Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

The calloused, scarred hands he had known were gone.

Instead, what remained were soft, delicate hands—ones that looked as if they had never so much as held a sword, let alone a pen.

Even the skin was so pale and untouched by the sun that faint blue veins were visible beneath the surface.

It wasn't just his hands.

His entire body—from bone structure to muscle composition—was unrecognizable.

It was true that prolonged coma patients sometimes lost muscle mass, but this level of change was beyond reason.

It was as if his head had been severed and reattached to an entirely different body.

No way…

A terrifying thought crept into his mind, and Jayce quickly scanned his surroundings.

His eyes landed on a small handheld mirror nearby. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and lifted it to his face.

"…!"

Reflected in the mirror was not the rugged face of a veteran mercenary.

Instead, a blond-haired boy with wide eyes stared back at him.

It wasn't just his body—even his face had changed.

Wait… why does this face look familiar?

"Young Master? Is something wrong?"

The boy standing beside him tilted his head in confusion as he watched Jayce's reaction.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Jayce turned to the boy.

"What kind of man is my father?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"My father. Who is he?"

He wanted to ask outright, Who the hell am I?

But that would be too jarring. Instead, he framed the question in a way that could be brushed off as nonsense spoken in the aftermath of waking up.

The boy hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Well… His Grace, Duke Sigmund, the pillar of the kingdom, of course."

Jayce clutched his head as the boy's response solidified his suspicions.

He finally remembered who this body belonged to.

William Hern.

The third son of the Hern Ducal House, one of the Emperor's closest confidants.

And a boy who had died at the age of sixteen—fifteen years ago, when Jayce had been stationed as a gate guard.

"You've got to be kidding me."

A hollow laugh escaped Jayce's lips as he processed the situation.

Dying was shocking enough.

Waking up fifteen years in the past was one thing.

But waking up in someone else's body?

It was confusing, yes, but at the same time, an opportunity.

He was now a noble.

Not just any noble—a duke's son.

For someone like Jayce, who had spent his entire life struggling against the limits of his low birth, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

And besides… he liked the face.

Jayce lifted the mirror again and examined his new reflection.

A bit thin, perhaps, but undeniably handsome.

Among the most beautiful men and women, he would rank near the top.

He could already imagine town girls swooning and fainting just from seeing him walk past.

Once upon a time, he had wished he could be handsome for just a single day.

He never expected that wish to actually come true.

"Heh… Hehehe."

"Young Master? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Ahem. I'm fine."

Jayce—no, William—cleared his throat and straightened up at the concerned voice of the servant boy, Hans.

He had no lingering attachment to his previous body.

Bloodline aside, there was nothing left for him in his old life. His father—the only family he had—had long since passed.

There was no one waiting for him.

No reason to return.

If he had been given this body, then he would live as William Hern.

Of course, he would have to check what happened to his old body eventually, just to be sure.

But for now…

"I need some fresh air. My body feels stiff after lying down for so long."

"Eh? But shouldn't you rest a little more—?"

"No, I don't think that'll help. I'll take a walk in the garden to clear my head."

The first thing he needed to do was assess his surroundings.

With Hans supporting him, William slowly rose from the bed.

After a quick change of clothes, they made their way to the garden, where a flood of old memories resurfaced.

He had walked these paths before.

Back then, he had been here as a guard, tasked with keeping watch.

He had never had the time to appreciate the beauty of the garden itself.

Thinking about it, he had worked in the Hern household for quite a long time.

After leaving his hometown, he had spent ten years as a city guard.

If he hadn't been falsely accused of covering for his corrupt superior and forced to flee, he might have even been promoted.

Not that it would have mattered.

As a commoner, the highest he could have ever hoped for was captain of the city guard.

"...Something's off."

"What do you mean, Young Master?"

"Everyone is staring at me."

Everywhere he walked, people stopped to watch.

Servants, guards, and even distant workers turned their heads to follow him.

Some had even frozen mid-task, openly gawking.

And it wasn't because they were admiring his face.

"There's a reason for that, Young Master," Hans muttered.

"You haven't stepped outside in a year."

"…What?"

"To be precise, one year and two months."

"…You're telling me I haven't gone outside for over a year?"

"Not just outside. You haven't even left your room."

"...!"

What kind of lunatic—

William had known that the original owner of this body wasn't particularly social.

But an entire year?

Without leaving the room?

It was baffling.

No wonder my breathing felt so weak earlier.

At first, he had assumed this frail body was suffering from some kind of chronic illness.

But now it was obvious—this was severe muscle atrophy from lack of movement.

Honestly, he was surprised he hadn't gained weight from the lack of exercise.

Losing weight is harder than gaining it, so I guess that's a small mercy.

Actually, now that he thought about it…

This might work in my favor.

If William had spent a year locked away in isolation, that meant very few people had interacted with him.

Which meant no one would notice if his personality changed.

Even if he behaved completely differently from before, they would assume it was because he had been bedridden for so long.

The only real exceptions were his family.