The maids' hands move busily. Thick curtains part, allowing the morning light to gently illuminate the room. Soon, the personal attendant of the Prince enters, standing beside the bed where a youthful face lay peacefully asleep.
One mustn't touch royalty when waking them. Nor should one make loud noises. Therefore, the attendant spoke with a cautious voice.
"Your Highness, it's time to wake up."
The young, feeble boy, who eventually developed a habit of waking up at the simplest of sounds like the sound of the door openingー today, for some reason, he didn't seem inclined to get up at all.
"Are you tired?"
Prompted by such thoughts, the attendant received a small bell from a maid standing behind. Soon, the subtle chime of the bell announcing the early morning resonated gently.
ーJingle, Jingle.
Only then did the boy's eyes flutter open. After blinking for a moment as if gathering his senses, he abruptly sat up on the bed. Startled by the sudden movement, the attendant slightly bowed, greeting with a courteous gesture.
"Did you have a pleasant dream, Your Highness? It's time for you to get up now."
The attendant then handed the boy the prepared morning tea. Since the Prince had always refreshed himself with the robust aroma of tea before anything else.
'Wait, when did I ever drink morning tea?'
While pondering these thoughts, the young man, or rather Beren, instinctively reached for the teacup. In doing so, he noticed that the appearance of his hand was strangely unfamiliar. The once prominent scars and callouses were replaced by a pristine white hand with slender, long fingers. Struck by the unfamiliarity, Beren unconsciously turned his head to gaze at his left arm.
There, on the slender forearm, not a single trace of scars could be found. No, that wasn't the issue. The very fact that his left arm was still there was the problem as it clearly had been cut off moments before.
"My arm was severed.."
Beren began to mutter but hastily closed his mouth. The voice that escaped was too unfamiliar and youthful to claim as his own.
"Why would you say something so dreadful? Did you perhaps had a nightmare?"
A nightmare.
Could there be a more horrific dream than the fall of Secretia? Beren couldn't respond to the attendant's words. The mystery of how his severed arm had miraculously reattached itself could wait. What demanded immediate attention was the fate of his brother and the King of Secretia, Chase.
"Where is my brother?"
Seeing Beren's anxious expression, the attendant responded with a slightly puzzled look.
"Both of them are still in their rooms."
"..Both?"
This time, Beren's face mirrored the same expression as the attendant's. He only had one brother— only Chase.
"Prince Randell is likely already dressed, as well as Prince Franz."
Randell and Franz.
Familiar yet unnerving known names. Especially one of the names, it evoked a bone-deep resentment inside him.
'Kyris.'
Franz, the King of Kyris.
At the mention of a name that wouldn't satisfy him even if he had killed Franz on the spot, Beren's eyes narrowed.
Observing Beren's reaction, the attendant spoke up once again.
"Your Highness, you should start getting ready."
Assuming he hadn't fully awakened yet, the attendant called for the maid holding a basin of water standing behind him. Watching the scene, Beren murmured.
"..Yan."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
The attendant responded to the call of his name.
With the regenerated arm, the unfamiliar attendant, and the thought of Kyris.
Beren remained silent, deep in thought, without uttering another word.
He swore in the name of Serenti that he had never seen that attendant before. Yet, he knew his name.
That wasn't all.
Beren not only knew the attendant's name but also the names of all the maids currently with him.
Without realizing how bewildered Beren was in this surreal situation, the attendant poured the water with a flowing motion.
'A nightmare.'
Recalling the words of the attendant who was called Yan, Beren dipped his hand into the basin. The only explanation he could find for the situation so far was ironically that he must be dreaming.
Beren brought his face to the sparkling silver basin. No matter how dreadful the reality might be, escaping into such an absurd thought was something he could not do. It was beyond comprehension.
However, upon seeing his reflection in the water, Beren had to pause once again.
The crimson eyes reflected in the water were not his own.
Beren spoke in a hushed tone.
"A mirror."
"..A mirror, Your Highness?"
Beren remained silent. Yan, realizing his unintentional mistake due to the Prince's unusual behavior, quickly apologized.
"I apologize. I'll bring it right away."
Then, he gestured toward the maids with a hand behind his back, indicating to them to bring a mirror.
There was no mirror in the Prince's room. Therefore, one of the maids standing behind Yan hurriedly ran outside to fetch a mirror.
Yan received it and held it up to Beren's face.
Without any word of gratitude, Beren found himself facing his own reflection in the mirror.
"..."
The reflection shown in the mirror wasn't Beren but instead was a young boy with black hair that resembled the dark of night and bright crimson-colored eyes that shone brightly through the long bangs covering his face.
Beren lifted his head at that moment.
The inscription on the hem of the attendant's garment. It clearly belonged to Kyris. It was only after seeing that, he remembered that the attendant referred to him as the Prince and not as his usual title.
The sensation of his lips drying up at the thought, overwhelmed him.
"Prince Kallian?"
Yan called out to Beren, who was silently looking at himself in the mirror.
'No. I am Beren, the Sword of Secretia.'
As if resisting him, Beren echoed his own name as if trying not to lose himself. In response, a memory, almost like someone whispering, emerged in his mind.
"No, my name is—"
And a long name that he hadn't consciously memorized slipped out of his mouth.
"Kallian Reiyn Kyris."
The third Prince of Kyris, Kallian. Not Beren. That is his name. Beren furrowed his eyebrows. Then, with a perplexed expression, he asked Yan.
"What did you say my name was?"
Thinking that Beren was joking, Yan responded with a slight smile.
"You are Prince Kallian. I am Yan, the attendant who should be escorting Your Highness to the dining hall right now."
And like he had been waiting for Yan's response, unfamiliar memories flowed into Beren's mind like a rushing stream.
The Royal Palace of Kyris, etiquette, weather, schedule, cavalry, garden, magic, the Queen, the King and two older brothers.
Yan's words were correct. He shouldn't be late for breakfast. His memories were shouting at him. Urging him to get up immediately, not to be later than the other two princes.
Now, the one who had become the new Prince Kallian, quietly asked.
"What's today's date?"
"It is the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, Prince Kallian. The weather is delightful."
Hearing this, Kallian looked around for a moment. Everywhere he looked, there was no atmosphere of war with Secretia. Thus, Kallian asked again.
"What year is it?"
"It is the year 522."
Kallian's eyes shook at the attendant's words.
If it was the year 522 in Kyris' calendar, then it would be the year 525 in Secretia's calendar. It wasn't the day he had fought to the end, in the war.
'Ten years ago.'
He was now 10 years into the past and as Kallian, the Third Prince of Kyris.
Memories kept surfacing, urging him to get ready quickly and go out to breakfast with the other two princes.
As Kallian remained lost in thought, Yan, unable to wait any longer, reached out. It seemed he intended to grab the sleeve of Kallian's clothes to lift him up.
ーThwack!
Suddenly, Kallian's hand instinctively swatted away Yan's arm. The impact left a red mark on Yan's palm. Kallian's slender arm, not used to such actions, also throbbed uncomfortably.
Yan, with a pained expression, then said,
"What's the matter?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to."
Yan, too surprised to notice the change in Kallian's manner of speaking, quickly responded,
"No, Your Highness. Rather, you should get up quickly. If not, I'll—!"
Without even listening to the rest of Yan's words, Kallian abruptly stood up, tilting his head defiantly.
Driven by the memories echoing in his mind, emphasizing that he must not be later than his brothers, Kallian decided to move first. There was a need for him to step away from this attendant called Yan and think to himself for a moment.
Soon, Kallian finished washing his face by practically dunking his head into the water. He smacked his cheeks briskly to freshen up and declared,
"I'll get ready."
'Wait. I don't speak like that. I didn't say that, that wasn't me.'
Speaking in an unfamiliar manner, another wave of memories rushed in. In response, Kallian took a moment to take a deep breath, reviewing the memories, and then spoke again,
"No, I'll get ready. I'm sorry."
"Your Highness is apologizing a lot today.. Anyway, let me prepare your clothes first."
Yan, after saying that, gestured toward two other maids. Soon, the maids approached, hands filled with clothes, and dressed Kallian. Following that, another maid came forward to comb his hair.
His pitch-black hair obscured his eyes. In his original body, he preferred tying his long, light azure hair together, so having his vision blocked by this black hair felt suffocating. Not liking the hair, a reason surfaced from his memories.
Prince Kallian had hidden his crimson eyes behind his black hair because Prince Franz, his older brother, detested them so much.
Being so afraid of his brother to the point of covering his eyes..
Kallian couldn't help but click his tongue unconsciously.
'I've heard about it vaguely, but I really lived foolishly.'
Then, he found himself chuckling, thinking about something.
'So, someone like Franz disliked these eyes.'
The Mad King, Franz. Beren's archenemy among archenemies.
Franz was the King of Kyris. No, considering Kallian was ten years into the past, Franz must be a prince right now. Franz was the mastermind behind the attack on Secretia.
'Franz.. The fact that you're still breathing is nauseating.'
He couldn't bring himself to utter those hate-filled words. This place was the Royal Palace of Kyris. Though it felt like he was still wandering in a dream, he was, in any case, the current Third Prince of Kyris. Therefore, Kallian repeated those same words silently in his mind tens of times.
'Even if I were to encounter him, I mustn't kill him now. I have to endure.'
If this wasn't a dreamー it seemed absurd, but if he truly had traveled back in time to the past. It wouldn't be wise to act hastily and risk Kallian's life being cut short.
The handmaids, seemingly unaware of Kallian's internal struggle, meticulously adjusted his attire and made final touches. Their thoroughness in preparing him for a morning meal raised doubts about whether it was just a simple meal.
Soon, all preparations were completed. Kallian took a moment to take a deep breath at the door before stepping outside. Moving toward the dining hall located at the far right, the central staircase felt both strangely familiar and unfamiliar.
He tried to recall his age but no memories would surface. Wondering if he had lived without counting his age, Kallian decided to seek assistance from the attendant, Yan.
"Yan."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"How old am I?"
For Yan, it was a random question. Yan, who had been answering these odd questions since morning, answered,
"You are 14 years old. You have four more months until you become an adult."
"Oh, I see. I see."
'He did seem rather youthful.'
Kallian, having such thoughts, nodded in response.
Concerned, Yan turned to Kallian and asked in a worried tone,
"Your Highness, did you happen to read a novel about knights last night?"
It was because Kallian's manner of speaking seemed different from usual. The original Kallian was afraid of speaking up. However, there was a cavalry training session today that required riding a horse.
Worried about not being able to keep up with the class, the original Kallian thought of reading a novel featuring knights and mimicking their actions. So, when Yan asked, Kallian simply nodded sideways and responded.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
Having said this, Kallian soon entered the dining hall. Inside, only servants were present, and there were no figures resembling royalty. Kallian's gaze briefly met Yan's.
'They were making such a fuss when no one is even here yet.'
Perhaps Yan lied about being in a hurry to ensure Kallian not being late for breakfast.
A large, round table was placed by the expansive window. It was the place where, at the insistence of King Rumaine, the Three Princes would have breakfast together every day. For the original Kallian, it was also one of the most dreadful places.
One of the attendants in the dining hall pulled out a chair at a certain spot. Realizing it was his seat, Kallian took his place and gazed at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window.
'It's as impressive as I've heard.'
The Royal Palace of Kyris, holding the largest territory among the four nations on the Systeria continent, is renowned for its colossal size. It differs from the Secretia Palace in which only consisted of one main building and two annexes.
There were a staggering six buildings bearing the name 'Palace,' designated for royal residence. Additionally, numerous buildings for various purposes, extensive gardens, and artificial lakes were all within the confines of the Royal Palace of Kyris.
The Chereumil Palace, where Kallian currently resided and the Princes stayed, was relatively smaller even within the palace grounds. Nevertheless, the artificial lake in front of the palace and the connected gardens behind it were quite spacious.
The sunlight reflecting on the water streamed in through the window. Watching this scene, Kallian lost himself in thought for a brief moment.
After about ten minutes, the First Prince, Randell, arrived, and after another thirty minutes, the Second Prince, Franz, finally arrived. Kallian's eyes widened as he saw Franz quietly walk over and plop down on his seat without a word.
'..What is the world is this nonsense?'
Kallian's brow furrowed deeply as he witnessed an utterly unexpected sight, unable to fathom the meaning behind such behavior.