Duke for a Day (Or Forever?)

Chapter 1

Kazuki Nakamura stared at himself in the mirror, feeling trapped in a bizarre fever dream he couldn't wake up from. He could still feel the echoes of last night's exhaustion, the kind that came from juggling one too many work assignments and his friend Yuki's relentless recommendations. Somehow, she'd managed to rope him into reading a fantasy BL novel — one that had apparently sucked him into another world entirely.

He was still half convinced it was a dream, but the ornate room around him and his strange, unfamiliar reflection were starting to feel far too real. His fingers brushed against his jaw, feeling the odd, almost alien sensation of a face that wasn't his. And his new body? Fit, tall, and unsettlingly well-dressed.

"Your Grace?" a polite voice broke through his daze.

Kazuki's gaze snapped back to his surroundings, where a formally dressed butler and a young maid were watching him expectantly. The butler held out a tailored coat, his eyes gleaming with approval as if Kazuki was supposed to be wearing it. The maid held a silver tray bearing an assortment of breakfast items — all unfamiliar.

Right, Kazuki thought, forcing down a wave of panic. This is definitely still happening.

"Ahem," he began, trying to imitate what he imagined a duke might sound like. "Please remind me...where exactly am I?"

The butler's eyebrow raised just slightly, though his professionalism never faltered. "In your chambers, my lord, in Valeria Manor. You've had a long journey from the capital, but we are relieved to see you so well-rested." His eyes darted to the maid, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course," Kazuki muttered, trying to play along. Valeria Manor, the capital... all of it felt uncomfortably familiar. His mind raced through everything he remembered from the book. I'm in the body of Alaric Valentine... one of the main characters.

Kazuki swallowed hard as he processed this new information. Alaric Valentine was the Duke of Valeria, a man notorious for his cold exterior and devotion to the male Saint. Oh no, he thought, his mind whirling with how intensely Alaric's feelings for the Saint had been described in the novel.

"So, what's on my agenda?" he asked, scrambling to sound as dignified as possible. If he was going to survive in this world, he needed to play his part.

"Well, Your Grace," the butler replied, clearing his throat, "today is a most important day. You have been summoned to the royal court by His Holiness, the Saint himself."

Kazuki froze. The Saint. The very man Alaric was fated to fall hopelessly in love with — the man all the characters, eventually, fell for in the novel.

"Of course," he said, forcing a smile. "How... thoughtful of him."

The butler bowed. "As always, Your Grace."

He knew he was expected to respond with something Duke-like, but panic was setting in. What would Alaric do? Probably brood silently or make a sharp, cryptic remark. Instead, Kazuki managed to murmur, "Yes, well, I shall prepare for the occasion."

Kazuki had barely adjusted to his elaborate outfit — tailored with dark, regal tones and far too many buttons — when he arrived at the grand royal court. Everything shimmered: marble pillars, velvet tapestries, and rows of courtiers and knights dressed in dazzling attire. All eyes turned toward him as he entered, curiosity and awe evident in their gazes.

As Kazuki stood there, feeling out of place, the crowd parted. At the end of the aisle, framed by the sunlight streaming in from arched windows, stood the Saint. He was exactly as Kazuki remembered from the novel: graceful, otherworldly, with an aura of calm power that seemed to radiate in waves. His silver hair fell in soft waves around his face, and his eyes — bright and intense — seemed to pierce right through Kazuki's own.

The Saint smiled softly. "Welcome, Duke Valentine."

Kazuki's heart pounded, though he didn't know if it was from nerves or the ethereal glow of the Saint's presence. He could feel the curiosity in the room, the quiet whispers that followed the Saint wherever he went.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to bow. "Your Holiness."

The Saint's eyes lingered on Kazuki for a moment, an unreadable smile playing on his lips. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Kazuki's stomach twisted. In the book, Alaric Valentine had always yearned to hear those words, for the Saint's acknowledgment. But now, as Kazuki stood in the duke's place, he realized that the admiration Alaric felt wasn't something he could easily dismiss. The Saint's presence was magnetic, tugging at him in a way that felt almost... inevitable.

"Oh," Kazuki said, caught off guard by the strange pull he felt toward this man. "The... pleasure is mine, Your Holiness."

The Saint's smile deepened, his gaze unwavering. "I have been waiting for this day for some time. You see, Duke, I have felt... a connection to you from afar."

Kazuki gulped, knowing that Alaric's storyline involved him being one of the Saint's closest admirers. And as he looked around, he saw others watching him too, all characters he vaguely recognized as the Saint's future companions. Each seemed to observe him with quiet interest, as if assessing a new rival or, perhaps, a new ally.

"So have I," Kazuki replied quickly, trying to sound natural despite the fact he'd just been transported into the story less than an hour ago.

The Saint tilted his head. "Then let us grow closer, Duke Valentine. I think there is much we could accomplish together."

As Kazuki nodded, heart pounding and palms sweating, he realized that pretending to be a duke was going to be far more challenging than he thought — and that he might already be losing his battle to resist the Saint's charm. 

Let's just get through today, he told himself. After all, I'm only here for a day... right?

To be continued...