Lost on his way back to his room, unbothered by his hunger, Zenyph stumbles upon a balcony overlooking Eldrithia.
Zenyph walks to the edge of the balcony, taking in the beauty of the city below. The twinkling lights illuminate the streets, and the bustling sounds of merchants hawking their wares fill the air.
Zenyph watches as a group of elves ride past on their flying mounts, their long hair flowing behind them in the wind. A pair of dwarves walk by, arguing loudly in their deep voices, and a human man in a black cloak hurries along the street, clutching a bag to his chest.
Angels and vampires fly overhead, their wings flapping silently as they glide on the evening breeze. The scene fills Zenyph with awe and wonder, as he contemplates everything that's happened since he arrived in this strange world.
The diversity of the races fills Zenyph with a sense of wonder, and he feels a small smile forming on his face.
He begins to question his actions. Lynette found out that quickly that he wasn't the prince yet she was eager to help him and didn't expose him.
"That's scary." mumbled Zenyph as he looked at fading suns.
"Why didn't Lynette ask me more questions? Maybe she trusts that I'm telling the truth. Or maybe she thinks I'm too weak to be a threat and doesn't care if I'm lying. Or she wants to study me. Or she's working for someone else. Who knows? "
He recalls the soldier who left him to die, how helpless he felt. Zenyph looks at his hands and flexes his fingers, feeling the mana of this world coursing through his veins. He observes the red colored mana strings and recalls a technique from one of the books he read in the library.
"All I have to do is breathe in and breathe out solely using mana. Seems simple enough."
As Zenyph takes a deep breath, he feels a sudden rush of energy surging through his body. His vision becomes clearer, and he feels lighter on his feet. He exhales, and he can see the mana leave his body and turning orange before dissipating into the air.
"Now I'm as strong as a child. Hah. Pathetic." sighed Zenyph as he leaned on the railing.
"This sucks, Lynette has me by the balls. What if she betrays me? What if she's a spy for the third prince? No... she would have killed me already if that was the case."
"But why is she helping me? It can't be out of the goodness of her heart. I'm nobody to her. A stranger. A foreigner. A waste of space. Yet, she's willing to risk her life to protect me. Does she really believe that I'm innocent? Or does she have ulterior motives?"
Zenyph shakes his head in frustration. He needs to think clearly. He needs a plan.
He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. He focuses on his senses, allowing his surroundings to wash over him. The gentle breeze caresses his skin, and the smell of flowers from the garden below fills his nostrils. The sounds of the city fade into the background as he empties his mind and relaxes his body.
"Do I put my life in her hands?" asked Zenyph as he stared at the sky.
"Or do I strike out on my own? But where would I even go? I don't know anything about this world, and the fact that I'm in a different body complicates things further. "
Zenyph sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. He has so many questions and no answers. He's never felt so lost and helpless before.
"What should I do?" mumbled Zenyph as he watched the last of the suns disappear behind the horizon.
"My mother" thought Zenyph as he recalled the look of joy on Hina's face when he hugged her.
"She seemed happy when I embraced her. Almost as if she hasn't been hugged in a long time."
"Perhaps she's lonely."
"What about my father, the emperor? Lynette said he's preoccupied with his own affairs. Whatever that means. And that the third prince gets away with whatever he wants. I might have to deal with him at some point. I've been lucky so far, but it seems like my luck can't last forever."
Zenyph ponders his options. He could continue trusting Lynette, or he could try to escape the palace and survive on his own in Eldrithia.
"Fuck that." muttered Zenyph as he concluded that it was suicide.
"This isn't Earth and I'm a freaking prince. Back then in medieval times, royalty meant everything."
"The moment I go out in public and anyone finds out I'm an imposter, I'm dead meat."
Zenyph makes a decision, he'll keep up the act as the fourth prince of Eldrithia and figure out this world.
"And I can't let Lynette hold all the cards. My mother is my best bet to keep her in check. She practically cried at me just hugging her."
"For now, I'll play it safe and do what Lynette suggests. If I can gain her trust, perhaps I can manipulate her into revealing her true intentions. I'll focus on getting closer to my mother too, I need to find out how strong she is and how much power she holds in the empire."
Zenyph continues thinking for a while as the moon slowly rises over the horizon. Eventually, he decides it's time to go back to his room and get some rest.
Zenyph wandered around the palace trying to find his room, the hallway were filled with expensive art and sculptures. Zenyph was starting to get tired, and was just about to give up when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Are you lost, Zenyph?"
Zenyph turned to see his mother Hina standing behind him, her expression completely different from what it was this morning.