Chapter 1: I love you J~~

🖱️ Victor 🖱️

Brimmm~~ brimmm~~ brimmm~~

The irritating sound of my phone refused to stop, drilling straight into my skull like it had made it its life’s mission to ruin the only decent sleep I’d managed all week. I buried my face deeper into the pillow and reached blindly across the bedside table, silently wishing I could launch the stupid thing across the room.

Unfortunately, I had enough self-control not to.

That phone had cost me six whole months of overtime, skipped meals, and listening to my manager complain about productivity. I wasn’t about to smash the most expensive thing I owned just because the universe apparently hated me.

Seriously.

Could a man not sleep in peace for one single morning?

Apparently not.

I answered the call without even checking who it was.

“What?”

“Do you know what time it is, Victor?”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a second.

And it was obviously Jasmine, my biggest nightmare. She was the only person in the entire Fairy Realm whose voice could make my soul file a formal complaint.

I sighed dramatically.

“What now, Jasmine?”

“What now?” she repeated, already offended. “You’re supposed to pick up our son today.”

I blinked. “…Right.” I muttered and she laughed. Not because it was funny. Because she had completely lost hope in me years ago.

“You forgot again.”

“I didn’t forget.”

“You literally just remembered.”

“I remembered before you called.”

“Liar.”

“…Fine.” I rubbed both hands over my face and sat upright. “I’ll be there.”

“You said that yesterday.”

“I mean it this time.”

“You also meant it yesterday.”

“I’ll be there, Jas.”

She let out the longest sigh known to fairy kind. “For Leo’s sake, I hope so.”

The call ended and I stared at the ceiling for several seconds.

Ten years… Ten whole years, and I still sometimes forgot I had a son. Not because I didn’t love him. Gods knew I did. Leo was probably the only reason I got out of bed most mornings.

The problem was… Nothing in this life had ever felt like mine. Ten years ago, I had opened my eyes in a hospital bed with no memories.

The guards had spent even longer accusing me of crimes I couldn’t remember committing. Apparently I had quite the criminal record before losing my memories.

Wonderful.

Imagine waking up with no idea who you were only to discover your past self had been an absolute disaster.

The Fairy Realm welcomed me with prison records instead of birthday cards. Even after all these years, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong here.

I looked like a fairy. I possessed fairy magic. I lived among fairies. Yet every single day felt… Wrong. Like I was wearing clothes tailored for someone else, like this face in the mirror belonged to a stranger I had somehow borrowed.

Maybe everyone felt that way or I was simply broken. I had stopped trying to figure it out years ago. My phone rang again before I could climb out of bed.

This time it was Jack.

I answered while searching for a clean shirt that didn’t smell like yesterday’s sweat.

“Dude!” Jack shouted before I could even speak. “Please tell me you’re already on your way.”

“…Maybe.”

“Victor!”

“What?”

“The Supreme King is already here!”

I froze.

“…You’re joking.”

“I’m absolutely not joking. The entire management team has been running around since dawn.”

A curse slipped from my mouth.

Today. Today was the annual visit. The first royal inspection in ten years. Every employee who showed up on time received a bonus.

A huge bonus. The kind of bonus that could pay half my rent. The kind of bonus a divorced man with child support absolutely could not afford to lose.

“I’ll be there in two minutes,” I lied confidently.

Jack snorted.

“You live forty minutes away.”

“Traffic is… surprisingly cooperative.”

“You haven’t even left your apartment, have you?”

“…Love you.”

He hung up. I threw the phone onto the bed and rushed around the apartment like my life depended on it.

First shirt…. First trousers. Didn’t match but I don’t even care.

I brushed my teeth while trying to pull on my boots, almost fell over twice, grabbed my helmet, forgot my wallet, ran back inside, found the wallet in the fridge for reasons I refused to question, then sprinted downstairs.

My bike roared to life beneath me.

Finally…

Something that actually listened. The wind slapped against my face as I sped through the crowded streets, weaving around carts, delivery wagons and irritated drivers who seemed determined to become obstacles in my already miserable morning.

By the time I reached the factory gates, the parking lot looked like a festival.

Security guards…. Royal guards…. Employees lined up in neat rows and they all looked excited except me.

I parked my bike in the first empty space I found and hurried toward the entrance.

the crowd suddenly bowed… catching me by surprise Some even dropped to one knee.

A luxurious black car rolled slowly toward the exit, surrounded by royal guards.

Whoever was inside had clearly finished the inspection.

Great.

I had missed everything… Just my luck. I muttered another curse under my breath.

The rear door opened.

One man stepped inside first while another stood beside the vehicle speaking quietly to someone I couldn’t see.

The atmosphere around him was… Strange~~~ Powerful in a weird manner.

The entire crowd watched him with admiration that bordered on worship. He finally turned and our eyes never met.

He wasn’t looking at me but I saw his face and my world stopped. I felt my heart slammed violently against my ribs. The air disappeared from my lungs. Every muscle in my body locked.

A voice echoed through my head out of nowhere.

“It’s about time, Dragon prince.”

Pain exploded behind my eyes. Images tore through my mind so violently I stumbled backward.

Fire…Blood…A palace…Golden eyes.

A man crying, another man smiling through tears. Fangs growing out of his teeth.

“…I love you J~~” the man said and breathed his last.

My knees buckled.

I grabbed the nearest wall before I hit the ground.

More memories crashed into me with terrifying force, each one stronger than the last until I couldn’t tell whether I was standing in the factory parking lot or somewhere else entirely.

One thought drowned out every other. I hadn’t been born in the Fairy Realm. I hadn’t always worn this face. I hadn’t always been this man.

I…I had died.