A/N: I fell into the blackhole of isekai shoujou.

Summary: After being killed in a traffic accident, Duo wakes up in a medieval fantasy novel - except he's woken up as one of the novel's minor villains who was supposed to have died in a main character's backstory. Intent on righting the wrongs of his novel counterpart, Duo sets out to change his fate and just maybe improve the relationship between himself and his estranged husband, Duke Heero Yuy.

(Duo is isekai'd into the body of a novel's villainess character and runs with it.)

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xMeilan, DxR, 1xR except only Duo ships it lol


Chapter 1


Large, arched windows with translucent panes gave access to the view of the expansive courtyard below. The garden area held colorful varieties of flora, most in bloom this early in the spring, with the paved walkways curving in a pleasantly aesthetic way for those who traversed it. Birds had already returned from their winter trek so the cold silence of a past winter had now been traded in for birdsong, and the weather was sunny and lightly breezy.

It was beautiful – but I didn't need this stark sense of realism.

"Your Grace, would you prefer to get dressed or have breakfast first?"

My shoulders tensed, even as I turned and hopefully managed a bright smile. The last time I'd grimaced, it'd sent everyone in the room into a panic, and I wasn't looking to revisit the experience at eight in the morning. "Mornin'—uh, I mean, good morning, Hilde!"

Hilde's respondent smile was small and pleasant and fake. Thankfully, she ignored my slip-up, directing the two anxious maids behind her to begin their turndown service. I watched in silence as they took off the sheets I'd already tucked in – they were such perfectionists, I swear to god.

It's been a week since I first woke up in this place. I say "wake up" but to be perfectly honest, it feels more like I'm in a creepily realistic dream. What I can remember before waking up in Hilde's Palace of Silent Persecution is running late to work because of heavy rain; the rainfall that descended on NYC's streets was damn near blinding, and already congested streets fell to bumper-to-bumper traffic. Given that I primarily used public transport, the only thing I had to worry about was not getting hit when I crossed the street.

And then I'm pretty sure I got hit.

Screeching tires and full-body pain were my last conscious thoughts. The next time I'd opened my eyes, I was staring up at the canopy of a King-sized bed with about half the estate at my bedside. The doctor – an attractive woman with her hair pulled into two twists on either side of her face – had introduced herself as Doctor Sally Po and diagnosed me with amnesia after "suffering from horrible trauma."

The horrible trauma she mentioned was not the traffic accident, not that that would have explained why I was waking up here of all places. Apparently, I had been in the residence's personal greenhouse when it somehow caught fire, and though I suffered only from light burns and some scrapes and bruises, I'd managed to crawl out to safety before fainting. I'd been found by the staff shortly after and taken to this room to be treated by the doctor.

I didn't know much about amnesia, but I was pretty damn sure it didn't work like this. I may not have memories of this place, but I sure as hell did have memories – and last I checked, I was an odd-jobs guy just trying to get by in NYC. I lived in a studio apartment in the Bronx, had less than $500 in my bank account, and was more often called a slur than I was called "Your Grace."

Doctor Po said I was experiencing confusion and amnesia, and gave strict instructions to the staff to monitor me closely in the following days. She'd said it was a temporary condition and should clear up soon, and was quick to reassure me that I would be fine.

We're currently entering our second week of this, and so far, the only thing I could remember is that I'd left the air conditioner on back home. My electricity bill was gonna be a nightmare.

"Your Grace?"

Oh, right – Hilde asked me a question. "B-Breakfast first, please," I quickly answered. The maid carrying out the bedsheets ran into the doorframe in shock, stammered out an apology, and then tripped over herself just as she'd made it out the door.

I stared after her. Hilde stared at me. The remaining maid had frozen, clearly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I have no fucking clue what they're waiting for.

"Are you okay?" I asked, rising from the window seat I had been perched on. The maid in the hall squeaked, jumping to her feet and grabbing the sheets from the floor before she swiveled around to face me with wide, terrified eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Your Grace!"

"No, it's coo—fine, but are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry!"

I stared at her helplessly. This was not the first time one of the employees acted like this, and I doubt it would be the last, but I still have no idea how to handle it. They apologized for everything, even things that weren't their fault, and their fear of me was plain as day. I just didn't know why.

"Melissa, that's enough now. Go wash the sheets," Hilde interrupted gently. The maid squeaked out a nervous agreement, bowing to me again before dashing away.

I looked back at Hilde, who was now ordering the other maid to bring my breakfast in. Hilde Schbeiker had been by my side ever since I'd woken up, and unlike the others, she didn't show any fear of me. At Doctor Po's diagnosis of my condition, she'd introduced herself as my personal attendant, and had been readily available to answer all of my questions.

Of course, her answers didn't make any goddamn sense.

"Where am I?"

"In the estate of Duke Yuy, Your Grace."

"Where's that?"

"In the Yuy duchy of the Sanc Kingdom, Your Grace."

"Is this in New York?"

"I don't know what that is, Your Grace."

"Can you stop calling me 'your grace'?"

"No, Your Grace."

What I'd got from my impromptu Q&A session with Hilde was that I apparently lived in the Yuy estate, somewhere in a country known as the Sanc Kingdom. There was no modern technology here either – so no phones, no TVs, no cars or skyscrapers or even lightbulbs. It was like waking up in the middle ages, which made me kind of grateful that if this was a dream, at least I woke up as someone with money. It'd have sucked even harder to wake up as a starving peasant here too.

My breakfast was rolled in on a pretty silver cart. For breakfast, the fare was generally the same with only minor changes: a roll of bread, butter and jam, some thinly-sliced meat, a bowl of either hot cereal or soup, and some fresh fruit. They usually gave me beer or tea to wash the food down, although only the latter was palatable. I never thought I'd hate the taste of beer but apparently this dream wanted me to sink down to some truly incredible new depths.

I ate alone. Whether it was breakfast in my room, lunch in the garden, or dinner at the table – it was only me, myself, and I eating. I'd tried to invite the others to eat with me, but the general reaction was absolute terror, with the exception of Hilde (who politely informed me that that wasn't how things were done here) and Howard the Butler (who also politely informed me that wasn't how things were done, and then vanished back into the depths of the study).

For the first few days, I was pretty much inconsolable. After Doctor Po had dismissed my bewilderment as a temporary case of hysteria, I'd stayed curled up on the bed, occasionally grilling Hilde with questions whenever she took a break from trying to get me to act like whoever she thought I was. Hilde's bedside manner was great; it was like being personally served by a waitress who absolutely hated your guts but was too used to the Customer Service Lifestyle to show it. I almost wanted to tip her.

Whoever she thought I was, at least the name was close enough: Duo Maxwell-Yuy. I don't know where the 'Yuy' came from, and initially thought it was something added by the owner of the estate given that it belonged to Duke Yuy. That was when Hilde dropped the bombshell on me: I was the owner of the estate.

Or, to be more accurate, I was the other owner of the estate – as I was married to Duke Yuy.

I almost thought I'd woken up in Vegas. (Hilde does not know what "Las Vegas" is either.) I woke up in pain, confused, and married; definitely the perfect trifecta of all shotgun weddings. I'd have killed to see some neon lights out the window, but the best I got was gothic lanterns.

After a few days of not waking up back in NYC, I resigned myself to at least embracing the dream for now. I couldn't conjure up anything at will, and even went so far as to ask Hilde if magic was real because at least that would make the dream more fun. As it turned out, magic is not real here either – although Hilde's expression as she told me this was great. I could practically see her internally weighing the pros and cons of just taking me outside and putting me down.

"Hilde, I'm married, right?" I asked between bites of soft bread. At least the bread was good here, I could almost forgive them for serving me pickled meat every day.

Hilde, as her usual, was the only one present in the room as I ate. I couldn't tell if she'd chased the others out because she knew having people watch me eat made me uncomfortable, or if she didn't want me terrorizing her coworkers with my mere presence. Either way, it saved me the trouble of trying not to look too vicious as I tried to make my meal more palatable.

"Yes, to Duke Yuy, Your Grace," Hilde replied promptly. You idiot, was likely tacked on at the end in her mind.

Honestly, this had been one of the topics I'd been avoiding. I'd had more than enough to swallow without adding a surprise spouse to the mix, but at this point, I had to know everything I could about myself (or the me they thought I was) to figure out what the hell had happened.

Duke Yuy. Not Duchess, but Duke – which meant surprise spouse was male.

Er, maybe.

"Can you tell me about Duke Yuy?"

Hilde's expression wavered, almost like she was surprised by the request. It was kind of like a waitress receiving a large tip from a customer who complained about their meal the entire time they were there.

"Duke Heero Yuy is a noble and virtuous man," Hilde began. Unlike her previous answers to my questions, she seemed to be excited to share this – I guess she really liked this Duke Yuy guy. Her eyes actually looked alive, almost like a waitress who was just told to go home early with no cut to their pay. "He's the youngest Duke to the Yuy duchy but deserves his seat of power. He's led numerous successful campaigns against the Romefeller Empire and the Kingdom of Oz, and is well-loved by both the people of his fief and the Capital."

You sound like a goddamn character introduction.

"Sounds like an impressive guy," I said, trying my hardest to look impressed. Given how little I knew about this place, the only thing I'd really gleamed from that was that he was a popular military figure. I don't even know what a duchy is, goddammit – we didn't have peerage titles in the States!

Hilde's expression tensed. It was the kind of look a waitress got when they received a sarcastic "thanks" from a rude customer.

"No, really, he sounds awesome!" I tried again. Now her expression looked rather constipated. "I just- I don't really remember him either, you know? But I married him, right… I just want to know what kind of man I married."

Hilde eyed me suspiciously for a moment before she gave a sharp nod in understanding. It was good to know that whatever crime she was personally persecuting me for, at least it didn't interfere with her love of explaining my own spouse to me.

"His Grace Duke Yuy is very kind," she said. "His utmost concern is for his people, and he always tries his best to do right by them. He treats his servants kindly and patiently," Unlike you, was definitely an underlying message there. "He leads the largest militia of the Sanc Kingdom and is renowned for his strength on the battlefield."

I pushed around the pickled meat on my plate with the teeth of my fork. Now that she kept going on about Duke Yuy, I did get the sense that this sounded familiar. Not in the "you guys have been mentioning him to me for the past week" kind of familiarity, but more like I'd heard of him while I was still guzzling coffee and energy drinks to study for my Mechanical Engineering midterm exam.

Last I checked though, there was no Sanc Kingdom on the map. I had a pretty damn good memory too, so it wasn't like I wouldn't have recognized the name of a foreign country.

"So, uh, where is my husband?" I asked. I still didn't really want to meet the guy and was more than thankful he had given me space after waking up here, but I was curious.

Hilde's eyes turned stormy. "His Grace left last autumn on an expedition across the barbarian territories in the south. He's not expected to return until next spring," she answered curtly, as if I'd been the one to personally send him there. Damn, did I touch a raw nerve?

But at least I knew why I was eating meals by myself. Can't believe I got married and my husband went away to war – what kind of period drama was this?

I blinked down at myself. Actually, come to think of it, why was I left behind here? And why was this place just really cool with gay relationships as well? Well, it is my dream, so I guess that almost made sense – but everything else was so realistic, I thought for sure some internalized homophobia would be here too.

"Wait, why didn't I go with him?" I asked, turning wide, innocent eyes on Hilde and trying to convey that I absolutely did not pick up on her unspoken disdain.

Hilde stared back at me, honestly dumbfound.

I mirrored the look, with equal sincerity.

"Because you are…the Duchess," Hilde finally managed out.

"I'm the WHAT?"

"The Duchess Duo Maxwell-Yuy, married to Duke Heero Yuy," Hilde answered, as if trying to hammer this matter-of-fact info into my brain.

"But I'm a MAN. How can I be the Duchess?!" I'd checked myself in those brief moments I'd been left alone in the beginning, but every part was where I'd left it. Granted, I was thinner (almost delicate) compared to what I remembered, but I had all my bits!

Hilde stared at me like I was crazy, which felt massively unfair because I'd definitely asked and said crazier things since I got here. "A duchess can be male or female," she said. "And as you are a dandy, you made a suitable duchess for—"

"I'm a WHAT?" Did she just call me a dandy? Is this the 1800s?!

Oh wait, it might be—

"A dandy," Hilde repeated, her usual veneer of professionalism finally giving way to the same bemusement I'd been feeling all along. "A male raised with the expectation to wed a male noble, you are part of the peerage and are expected to uphold the etiquette and traditions of the court."

Professional bottom with a side of snob, I mentally translated.

So I got gay married and my husband went away to war, leaving me alone with a mansion full of people scared of me and Hilde the Hater. And Howard.

"I think I'm done with breakfast," I croaked out, shaken to the core.

I was whisked away to get changed – this involved at least three maids and took around an hour, as they had to do up my hair and make sure I was the prettiest dandy Duchess to ever grace the halls of the manor for a husband I'd never seen.

I'd slowly acclimated to the fashion here, which seemed to have roots in medieval Europe and the Middle East. What I had assumed to be male fashion was most likely to actually be "dandy male" fashion: the top was a blend of a Victorian-era dress, tunic, and tailcoat all in one, and was usually the most vibrantly decorative piece of the ensemble. Then there was a choice between tunic pants or tights, usually solid-colored with only some decorative embroidery at the ends. They topped this eclectic fashion mix with various accessories, and boots or sandals, some with a slight heel.

Today's selection was a beige top with golden embroidery in the spirit of flowering vines, the sleeves billowing at the ends to drape down to my knees when left at rest. This was matched with navy blue tunic pants, golden embroidery at the ends, and heeled golden boots. My hair was swept up into a bow-like bun at the back of my scalp, save for my bangs which were left to hang freely above my eyes, with a dark blue-and-gold hairpin locking the bun in place. I think they would have added some jewelry as well, but at the balking look in my eyes, Hilde stopped them and I was released.

I was then taken to the garden to "enjoy the fresh air," which mainly involved me sitting at an outdoor table and being served tea and cakes. I'm actually not that fond of sweet things but they kept trying to give me them, so I end up forcing small bites down my throat and swallowing (equally sweet!) tea.

This was followed by me wandering blindly around the mansion, Hilde at my heels to explain what I stumbled across, usually with a short history lesson about whatever pricy vase or painting I'd dared to glance at. I swear to god, even the ceiling beams had some historical significance. I really had to give it to Hilde, she found such unique methods of torturing me.

I was then taken back to my room to "rest" (read: hide from Hilde so I could bury the knowledge of fresco into the depths of my memories), then lunch (roast chicken, bread, peas and carrots, chocolate trifle), another walk in the garden which included scaring the gardener by simply admiring the begonias for 10 seconds too long, not-stare at the knights who were guarding the entrance to the estate as Hilde not-stared at me, went to dinner (boiled chicken, pickled vegetables, MORE BREAD, something jelly-like with peas and carrots floating in it, MORE CAKES, awful beer), then back to my room to start getting ready for bed.

By the time I was in my pajamas and fighting the queasiness of the beer, Howard was knocking at the door. I motioned Hilde to let him in, trying to look very friendly and alert and not at all like I thought they were trying to poison me via a poor diet.

"Forgive me for bothering you this evening, Your Grace," Howard said upon his entrance, stopping to wait for my answer.

I stared at him. It was like 7 PM, it was hardly a bad time, and why did everyone always look at me like they expected me to lash out? "It's fine, what's up?" I said, one hand over my stomach. I should probably ask Hilde not to give me any more of their beer, it wasn't settling right.

"What's…up?" Howard echoed in confusion.

Jesus fucking Christ, wasn't the dream expecting too much of me? Why did it want proper speech? I would have preferred a sci-fi thriller over this. "Sorry, I mean, what can I do for you?"

This was also the incorrect answer, going by their expressions, but at least it made sense. It was kind of cute to see an old guy like Howard internally rally himself together to continue speaking with me. Made me feel like roadkill that the driver actually felt bad about smooshing.

"If it's not too much trouble, Your Grace, perhaps you could write a letter to His Grace Duke Yuy? I've already written a report about the matter of the greenhouse, but I'm sure he'd like to hear how you're faring as well," Howard said.

The matter of the greenhouse was referring to the fire that I'd apparently crawled out of. The knights investigating it had labelled it as an accident, but given that I was the only one who had been present, it was hard to say what truly happened; their best guess was that the lantern I'd brought in during my late-night visit to the greenhouse had fallen and caught some of the plants ablaze, leading to the fire that eventually destroyed the greenhouse completely. Also according to them, it was a "miracle" I'd somehow survived.

I did feel kind of bad about the ruined greenhouse, even if I didn't remember being anywhere near it. I bet that had some history too, but I wasn't going to ask Hilde.

"Yeah, sure," I said. They both stared at me in surprise. What else was I supposed to say – no? "Oh, did you mention anything about, uh, you know… me not remembering…anything?"

Howard looked uneasy. "I did write that you had some temporary conditions, but that Doctor Po stated they should clear up soon." Which meant he hadn't explicitly said I had amnesia and had no idea who my husband even was.

That could make letter writing kind of tricky. We were a couple, which meant we had like a Couple Thing, right? That weird connection couples had, like inside jokes and references?

"Guess I'd better make the letter vague," I muttered.

Hilde, for the first time, looked unsure. "Would you like me to… get some paper and ink?" she asked, trading another glance with Howard. If I knew writing letters to my surprise spouse would get this kind of reaction, I would have done it sooner.

"Yes please," I said, before looking to Howard. "I'll give it you to tomorrow morning, okay?"

Howard nodded dumbly. I frowned at him; he was the Butler, and as far as I could tell, that meant he was responsible for most going-ons in the estate. Ever since I'd gotten up and started exploring, Howard had been holed up in the study, "managing the estate and the servants," as Hilde explained. She'd kept me away from going into the study, likely leery of disturbing Howard as he worked, so I never tried to go inside as he was usually in there from morning to night.

Did he take his meals in there too? "Howard, have you eaten? You look exhausted," I said. Honestly, I think I looked worse – skinny with bags under my eyes – but Howard was older, so he was probably more prone to getting sick.

Howard blinked at me. "I-I'm fine, Your Grace," he deferred. "I took dinner in the study. Thank you for your concern."

Hilde returned with paper and writing utensils, so Howard excused himself with one more Meaningful Look at her before departing. I set myself to work at the grandiose desk in the room, struggling with the quill and ink for over an hour before I finally managed to write decently with it.

I could tell Hilde wanted to read what I wrote but she kept herself still and quiet in the adjacent corner until I'd told her to go to bed. I was up until nearly 11 to finish the letter to my absent husband, and even then, it wasn't much: just the barest amount of information about the greenhouse incident, vague assurances that I was fine, some lines about how I hoped he was doing okay and that I was worried about him, and finished with a still polite but romantic salutation.

I tried to write it in the most sophisticated way I could manage and hoped that this other version of me was enough of a dandy to get away with not writing any inside jokes or the like in a letter. God, I hope I wasn't into love poetry; just to be safe, I drew a little picture of one of the flowers I saw in the garden and wrote a little blurb that boiled down to "thinking of you." It kind of felt like I was making my own Hallmark card.

Leaving the letter open so the ink could dry, I crawled into bed. With any luck, the next time I woke up, it would be to New York asphalt.


I woke up to Hilde sweeping open the curtains.

I stared at my royal blue canopy despondently. Hilde called out a "good morning" with enough fake cheer to put a waitress with 20+ years of customer service to shame, and a couple maids edged around my bed hesitantly, clearly afraid to ask me to get up so they could do their usual chore.

"Hilde, can you read the letter and make sure it doesn't sound stupid?" I asked, finally getting up after the freckled maid looked close to tears. Why was I being guilt-tripped into rousing from bed nowadays?

I spied Hilde's startled expression out of the corner of my eyes but pretended not to notice. "Good morning," I said to the two maids instead, receiving stuttered responses and downcast eyes. It was amazing they could make me feel like a criminal just for doing morning greetings.

I stood out of the way and stretched a bit, the maids doing their thing with the bedsheets as Hilde looked over the letter. It didn't take long – it wasn't a lengthy letter by any means – but the poleaxed expression on Hilde's face kinda worried me. Did I slip up? How was that possible, given how vague and generic it was, and what did she expect me to write when I couldn't even recall the guy's face?

"You drew a camellia, Your Grace?" she managed out. From the way she said it, it was like I'd offered to send him a nude.

I feigned confidence. "Yeah, the ones in the garden are pretty," I said. The maids had frozen now, also staring at me wide-eyed. Damn, maybe dream-me was a shitty artist. I wasn't Picasso, but being decent at sketching became a necessary skill in my college major.

"Pink camellias, Your Grace?" Hilde repeated, as if to be sure.

What exactly am I being tested on here? "That is indeed the color they were," I replied dryly. "What? Was it too much? Not enough?" Did she want me to send an accurate morphological drawing of the flower? Or write a haiku for it? I had limits, Hilde!

Hilde stared at me. I stared at Hilde. The maids stared at the floor. I made a mental note to start learning names because I was starting to feel bad about referring to people as "the maids."

"Should I rewrite it?" I asked, when Hilde seemed stuck on looking at me.

"No… No, it's very well-written…" Was dream-me illiterate then?!

Hilde tucked the letter into an envelope but didn't press a wax seal to close it. I was a little disappointed, but maybe that would come later. "Give this to Mr. Howard, Kaori," she ordered the maid- the girl with dark brown hair and freckles. Kaori took the letter reverently.

"Oh, maybe we should send some camellias too," I suggested lightly, not really serious about it.

Kaori paused mid-step, but Hilde's expression clouded over, clearly not liking something in my tone. "The flowers would wilt before they reach the Duke," she replied evenly.

I almost took it back, but something about the way she said it just made me more stubborn. It's probably this trait that got me constantly involved in fights during school. "Can't we press flowers to preserve them?"

Hilde stared at me. I stared back mulishly. Now that I'd suggested it, there was no way I was taking it back. Besides, sending pressed flowers sounds like something a dandy would do. I was just living up to my dandiness.

"…Yes, that should work," Hilde finally said hesitantly, as if waiting for me to reveal it was a prank all along. When I didn't, she instructed Kaori to pass on the message and instructions. After the girl had gone, I decided to get ready first just so that I wouldn't have to look Hilde in the eye too long.

Freshly dressed and primped, and getting the other maid to tell me her name ("I-It's C-C-Coralina, Y-Your Grace!"), I used Hilde's slightly-improved-with-more-than-a-dash-of-suspicion mood to ask that all my meals now only be served with either tea, water, or juice – which she (bemusingly) obliged. I almost asked her to cut back on the sugar, too, but lost the chance when Howard entered the room in a daze holding an envelope.

"M-Mr. Howard, you didn't knock!" Hilde snapped, horror coloring her face. "How dare you barge into His Grace the Duchess's room without permission!"

Howard threw himself to the ground in apology. "Forgive me, Your Grace!"

"It's fine," I said, massively uncomfortable with someone whose hair was already gray prostrating himself.

"Punish me any way you see fit!"

My eyes must have gone really wide, because Hilde's mirrored it in equal shock. "No, it's fine! No punishment necessary, just remember to knock next time! Please get up, Mr. Howard!"

"You can just call this worthless man 'Howard', Your Grace," Howard begged.

"Please just get up, Howard."

Howard picked himself up, straightening his clothes with one hand, the other still holding the envelope and trembling slightly. What kind of mail did he receive to get him all riled up like that?

"Is something wrong, Howard?" I asked, as Hilde and Coralina remained quiet and Howard looked too morose to explain himself. At his startled flinch, I gave a pointed look to the envelope he held.

"I… I received this from Miss Kaori, she said this was the letter you wrote…? And that you wanted to send some pressed pink camellias as well…?"

That's what you came rushing in here for?!

"Uh, yeah. If pressed flowers are too much, you can just send the letter," I said. Howard glanced from me to Hilde, and then they proceeded to have a completely silent discussion using nothing but their eyes and minute, fleeting facial expressions. I was really impressed, though I hoped I wasn't the only one feeling awkwardly left out.

"Pressed flowers are no trouble. I'll have everything sent at once, Your Grace," Howard finally said, resuming his usual cordiality.

"Oh, wait," I said, now unsure given everyone's reaction. Both Hilde and Howard looked at me expectantly; Coralina looked at her shoes. "Um… is there something bad about the camellias? Like, do they have a bad meaning, or something…?"

Howard shook his head, vaguely flabbergasted for a reason I couldn't identify. I was the one confused here! "No, pink camellias are seen as a good thing. They symbolize love and longing for the recipient."

Alright, that all sounded good – it was perfectly appropriate for the circumstances. With my husband on the front lines, the pink camellias were a good gift for him to receive. Dandy-approved.

"Oh, that sounds great then. Thank you," I said, when Howard didn't go on.

Howard mumbled something that may have been acquiescence before rushing out, as if trying to escape before I changed my mind. I watched him run out, momentarily perplexed, before finishing off the last piece of bread and ending my breakfast.

Aside from everyone's weird antics this morning, I seemed to have resumed the routine from the previous days. I took another walk in the garden, swallowed down their teatime offerings and then quietly pleaded with Hilde to cut back on the sweets (again, she obliged in bewilderment), and was just beginning my House Lessons via Hilde the Impromptu Tutor when I finally reached what I was told off-handedly was the Yuy family's personal library.

Hilde said it was a personal library but it was huge, rows upon rows of tomes lining every available inch of wall. Tables and armchairs filled the floorspace between shelves, and a spiral staircase lead up to a second floor filled with even more bookshelves. A fireplace dominated the furthest wall, and heavy burgundy curtains were pulled back from large, arched windows to let in the daylight. Hanging torches and candelabras were scattered strategically around the room, likely placed to afford the greatest amount of light when lit.

I had the sense I finally found something good.

"Hilde, I think I'm gonna spend some time here," I said. "You can go do whatever you need to do."

I needed a little break from her constant hovering.

Hilde gave me a plaintive look and didn't budge. "Your Grace, pardon my asking, but do you remember how the library was organized?"

I stared back at her. Right – there wouldn't be a catalog, and I wasn't even sure they knew what the dewey decimal system was.

My silence was answer enough for Hilde. She took up a position by the library doors, her customary posture when she decided she wasn't going to move for a length of time. "Please ask if you need help finding a book," she said.

And now she was a librarian. Truly, Hilde was a woman of many skills.

It took the better part of an hour, and I eventually had to ask Hilde for help, but I was able to find some history books to explain where I was and hopefully how I could go back home. There was nothing for the latter, but there was more than enough for the former.

Plenty of the history books went into the origin and victories of the Sanc Kingdom, a place that had apparently existed for hundreds of years. There was also information, not entirely without prejudice, about three other key states: the Romefeller Empire, to Sanc's west; the Kingdom of Oz, which shared a north-south border with Romefeller; and the Kingdom of Lagrange, to Sanc's south. They'd been going through multiple periods of war and peace, although currently Sanc and Lagrange had been allied for the last hundred years, opposing the alliance of Romefeller and Oz.

There was no mention of any other country, nor even any other continent. No Europe, no Asia, no other hemisphere; there wasn't even a mention of Earth.

I attempted to squash down the rising anxiety. The names of the countries themselves were also ringing some bells. They weren't countries I recognized, at least not in reality, but I did recognize them from somewhere.

I tried to look more into Sanc, trying to find anything that would help. It seemed peerage titles (Duke/Duchess, Marquess/Marchioness, etc.) weren't limited to gender, but royalty titles were, although the Sanc Kingdom was matrilineal so only women could inherit the throne.

'Queen Serena Peacecraft crafted the key alliance between the Sanc Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lagrange…'

Peacecraft… It sounded so familiar! Peacecraft, and Sanc, and Yuy…. All these names I somehow knew but didn't.

Peacecraft and Yuy; Sanc and Lagrange; Romefeller and Oz. Heero Yuy…. Duke of the Yuy duchy, youngest to inherit the title… renowned for his skill and bravery on the battlefield….

Heero Yuy…

Heero Yuy was the main love interest.

I stood up abruptly.

"Your Grace?" Hilde asked from her doorway vulture position.

I couldn't answer her – mind reeling from what I suddenly remembered. Heero Yuy was the main love interest; a young and dashing Duke that commanded the kingdom's knights to victory. He was a goddamn fictional character in a fantasy romance novel I'd read in my senior year at college!

"What the FUCK," I yelped. This could not be happening – this had to be a dream. But why this novel? I hadn't even liked it all that much; the plot was generic and despite how interesting some of the characters were, it was a short read.

"Your Grace?" Hilde asked again, this time from beside me and with considerably more alarm.

And fuck it, I knew her too. Hilde Schbeiker was a trusted attendant to the Duke's estate; a quintessential tomboy character with fighting skills who served as the personal attendant/bodyguard to the main character, Heero Yuy's lover.

"Hilde, who is the current ruler of the Sanc Kingdom?" I choked out.

"That would be Her Royal Majesty, Queen Katrina Peacecraft."

No, fuck fuck fuck, no no no.

"And the current heir to the throne?"

"His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Milliardo Peacecraft."

Milliardo Peacecraft. He was set to inherit the throne, but his fiancée – Lucrezia Noin, daughter of the Noin dukedom – would be arranged to be crowned the next ruler of the kingdom. This wouldn't happen, of course, but not because of assassination or something sinister – this wouldn't happen because the true heir would appear.

Relena Peacecraft, the lost Princess, would be found.

Relena Peacecraft – the main character and Duke Heero Yuy's destined lover.

I promptly passed out.


A/N: Duo's actually handling his transmigration into a fantasy-romance novel incredibly well…

Please be kind and drop a review! :)