Upon opening his eyes for the first time and finding himself reclining on a bed adorned with silk coverlets, Lore was thoroughly confounded.


    He vividly remembered that prior to losing consciousness, he had been on his way home. At that moment, the careening large truck hurtled straight towards the unsuspecting little girl. His body instinctively reacted:


    He dashed forward, seizing the little girl''s hand and yanking her towards himself. However, in the very next instant, the large truck toppled over and crashed down perpendicularly beside Lore.


    In the final second before losing awareness, Lore seemed to have shoved the little girl away with all his might. He believed himself to be beyond hope, yet he hoped that the little girl would be safe.


    "Could it be that I''m still alive?" Lore raised his hand to massage his temples, struggling to sit up from the bed and casting a glance around.


    The decor was entirely unfamiliar. The interior design of the room resembled that of the medieval era. Every piece of furniture and utensil exuded an air that was alien to the modern age.


    There was a colossal bronze mirror on the classic dressing table. On the wooden table were an array of exquisite vials. A subtle fragrance permeated the air, yet the source of the aroma eluded detection.


    Although the room was not spacious, its elegance was such that one felt as if ensconced in a dream.


    "Was I rescued by some affluent family?" Lore first flexed his hands and feet slightly. Discovering that he was not missing any limbs, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    But then he discerned something amiss. His hands had, for some inexplicable reason, become soft and fair, bearing a striking resemblance to a girl''s hands. When he touched his face, it was astonishingly smooth.


    And most significantly, upon sitting up, the jet - black tresses that cascaded on either side reached down to his waist.


    Were it not for the reassuring presence of his penis, Lore would have thought he had transformed into a girl.


    "Surely it can''t be that I''ve truly time - traveled? Impossible, surely not." Lore mused inwardly, struggling to rise from the bed. The moment his feet touched the ground, he was immediately overcome with a dizzy spell.


    "This body is incredibly frail." Although in his heart he already comprehended that something extraordinary had transpired and that he had most likely time - traveled, Lore still refused to capitulate. He staggered towards the dressing table, and then he froze in his tracks.


    Reflected in the mirror was a beauty with vermilion lips and pearly teeth, features as delicate as a painted portrait. With a complexion as fair and delicate as ice and snow, and a slender, fragile frame that seemed ill - equipped to withstand the slightest adversity, one couldn''t help but be filled with a sense of compassion.


    The lustrous, flowing long hair reached down to the waist. At first glance, Lore was unable to determine whether the beauty in the mirror was male or female. What was even more astonishing was that this was himself?


    The instant he beheld his own visage in the mirror, his temples began to throb violently. Lore laboriously raised his right hand to press his temple, and his entire body slumped to the ground.


    Some fragmented images suddenly flashed through his mind.


    I am, I am Lore, no, I am Lore - Islan, the sole heir of the Islan family that safeguards the border of the duchy.


    The images flickered through Lore''s mind like scenes from a motion picture. In the scenes, the young Lore - Islan trailed after his parents.


    His mother was the Baroness Islan. The family''s mission was to defend the border of the Duchy of Sinthorn.


    As a child, Lore was as adorable as a porcelain doll, accompanying his mother on the city wall, gazing out at the distant land blanketed in a mantle of snow.


    Subsequently, the Blood - Red Kingdom on the other side of the border instigated the Eternal Night War. Lore''s parents perished in the conflict. Among the direct descendants of the family, only his aunt and Lore remained.


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    Having always been shielded by his parents and leading a carefree life, Lore had never witnessed the malevolence of human nature. Before long, the loyal servants around him were banished, and the power was usurped by his aunt. Lore himself was imprisoned and prohibited from venturing even a single step beyond his residence.


    The venomous gaze of his aunt flashed through his mind. Lore finally recollected the entire sequence of events:


    At yesterday''s dinner table, his aunt regarded Lore with that malevolent and covetous stare time and again. Eventually, she couldn''t restrain herself and reached out to caress Lore''s face wantonly, murmuring:


    "Soon, Lore. You are my finest creation, the most flawless gift. Once I present you to the Grand Duke, I can..."


    For an extended period, Lore had been held captive by his aunt. She stringently regulated his daily diet. Initially, she was rather surreptitious about it, but after seizing power, his aunt no longer made any attempt to conceal her intentions.


    She added powder derived from the rhizomes of Datura stramonium to Lore''s daily sustenance. Simultaneously, she depleted the Islan family''s savings to procure the incense and ointment used by the Secret Abyss Cult for making sacrifices, and applied them to Lore day in and day out.


    All of this was aimed at fashioning Lore into the most perfect gift. In seven days'' time, on the occasion of the Grand Duke of Sinthorn''s birthday, Lore would be offered as a gift to the Grand Duke.


    The current Grand Duke of Sinthorn, Elisa, was extremely ruthless. She governed the duchy with brutality and bloodshed. It was rumored that she was insatiably lustful and had a penchant for beautiful young boys and girls, yet her methods were exceedingly cruel. No one who had been favored by her was known to have survived.


    The drug concocted from Datura stramonium roots was called Dream - Drunk, a prohibited substance in the duchy. Generally, it was employed by nobles to discipline their servants. Consumption of this drug rendered the body weak, yet the physical desires gradually accumulated, and it could also promote the development of certain body parts.


    If one consumed it over an extended period without engaging in sexual intercourse, they could still resist the physical urges. However, once they experienced sexual relations, they would be completely enslaved by the potency of the drug and become prisoners of their desires.


    Lore was seventeen years old this year. Under his aunt''s manipulation, Lore had been consuming the drug for a full eight years. By now, the situation had deteriorated to an irreparable extent. Nearly every night, Lore would toss and turn in bed, attempting to endure the flames of desire consuming his body.


    The Secret Abyss Cult, also known as the Celestial Body Cult, worshipped the demons dwelling in the abyss and was a notoriously infamous cult recognized by the duchy.


    The incense and ointment from this cult had the capacity to enhance the body''s aptitude. Originally, these were the magic potions used by the cult to create sacrifices.


    The spices from the abyss were said to be capable of altering the flesh and blood of ordinary mortals, endowing even the most unremarkable individuals with the miraculous ability to attract the demons of the abyss.


    After undergoing special preparation, this drug could transform an ordinary - looking mortal into a rare beauty.


    This drug was extremely precious and not available for purchase on the market. It could truly effect a complete transformation of a person.


    As for the side - effect, it was merely a negligible one - making Lore more prone to attracting blood - thirsty demons.


    Evidently, his aunt was unconcerned about this. After all, as long as she presented Lore to the Grand Duke, she would receive rewards sufficient to catapult her to great heights. As for Lore''s fate,


    she couldn''t care less.


    Recalling his aunt''s revolting expression and tone, and the sensation of her filthy fingers, Lore, who had come to his senses, couldn''t help but shudder and even felt a physical urge to retch.


    "Damn it. A female - dominant world is bad enough, and it''s a hellish start." Lore struggled to his feet and regarded his breathtakingly beautiful reflection in the mirror with a bitter expression.


    Not to mention others, even Lore himself found his beauty somewhat unreal. If someone in his previous life had possessed such looks, regardless of their gender, it would surely have triggered a worldwide sensation.


    "This drug is extremely potent."


    Presumably, believing Lore to be completely under her control, his aunt had not concealed the matter of the drug. The former self had a weak disposition. After losing the protection of his parents, he had not resisted and had allowed his aunt to tyrannize him, resulting in an extremely dire situation.


    After his aunt declared yesterday that she intended to offer him to the Grand Duke of Sinthorn, the former self returned to his room. In despair, he chose to take his own life by consuming poison that would enable him to pass away peacefully in his sleep. This was the final and only act of resistance the former self could muster under his aunt''s oppression.


    Wait, how had the former self managed to obtain the poison under his aunt''s watchful eye?


    Lore detected a blind spot. He exerted himself to recall. It seemed to have been through a maid. Yes, the maid Annie, the only servant left behind by his parents who had not been banished by his aunt.


    It was also with her assistance that Lore had procured the poison.


    "Right, Annie. Annie is on my side," Lore reflected, furrowing his brow slightly. Due to the previous recollection, his temples began to ache faintly once more.


    "Since I''m here, passively awaiting my fate is not in my nature." Lore sorted out the sequence of events and began to contemplate a solution. The former self, being powerless to resist, had chosen to take his own life. He was different. If he were bullied like this, he would, even in death, bite off a piece of the other person''s flesh, making the other person feel the pain.