"Prince, are you awake?"
Tristan opened his eyes. Her voice and repeated knocks on the door had awakened him from a strange dream.
"Wait a moment." Tristan checked his body with wide eyes.
"I don't believe it." He scanned the surroundings with knitted brows.
Tristan sat on a king-size bed; the pillow was very soft, and a gray blanket covered his body. He was wearing a light brown nightgown.
"I'm not in prison." Tristan was still confused.
Then a man's words when he was in an all-white room echoed in his mind. He quickly ran towards the dressing table mirror.
"My face is different." Tristan slapped and pinched his cheek. He groaned in pain. "My body is not thin and a little taller, I think. Am I a teenager now?"
Tristan's long, sturdy fingers combed through his golden hair. He also observed his white skin as if he had never been exposed to sunlight.
"Prince, are you awake?" The maid's voice came back.
"I–" Tristan held his head, which suddenly felt dizzy. All the memories belonging to the person who owned that body flooded into his mind. Now Tristan knew where he was and who he was becoming.
"The mysterious man is not lying. I entered the body of a future king." All the hairs on Tristan's neck stood up. He never thought he would experience something as magical and strange as this.
"Is it because I have the same name as him?" Tristan tilted his head with a confused face.
"My real name is Tristan Harper." Tristan touched his chest; he wouldn't forget the name his parents gave him.
"Now, in this world, in this life, I am Tristan Madigan. The future king of the Madigan Kingdom."
Tristan cleared his throat with his gaze fixed on the dressing table mirror. His heart was beating faster and faster, as if it was going to explode.
Even though he had Tristan Madigan's memories, Tristan was still nervous; he was worried that people would realize that he wasn't Tristan Madigan.
"Prince." The fat, 50-year-old lady maid breathed a sigh of relief when Tristan opened the door. "Thank goodness you're awake. You passed out all day."
Tristan nodded. He must act like Tristan Madigan, who rarely speaks and has an expressionless face.
Tristan had no trouble imitating him, since he believed he had something in common with Tristan Madigan: they both didn't trust others.
They built the walls incredibly high and thick so that no one could penetrate or break them.
"The maid will help you—" The old lady maid's words were cut off by Tristan.
"You know me, don't you?" Tristan raised an eyebrow with an angry face. "Have I ever allowed my body to be touched by them?"
Tristan Madigan always said that sentence, even though he didn't know the tone of voice. Because the maid's expression wasn't inquiring and her eyes weren't confused, it was clear that Tristan had chosen the correct speaking style.
Tristan would need a lot of practice speaking in that tone and being able to maintain an expressionless face, but it appears that he didn't need to study too hard because Tristan Madigan has fierce and sharp eyes like an eagle.
[Welcome to the tyrant system.]
[We congratulate you on joining our system.]
Tristan was so shocked that he almost slipped in the bathroom. He cursed whoever had made the floor slippery.
"Join your system." Tristan looked around him, looking for the person who spoke to him. "I never said I agreed to your offer. I was suddenly in this world as someone else."
Tristan had a feeling that no one would pay attention to his protests. He would just get tired of grumbling to himself.
[You will get your first task as soon as possible.]
Tristan frowned. "First task?"
***
Today was Tristan Madigan's coronation as the king of the Madigan Kingdom and the five other kingdoms that have joined it over the centuries.
Tristan was so nervous, but he tried to hide it. Tristan Madigan has been studying for his coronation for a month.
Tristan hoped that Tristan Madigan's memory would be useful for him because yesterday the palace forbade him from carrying out a dress rehearsal. They were concerned that Tristan would faint again from tiredness.
The coronation could not be postponed by force because all the essential guests from several kingdoms had arrived by yesterday afternoon. They didn't know Tristan Madigan had fainted, leaving him unable to greet them.
Tristan prayed to God. He asked God for help so that he wouldn't make a mistake that could reveal his true identity during the coronation.
When the prime minister was about to put the crown on his head, Tristan's body immediately bent.
Then, when the warlord gave him the sword, he immediately raised the sword, followed by all the royal soldiers.
The prime minister invited him to speak. Tristan felt like all the words in his brain just came out.
Tristan quietly trembled in terror as his body moved by itself, as if he had no control over it.
Was it because this body was not his own?
Did these bodily cells remember everything Tristan Madigan did while preparing for his coronation?
Tristan sat in his power chair with his body straight. He had a serious face accompanied by a sharp gaze. He listened to congratulations from kings and princes from other kingdoms.
His head suddenly felt dizzy. Memories of Tristan Madigan flooded his mind again. He wanted to appreciate Tristan Madigan's hard work in finding out about all the kings and princes from other kingdoms who came today.
Tristan could feel Tristan Madigan's anger when he found out that one of the kingdoms that had long been allied with this kingdom had evil intentions to ruin his coronation, but strangely, nothing happened today.
"My King." The prime minister stood in front of Tristan when everyone had left the room. "Congratulations on becoming king of the Madigan Kingdom and the five other kingdoms that have declared themselves part of us."
Based on Tristan Madigan's recollections, the 18-year-old young man told himself not to get too close to the prime minister.
[The first task has come.]
[You must kill the person who caused the fire in the flower garden with your sword.]
[You will get a penalty if you fail to carry out the task.]
[You will get a reward if you successfully carry out the task.]
Tristan frowned. "Fire?"
Two seconds later, the screams of panicked people broke the silence of the night.