Chapter 1

### How to Live as the Third Son of a Failed Work - Chapter 1 (1/278)

#### Prologue

Three years of high school for college entrance exams.

Four years as a cadet at the Military Academy.

And now, serving as a platoon leader, wasting my days in a remote area of Gangwon Province.

The driving force that helped me endure those difficult times was a novel.

The Midland Saga.

A long-running fantasy novel that has been serialized for nearly ten years and spans over 30 volumes.

It's a novel that has been a long-time friend, accompanying me from my school days to the present.

With its solid world-building, excellent descriptions, and ensemble cast without a fixed protagonist, it's a truly captivating work.

Of course, a solid setting doesn't always translate to a large readership. The number of views has never exceeded ten since the early days of serialization.

It was a novel that was more about setting than reader satisfaction, which made it even more so.

Moreover, the novel, which already had a slow pace, has been on an indefinite hiatus since the third part, without any notice, even though it's a paid novel!

Unable to bear it any longer, I sent a message to the author.

"Write something. How can you do anything with such a lack of professionalism? Are you ignoring your readers because of low views? I've already read it through twenty times."

I didn't use profanity, but my criticism was as sharp as if I had.

To my surprise, the reply came quickly.

### How to Live as the Third Son of a Failed Work - Chapter 1

#### Chapter 1. This Marriage is Invalid!

I opened my eyes and gaped.

"What is this place?"

Instead of the dull ceiling panels I should have seen, a massive chandelier greeted my eyes.

For a moment, I thought something was wrong, but then the door, with its antique design, opened with a soft sound.

A group of figures entered through the open door. They were women in maid uniforms.

Dressed like they were from a movie, they moved in unison and took their places beside me.

'Is this a dream?'

I do have a thing for maids, but even so, this kind of realistic dream is a bit strange.

Should I pinch myself?

While I was pondering this, they brought clothes and a water glass and started to tidy up the bedding.

"I'll help you change, young master."

"What, what are you doing?!"

"Y-Yes... Yes?"

One of the girls suddenly tried to take off my clothes, and without thinking, I pushed her away. She was so startled that she stumbled backward.

Startled myself, I was about to argue when the girl, now pale, fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry!"

What is she sorry for?

Turning my head to look at the other women, they all bowed and trembled in fear.

"I'm sorry!"

"I've committed a grave sin!"

It was a scene that would make even a ghost weep.

Every woman who met my gaze fell to the floor, trembling.

"Wait, just a moment..."

My mind was in chaos, still half-asleep and faced with this absurd situation.

'Is this a hidden camera show?'

No way.

I'm not a celebrity.

Even if I were, who would do such a crazy thing in a military area?

'If not, is this a dream? But usually, you wake up when you realize it's a dream.'

I pinched my cheek, but all I felt was pain.

As I debated whether to ask the women, who were still prostrate, the elderly butler entered the room with a kind face and bowed politely.

I let out a hollow laugh, and the butler tilted his head in confusion.

"Young master?"

"Who? Me?"

"Yes, young master."

"You mean I'm the young master?"

"Yes. And I am just a butler, so please don't use honorifics."

"Butler? What are you talking about...?"

I had no idea what he was saying.

And he wanted me to use informal language?

I, who was born and raised in the East, couldn't possibly use informal language with an elderly man.

"If I've done something wrong, I'll gladly accept my punishment."

"Wait, just a moment..."

As the butler, like the other women, was about to kneel and bow, I jumped up.

"No, no, what have you done wrong...?"

"Then please don't use honorifics."

"I'm going to lose my mind!"

If a group of people were openly treating someone as a fool, this was as perfect as it gets.

No matter what I said, they only echoed "I'm sorry," so I eventually gave up.

"Alright, get up."

Feeling like I was committing a sin, I used informal language, and the butler slowly stood up and bowed.

"I have a question... No, why are you kneeling again! I said get up!"

"Yes, young master."

"First, get these women out of here. No, out!"

The butler, who had been about to fall over again, was quickly steadied by me.

"Everyone, go out."

At my request, the butler finally dismissed the women in maid uniforms.

Alone with the butler in the spacious room, I grabbed my hair in frustration and bowed my head.

"Ah, what is this...?"

"Did you have a bad dream last night, young master?"

"The dream is happening now."

"If you tell me what the problem is, I'll do my best to solve it."

"It doesn't feel like this is my home."

Unable to use either formal or informal language, I spoke almost to myself, and the butler tilted his head.

"This is your home and your hometown, young master. Is there somewhere else you want to go?"

"This isn't my home. Where am I, exactly?"

"Of course, it's the lord's castle, young master."

"Lord's castle? Where is that in the Republic of Korea?"

"Republic of Korea...?"

"Republic of Korea! Republic of Korea!"

"There is no such place on any continent, young master."

"I'm going to lose it."

Bang! Bang!

As I was about to punch the bed in frustration, a window caught my eye.

"Wait a moment."

If this was a hidden camera show, this would be a real lawsuit.

Drawn by something, I got out of bed and walked to the window.

The butler watched me silently, not stopping me, and I stood by the window and dramatically pulled the curtains open.

"Is this crazy...?"

Outside the window, a city spread out.

The problem was that it wasn't a 21st-century city but an old medieval Gothic city, the kind I had only seen in dramas and movies.

The realization that something was seriously wrong began to fill my mind.

* * *

After a couple of hours of sitting on the bed, alone, after forcibly sending the butler out, I came to a conclusion.

I had been brought to a place that wasn't Earth.

More accurately, I had entered a novel.

The novel was undoubtedly "The Midland Saga." Suddenly, I remembered the message the author had sent me last night.

...I don't understand how it happened, but that damn author must have done something to me.

'This can't be denied.'

I looked up at the portrait hanging on the door.

A blond, golden-eyed man stood proudly in the portrait, looking down at me.

King Velangas the Great, the Founder.

I couldn't not know who he was. He was the man who first unified Midland.

"The Midland Saga" has a vast and intricate world, as extensive as its serialization time.

There's even a setting book that introduces the backgrounds of most characters with illustrations.

How could I not recognize Velangas the Great, the founder of the kingdom that is central to the story?

No one would believe me if I bragged about it, but I am a hardcore reader who has read "The Midland Saga" dozens of times.

'So, I understand that I'm in the novel, but where am I?'

The answer didn't take long to find.

A flag was flying on the top of the tower outside the window.

The flag depicted a gray hawk rising above a snow-covered mountain, and I could recite the meaning of the emblem with my eyes closed.

'The emblem of the Margrave of the Northern Border, Lord Lindayr.'

The Invincible Knight.

The Lord of the North.

The Guardian of the Kingdom.

These are all titles of Lord Lindayr.

The rest was easy.

Lord Lindayr is a significant character in the novel, so it wasn't difficult to figure out where I was.

The remaining question was about me, or rather, the original owner of this body, the young master of the Lindayr family.

"Is the youngest master feeling better?"

The answer was in the butler's words from outside the door.

'Not the eldest or the second, but the youngest. The youngest's name... Cain. Cain, right?'

Now it was clear.

In a single day, I had gone from a healthy South Korean army officer to the youngest son of the Lindayr family.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

With my permission, the door opened, and the butler, who looked worried, entered to check if I was feeling well.

"Here's some tea. It will help you calm down."

"Thanks."

As I accepted the tea from the butler, informal language flowed naturally.

I quickly thought about my situation.

Why the youngest, not the eldest or the second?

Lord Lindayr has three sons.

The youngest, Cain, rarely appears in the story.

He's a minor character, an extra who is mentioned in a sentence or two.

It was a bad start.

I knew nothing about this third son except his name.

"Did you have a bad dream last night?"

"Uh-huh."

The butler looked at me with a mix of concern and suspicion.

I had many thoughts. Should I be honest about my situation? But I quickly dismissed the idea.

'If I tell them I came from another world, they'll believe me. They'll just think I'm crazy.'

It's a conservative medieval era.

Even if I'm not beaten as a heretic, I could be locked away in a deep part of the castle and subjected to all sorts of bizarre treatments.

For now, I'll keep quiet.

Just as I made up my mind, the butler spoke.

"Perhaps you're feeling restless because the day is approaching."

"The day? What day?"

As I took another sip of tea, the butler nodded kindly.

"Your wedding is in a week, isn't it? Anyone would be nervous before such an important event."

Puff!