Chapter 1: Is This a Gaze R*pe?

The Count’s wife is five.

That was the title of the web novel I’ve been reading every day after work these days.

I’ve been reading it for quite some time, and even after it was completed, I’ve reread it multiple times, so I had some affection for this work.

I particularly liked the sub-male lead’s depravity, and I found it attractive that he had no hope and was chasing after what the main character already possessed. It was like the fun of feeling satisfied while watching some NTR.

But at that time, I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that I would be sucked into the novel just after commenting, “This depravity is delicious.”

“Ugh.”

The first thing I felt when I entered this world was a sense of incongruity.

It was a sense of incongruity that my nerves, which I had used every day, every hour of my life, were not being felt properly.

As soon as I realized that, my expression frowned and my gaze lowered.

My arms and legs are heavy.

I can’t seem to put any strength into my muscles, and I get up due to the sudden abnormality in my body.

Seeing the master suddenly getting out of bed, the servant next to him stopped him, wondering what he was going to do this time.

“It’s dangerous. Young Master Ian, your illness hasn’t been cured yet.”

The one who stopped me was an old butler with gray hair starting to show.

Judging from the fact that he was holding me back with one hand and easily enduring it, he was clearly not an ordinary person.

However, contrary to the old butler’s wishes, I had not yet accepted the situation.

“What… what are you talking about? I’m fine, what illness? Are you telling me I became crippled overnight?”

“…Young Master Ian, it’s time to accept it. We called all sorts of elixirs and doctors. But as a result, you only got worse. Now…”

“So, I’m not that b@$tard.”

“Young Master Ian. Get a hold of yourself. There is only one Young Master Ian. The third son of the Britina family and a noble.”

“Are… are you kidding me now?”

The old butler, who had been staring at me silently, pressed his temples hard and said with effort.

“Breathe slowly, slowly.”

As he said that, his hand touches my body.

Like a lie, my elevated breathing began to slow down.

Probably because of the blue magic flowing in the guy’s hand…

Wait a minute, magic?

How do I know this is magic?

Accordingly, my mind, which had become as cold as if cold water had been poured on it, steadily deduced the current situation.

The antique furniture in the room around me could only be thought of as a fantasy world.

The attire of the maid looking at me with contempt and the butler taking care of me.

Above all, the title and name they were calling me were roughly telling me the current situation.

Yes.

As I grasped my head and rummaged through my memories, the words “Young Master Ian” came to mind.

Britina Ian, the person I possessed, was the younger brother of the original protagonist, and he was a damn guy who acted like a ruffian from the beginning.

He was a guy who appeared as a mid-boss in episode 1 or 2 and died.

In other loops, it was said that he didn’t even appear and died of an incurable disease.

It would have been difficult to be the main character, let alone that guy… I’m possessed by that guy?

My body tensed up for a moment.

Surprisingly, the old butler seemed to already know that, and he pressed down on my arms and legs.

Even the maid who came in from the side was holding my ankle.

“You’re doing it again?!”

“He just went a little crazy…! I thought he’d been quiet lately…”

I can’t resist even the frail maid.

It’s not that the maid is strong.

This body is weak.

Since he’s almost crippled, he probably hasn’t had much chance to use his strength or mana.

In a situation where I was constantly being pressured, I realized that I couldn’t do anything, and I eventually relaxed my body.

Seeing that, the maid and the old butler’s eyes widened.

Because Ian was a famous ruffian in the mansion, he wasn’t the type of person who would give up just because his body was pressed down to this extent.

But now it’s not the troublemaker Ian.

The reality that hit me right now was unbelievable, but after some time, I realized that my limbs were regaining strength and I could take simple steps, and I looked around and sighed deeply.

I felt deeply the reality that I had to accept first.

The old butler, wiping the sweat from his forehead, said.

“Are you alright now? Young Master Ian.”

“…Yes.”

First, my head was very sore, so I grabbed the old butler who was about to leave for a moment.

“What year is it now?”

“It is now… Imperial Year 890.”

“890… then…”

F*ck, it hasn’t even started yet?

The fact that I was possessed earlier than the original story meant that I had to make a plan as soon as possible.

Grasping my forehead, I sent the old butler out and grabbed the maid at the same time.

“But, your-“

“Kyaaaak!!”

She suddenly screamed so loudly that my ears were about to fall off.

She stared at the wrist I had grabbed as if it were torn, and then she fell to the floor, tears falling.

A look of hatred directed at me.

…Why, what, did I do something wrong again?

That look was unfamiliar to me.

Not understanding what was going on, I stared blankly at the maid with a dumbfounded face.

The old butler, who had run out after hearing the scream, said to me with a surprised look.

“What, what have you done?”

“I just… grabbed her wrist for a moment…”

“I’ve told you so many times that when you grab someone, you should grab their gloves or clothes. Ha… I have no choice. Please excuse me for a moment.”

“Why, why should I do that?”

“Then. Are you going to kill the maid just because she saved you? Last time, I had a hard time stopping a maid who was trying to hang herself. Are you going to rape her like you used to?”

F*ck. When did I, you bastard.

I was suddenly accused of being a rapist, attempted murderer, and a mentally ill person.

‘But can a butler talk to a noble like that?’

Maybe someone was backing him up, or the head of the family ordered him to do so.

My head was already starting to hurt.

“Not only did you forget my name. You completely forgot about it, Ian. Are you aware of how serious the current situation is?”

A woman with black hair and golden eyes sat at the desk in the office and stared at me.

Britina Rachel.

She was an attractive woman no matter where you looked. She swept back her black hair, a characteristic of the Britina family, revealing her neckline. Her occasional glossy golden eyes and full lips were sure to make men’s hearts flutter. The bluish shoulder decoration and white suit she was wearing were also aristocratic, and her breasts and hips were large, which was the most important thing. Above all, the way she maintained the dignified atmosphere of a noble, receiving the light from the window falling separately from the black office, was both overbearing and like a flower on a cliff.

Her fair face and two moles under her right eye told me at a glance that this was Britina Rachel, the protagonist’s mother who appeared consistently from episode 1, and also Ian’s mother.

‘…I’m f*cked. I didn’t think I’d be dragged here just for grabbing her wrist.’

But I didn’t feel bad. Because she was so beautiful.

She was a woman who had the power and authority to control everything in the mansion when the Count was away.

“I asked if you were aware. Can’t you hear me?”

“…I am aware.”

I deliberately used honorifics for the sake of reflection and the seriousness of the situation. Fortunately, because of that action, Rachel didn’t shout in anger as described in the original work. It was the moment when my social skills, which had been excellent since I was a child, shined.

That didn’t mean Rachel’s words were over. It was clear that the incident had to be sorted out first.

“You grabbed the maid’s wrist?”

I bowed my head first.

There was no point in going any further, and if I was investigated, I could explain that I was in an unfair situation.

I was the youngest of the siblings.

By the way, the physical age of Ian, who I possessed.

‘But… the reaction is strange?’

The servants who were holding me to fix my body somehow showed a slight embarrassment.

The sound of murmuring filled the office.

-He, he used honorifics?

-Those two who never had a day without raising their voices and fighting…

Come to think of it.

‘I remembered. I was a ruffian?’

It is also described in the original work. Because the protagonist Dylan’s youngest brother later becomes a villain and is killed as a mid-boss.

I was full of memories of skipping over with my finger because I didn’t like the way he whined every day. I can’t believe this guy was me.

…

Surprisingly, even Rachel, who had been watching me carefully with her arms on the office table, couldn’t hide her slight embarrassment, so it was obvious.

Just how much of a damn ruffian was I that they reacted this way just because I apologized first?

I admired Ian’s idiocy on my own and decided to use his mistakes to my advantage.

“…I’m sorry.”

With that one apology, Rachel tilted her head slightly, and her voice became noticeably softer.

“You don’t have to apologize to me. That maid has already resigned voluntarily.”

“I am well aware that your incurable disease is not contagious. However, many servants are not easily convinced of this and are afraid from the beginning. I heard that going to your room is avoided among the maids, as it is a kind of punishment.”

Of course. Even if it was in the past. Who would want to serve a mentally ill noble with a dirty personality who raped maids and contracted a terminal illness?

Moreover, unlike my other siblings, the reason why I don’t have a personal maid and have an old butler was because of that.

“…I know.”

“So. From now on, it’s out of line, but… how about trying to do something properly, even if it’s just one thing? That way, this incident will be cleanly forgotten, the jealousy around you will be reduced, and you will go all the way in your own way.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about learning swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, shield art, or even self-defense? I know it was a reckless remark. But you have blessed magic. Even if your core is contaminated, I heard that if you try, you have more than enough output to overcome it. How about creating a magic formula with that?”

In the ensuing silence.

I look at Rachel’s face.

Her cold eyes and golden eyes were still the same, but her hands gathered underneath were trembling faintly.

As described in the original work. She was a mother who was affectionate and seriously thought about her children.

It is not an easy choice in this society where you have to show dignity as a noble to spit out your own mistakes and suggest alternatives. Especially if it’s your son.

I had no choice but to be a filial son again this time.

“Are you saying you’ll try?”

“How can a son throw away a plan that his mother has thought deeply about without even trying it? I’ll try it until the end, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll have to find another way.”

As soon as a remark that a scholar might make came out of the ruffian’s mouth, the old butler’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

“Wh, what are you…”

“It, it doesn’t… make sense. How can those words come out of Ian’s mouth, who always had a fit saying that he was being criticized…”

Rachel coughed, closed her eyes slightly, and gestured to the old butler to be quiet.

“What’s wrong?”

“Cough, it’s nothing. The Magic Tower sent textbooks on basic magic formulas this time, so take them and learn them. I’ll look forward to it.”

‘She was going to force me to do it.’

My thoughts, which had been focused on reading the problem from beginning to end, stopped for a moment.

‘…Isn’t this a high school math problem?’