3 The Hater Is A Skirt-Chaser

"Inform Lord Father and his mother and…" She shot a glance my way with an unreal expression. "Take him back."

"Hell no, nobody touches me except my future wife, and it won't be muscleman. I'm as straight as my current ruler-like body," I declared, free from the icy constraint, leaping back amidst everyone's bewildered stares.

Even Solana Von Starfrost eyed me with a strange look.

"What happened to him?" She demanded, turning to Barin.

"I don't know, Milady. He woke up in this state just this morning and started acting like that…" Barin explained.

Shouldn't I be the one asking questions here?

"But if I had to explain it…I would say it's a memory loss," Barin added, throwing a glance in my direction.

At Barin's words, Solana looked at me with a mix of emotions. Strange.

I don't recall Solana Starfrost having a brother with my current appearance. I rubbed my throbbing head, grappling with the fuzzy memories of the novel.

Starfrost was a prominent Ducal House, one of the most powerful in the Kingdom-City of Milagrante.

So, this is their mansion?

It looked more like a castle than anything else.

"By the way, who are you to me?" I pointed at Solana. "My appearance is completely different from yours."

"Young Master…she is your sister even if you have different mothers," Barin clarified.

"I see, then she is merely my half-sister. It's better that way. My only blood sister is also annoying, but at least she ain't attacking me out of nowhere, you see?" I stretched my arms out wide and sighed obtaining no answers. "Guess not."

Concluding my words, I strolled to my room as everyone gawked at me, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.

"Maid, where is my room? Lead me there," I asked the maid I had threatened earlier, and she quickly nodded.

As she guided me through, I couldn't help but take in the opulence of the castle's interior.

So, is this my new house?

Anyone else might be thrilled in my shoes, but I'm far from pleased with my current predicament!

Maestro, is that you, the jerk who pulled me into your novel? Is this how you repay all the money I poured into your rainbow-filled narrative?!

No way I'm settling in this world.

I've got scores to settle back on Earth, with my family, and especially with my sister. Plus, I'm stuck in the body of some extra I've never even heard of in the novel, for fuck's sake!

"Your name, maid."

"Shana, M–Milord!" She stammered, avoiding my gaze and hurrying ahead.

"Why aren't you looking at me? Are you that afraid of me?"

I observed that every girl seemed to steer clear of me, and my best guess was that the previous occupant was a notorious skirt-chaser.

Freaking great!

"...your clothes," she stammered in a barely audible voice.

True.

I was half-naked, but was my physique really that unsightly to behold?

I had abs before.

Now I looked like a piece of gibs.

Damn.

This is as painful as waking up in the body of a blond dude.

"Milord, I have prepared your bath as usual…" Shana nervously informed me as we returned to the room. She attempted to slip away, but I caught her arm and pressed it against the wall, drawing my face closer.

"Tell me. Where are the Duke and Duchess?" I demanded in a very low yet intimating voice.

The Starfrost Duke and Duchess were nowhere to be seen even though I seemed to have been in a rather worrying state.

"Hiih!" Shana's face contorted into horror under my intense gaze.

She looked terrified.

I'm not about to stoop so low as to harm women, you know? But it seems a bit of intimidation works wonders.

"...they are in Asherante!" She shut her eyes tightly and blurted out.

Asherante.

That's the northern region-city of Milagrante.

"In which region are we?" I asked, still holding her arm.

"A…Adrencia, Milord…" She replied, tears welling up in her eyes.

Adrencia, the Southern Region, and the location of Elysyphel. Elysyphel was the Academy where the protagonist of the story studied, and it played a crucial role in the narrative.

The Starfrost Duchy boasted its main mansion in Asherante, along with several others scattered across different regions. So, why was I not with them in Asherante? Solana Von Starfrost and all her siblings were studying in Milagrandia, another Royal Academic Institution similar to Elysyphel. Why was I cast away from even being with them?

"What the heck am I doing here, in the opposite city of where the main family resides?" I asked, disregarding Shana's ragged breath.

"I…I…" Was she suffocating?

"Come on, are you really a maid working inside a Ducal House, or what?" I sighed in exasperation, turning my head to the left. "Hey, moron," I called out to the butler who had been observing us in shock until now.

He flinched at my call, and the plate of food he held shivered above his trembling arms. "Yes—?!"

"Bring me a glass of water, will ya?" I requested, and he promptly brought me the glass. Smirking, I raised it toward Shana's lips. "Drink."

With horrified eyes, Shana gulped the water slowly.

"Alright, you drank enough. Now tell me, why the heck am I here and what happened to me before today? How was I?" I asked again, taking abruptly away the glass from her lips.

"...Milord was spending too much money on…night activities, and thus the Duke sent you here and registered you in another academy. Two days ago, you fell extremely ill, and the Duchess had come before leaving to look for a remedy. M—Milord… We thought you had died this morning…" As she explained, I wiped the trickling water from her lips with her handkerchief. I detested witnessing such disarray. Do everything correctly, patiently, tidily, and organized, and you can achieve anything you set your sights on. There is no need to stress over such a small thing. 

However, it has only held true for myself, so don't attempt it on your end because I'm a <hopeless case> like mum used to scold me.

Hah…

Mum, dad, sis.

Can't believe I won't see you for a while.

"Milord, please…" Shana pleaded tearfully, on the verge of fainting.

I chewed my cheeks as I stared at her thoughtfully before stepping away. "I have good news for you, Shana. You are, from now on, my personal maid."

Shana's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"No need to cry out of joy, Shana. I want you to take up your duties right now. Start by cleaning this disgraceful room first while I take a hot bath, and…you, butler?" I turned toward the butler.

"Y–Yes?" He gulped greatly as sweat ran down his forehead.

"Dispose of that. I want a hot meal when I'm finished with the bath, and in the dinner hall. Not here," I ordered before heading to the bath.

Oh my.

What a splendid jacuzzi!

It was as large as my own living room from before.

The bathroom was as large as my entire apartment, barely bought with my own money. It stung my heart a little, but I was delighted nonetheless.

Removing my pants, I entered the hot jacuzzi and moaned in sheer comfort.

Is this the life of a big shot?

"Hold my beer, Maestro," I said and leaned my head back. "...and watch."