Meleager : $b A fantasy

"Meleager: A Fantasy" by Herbert M. Vaughan is an early 20th-century fantasy story about a man struggling with sadness and failure who encounters a mysterious man offering escape. This stranger, Signor Arrigo d'Aragno, presents him with an unbelievable opportunity: to become the king of a planet called Meleager far beyond Earth. The story begins highlighting his deep unhappiness until d'Aragno appears, proposing a new life of purpose and power as ruler of Meleager. He discovers he's been selected to rule this distant world and then undergoes a strange transformation to transport him off Earth. Getting ready for his new life, he's embarking on an amazing journey to an unknown world where he must take the throne and lead a society expecting their new king.