Exposed

A luxurious carriage was waiting for Leo at the end of the piers. In the past, he wasn't able to understand his status properly in the family even with such glaring details in front of his eyes.

Luxurious carriages that were big enough to have a small drink bar in them and comfortable seats where you could even sleep were a rare commodity, reserved for the ones with a high status.

Being ignorant had caused him to suffer quite a lot. But what could he do? He was but a bullied and aloof eighteen year old kid back then.

With memories flashing in front of his eyes, Leo absentmindedly got into the carriage and sat on the soft cushioned seats.

Following him, Ellyse walked into the carriage and sat opposite to him, looking down and trying to avoid eye contact.

The situation right now was really strange. Her worldview and reality had completely changed.

The boy in a suit opposite to her wasn't cosplaying. The horse-driven carriage was real too, and the ships she had seen before and the men in her memories… they were all pointing her mind to think in a specific direction.

Ellyse looked at her hand. It was smaller than what she was used to seeing. It had bruises and calluses. The skin was dry and rough too. 

No matter how much she stared her hand, she knew it wasn't hers. 

'There is no afterlife. I simply reincarnated into someone else's body.'

Ellyse had calmed down after her initial shock and was forcing herself to widen her perspective and understand the situation.

'For someone who died, reincarnated, and is now placed in a weird situation, I am surprisingly calm. Neither am I panicking nor am I worried about what would happen next.'

'Sigh… is it because I've died once and my brain's relaxed, thinking I could simply start a new life again after dying?'

Ellyse knitted her brows.

'No. These are some dangerous thoughts. I should avoid thinking about them.'

'Death is no joke. There is no telling if I would reincarnate again like this. The current situation is quite abnormal anyways.'

'I have to try my best to survive and stay safe from scary people like the creepy men from the memories.'

After steeling her resolve to survive, Ellyse took a deep breath and looked up. 

Leo watched her actions from the opposite seat. 

'Her emotions must've stabilized to some extent. I should let her know a few things about this world.'

"You…"

Getting called out, Ellyse was startled. She tried her best to remain composed and asked, "Yes?" 

'There's no need to panic. I've done nothing wrong, so there shouldn't be any problems,' She thought while staring at Leo's indifferent eyes.

"...how are you feeling?"

The question made Ellyse internally sigh in relief. For now, it seemed that she was safe. This boy did not seem to possess any malice or ulterior motives. 

"I'm fine."

"Good to know," Leo said calmly and crossed his legs. Staring right into Ellyse's black eyes, his gaze turned fierce. "There are a few things you should be aware of."

"First and foremost, I know you are not this frail girl internally."

"!!!!"

Ellyse widened her eyes in shock and got up in reflex as a big sense of crisis overtook her.

With one step, Leo closed the distance between them and pushed Ellyse back on the seat. He covered her mouth with his one hand, grabbed her shoulder with the other, and placed his shin on her legs, pinning her down in place.

"Mmhfff! Mmhfff! Mmhfff!" 

Ellyse thrashed around and tried to escape Leo's clutches while letting out muffled screams.

Leo's current body was better than his past life's, but it was still weak and unawakened. He was having a bit of trouble keeping the girl in check. Thankfully, she was frail and malnourished, giving him the upper hand.

Ellyse's eyes teared up as despair took over her. No matter how much she tried to resist and run, she was unable to. She felt powerless and helpless. 

Half a minute's intense resistance drained all the energy from her. She gave up trying to resist as tears streamed down her pale face.

Leo sighed and said, "I am not trying to harm you, young lady. Listen to me first. Your behavior, you, you are surprisingly calm for someone who had just died. I was watching from the beginning and checked you after everyone was gone. You were definitely dead. It was a bit of a shock for me as well when I saw you come back to life."

Whatever resistance Ellyse had left was all gone now as she listened to Leo speak. His words made sense and she realized the big blunder she had made.

"You don't have to worry about possessing this girl's body. You may not know it, but the value of life in this world of a mortal commoner like you is worth less than a pound of bread. No one would suspect you unless you gave it away like you just did after my question."

Ellyse completely calmed down and stopped crying as she heard that. Rationality returned to her and thoughts of escape vanished.

Leo slowly loosened his hold on her and continued, "You will be killed again if you do anything suspicious. Stick close to me from here onwards and don't say or do anything unless I ask you to. You'll be walking behind me as my servant, a maid, so try to act like one."

Leo let her go and calmly sat down on his seat opposite to hers.

"This archipelago is the territory of those red-haired men you just saw. They are everywhere like hyenas and will not hesitate to tear you down. The man with a large build that was chasing you initially, he's going to be present where we are heading. That red-haired muscular man and the one who killed you will be there as well."

Ellyse's body trembled as she felt a chill down her spine. She had never felt such dread before in her life, even during the times she was being bullied.

'What sort of world have I entered?'