Chapter 1

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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