Yaris, I hate you! It was you who ordered the killing of Milia!"
(No! That’s not the case! The person talking to you now is not me…I…I…)
He struggled to make a sound, but what came out of his lips was still the creepy roar of a seriously injured beast on the verge of death.
"Unfortunately, I'm not as cold-blooded as you. I can't swing my sword to kill my only brother. I can only kill myself... A monster like you who toyed with power and people's hearts at will, with no regard for life... Even if you could gain the whole world, you would be doomed... doomed to never have anyone you could truly speak to... Farewell! My cruel yet beautiful brother!"
My brother... my brother... my poor brother... a brother born to suffer... I... I... him... more than anyone else in this world! I cannot abandon him... I would give my life ten thousand times over to free my brother from sorrow and pain. If I could - if I could -
The gradually cooling head slid down the silk-wrapped arm, and the last flickering breath came out of the nostrils.
…
…
"Lucien! Master Lucien!"
"My... my brother... my..."
"Lucien!"
The roar of thunder was like lightning splitting the brain, and at the same time, an intense and unbearable pain swept through the body.
“Ah… uh… ah…”
"Are you all right? This is mead with painkillers."
“Hu…Hu…”
Xiao Yun was panting. He grabbed the silver wine glass that came into his sight and drank the amber liquid in one gulp. Finally, he regained consciousness and squinted his eyes to look at the scene in front of him.
The warm afternoon sun shone on his face through the crystal ceiling. Beneath him was a soft and comfortable cushion. The backrest of the recliner was covered with elegant and finely crafted brocade. The vases placed in random places were filled with dazzling flowers.
Young maids and servants, wearing thin clothes that outlined their figures, stood in two rows around him who had just woken up. In front of him on the left side stood a skinny man in a black linen robe. The man had his head lowered and his temperament was gloomy. There was a brown hemp rope tied around his waist, and various small bottles were hanging on the rope.
The air is filled with the fragrance of flowers.
He... is still in another world...
That dream just now...
Whether it was the sharp pain of the sword piercing his chest, the wetness of his hands soaked in blood, or the man's suddenly pale and sorrowful face, they were all clearly engraved in his mind.
but--
(Why do I have this dream again?)
(These are Lucien's memories, not mine...)
"Sir, are you sure you don't need to call Dr. Moss?"
"unnecessary."
(I wonder why I did that?)
Xiao Yun thought worriedly and returned the wine glass to the maid.
The maid took the wine glass and left.
The man in black robe stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"I am a mid-level mage sent by the Mage Guild to protect you. I apologize for using magecraft to bring back unpleasant memories, but I must confirm your condition before Your Highness finishes praying in the Divine Tower. This is to prevent you from committing another horrific act that could harm Your Highness or yourself due to the remaining dark magecraft power within you."
"Dark magic?"
Xiao Yun raised his eyebrows, remembering that the magic way was the name given to magic in this alien world, and the black magic way referred to all the magic ways other than the white magic way.
"Is there dark magic power within me?"
"A month ago, you were corrupted by the power of the Dark Mage, broke into the temple during a ceremony, and committed self-harm in public. The Mage Guild deeply apologizes for this."
The man raised his head and emphasized, "Within the empire, any demonic aggression against the Sanctus family is a serious and unforgivable crime."
"Yeah?"
Xiao Yun curled his lips.
(According to Lucien's memories and the information provided by those around me, although I too carry the sacred blue blood, said to be the oldest and noblest in the entire continent, unlike my brother, hailed as the pride of the empire, I am merely the offspring of the previous Grand Duke and his maid. The previous Grand Duke passed away ten years ago, and my brother, who succeeded him, has always been gentle, tolerant, and doting on me, forbidding anyone to neglect me. However, to the traditional and conservative empire, I am a flawed product that brings shame to the Holy Family, renowned for its blue blood.)
(Of course, even if it was a defective product, this body still possessed the incredible power of the Holy Family. At least, those around me thought it was reasonable for me to survive after being pierced by a sword and to heal the wound in just two weeks.)
"I want to know if you have ever had any real killing intention towards His Highness?"
(Murderous intent?)
Xiao Yun shook his head hesitantly.
(“I” love his brother deeply. Even if his mind is controlled by the Dark Magic, I would rather kill myself than hurt him.)
"Through repeated investigations, I'm convinced that the technique used on you is a dark magic method similar to hypnotic suggestion. The person who casts the spell strengthens your inner negative emotions, causing you to unconsciously obey his orders. If you had never harbored murderous intentions towards His Highness—"
"I am only half Holy Family."
Xiao Yun interrupted the mage: "Is there any way to remove this suggestion?"
"I must return to the Magic Tower to report this to my mentor."
The magician, whose temperament and appearance reminded people of a crow, bowed and saluted, but before he could look up, he had disappeared from the fragrant sunroom.
(The real other world is indeed different from the novel...)
Xiao Yun muttered to himself, deciding to take care of his body first, and then—
Try to avoid meeting "my" brother.
(From the fragments revealed in the dream, this young Archduke, renowned for his purest blood of the Holy Family, who inherited the throne at the age of twelve, and for many years deeply beloved by the Emperor and the Priestly Order, and hailed as the Light of the Empire, was clearly a ruthless character, and was exceptionally protective of his younger brother, "me.")
(If he finds out that the current Lucien is not his brother Lucien...)
Thinking of this, Xiao Yun, who only had a clear memory of the original owner's last day of life and some common sense of the current world, couldn't help but shudder.
Fortunately, he had the history and experience of China's 5,000-year-old civilization, as well as the Chinese Heroic Spirit Drawing System that had existed in his mind since he woke up as Lucien.
The system description shows that as long as he meets two conditions, he can activate the system and get the first chance to draw a card. After that, he can repeatedly open the card pool by accumulating and consuming values to obtain the Chinese Heroic Spirit Card.
Moreover, the card can be integrated into the body to allow him to gain the wisdom and power of the heroic spirit. The upper limit of the card's power is determined by a combination of factors such as the card's own data, the card character's soul compatibility with his own, etc.
(Sounds like a card game...)
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