The Captain of the guards was called Arthur Ward. His family had been members of the guard in Redmond town for many generations. The town was the most prosperous in the Rosewood fief due to the close vicinity of the Rosewood summer manor, leading to a higher population and higher crime rate. But this was the first time he faced something like this.

Captain Ward looked away from the burning dead bodies. There was nothing he could do for them. However, there was something he could do. Aside from the masked men, the most suspicious person was the unknown boy.

“Young man, what is your name? Release those men. We’ll take them down,” he commanded.

Ren Xiyang dissipated the flames, leaving only the weak dawn light coming through the windows.

The world of the novel was a vague medieval-Europe inspired setting steeped with magic. Whether or not Asian-inspired countries existed was not mentioned in the novel at all. So Ren Xiyang didn’t want to give any part of his real name. Instead, he gave the name he prepared earlier: “Ayden Rosewood.”

Captain Ward narrowed his eyes. “Apologies, Master Rosewood, but you need to confirm your identity.” He knew that there were spells that could change hair colour and eye colour, and the Rosewoods weren’t the only ones with fire magic. And anyone could wear a piece of clothing with the Rosewood crest on it.

Ren Xiyang was unfazed. It was technically true that he was a Rosewood. If they had a paternity test or magical lineage spell, there would be no cracks. While it might have been easier to impersonate Alyssa Rosewood, being assigned female at birth—or assigned female at transmigration—didn’t make him female, be it in his first life, or this second life.

“Unfortunately, my father is dead,” he replied coldly. “I live nearby. I noticed the fire in the study room and came to investigate, only to find my family dead. Why did you take so long?”

Captain Ward scowled. “Live nearby? Then why haven’t we seen you before?”

“Perhaps your security clearance was not high enough.”

Captain Ward’s scowl depended. This impudent bastard child!

One of the assassins stealthily moved while everyone’s attention was diverted. But a second later, a burning rope of fire wrapped around his wrist. “AH!!” he screamed in pain.

Ren Xiyang loosened the flame rope a moment later. “Don’t move,” he said darkly. The flame rope expanded out, encasing the assassin and once again burning all the oxygen to render him unconscious again. He looked at the incompetent guards. “Guards, strip them and search them, make sure they won’t kill themselves, and tie them up.” If his body was bigger, he would have done it all himself.

Many wide, nervous eyes looked back at him. The speed at which this Ayden Rosewood reacted was too fast! He could kill any one of them in the next moment!

“Captain, maybe we should alert the Capital,” a male servant said bravely. This was too big for little town guards. He suspected that this new young master Rosewood was even more dangerous than the murderers.

Captain Ward forcefully dispersed his own fear. “Yes, I was about to do so. Corporal Lir, send a message to the Capital requesting support into the investigation. You men, tie these intruders up and take them downstairs.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ren Xiyang was about to follow the guards, to make sure the assassins remained compliant, but one of Alyssa’s old memories came to the fore.

Normally, nobles hired their own private investigators, but Alyssa didn’t know how, and so neither did Ren Xiyang.

However, Alyssa did know that her father had an expensive crystal ball that could communicate with the Capital, displayed in the study room behind wards that prevented any non-Rosewood from using it. Importantly, Alyssa knew how to use it and what kinds of people could be contacted using it.

Ren Xiyang strode back into the study room, with nervous servants trailing after him. He headed for the crystal ball, which was displayed on a podium near the desk. He placed his hand on the protective ward. It recognised him as a Rosewood, allowing his hand to pass through.

“Connect to the Capital Investigators’ Office,” Ren Xiyang ordered.

The connection was successful. “Good morning, Earl Rosewood. How can we help you?” There were no visuals, only sound transmission.

“This is not Earl Rosewood. This is Ayden Rosewood. Earl Rosewood has been murdered. Please send detectives and investigators immediately to the Rosewood summer manor. I have already apprehended the six assassins.”

There was a stunned pause. Then, in a polite voice: “Please wait a moment, Ayden Rosewood.”

There was a clatter of sound from the other side, and a faint, “Clarke, come over here, listen in and prepare a report.”

“Yessir!”

The voice became clear again. “Ayden Rosewood, please tell us as much information as possible. We will dispatch suitable Investigators.”

“Yes.” Ren Xiyang’s eyes drooped slightly as he relayed all relevant information. This was the kind of smooth organisation he expected.

It took Alyssa Rosewood years to uncover information about the murderers, but Ren Xiyang had supernatural knowledge of the novel and caught the assassins.

As he spoke, the sun finally crossed the horizon, turning the sky blue.

Sunlight entered the eldest prince’s bedroom. The boy lying in bed opened his eyes.

Rian Azure’s icy blue eyes didn’t see the embroidered bed canopy above him. Instead, he was still playing out the scenes he had just witnessed.

An unknown disease had inflicted his kingdom. Once someone became sick, their bodies gradually turned stiff and cold until they died. And sometimes, the afflicted dead would move and even attack others, as though a necromancer had reanimated them. Soon, the air in the Capital was filled with smoke as the dead were cremated as soon as possible.

As the crown prince, he had done everything in his power to alleviate the plague. He had visited the common people to dispense aid. Non-mages and those with preexisting conditions seemed particularly susceptible.

But then, he became infected too.

All the best healers attended his sick bed. His door almost constantly open for all the people who came in and out.

But in the end, no one could cure him. The Crown Prince Rian Azure died, his body a husk of what it used to be.

Yet…in a way, he didn’t die. His consciousness remained behind. He couldn’t touch anything, couldn’t communicate with anyone. He could only be a helpless viewer, watching as the plague-curse rapidly took over his kingdom.

It took an entire year for hope to finally appear: a young noblewoman named Cassiopeia Schauss was able to heal the second prince who had just gotten afflicted. Under her magical hands, one by one, the people were saved. And it had to be her, no other healer was able to copy her healing technique.

Rian Azure watched as his younger brother, the second prince, married Cassiopeia Schauss. He watched as Capital Investigators discovered that the plague-curse was in fact sent by a certain neighbouring country as a means to cripple his kingdom. He watched as his parents abdicated and his younger brother ascended the throne, with the queen Cassiopeia Schauss by his side, peace having returned to the land.

After seeing that final image, Rian Azure’s consciousness disappeared and reappeared in a blank white space with nothing…but a book in front of him.

It was then that he discovered that all these events were written in this novel.

Only then had he realised that everything was a story. That he was a side character, an early death to show that not even royalty was safe from the plague-curse. The real main character was Cassiopeia Schauss.

He read the novel, cover to cover. The moment he reached the end, the world turned dark.

And he awoke in his bed, in his childhood body. Based on the current decorations in his room, he was now aged twelve.

He had somehow returned eight years before he had died. He wasn’t officially the Crown Prince yet.

He didn’t know what force had kept him watching. He didn’t know what force had brought him back in time.

But he was the eldest son of the Imperial Family. He was Prince Rian Azure. Now that he knew the future events, he would never let the plague-curse spread through his kingdom again.

He rose from bed, calling for his servants. His maid helped him through his morning routine.

Outfitted as proper for a Prince, in silvery white accented with blue and gold, Rian called in his most knowledgeable aide.

The greying-haired man, Count Leopold Aegean, raised an eyebrow at him when he entered the suite. “The Eldest Prince has decided to study so early in the morning? Your father his Majesty the King will be pleased to hear of your new dedication to study.”

“I realised that I’m now twelve years old,” Rian replied. “Didn’t King Rexius Red ascend the throne when he was only thirteen years old?”

Count Aegean: “…” This child wasn’t already thinking of usurping the throne, was he?

“So, Count Aegean, tell me all the news today. This time, I’ll listen,” Rian added graciously. He didn’t forget to smile innocently, taking advantage of his newly young age. He knew that the Count had children older than himself, and after living through one life, he also knew Count Aegean’s weak points.

Count Aegean, faced with a cute beaming child: “…”

The contrast between the sweet face and the prince’s identity was so conflicting! But telling the prince about recent news wasn’t harmful. As the Eldest Prince, he should know what is going around in the kingdom.

“Very good.” Count Aegean paused to gather his thoughts. “The Queen has already laid out the dates for the upcoming social season. The first is…”

“…This morning, the Capital has just received reports that the Rosewoods have been murdered this very morning…”

Rian’s innocent listening face didn’t show his underlying thoughts. The Rosewood murders… this placed the exact date of his return. He hadn’t come back early enough to prevent it.

“…And only a young boy named Ayden Rosewood survived and sent a report to the Capital Investigators. According to a secondary report, Master Ayden Rosewood is a highly adept fire mage.” Count Aegean continued.

Rian frowned slightly. “Ayden Rosewood?”

“Yes, Ayden Rosewood. His family history is unclear…” Count Aegean trailed off meaningfully. As members of the aristocracy, they all understood that many lords had illegitimate children.

But Rian thought further. There was no Ayden Rosewood in his past life. It was Alyssa Rosewood who had survived, but she didn’t display strong, skilled fire magic ability until her teens.

In fact, in his first life, the Capital Investigators were never called; it wasn’t strictly their job.

The Capital Investigators were a group under the King’s name to investigate matters for the King. However, they wouldn’t turn down a direct request from the aristocracy, since under some technicalities, matters involving the nobility affected the King and the kingdom.

In his first life, after Alyssa was adopted by the Cordovans, the Cordovans had hired some private investigators who’d subsequently found nothing…

Where did this Ayden Rosewood come from? And what happened to Alyssa Rosewood? This was all too suspicious.

“Let me have an audience with my Imperial Father. I want to accompany the Capital Investigators to the Rosewood summer manor,” Rian decided. He saw the dubiousness in Count Aegean’s eyes, so he added, “The Rosewood family is important. With such a devastating event, we the Imperial Family cannot be dismissive. But Imperial Father is busy. I, Prince Rian Azure, will take his place.”

Ren Xiyang: The force that made me transmigrate...🔪

Author: The force that made all this happen was me!! *quickly hides from Ren Xiyang*