Who the f*ck is Edward!

James felt like his body was on fire. Every inch of his skin was tingling, and his heart hammered so loudly he thought the maid might hear it.

His breath came in quick, uneven bursts, and he couldn't tell if it was from excitement or nerves—or maybe both. After all, this was it.

The moment.

For a guy who'd spent most of his last life hopelessly single, this felt like a scene ripped straight out of a fantasy novel.

There was a naked woman in front of him—a real, living, breathing woman. Not a screen, not a page, not even some far fetched daydream.

She was right there. And she was stunning.

For someone who used to awkwardly dodge girls in his old life, the fact that a naked, gorgeous woman was right in front of him, waiting for him, was like a cheat code had been activated.

And then—

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The sound came out of nowhere, snapping him out of his thoughts like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.

James froze mid motion, his muscles locking up as his brain scrambled to catch up.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

He stared at the door, then back at the maid, who looked equally stunned. For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but deafening silence.

His eye twitched. Of all the moments in time—of all the interruptions possible—this had to happen now.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to rage. Instead, he sighed and turned his head toward the door, doing his best to keep his composure.

"Who is it?" James called, his voice strained as he tried to keep his annoyance in check.

"It is Edward, my lord," came the calm, steady response from behind the door.

'Who the f*ck is Edward!' James shouted in his mind. Judging from the voice of the person, this Edward couldn't be young.

And based on how he was regarding him so subserviently, he had to be the butler.

James closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, summoning every ounce of patience he had. "Edward," he said slowly, "why are you here?"

"The young miss Kaela has just arrived and has requested your presence," Edward replied, his tone as emotionless as ever.

James blinked, his frustration momentarily replaced by confusion. 'Kaela?' The name didn't ring a bell.

But then, he remembered: Layla, the girl who'd sat with him at dinner, was his younger sister. The maid had told him this during their walk back to his room.

Kaela must be another sibling—another sister, to be precise. 'So there's another one.' He briefly wondered if all the sisters in this family were going to be equally terrifying.

He hesitated. Proper etiquette demanded that he go and meet her. It was the polite thing to do.

But a darker, more rebellious part of him whispered that he could just ignore the summons.

'You're supposed to be a villain now, right? Villains don't play by the rules. Villains don't care about politeness or proper etiquette. They do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.'

Still, the rational side of him quickly smothered that thought. He'd just arrived in this world.

Drawing unnecessary attention to himself wasn't the smartest move, especially when he barely understood how this world worked.

Like it or not, meeting Kaela was probably the smart move.

James sighed heavily, rubbing a hand down his face. "Fine. I'll be there shortly," he called out, though his tone made it clear he wasn't happy about it.

He stood up, reluctantly tearing himself away from the maid. She looked up at him with wide, disappointed eyes, her body still stretched out on the bed like an unfinished masterpiece.

She looked just as reluctant for him to leave as he felt.

James groaned inwardly as he reached for his robes, lamenting the terrible timing of it all. 'Why now? Why couldn't Kaela show up an hour later? Or never?'

As he grabbed the robe, a new problem presented itself: he had no idea how to put the damn thing on. The fabric was long and overly intricate, with loops and ties that made no sense to his modern brain.

He held it up, tilting his head like he was trying to solve a riddle.

His fingers fumbled with one of the ties, and he stared at it like it had personally insulted him. "What is this, a puzzle game?" he muttered under his breath.

The maid giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Despite her current lack of clothing, she stepped forward, her cheeks pink as she reached for the robe. "Let me help, my lord," she said shyly.

James hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. She moved with practiced ease, her fingers working quickly to adjust the fabric and secure the ties.

As she worked, he noticed the slight blush on her face. It dawned on him that she probably thought his clumsiness was because he'd just regained his sight.

The thought made him chuckle, and he reached out to pat her on the head lightly. "Thanks," he said, his voice softer now.

Her blush deepened, and she ducked her head, clearly flustered.

Once he was dressed, James turned to leave, already dreading whatever awaited him in the next room. But just as he reached the door, her voice stopped him.

"My lord..."

He glanced back over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. "I... I don't have anything to wear," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You tore my robes..."

James blinked. For a second, his mind went blank, and then a small, awkward laugh bubbled up. "Right. Uh... I'll figure something out for you later."

And with that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him. 'This better be worth it, or Kaela and I are going to have problems...'

_____

Power stone Goal!

20 PS - 1 Bonus chapter

50 PS - 2 Bonus chapter

100 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.