Hi .... so I was having writers block and I was really stuck on what to do but know I have gotten inspiration and I will try to upload daily, and here is how the cover is gonna look like 😸, and this story is my idea, hope you enjoy ✨️💕, I would also appreciate if you comment as feedback for me to improve this
I always thought that if I were ever to get reincarnated, it would be something *cool*—maybe a wizard, or a rogue, or, heck, even a queen. Not the *daughter of a librarian*.
It’s been two weeks since I woke up in this new body. Well, not *completely* new, since I can still remember my old life in my past world. Apparently, I was some overworked office employee who lived in a tiny apartment, surviving on coffee and instant noodles. A life so unremarkable that I would have gladly forgotten about it—if only my soul didn’t get yanked into this new fantasy world and *plopped* into the life of some poor girl named Lysandra, the daughter of a stuffy old librarian.
And yes, you read that correctly. Daughter of a *librarian*. How terribly unremarkable.
You’re probably wondering: “What does she do now? Did she accept her fate, sip tea, and live the cozy life of a bookworm?” Well, you know me better than that.
I couldn’t just sit around with a library of ancient magical books and not *do something* with it. Oh no, I had plans.
You see, the city where I reincarnated is called **Aerethis**, and it’s crawling with knights, mages, and—wait for it—dukes. And I mean *DUKES*. As in, those snobby, ridiculously handsome, borderline-evil men who everyone respects but also fears.
And then, there’s **Duke Darian Arcturus**. The name alone sends shivers down people’s spines. He’s a literal battle killer. The stories about him are *too* much. Apparently, he’s killed thousands, doesn’t care for anything except victory, and is so cold he makes the Ice Age look like a tropical vacation.
So what do I do with this *perfect* life of being the daughter of a librarian in a medieval fantasy world? Well, considering how “fate” has cruelly stuck me here, I’m going to make my life as interesting as possible.
Which brings me to **the Knight Academy**.
It took me exactly three days to make the decision: I, Lysandra the Daughter of the Librarian, would *disguise myself as a boy*, and sneak my way into the prestigious **Knight Academy**. This academy trains only the best warriors—people destined to become the next generation of knights, soldiers, and maybe a few future kings (if I ever get that lucky).
Disguising myself wasn’t the hard part. I mean, sure, I had to chop off all my long, wavy hair (there goes my beautiful locks, but at least I don’t have to deal with tangles anymore). And my new boy persona, **Lyle**, was born. I’m still not sure if “Lyle” is a good name, but hey, it’s working for now.
The tricky part? **Duke Darian Arcturus** is *also* a member of the Knight Academy. Not as a student, of course (he’s way too powerful and brooding for that), but as one of the instructors. I’ve already run into him twice in the academy, and let me tell you: the man looks like he could cut you in half without even blinking.
The first time I laid eyes on him, I thought I was going to *die*. Not because of his bloodthirsty reputation, no—because of his **smoldering** eyes. They were like two icy sapphires that could freeze you in place. What is it about powerfully dangerous men that makes them so *ridiculously attractive*? Not that I’m into that… definitely not, right?
But even as I *tried* to act like a boy (which was harder than it looks, especially when my voice occasionally squeaked), I couldn’t escape his watchful gaze. Whenever he walked past me, I could swear I felt the weight of his icy stare drilling into me.
It’s fine. I’m *totally* fine. There’s no way he’s suspicious.
Right?
Okay, okay, so maybe I *am* a little worried. But I’ve got bigger fish to fry. After all, I have **memories**. Memories of my past life, where I was a—admittedly—**mediocre** worker. But now, I have the knowledge of a whole world of magic, spells, and tactics at my fingertips. Sure, I’m not supposed to be *using* magic yet, since this is a world where people have to go through years of training, but that’s never stopped me before. A few flickers of my powers and some well-timed magic books from my father’s library, and I’m already way ahead of everyone.
Which is why, on my first mission in the Knight Academy (which was supposed to be a *test* of my “skills” as a knight), I completely wrecked the obstacle course. They set up giant magic golems to attack us, and I—totally by accident, of course—*fried* them with a *lighting bolt* that I didn’t even know I could cast.
The other students were looking at me like I was some sort of *magic prodigy*. But *no one knows* that I used to be a corporate drone with too much time to read fantasy books. No, no. I’m just a regular boy. Totally normal.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
And then there’s **Duke Darian**. He looked at me, just once, after my big “accident” on the battlefield. His lips twitched, like he was suppressing some inner smile. And I swear, for a moment, I saw the faintest trace of admiration in his icy eyes.
*Oh no. Does he know?*
“Not bad for a *boy*,” he said to me, voice like velvet and knives at the same time.
For a split second, I forgot to breathe. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights because he just walked away, shaking his head.
“Well,” I muttered to myself, “this is going to be *fun*.”
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The sun hung high in the sky, blazing down on the Knight Academy’s training grounds, and here I was, Lysandra the Daughter of a Librarian-turned-Lyle the Boy Knight, sweating bullets. Today was officially dubbed *Gauntlet Day*, which sounded far more intimidating than it needed to be. Wasn’t a gauntlet supposed to be something fearsome, like a medieval death trap? Well, that’s precisely what it *was*.
The instructors had set up an obstacle course that looked like it came straight from one of my wildest dreams—or nightmares, depending on how I viewed the prospect of facing off against a series of rapidly swinging axes, fiery pits, and a pair of particularly menacing armored trolls. Who even thought up this stuff?
To make matters worse, Duke Darian was overseeing the whole operation with that brooding presence of his, leaning against a tree as if he had all the time in the world to watch me fail spectacularly. I could feel his sapphire gaze like a freight train barreling down the tracks, heavy and unyielding. Ugh, why was he so infuriatingly handsome?
“Lyle!” barked my training partner, a shockingly cheerful boy named Jeb, as he shoved me forward. “It’s your turn! Don’t lag behind!”
“Right, smashing through obstacles. No big deal,” I mumbled under my breath, glancing over my shoulder at Darian. If I screamed and flailed my arms while running headfirst into the trolls, would he think I was giving it my all? Probably not.
With shaky knees, I approached the gauntlet, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “Just act like you’ve done this a hundred times,” I whispered, channeling all the warrior courage I could muster.
As the horn sounded, I sprinted forward, dodging a swinging axe that could’ve decapitated a hapless knight—or, you know, me. The thrill of running fast surged through me, and I felt a flicker of magic deep inside. *Nope*, not today, Lysandra. Just focus.
I vaulted over a lava pit (thankfully not actually *lava*, but who would’ve guessed?) and landed in an impressive roll. The crowd of students cheered, and I grinned like an idiot. Maybe this was my moment. I was totally crushing it!
Suddenly, the trolls started lumbering toward me, groaning menacingly. Panic shot through me like a lightning bolt—only this time, I had no clue how to electrify them.
“Unbelievable!” yelled Jeb as he tackled one of the trolls with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. “Lyle, use your magic!”
Oh right. Magic!
In a surge of adrenaline, I let out a deep breath and flicked my wrist, summoning the energy I’d unintentionally harnessed before. A crackling bolt of electricity shot from my palm like it had a mind of its own, striking one of the trolls square in the chest. It let out a bellow, stumbling back.
*What just happened?* I barely had time to celebrate, though, as the other troll advanced, snatching Jeb and hoisting him up like a rag doll. “Uh… help?” he squeaked.
“Right! Coming to the rescue! Totally normal boy here!”
With that absurd declaration fueling my confidence, I hurled my hand towards the second troll, sending another jolt of electric energy that sparked across its armored body.
The onlookers erupted into applause, and just like that, I had become the unexpected hero of the day.
But as I glanced over at Duke Darian, I caught him smirking, barely hiding his amusement. Great. Just *great*. At least no one knew that behind my thrilling facade lurked an average girl from a world where the most dangerous thing I’d faced was a deadline.
As the training session wrapped up, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my days of pretending to be a boy were far from over—and neither was the spellbinding intrigue of the Duke watching my every move. What had I gotten myself
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