My death was as meaningless as my life.
In a white room, a doctor and a few nurses were currently looking at a frail and feeble man lying in bed.
"Time of death, 8.05 in the morning. Cause of death, melanoma cancer."
With this murmuring, I experienced my last moments. Indeed, my life passed in a hospital room without savoring the essence of my youth. I died without experiencing the pleasures of life, and alas, I even left this world as a virgin. Oh, what a frustrating place. If there is a God, I truly want to ask: why did I live such a life? Is God up there watching me and finding amusement? Is God a sadist? These were some of the thoughts swirling in my mind.
However, even as time passed, or at least it felt that way, I realized I still had consciousness. There was nothing around me, just darkness. What is happening? Is this the afterlife? Shouldn't an angel come to take me to hell or whatever it is? After a few seconds, my entire body slowly started to ache. That's when I noticed I had a body. But what is this pain? Am I in hell? I almost never committed sins throughout my life, or rather, I didn't have many opportunities. However, the pain continued to intensify. I even started crying loudly, the last time I cried like this was when I was 8. Why am I crying? Is it because I lived a purposeless life? Because I couldn't enjoy my life? Because of the unbearable pain in my body? I lost track of time, but eventually, the pain started to subside, and I heard meaningless sounds around me.
After a while, a gentle touch on my body made me realize that I was in a comfortable position. I stopped crying and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Six months later, I guess reincarnation is the answer to my situation. At first, I didn't fully understand what was happening, but after some time, I realized I was reborn, not back in time but into a different body. Honestly, I don't have much of a problem with this situation; I'm even happy. I just hope this life will be different from my previous one. Can I at least lose my virginity in this life? I hope there's a reason for the big man above to give me this chance.
From birth until now, one thing I've understood is that there are always people around me. Since gaining my sight, there's a woman I can call a mother who seems to love me a lot. As for my father, I haven't seen him yet. Some men visited me, and one of them I guess is my grandfather, but a man I can call father hasn't come. Maybe he visited before I gained my sight. Anyway, another thing I've understood so far is that we live in a very rich environment. I reside in a large, white, and gold luxurious room with a few servants who take good care of me. As for my mother, it seems she is an important person as she only spends a little time with me, and when she comes, I can sense her exhaustion.
While pondering all this, armored men suddenly entered my room. Among them, a tall man with long black hair, dressed in an impressive blue outfit, seemed to be around 1.90cm tall. The servants quickly stepped aside and bowed.
"Your Majesty," he addressed me without paying attention to the servants. Even though I'm just a six-month-old baby, attempting to stand by holding onto the crib-like structures around my bed didn't seem to surprise him. Yet, when I did this for the first time, my mother seemed very happy. After studying me for a few seconds, he began to approach with heavy steps, emitting a dangerous aura. He reached out and grabbed me roughly.
"Hmm... You resemble me... I suppose."
My mother, approaching from behind, smiled and said, "He's only six months old, Richard, but I can definitely say he resembles me."
"Alright, but I hope he at least resembles me in terms of intelligence," Richard said with a smirk.
"...Hey you forget that my academy scores in my own country are higher than yours. By the way, welcome home again, honey." She said. Luciana had a smile on her face. Well, at least I have parents who love each other.
Richard turned towards the door and motioned with one hand for Lucina to follow him. As we left the room, the atmosphere around me changed. Leaving the room dominated by gold and white, we entered a large corridor with stone walls. This corridor, reminiscent of the place where I belong, where I am the Third Prince in this fantastical world, filled me with numerous questions.
After walking for a while, a door opened, and we entered. It was a grand hall. Magnificent wall paintings, large window curtains, and a massive table in the center adorned the room. Those gathered around the table were important figures of the royal court. Loud conversations, laughter, and the dance of magical lights filled the hall.
Richard took me to the side of the throne and sat down himself. Luciana moved towards the middle of the hall to converse with other nobles. This moment marked a beginning for me and seemed to be a precursor to future adventures.
The court members stared at me with curiosity. Some smiled, while others looked away. However, the most noticeable was the wizard who examined me with an odd gaze. He had deep lines on his face and a wise expression.
"The Third Prince looks quite charming, my lord."
Richard replied, "I hope his future is as well," just as the door opened. Four children, two boys and two girls, entered the grand hall with a guard each. The handsome blonde boy, approximately twelve years old, spoke, bowing, "Your Majesties, we've returned from our banners."
"Good. We'll discuss matters concerning the fiefdoms you control later. Now, we'll proceed with the celebration of my son, the Third Prince," Richard said. Each of them responded in unison, "As you command, Father."
The chief wizard, holding a wand, gestured to a few people around him, and they immediately headed toward a large table. Each of them, holding a knife, cut their arms and poured their blood into the bowl. The king lifted me from the throne, and we approached the table. The others quickly gathered around, watching with curiosity.
When Richard approached the bowl, I immediately looked inside. It contained stagnant red water. Without much delay, Richard removed my clothes and immersed me in the water. My whole body, including my head, was submerged. When I entered the water, I tried to cry out in pain. The water was so cold that for a moment, I thought I would freeze. Richard pulled me out and said, "Behave." With his hands, he washed my entire body. Then he took me out and handed me over to the nearby servants. The servants quickly covered me with a blanket, and everyone diverted their gaze from me to the large bowl.
A whirlpool formed in the bowl, and gradually, its color turned dark blue. The chief wizard exclaimed with excitement, "This is quite intriguing."