After absorbing the memories of the body’s original owner, Noah thought merging two lives’ memories would be simple and his transmigrator identity from Earth would remain hidden.
However, this was not a novel, and the situation was more complicated than he expected. The people here were real, and they were smarter than him. Deceiving someone accustomed to the original owner’s personality was not easy.
"Who are you?"
Noah’s hand froze mid-motion before he calmly stared at the man standing before him.
Sitting across from him at the dining table was his father, Robert Lupton Charlemagne, the biological father of the body’s original owner.
Robert was a man in his early forties. His face was distinguished by thick eyebrows and a sharp gaze. Noah never expected that the first meal they shared would expose his identity. Despite Robert’s keen observation skills, Noah never thought he would notice his every movement with such precision.
Noah carefully placed the fork and knife on the table before looking coldly at Robert.
"I do not understand what you mean."
Robert did not take his eyes off him.
"The child who used to sit before me never behaved like this. He used to remain silent and keep his eyes on the plate in front of him before eating. He never even dared to look directly at me, and I never saw this smile on his face."
Robert’s observations were accurate.
The memories of the body’s original owner confirmed this. The child used to remain silent during the few meals that brought him together with Robert and flee, running away, as soon as the meal ended.
Robert noticed those actions again and again, but he did not give the child enough attention for him to feel any paternal bond that would give him confidence. He had lived alone inside a room of four walls, surrounded by servants who neglected him and a father who did not give him anything, not even a name by which to call him.
Noah did not know the reason for Robert’s sudden interest. Today, all he thought about was how to get out of this crisis.
Noah looked at Robert with a cold smile before replying.
"When you ask me about my identity..."
Robert’s eyes narrowed.
Noah continued:
"Do you mean the person standing before you, or the child whom you did not even give a name by which to call him?"
"Guards!" he called with a cold expression on his face.
"I wonder how you will know whether I am your son or not when you have not even spent enough time to decide that?"
Robert struck the table and shouted:
"Guards! Do I have to call a third time?"
The soldiers rushed into the dining hall with worry and terror on their faces.
Once the matter was exposed, Noah realized that he truly had no hope of changing Robert’s opinion. In addition to lacking the physical strength to fight several efficiently trained soldiers, he had no choice other than to surrender to the reality of the matter.
Robert ordered him to be imprisoned inside one of the palace towers before summoning the servants and some of the people responsible for protecting and serving his son.
The first people brought in were the maids and servants whose duty was to take care of Noah’s daily needs.
They stood there with pale faces. They naturally realized that the investigation into the replacement of the House head son would expose their negligence in performing their duties. If they admitted that they had not noticed any change, they would expose their lack of contact with the child.
Therefore, they all agreed to go with the flow in the hope of escaping with their lives today.
One of the maids shouted while pointing at Noah with a look mixed with contempt and fear:
"This bastard... He is fake! I have served the Young Lord for a long time, and because of that, I can tell the extent of his acting with a single glance!"
While the servants’ testimonies followed in the same manner and united around one opinion, Robert continued looking coldly at them.
"For my son to be replaced in my palace and in front of a group of servants without it being noticed is clear proof of your failure to perform your duties. Lupton Palace has no need for a group of inferior creatures who fail even at the simplest tasks."
They were all sent to prison to await execution.
After Robert’s order was issued, the servants were taken, dragged in chains, to prison amid cries of despair and pleas.
After them, the soldiers responsible for guarding the palace were brought in. Their faces were pale, for they had already understood the charge awaiting them before entering the hall.
One of them bowed and said in a trembling voice, with fear visible on his face:
"We beg Your Lordship for mercy... But I swear on my honor that I have never seen a person of this size enter or leave the palace. I did not even see his shadow or any trace of him."
The statements varied, but the result was the same.
The soldiers did not find a kidnapper, nor did they find any trace of the real child who was supposed to have disappeared. Because of their failure to protect the palace and watch its entrances, their duties were indeed ended.
Only then did Robert realize how strange the matter was. He entered the tower with an angry look on his face before grabbing Noah’s chin and forcefully raising his face while staring at him.
"Answer without twisting or turning. Who are you, and what exactly did you do to my son?"
Noah answered him with a forced smile on his face:
"I... according to your standards, I am a noble!"
Robert’s grip tightened.
"Who are you messing with? Do you think finding a child who bears a trace of the Superior Bloodline is an easy matter?"
Noah did not try to hide his laughter. Instead, he allowed his smile to widen before Robert.
"Is the matter not simple? Analyze my blood."
Robert looked coldly at Noah before turning around and heading outside.
Belonging to the Superior Bloodline was not a claim that a person from the Lower Bloodline could fake. The color of the blood was the mark that separated the two bloodlines.
For this reason, Robert agreed to the test.
About an hour passed before Robert returned with two men beside him.
The first was an elderly scientist wearing glasses, while the other was a young man accompanying him and carrying his tools. At first glance, it was easy to notice that he was his disciple. The scientist’s experience was clear from their actions, unlike his disciple, who was unable to hide his confusion in the presence of a noble like Robert.
Noah’s arms and legs were tied to a chair with strong leather straps. Despite that, he continued smiling as though nothing had happened.
"Hello, old man. You are already late. I have remained tied like this for at least an hour."
The disciple looked at his teacher.
"My teacher, should we answer him?"
"Not yet. We must finish our work first."
The scientist met Noah’s greeting with a cold look, then opened the bag he had brought, took several tools out of it, and placed them on the table. The room was soon filled with small blades whose surfaces gleamed beneath the light.
The disciple extended his trembling hand toward a small dagger. He picked it up and handed it to his teacher, then swallowed with difficulty.
The scientist took the dagger and looked at Noah.
"Boy, I advise you to surrender now. Tell us what you know and who sent you. This is better for you, little one."
"Hurry. I do not have enough time," Noah answered coldly.
The scientist opened his mouth in surprise.
"You seem convinced of what you are doing. Someone must have misled you. What a pity."
His expression became serious, while his disciple continued looking at Noah with pity. Both of them thought that he was a child from the Lower Bloodline who had been used as a replacement for a noble’s son and that the examination would expose him as soon as he was wounded.
Only Noah knew the result.
The scientist placed the dagger over the palm of Noah’s hand. The skin split beneath the blade, and the pink flesh appeared underneath it. The scientist continued pressing until the wound deepened and reached the blood vessels.
The blood came out red.
An expected look appeared on the faces of the scientist and his disciple. They thought the color had proven Noah’s belonging to the Lower Bloodline.
The scientist muttered:
"As I expected..."
Drops of blood gathered over the wound, then flowed in a thin line along the edge of the blade, but the red blood began to fade as soon as the blood was exposed to the air.
Sky-blue blood gradually took its place.
It was not a dark color that leaned toward purple, nor was it similar to the color of veins. It was a pure blue close to the blue of the sky.
The scientist froze in place.
"This... Aaah?"
The disciple’s eyes widened.
"This is impossible... He is from the Superior Bloodline!"
Their astonished cries were enjoyable, but they forgot what they were supposed to do after proving the result.
Noah’s arms were tied, but the straps did not prevent him from moving his arms. His fingers suddenly closed around the dagger that had wounded his palm.
The disciple let out a frightened gasp.
Only then did their gazes move from the drops of blue blood to Noah’s face.
He smiled at them again.
"What are you waiting to release me?"
After following Robert’s order.
Noah finally regained his identity as a noble.
Dear reader, before reading this novel, please understand that English is not my native language. If you enjoy it, I would greatly appreciate your support in correcting any linguistic or grammatical errors.