When the door opened, Alexander was struck by the sight of the girl who entered. She appeared to be about his age, with soft, round eyes that radiated warmth and kindness.
Like a quiet sunrise, her gentle smile carried a sense of calm and generosity. Her long black hair flowed freely, tied delicately with a purple ribbon that matched her modest but elegant dress.
The way she carried herself was graceful yet humble, filling the room with a serene presence, as if she embodied the compassion and purity the world had forgotten.
"This must be the original owner of this body wife, my wife," he muttered as he sat up in bed, looking at her.
Seeing the girl in real life was totally different from just remembering her, especially after the real Alexander died. His biggest regret was her.
The reason why he indulged in drinking was to break the relationship between her and him. So, when drinking did not work, he tried gambling, but it did not work.
She was always there to support him whenever he came home drunk. This girl was always there to prepare him food, making his heart feel a sudden ache.
Seeing how kind and good a person she really is, his feelings were greatly kept at the bottom of his heart since being with him would only ruin a lovely woman like her.
That is when he resorted to a choice which is indulging in women, at that time he brough a random prostitute in his room, he even felt her gaze that was the look of disbelief.
Seeing her look at that time, he felt like his heart was torn to pieces. But he knew that this was the only choice, beating her up to leave?
He will never do that; he will never hurt her physically, so the only way for her to forget him is to make her leave. After some time, when he was finished, he went into the living room.
He found her crying and could only hide as he listened to her screams of pain. He clutched his shirt over the area of his heart, that is beating wildly.
He really wanted to apologize and seek forgiveness, but he restrained himself; this was a wise choice, he kept telling himself.
When he fell asleep and woke up in the morning, he discovered her serving breakfast. He was stunned as he looked at her; the way she gazed at him was still as kind as if nothing had happened the night before.
He looked down at the food on the table, his eyes trembling as he squeezed a fist.
"Why? Why!" he could not help but exclaim inwardly.
When he stopped thinking about it and was about to finish his food, she poured water into his cup since he had finished all the wine in their storage.
The original Alexander could not handle this moment. Why is she still kind to him? He is a bastard, and she still treats him so kindly; he cannot accept it.
So to take it up a notch, every day he goes home, he brings a random prostitute to play in his bedroom; later, every morning, he can see her eyes are black and dry from crying too much.
But she still served him well, like a wife serving her husband; she takes care of him by cooking and cleaning since they have run out of maids due to lack of money.
Whenever she had time, she handled the chores and the mess he caused, making his heart even more uncomfortable. The original Alexander hadn't touched her since if he did that, then she would be stuck with a bastard like him in the future.
Then, the memory of him meeting her in the streets resurfaces. She was so thin at that time due to the lack of nourishment.
Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and she was covered in grime from head to toe. Feeling sorry for her, he took her with him when at that time he was only five years old.
After returning to the palace, her mother and father accepted her not as a maid, but as their daughter—a princess. They only had one son and no daughters, so they greatly loved adopting her.
When both of them turned seven, his mother suggested they get engaged. The original Alexander agreed, as he found no issue about it.
While the little girl who was named by her mother, Serena Aurelious. She was very happy, jumping excitedly as both of his parents smiled at her reaction.
Both of her parents were greatly relieved because their adopted daughter did not object to this. If she had objected, they would not have pressured her since their happiness was what mattered most.
Back to the time when the original Alexander believed that the only way for her to be free was for him to be dead. Since if he continued to do this, he would only cause her to be broken every day.
So he put a toxic poison in his drink and with the last gulped, he slumped in the bed as he waited for the effect to take over.
His eyes were closed as he muttered in a low, hazy breath, "Sorry…".
After the flashback ended, he still felt the emotional ache in his heart.
"Don't worry, I will take care of her for you. Your kingdom and your people, you have my word for it. Since I'm you right now," He promised in his mind.
Then, the last wisp of the original Alexander's soul that remained inside him finally dissipated.
"Thank you..." a soft whisper sounded in his ears, and the uncomfortable feeling disappeared when he spoke his promise.
Serena who came barging in saw that he was awake and was not actually drunk, which surprised her.
She walked towards him as Alexander sat on the bed. Taking a towel in her hands, she leaned in and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What did you do to be sweating this hard?" Serena asked, her voice gentle, as she wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Serena was then stunned, as Alexander in front of her seemed to have changed. His face had become mature, and he gave off the feeling of someone strong, making her confused.
Looking down at his upper body, which was naked, made her gulp. His muscle and perfectly toned build made her blush as her breathing became even more heavy.
"When did Alexander start exercising? " she asked, not knowing that the towel was in Alexander's chest as her hands wiped it gently.
She just stared at those muscles, since Alexander's body was not this perfect; it was slightly bulgy, you could say fatter due to alcohol. But now it even had its own abs, making her wonder in curiosity.
Alexander, who was being properly taken care of, was greatly embarrassed. He could not help but turn red from this.
What do you expect from him? He had never touched or even talked to an opposite sex face to face, making him a little bit awkward.
"Uhh, that's good now, Serena. You can stop now." He managed to voice out, looking down with a red face.
Hearing his words, she was brought back to reality, and she shrieked as she leaned back with a red face. She glanced down, clearly shy as well.
The room was quiet when suddenly his stomach began to grumble, ruining the awkward atmosphere.
[Warning: Enhanced hunger detected. Increased energy intake is required to sustain your growing strength]
Seeing the warning in the system panel, he was stunned, "Is this one of the effects of the bloodline?" he said inwardly.
Hearing the loud grumble of his stomach, Serena was brought back to the world. She looked at him with a smile.
"Have you eaten yet? Come, I'll make you a dinner," she said in a low voice as she escaped the room.
Seeing her panicked expression warmed his heart, and a smile spread across his face. He didn't want to waste any more time since he was really hungry.
He went to the closest wardrobe to put on some new clothes, only to find that only one pair of clothes was left.
He then remembered that the original Alexander had sold all his clothes and everything else in the mansion to buy more alcohol and wine, leaving him to sigh in frustration.
Not bothering about it, when he put his upper clothes back on. As for the crown, he hid it and didn't sell it. Squatting down, he removed the wooden platform just below the wardrobe and found the rings and the crown, which belonged to his father.
He decided to wear it for once to experience the feeling. As he put on the crown, his entire appearance changed.
His aura had become more sunny filling it with nobility; the aura of the king was in full display.
But he put it back in since he would look stupid wearing that in front of Serena. So he got out of the room, and as he went out the hallway, he saw that the windows were broken.
The carpet was tattered, and the walls had some cracks, which would break into pieces if an earthquake occurred.
"As a king, I should at least renovate this mansion and buy some suitable clothes. If I look more like a beggar, what will my people think?" he muttered, thinking that this problem must be solved first after proceeding with the rest.
As a king, he believed he deserved respect, not realizing that both the respect and his identity as king had already faded from the people's hearts.
When he arrived at the hall, he sat down in the old, rusty chair at the long table.
Serena then brought back some food. It was only two pieces of small bread and one bowl of soup. She placed it on the table in front of him and told him to eat.
"Are you not hungry?" Alexander asked, seeing her sit just opposite from his table.
"Don't worry; I have already eaten," she waved his hands, and her heart felt warm since this was the first time Alexander had asked her if she had eaten.
Alexander, hearing the affirmation, decided to start eating since he felt like his body was really hungry. He gulped the soup while ravaging the bread.
His attitude toward eating was more like that of a barbarian rather than a king. When he was done, he burped and felt that it was not enough.
"Are there any more bread and soup?" Alexander asked, feeling that his stomach still needed more food.
Seeing that he was still hungry, Serena felt embarrassed as she looked down, while rubbing her hands together.
"I'm sorry, husband. That's the only food left in the storage. I only managed to make that amount of money after selling some fruit in the town," she explained.
Hearing what she said Alexander could not help but feel guilty, while the original Alexander enjoyed life, knowing his wife struggled to earn money just to provide food for them every day.
What a disappointment he is. He even felt bad for asking for more of this. She's a queen, but she resorted to selling fruits from his people? This made him aggrieved.
He sighed heavily as he looked at her, he extended his hands and cupped her hands.
"Serena, I'm truly sorry for everything, for all the pain and neglect you've endured over the years because of me." Alexander's voice softened, his gaze steady yet filled with sincerity.
"From this day forward, I swear to change. I will become a better man, a better king... and most importantly, a better husband to you." He paused, taking a deep breath as if grounding himself.
"Please, look at me not as the man I once was, but as the new Alexander someone worthy of standing by your side. I promise from this moment, you'll live a life befitting of your status as a queen." he finished.
Serena was first surprised by the sudden touch since Alexander had never held her hands for years. This was the first time he had promised her with a serious look, making her heart flutter.
"I don't care about the old you or the new Alexander; the point is that you are Alexander, my husband. The one that I am engaged to," She responded as her hand squeezed his hands, feeling the warmth.
At last, the moment she had been waiting for arrived; Alexander finally opened up to her. All those years of waiting had not been in vain.
Flashback before the day Alexander mother died, she visited her mother in law in her room as she delivered some food for her.
Alexander's mother, Seraphina Veylance, was on the bed. Her eyes felt devoid of any life anymore. She sat beside her mother since, when she was a child, she had already treated her like a real mother.
"Mom, why don't you eat? You have not eaten for days now. What happens if you get sick?" Serena muttered anxiously as she picked up a spoon with broth.
Seraphina looked at her and shook her head. "I'm not hungry. " She was really not crazy at this moment.
Serena lowered the spoon and said to her, "Mom, if you don't eat, you will get sick and, worse, die. What will happen to Alexander when you die then," As her eyes were slowly accumulating some tears.
Seraphina just smiled as she lowered her head, "You know I'm really happy that you came into our life, Serena; please promise me this one last time. When I'm gone in the future, don't leave Alexander."
Although Serena was only 9 years old at the time, she kept her promise in her heart.
"Don't worry, Mother, me and Alexander will never ever be separated since you have already engaged us both. If I even break this promise, then I'm an unfilial daughter to you and father." her eyes were firm, making Seraphina ruffle her hair as she smiled.
"I feel relieved. All right, leave now. I'll eat the food so you don't need to be troubled," Seraphina muttered in a soft tone towards her.
Later that morning, she also found out about her mother's death, making her collapse as her life felt like it lost its colors.
But there is still one more: Alexander, her future husband. So she began to mature at such a young age, learning everything to take care of Alexander.
But she found that he always ignored her, and this took years. When she found out that she brought a prostitute, she felt her world was breaking down. After crying for the whole night, she shook her head and just told herself that.
This is not the real Alexander she knew as a child, so whenever she saw him bringing a woman, it still broke her heart.
She cried every night as Alexander did this every time, wondering why he was doing that when she was here, her future legal wife.
Back to the present, she could not help but release her last tears as it slid down her cheeks.
She was strong after all those years, and finally, Alexander had grown up, making her cry in absolute happiness.