《Saved Memories》


 Elliot to Eli

    "Do you believe in reincarnation?"


    Daniel, who had been typing away on his laptop, looked up from the screen to show me his raised eyebrow. "Where''d that come from?" He chuckled out.


    I shrugged and leaned back into the couch. "I was just reading about it in a book... It''s weird to think about what we all lived past lives we don''t remember."


    Daniel shook his head and said, "You''llnever know if it''s real or not, so there''s no point thinking about it."


    "But if it is real, what would you want to be in the next life?"


    He tilted his head and rolled his eyes up, almost as if he was trying to look at the thoughts processing in his head. "A cat." He blurted out after a moment.


    "A cat?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Yeah." Daniel looks to me with a smile before scrunching up his nose when he saw the look on my face. "Don''t look at me like that. One, they''re cute. Two, they don''t give a fuck about anything. Three, they''re cute. Four, the only responsibility they have is having sex. Five, they''re cute-"


    "Okay, shut up." I smacked his arm, "We''re still not adopting one."


    "Oh come on! Just one," He whined, "A munchkin! They''re tiny! Fluffy! And cute! And-"


    As Daniel continued to rant on his love for cats, I quietlyget up and go around the couch to stand behind him. After countless times, I put my arms around his neck in the perfect position that relaxes me and quiets him down. He leans into my embrace and hums, "Why can''t we get a cat again?"


    I bury my nose into the crook of his neck and kiss the soft skin, "Why do you need a cat when you already have someone as cute as me?"


    He huffs, "You''re so petty."


    "Oh, insulting me now. Guess we won''t go to the cat cafe this weekend." I quickly hurry away to the bathroom, laughing to his indignant yells behind me.


    Such happy, simple moments, are what I miss the most. The warmth of his skin, the smell of his hair, the little squabbles. Those are what made my life perfect. He was my world, and I wouldn''t have everimagined a life without him.

 Coming of Age

    I lived for what was expected of me for the most part. I listened to what my parents said; I never missed my curfew; straight A''s throughout my whole school life, and had good influential friends. However, to them, there was a single fault of mine.


    I never once had a girlfriend before meeting Daniel, nor had I known that I favored my own gender. Daniel was my ''fault'' in my parent''s eyes. He was arambunctious kidin middle and high school, skipping school or coming late, failing his classes, getting into fights, kissing girls in the hall. I always made sure to stay clear of him and his gang but seems like luck ran out, or rather, it was lucky to have gotten close to him.


    Even with my nerd self, I was pretty popular with the boys and girls. I had been asked plenty of times by my friends of how it happened and all I could do was shrug my shoulders.


    "Thinking about it, I''m not surprised." Luke, a friend I had made in middle school, still stuck with each other as we decided to enter the high school division of our school. He was the lazy kind of student where he would copy most homework from me. "A lot of girls have a crush on your looks. And the guys need you to help them with school work, so they''re keeping themselves on good terms with you."


    "Really?" I asked with a tilt of my head. It was lunchtime I remember, we were sat in the cafeteria, just two tables down from where Daniel''s gang was.


    "You don''t remember?"


    "It''s just like you to analyze useless stuff. If only you used that brain of yours towards something productive."


    "That''s exactly what my mother said."


    I made half-assed retorts while I still kept my eyes on the trouble gang. I remember Daniel had his legs up on the table, and he noticed my staring, I don''t know why I was, but my eyes always found themselves on him. When he looked back and made eye contact with me, my heartbeat quickened and the scenery started to blur and I could only see the smiling face of Daniel... Until the hard lights of the sun shown brightly against my lid.


    "It''s morning, my prince."


    I made a noise at the back of my throat and stayed still for a few seconds before pulling the covers from over my head. Louise bowed when I looked to him and saw he had a tray with tea and biscuits ready for me. I sighed before sitting up on my bed, rubbing my tired eyes.


    "I''ll freshen up before breakfast," I say.


    "May I assist?"


    "No, just make sure the tea stays warm." I entered the bathroom which was extravagant as anything else made for royalty. Marble floors and a marble tub with a large full body mirror ready at hand.


    I sighed at Louise''s professionalism. It was a butler''s job to take care of their charges hygiene and daily upkeep, but I made it my point that I would not accept any kind of help with that, yet he still asks to help. I shower myself and only call Louise in to wash my back and make sure my hair is rinsed properly - it was so he was assured that he was still doing his job of taking care of me - and left once he was done. As expected, to be in the bathroom leads to the holy grail of useless thinking, but the thoughts were swept away by the loud crash coming from outside the bathroom. I hurriedly got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my waist before rushing to leave the bathroom.


    I gape at the sight of a fallen Louis on his hands and knees, his body shadowing the small form of what was no doubt my younger sister.


    "What happened Louise?" I ask as he stands straight, carefully pulling my sister back up to her feet as well.


    "My apologies." He said calmly.


    "Princess I had warned you!" I blinked in confusion to see Miranda, my sister''s maid, scrunch her face up in annoyance.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Oh, I could tell what the situation was pretty well now. My younger sister, the first princess of the Sinnett royal family, had most likely rushed to give Louise a hug when she tripped over the trolley. Louise had shielded her from the tea spill. I gasp when I could see steam coming off his blazer.


    I quickly went to assess Louise, "You''re not burned are you?" I asked pressingly.


    "No, My prince-"


    "Take off your clothes."


    "Wh-"


    "Clothes, now."


    Louise knew better than to argue with me and gave a glance to Miranda who understood the situation. She quickly grabbed my sister''s hand to drag her away from view.


    "No! I haven''t hugged them yet!" My sister cried out.


    "You will be able to once the mess you''ve made had been dealt with Princess!"


    The yelling became muffled when Miranda closed the door to my room behind her, making sure to keep my sister out in the halls for now. I sighed in exasperation and turned to see Louise already half naked.


    His body was well muscled showing some physical exercise was taking place. His abs were pretty visible as well. He had a body any girl and a gay guy like me would want to try out. Luckily for me, my sex drive was low to near zero as I was merely an eight-year-old child... Or does that even matter? Louise was a temptation alright. He had the looks to match it too, with that perfect silky black hair and misty grey eyes.


    I sighed in relief when I saw the damage on his back. "Thankfully it only reddened your skin." I gently placed my fingers on the tinted part. "Does it hurt?" I ask.


    "No my prince, It doesn''t even count for a flesh wound."


    "Still, it could bother you later. I''ll put on some cream just in case."


    "There''s no need."


    "Oh be quiet." And he did shut his mouth. He only argued against my consideration because I was the prince and he was my butler. If his arguments were anything true, he wouldn''t have bothered to show me his back in the first place.


    Once I finished placing the cream, he dressed before lending me my share of clothes which reminded me that I was naked bare a towel. He helped me dress before calling my sister and her maid back in. The first thing my sister does is run towards me. I was ready with open arms.


    "Guess what guess what!" She exclaimed excitedly.


    "What is it, Izzy?" I chuckle at her enthusiasm, already knowing what it was about.


    "It''s my birthday tomorrow!"


    I chuckled, "I know, you''ve been telling me since before."


    "I have to remind you a lot so you don''t forget!"


    I mocked a gasp, "Are you saying I don''t care enough to remember?"


    She shook her head vigorously, "No no no!"


    I ruffled her dark blonde hair, finding her overly hyper self to be adorable to Miranda''s great confusion. Miranda had been attending to Izzy since her birth, same as Louise to me. She was only a year younger than Louise and a bit less composed when dealing with my sister, though I admit my sister was a bit difficult to deal with.


    My sister would be turning five and I would have to get ready for the big celebration my parents have planned for their first princess''s first coming of age. I shiver to remember my own.


    I was five then too, as the first coming of age of the royal prince or princess is then, the second would be when they reach the age of fifteen, and from then on they would be considered a young adult who can gain responsibilities.


    My first coming of age was a big ceremony as were the ones for my two elder brothers, though I hadn''t been born then. I was forced into confining clothes with heavy decorations that were topped off with a shoulder cape. It was way over the top. I was sweating too much and when the heat finally got to me, I passed out in front of the guests. When I say guests, I mean hundreds of guest of high status within the kingdom. It caused quite a panic as the people, especially my parentsthought I had been poisoned from something. That is until they figured out that I merely had a heat stroke. It was embarrassing overall.


    Rumors began around the people of the kingdom that the third prince, which was me, had a weak constitution and wouldn''t be considered to be a candidate for the royal throne. It would''ve been offensive to any other prince, but I had never even considered being King, even now I don''t. I had always lived my life peacefully, and the candidates would only be considered if anything were to happen to the first prince, my eldest brother. However, the world was at a state of peace between the different kingdoms and no king vied for any land or feuds, so the chance of anything happening to him was low but still very present. You could never be too sure.


    My sister babbled on about the dresses she was to choose from and all I could do was give a nod to whatever she said and wonder why I hadn''t been allowed to choose my own dressing. When she stared at me with those dark blue eyes, a flash of my brother from beforeflashed through my mind.


    She had the same eyes. What a coincident.

 Awaiting The Day

    The grand hall is decorated with a mix of colors from pink to blue to yellow; a strange assortment which fit surprisingly well. "They''ve done a lot in only a week," I commented as I stepped down the stairway to which my sister would later have to in the day of her first coming of age, to the applauds of dozens of guests.


    Louise walked steadily behind me as always. "They have been planning the day for months before, so it is not surprising, my prince." He replied.


    "That is true."


    As I was looking around the main hall, someone called out to me, "Prince Eli." The man was the organizer of the ceremony my father had hired for organizing the setting. He had done mine and my brother''s as well, which made him known as the Royal Families event organizer. He was a man in his mid-forties and still had a full head of black hair with graying strands blending in. He looked more like a businessman if he were to be compared in my old world.


    "Mr. Hanz, you are doing splendidly with the finishing decoration," I tell him.


    "Thank you. Princess Isabella gave me quite the challenge with what she wanted."


    I chuckled, "I could imagine."


    "I still remember when I had planned your first coming of age Prince Eli. You were already such a mature child back then, telling me to do what I saw fit."


    I shook my head, "Though I would''ve liked to put in my opinion on what I had to wear."


    Mr. Hanz smiled amused, "You looked exquisite in the robes Prince Eli."


    I smiled back in acknowledgment, "You''re words are too kind."


    "Not at all," Our little chat is interrupted by a worker with questions for Mr. Hanz, so I gave him a farewell, "I''ll leave you to your work. I hope to see you at the ceremony Mr. Hanz."


    He bowed before going back to his work.


    I looked back to Louise to see his eyes narrowed towards something, I follow his line to see it was Mr. Hanz. Before I could really make out any implications, Louise told me that breakfast should be ready by now. I shrug off the questions I would''ve asked if I had not been aware of how hungry I was.


    Last night was a long one. My evening lessons with Mr. Reinhardt left me too mentally tired, more than it usually does, and I had fallen asleep the second I was in the comfort of my bed. Louise let me rest due to the fact that I wouldn''t have been able to eat anyway. I grow nauseous when I''m tired and so I''m to wait until I wake up to eat.


    Breakfast was a simple toast with original tea. I made it back to my room to have as much relaxation as possible before the energy of the day reached its prime. But that seemed null when my door burst open by an upset Izzy. "Brother!" She yelled out as she held me in a tight embrace.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I looked to Miranda who followed after her with a questioning look but she only shook her head. I looked down at Izzy with a pat to her head, "What is it, Izzy?" This almost seemed like a repeat of yesterday.


    "Miranda won''t let me wear the red dress!"


    "Red dress? Hadn''t we decided on the blue one?"


    "I changed my mind!"


    I gave one more exasperated look to Miranda who only sighed. "She had changed her mind only an hour ago, Prince Eli. We cannot do anything now as we had already modified the blue dress to fit the ceremony. The red one is much too plain to wear." She explained.


    "No!" Izzy yelled out.


    After a moment of contemplation, I put my hands under Izzy''s arm to lift her up to my lap, it was easy despite there only being a three-year difference between us. She sniffed and dug her face into the crook of my neck. "Izzy," I started, "Do you want to know how my own ceremony went?"


    Izzy lifted her head to look up to me. "What?" Through her teary eyes, there was a shine of interest.


    "Well, everything went as normal. The grand hall was decor-"


    "How did you decorate it!?" Izzy interrupted excitedly.


    "I didn''t decorate it," I spent the next twenty minutes entertaining Izzy my tale. She showed surprise that I put in no opinion and laughter when I told her about the passing out.


    "I don''t want that to happen to me!" She said as she chuckled.


    "Obviously, there are many people working hard to make it work out and they need you to work with them. The first thing you need to help them with is keeping to your original decisions. That includes wearing your blue dress." Before she could retort I continue, "Even when it is a dress you don''t wish to wear, you will be the most beautiful."


    "Really?"


    "Really." I smile down to her, "Now go back to your room so you can prove to everyone just how beautiful you are."


    Izzy giggles and rushes back towards Miranda who sends me a thankful bow before guiding my sister away. I sighed and asked Louise to hand me a cup of water.


    "You do excellent at having Princess Isabella behave, my prince." He comments as he hands me the glass.


    "It''s a challenge I must deal with daily," I say jokingly. Spending time with my sister and Louise are the two highlights of my day, so challenge or not, I will see to it.


    When it was only an hour till lunch, Louise began his quest to get me ready for the upcoming ceremony, where I would have to greet guests and chatter with fellow aristocrats my age to stay on the acquainted side of our kingdom''s future noble heads. Though I don''t know about a child being particularly as young as me, or Izzy.


    Louise made sure there were no wrinkles to be found anywhere on my admittedly comfortable clothing. "I''m surprised it feels good to wear this," I comment. The clothes I''m wearing were of royalty design - if that was a thing. The overall theme was white, grey and black. White being our kingdom''s national color. It even has a short shoulder cape to top it all off.


    "Of course, I''ve had a personal tailor of mine fit it for you. He has quite the talent."


    "Indeed," I say as I look myself over in the mirror, "It even makes me look mature."


    "You don''t need clothing to make you look mature, my prince." He compliments.


    I smile and pat Louise''s arm, "Now don''t be jealous that you can''t dress up yourself."


    "Of course not my prince."


    I laugh in pleasure.

 Introductions

    The thing about royal ceremonies is that introductions are an important part of it even when everyone attending knows who you are. My introduction, my brothers too definitely, especially my sister''s, have all been rehearsed for weeks to have it go as perfectly as it possibly can. I had to practice harshly when it was me in the spotlight. You have to have a certain pose that shows elegance and propriety; you must always have a small smile shown on your lips to appear pleasant to quaint with, and on goes the tedious list of musts.


    "I will be waiting for you at the end of the steps, my prince."


    "I know Louise."


    "You mustn''t feel-"


    "I said I know Louise. Don''t worry yourself so much, I don''t feel any kind of embarrassment left from last time."


    Louise frowned but didn''t press anymore on the topic. I was being honest. Me passing out in front of everybody before had nothing to do with myself so the embarrassment only lasted a moment.


    "Oh~" My shoulder''s straightened further at that lucid voice coming from down the hall. Louise bowed towards my second eldest brother, his blond hair near identical to Izzy''s, but his eyes were a gold taken after our mother. His posture was always as cunning as he himself, yet it held the charm of a true royal. Behind him followed his own Butler. His clothes were a theme of white, black, and gold linings.


    I turned to him and offered a smile in greeting, "Brother Avery,"


    He grinned down at me. Being four years older, he had two heads over me. "Little Eli, I haven''t seen you since last month."


    "I can understand you''ve been busy with the academy."


    Avery raised a curious brow before smirking as he said, "Oh right, you''re almost reaching the age of nine. Didfather say anything about you joining the academy yourself?"


    I purse my lips and look to Louise who shook his head. "I guessnot," I answer.


    "Then I guess you''re bound to the palace." His tone seemed mocking. "I was right to think neither Mother or Father would want you outside of here. As a matter of fact, when have you ever left the palace grounds?"


    I raised a brow at his question, wondering what I should be offended about. "A palace is a large place, I still have yet to explore much of it. Once I do, I may consider leaving the grounds."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Hmm, that''s a nice plan."


    "Not a big one as becoming a future Kings Guard."


    Avery let a sound rip from the back of his throat, holding back a chuckle. "So very true." He turned to his butler, "When is Elder Brother arriving Calvey?"


    Calvey took out his white pocket watch, one symbol of three to show that he was a direct servant to a royal. Louise had one too. "The announcements will start in five minutes."


    "Do you think Elder Brother will be late this time? His record is flawless."


    "Did you honestly believe that?" The voice which cut through was deep enough to mistake it for an adult. However, the speaker was only a boy at the age of 13. It helped that my eldest brother looked older than he is.


    "Oh, Elder Brother!" The mischievous glint in Avery''s eyes vanished to show fondness.


    Our Eldest Brother was a man already, with his strength in swordsmanship being that of a pure prodigy, his intellect high enough to match that of a decade scholar, and aesthetic beauty carried in every fiber of his being. He was a prodigy named the pride of the kingdom, as Mr. Reinhardt had put it.


    "Avery, Eli, I can see you are prepared to begin the night."


    "Of course Elder Brother."


    "Well then, make sure to give Isabella a successful ceremony. No mistakes will be allowed from you two either."


    "Yes."


    Elias stands out among the Sinnett Royal family likeFather. Among us four siblings, he is the only one to take all of our Fathers'' features, such as his black hair and blue eyes.


    "Where''s Hail?" Avery asksElias. Hail is my Eldest brother''s butler.


    "He is waiting to receive me once my introduction is dealt with."


    "Then Calvey, go on to join him." Calvey bowed once before leavingto the hidden steps to go downstairs.


    "I will be heading down as well my prince," Louise tells me.


    "Okay." I watch as Louise walks away. It was only a moment before I could hear the clear voice of the announcer, his voice grabbing all of our attention, and no doubt, that of the audience down in the main hall.


    "Our dear guests of King and Queen Sinnett, we welcome you to the first coming of age of our kingdom''s first-born princess. Before the night can begin in full, I introduce you to our Royal Family, the next generation of leadership."


    Leaders? Oh, how I may disappoint.


    The speech before the actual introduction goes on for another thirty seconds, a time I lose interest and miss the part until the first name is spoken. "...Our third prince, Prince Eli Dru Sinnett!" I still from confusion. My name was not meant to be said first.


    My brothers seem to be confused as well, as they look backto me questionably for a moment before stepping aside for me to go forward.


    After a second of hesitation, I proceed to move on from it. I would ask about it later. I take a deep deep breath and take the first step to show myself to those waiting.

 Taken Back

    My heart was speeding, the nervousness and overwhelming feeling of being put in the spotlight are rushing through me as it had three years ago when the ceremony was of my own. Still, I kept my face even and confident through the applauds and attention, putting more of my focus on my breathing to keep it even. It wouldn''t do good to show weakness in front of our Kingdom''s aristocracy.


    I stood at the top of the stairs, as I was told beforehand. The announcer introduced me with few details. It was nothing of significance other than the fact that I was the third prince and looking over the large ballroom, it was intimidating. Many of the people here were wise and had even gone through battles which had ended to make way for this time of peace I was born in. That, being a mere two decades ago, still had some troubles among Kingdom''s borders.


    I should be thankful to my teacher, Mr. Reinhardt, for teaching me well on our Kingdom''s aristocrats. The sense of familiarity with some did well to compass me.


    I made my way down the stairs where I could see Louise, ready to be back by my side. The nervousness dimmed within me from that alone. Louise really is one of my most precious people here.


    He bowed to me when I took the last step down and was immediately greeted by aristocrats within ten feet of me. Of course, they did it with calm manners and politeness which thankfully helped me be the same. But that lasted only a minute as my second brother was called.


    "The Sinnett Kingdom''s second prince, Prince Avery Di Sinnett!" Applause erupted and my brother stepped into the spotlight after me, his charming smile no doubt pleasing some of our guests. "Prince Avery will be making his way to his third year in our most prideful Sinnett Kingdom''s Alistair Academy." And their hits the pressure on my brother. I can''t tell if it actually affects him as it would have me, but Prince or no, Avery is still a child. Mental power can only go so far for someone so young.


    Calvey, Avery''s butler, bowed when Avery came down and seemed to brighten his smile, as Louis had mines, with his presence alone. Our butlers were a special kind of person to us. Dependable in all cases, they were irreplaceable. The thought made me smile more sincerely in the face of the guests trying to get in my good graces and I could see some others doing the same to Avery who took it all in stride.


    There was only a minute given between each introduction so guests could be given the most minimum of time to approach the ones already introduced. Even then, with the people knowing who was to come next, almost everyone''s eyes kept darting to the announcer for him to hurry up and announce the presence of the heir to the kingdom. The announcer smiles wide when he gives one last look to his silver pocket watch and I see Hail, the butler of my eldest brother, readyto receive him.


    Unlike Louise or Calvey, who both are strict on themselves in their work to care for us in whatever way they could, Hail seemed more carefree. It was an odd thing to see my brother so sophisticated, you would expect the one to be by his side twenty-four seven to be the same, if not more. But once you look behind him to see Hail, you''d be greeted by the laid-back smile of his with an even bigger attitude of the carefreeness of his character. I was honestly left speechless when I had met hime for the first time.


    The announcer calls everyone attention back to the top of the grand stairs and the anticipation is almost palpable. If you hadn''t known this to be the princess''s first coming of age, you would expect this all to be something for my brother himself. The pull Elias has is admirable.


    "The heir to the throne, our Kingdom''s first prince." As my Brother steps into the eyes of the crowd, his gaze is sharp and observing, his steps wide yet slow to keep a moderate pace. I was called after everyone else in my own coming of age, so I never got to see what kind of presence my brothers held as a prince, but now I knew why Elias was always favored among the people. His presence demanded respect and adoration, and he certainly got mine from this alone. How frightening to know he has this much authority as a child. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Our heir himself will be moving onto his fourth year at our Alistair Academy, where he will begin excursions beyond our kingdom''s wall." Right, the year before the year of graduation is when the real experience is given to the students. Mr. Reinhardt did say that even when there is peace between the kingdoms, conflict still erupts beyond their walls in the neutral territory - plain lands between all kingdoms and the woodlands which mythical beasts inhabit.


    Other than the fact that this world is made up of ruling kingdoms, the mythical beasts made my blood tinge of excitement and wonder. Although, I don''t expect to see any kind of mythical beast face to face.


    Elias didn''t smile as I and Avery had, yet he had an easy expression to show his politeness which kept it open to greet him once he came down. When he did, my attention was taken by Mr. Hanz when he came up behind me. "Prince Eli, you look splendid." He complimented as always. I knew he did it to stay on good terms with that of the royal family but when someone stays that polite to you for years, it could get a little tedious until you start wanting them to be a little bit more familiar. But the look I notice on Louise''s face when he sees Mr. Hanz holds me back from taking the interactions a little more closely acquainted.


    "Mr. Hanz, have you come with anyone today?" Each guest is allowed to invite a plus one to the ceremony, after all.


    "Unfortunately, it is me alone that have come."


    "Prince Eli." Our chat was cut short as a duke came to say his greetings. Duke Garter, as told to me from my lessons, is the richest of the other two dukes and always makes sure to see through all of the kingdoms'' trade interactions. "Pleased to meet you. I hope you still remember me from your first coming of age."


    I blinked as he smiled charmingly. Duke Garter was certainly youthfully good looking for a man well in his thirties. "Of course, you had helped me when I collapsed." I said with a polite smile in turn, "I was right next to you when it happened after all."


    "Truly, you gave us all a scare." He chuckled right back before looking over his shoulder. "Ah, Daniel, come here and say your greetings."


    Suddenly there was tightness in my chest. My breathing paused to a complete stop and my eyes were straining. The surrounding grows dim until the only thing I could see is an illusion back when I was in high school, to that moment when I had my first real connection to him in the cafeteria. His feet up on the table, his little trouble-ridden smirk in full swing as he glances towards me, making my heart skip a beat.


    "Prince Eli?"


    I gasp back to reality and the scenario around comes back to the crowded ballroom where Duke Garter watches me with a concerned expression. A new person, a boy about the same age as Avery, standing next to him. My heart doesn''t stop, it''s almost painful as I look into the eyes of the person that just doesn''t have the name of Daniel, but their looks are abnormally similar as well.


    Louise moves just a little closer to me which helped my sudden change in attitude. "Oh, my apologies, I may have lost my focus for a moment." I honestly didn''t know how I managed an even voice. Did they notice my cold sweat? No, calm down. That boy is not Daniel, he just has the same name.


    Even while trying to reassure myself, I couldn''t bring myself to look at the boy.


    Duke Garter gives me a small assessment before nodding. "Right, this is my son. He is on the same course as Prince Elias so I imagine it would be good to be acquainted with you and Prince Avery, as all of you may be working together in the near future."


    I nod and hold out my hand to Daniel. "Pleased to meet you, I am Eli Di Sinnett."


    Daniel glances at my hand and makes a face of subtle annoyance, but he takes it anyway. "Daniel Garter, son of Duke Harold Garter." His voice held that notion of disobedience which the duke no doubt caught. It was almost like Daniel and his own father.


    The similarity between them kept growing. It''s all I could do to keep myself from shaking. Truly, all of that carefreeness I built up almost felt null from here on.

 Oddity

    The air was riddled with awkward tenseness. Finally, a difference I could make apart from him and my Daniel. Daniel knew what to say, or do, in any sort of situation. Whether it be when I caught him with a female teacher back in high school, or when I drank myself into a drunken confession during the secret "senior end of the year party" which he had forced me to go to. It would have been a life lasting mortification if it hadn''t turned out so well.


    Would he have known what to say if I hadn''t died? Would he have known how to fix the rift that formed between us?


    "Isn''t it taking to long to announce the Princess?" I could hear the whispering of a guest behind me.


    "Yeah, at least five minutes have already past." Another reply.


    Indeed, it was taking longer than usual to announce my sister''s presence. I look up towards the announcer and see him keeping a neutral expression. Does he know why? How could he? He''s been standing there alone the whole time. Or... I look up and around the upstairs balcony where you could look down and oversee the first level. It was dark and empty except for the few maids scurrying to accomplish their tasks.


    Was the announcer associated with the palace guards hiding in the shadows? They definitely know what my sister is up to.


    "Prince Eli?"


    "Hm." I look back over to Daniel who had a very constipated expression set upon his face, which he was visibly trying to hold back. It made me chuckle a little, which garnered me a raised eyebrow. We were left alone after the Duke had left to greet Elias, and Avery was there looking all too happy to be besides eldest brother. Louise had gone to get me a cup of tea, which couldn''t be found amongst the champagne and juice served to the guests. I usually preferred to drink in the comfort of privacy, but the ceremony wouldn''t be finished until hours later. I would still like to have my drink if anything.


    "I''m sorry. I was just wondering what was taking so long with my sister," I tell Daniel.


    "Maybe Princess Isabella is uncomfortable. Anyone would be with this sort of crowd, especially a five year old." Although the tone of his voice was a little impolite when speaking to a royal, I never cared for such etiquettes. It actually bugs me like a mosquito''s buzzing by the ear sometimes - the social rules of a class are much too tedious at points when you have memories of a much less moderate life.


    "Ah, I feel guilty to not be able to check up on her. It would arise some whispers after all."


    He scoffs quietly in agreement with my words. If anyone around us were to hear that, they would have no doubt - how could I say - uh, bitch to the Duke and then the Duke would have been angered into thinking of a punishment for him. You know, since you must always have a certain manner when speaking to a royal. As I said, the mosquito buzzes loudly.


    "Prince Eli, may I ask you something?" Daniel asks.


    "No need to ask to ask something."


    He gave me a funny look in response. "...Ah, well, I was wondering if you knew someone named Felix Carter?"


    I blinked in confusion, "Why?"


    "No, I, uh, I -"


    "I apologize for the wait, my ladies and gentlemen of this great evening." His words were cut off from the announcer speaking up once again. From the top of the middle staircase, in the shadows behind the large velvet curtain, is the silhouette of three figures standing next to each other, the smallest one safely standing between the other two, no doubt the star of the night. My mind was distracted by the show of my sister, missing the way Daniels expression twisted in displeasure. "It is what all of us has come to see, the sight of our beautiful first princess on the day of her first coming of age!" There steps out the three figures, the other two being the King and Queen Sinnette themselves. Loud applause is given to the princess and the rulers of the kingdom as I clap along with the rest.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Izzy wears a nervous smile, her blonde hair like waves going down to her shoulder, her dress glowing in the spotlight. Being the only one wearing blue, she definitely was the star of the day.


    The Queen, my mother, looks exquisite with her own blonde hair tied up into a braided bun done exquisitely with a teal gown. She kept the graceful smile, proving that she was a social butterfly.


    The King, my father, as expected, was dashing. With a sharp jaw and defined facial features added to a mesmerizing pair of blue eyes, contrasting wonderfully with the black of his hair. I was left amused when he stepped out wearing a casual evening suit.


    The loudest cheer of the night erupted. "Our King and Queen have come to lead our princess into her special night." They were stepping down the stairs in sync, though Izzy had to put a bit of concentration of making sure she didn''t slip up as she kept a firm grip on our parent''s hand. It was a pleasing sight to see nothing had happened to Izzy.


    I look back to Daniel to see him giving a look of displeasure to his fathers back, who was idly commenting to Elias as they waited patiently for the three VIPs of the night to make their way down.


    "Felix Carter. Does he work here?" I asked.


    Daniel flinched slightly at being spoken to suddenly and nodded, "I heard he did."


    "Did?"


    "I heard about it a few months ago from my butler. Apparently, he started working here a year ago."


    "Hmm, I apologize, I haven''t met or heard of a Felix Carter as of now."


    "I''m not surprised. You''re a prince, he''s a smalltime kitchen worker if I know my facts correctly."


    "Social standing plays no part in knowing a person," I say as I see Louise make his way towards me with a tray in hand, "But I will make sure to inform you if I find anything."


    Daniel looked at me surprised, "You would do that?"


    "Why wouldn''t I? You want to find him. If he works in the palace then I might come across him sooner or later."


    Daniel opened his mouth to say something more but shut it closed after a second thought. Louise finally made it back to me and gave me my much-needed tea. Addictions just don''t die, even after death. Louise greeted Daniel and made to stand in his position beside me and I merely made work to watching Izzy give an embarrassed expression to the attention around her. She still had her hand gripped tightly in mothers hand and father had gone to join the ''group of elites'' as I had dubbed it.


    Should I go over there? I crossed that thought out after a moment of contemplation and smiled at Daniel without really facing him directly, "May we go to greet the Princess?"


    Daniel pondered over it for a split second before conceding, "If you wish, Prince Eli."


    Oh, now he''s speaking properly to a prince. I let out an amused breath and started my way to Izzy with Daniel and Louise in step behind me.


    Suddenly, I was left stunned as Louise encased me in a tight hold while he dragged Daniel down to the floor, off to the side in one quick movement. I didn''t have time to process what was going on when Louise got back up and flew straight up to the second-floor balcony. Loud whispers erupted and I was staring wide-eyed at the direction Louise had gone to until Daniel grabbed a hold of me to stand me up to my feet. "Are you okay?" He questioned.


    I nodded mutely and looked around to see all eyes were aimed directly towards us, down by our feet. I followed their gaze to find a yard long arrow - no, a spear - embedded within the marble floor, only millimeters away from where I had been standing. Oh my god, did Louise just save my life?


    I stared at the weapon dubiously and looked up as the crowd split to let my father and Elias through. Father eyed the spear before removing it without an ounce of struggle before handing it off to Hail, who remained dutifully beside Elias. He eyed the surrounding before nodding up at the announcer still standing ontop the stairs.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, do not be alarmed. It was a failed attempt as to be expected." The announcer spoke as calmly as if what just happened was nothing of significance.


    I couldn''t help but make a perturbed face. I knew this world was weird the moment I read the books on the mythical beasts roaming the land outside the many Kingdom''s borders, but I didn''t expect the people to be of another group of weird. Who announces that there were intruders, intent to kill, in the palace while everyone was here?


    Looking around at the people again, none seemed to be scared. More like they were confused and curious about who would dare attack a royal member in the palace directly itself. Even Daniel, who could have been harmed, merely found interest in the spear in Hail''s hand. The only one who seems to have a normal reaction is Izzy, who looked up to mother with teary eyes, receiving a calming smile in return.


    I took a deep breath and cleared my mind of the oddity of all surrounding me.


    In the back of my mind, I could hear the soft whisper of my past self. "Are you sure you''re not the odd one out?"

 Gates

    Mr. Reinhardt is indeed a man who is knowledgeable in all kind of criteria''s. Form history, to science, anatomy, and philosophy; I have no doubt to why father had chosen him to be the royal tutor. In the study room in which he teaches me, I gave him a request.


    "You wish to focus on the mythical beasts?" He asks unperturbed. Mr. Reinhardt crosses his legs and tilts his head in thought before saying, "There are a variety of different topics to learn about them, however, those are only taught to those who attend Alistair Academy."


    I furrow my brows in confusion, "Am I not going to join the academy myself? Isn''t it good to have some foreknowledge before then?"


    Mr. Reinhardt shows no outward reaction to my words, but his second of pause was enough to tell me he was further considering something. He finally closes his eyes with a short sigh escaping his lips, "I will have a word with His Majesty. Before then, let''s focus on why it is necessary to have a certain class system. What have I said previously?" With that, the request was put to the side.


    Suggesting to learn about the mythical beast wasn''t an implication that Mr. Reinhardt''s other lessons were boring. As a matter of fact, they were all intriguing. However, the mythical beasts took my primary interest when coming to learn about this world.


    Back at Izzy''s coming of age ceremony, when I had seen Louise jump all the way to the second-floor balcony, I started wondering if humans were part of the supernatural - which then prompted me to begin reading on all the mythical beasts books to which Louise brings to me from the palace''s library. My mind drowned in the fascination overwhelming me, enough to steer my mind away from Daniel, the attack, and my existential crisis.


    "Say," I speak up while reading over a worksheet handed to me from Mr. Reinhardt. "Louise can jump from the landing all the way to the balcony. How is that possible?"


    Mr. Reinhardt smiles knowing my mind was still geared towards the topic I had requested to learn about, amused enough to indulge me a little on it. "We humans, like mythical beasts, evolve through time." He starts. I blink in surprise and look up to him, having not expected a sudden lecture. "From the moment we are born, we are evolving, becoming something new every day. The change is unnoticeable, we never know what evolves within us until we come of age."


    "Come of age?"


    "There is a reason why we have two coming of ages Prince Eli. When a person turns five, their ''Gates'' open up. What do you suppose those Gates are?" He asks. I give him a shrug, captivated by the flow of details. "Gates, as you will, is a reference to how our bodies start regulating the mythical beasts aura permeating the air. The aurabuilds up in the coming years until the second coming of age, where the aura in the body will start to take form in any way that it will. No one has a say as to how it will work, the person will have to adapt to whatever the aura becomes." I was left wide-eyed by this intriguing news.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Amusement still flickered at my reaction in Mr. Reinhardt eyes. "This aura makes a person powerful, strong, or wise, and so is regarded as a cause for celebration. Of course, ages five and fifteen are merely the common ages when it happens. In rare times, someone may open their ''Gates'' before then or after. Like you."


    I stared at Mr. Reinhardt, his last words taking its time in catching up in my head. "Me?" I question.


    "Yes you, Prince Eli. You are the rarest of the rare." I hunch my shoulders up in a sudden fit of nerves, the glint of curiosity directed at me from Mr. Reinhardt leaving me with goosebumps. His teasing smile turns into a smirk, about to continue when the door to the large study is knocked three times before it opens.


    Louise comes in with a bow towards us. "I apologize for the interruption my prince, Sir Reinhardt."


    "What is it?"


    "His Majesty wishes to speak to you immediately Sir Reinhardt."


    Mr. Reinhardt chuckles, sweeping some of his bangs out the way of his amber colored eyes. "It would take some pressure off of His Majesty''s shoulders if he just told the boy." He says lowly.


    "Please, Sir Reinhardt." Louise pressed as if to shut the other man up. This is what annoys me the most: The obvious hiding of something to which everyone else but me knows. I sighed the moment I was left alone with Louise.


    "What are you all hiding?" I ask.


    Louise smiles at me apologetically, "I''m sorry my Prince. There arethings only His Majesty can explain to you." His smile becomes a bit more solemn, "Not as a King, but as a father."


    With another sigh, I gaze out a window and stared at the sun glowing high above. Seasons in this world were each a year long, and we are in the midst of spring now, leaving the surroundings of the palace a grave of aesthetically pleasing leaves.


    I pondered over Mr. Reinhardt''s words for a bit until I spoke, "Have you looked for the boy I asked for?"


    Louise purses his lips. "May I ask why you are looking for him?" As it was now that he was asking, I was sure Louise was already aware of the answer.


    "Duke Garter''s son, Daniel Garter, asked me if I knew anyone of this name. He had said he worked as a kitchen staff here."


    "I see," He says. "Felix Carter worked here a year ago as a trainee chef before he was arrested on account of poisoning Prince Avery''s food."


    "What?" I exclaim as I rise from my seat.


    "He is confined in the Kingdom''s holding cells for treason for another year until his due execution. This matter had been hidden from the public, so the Duke''s son does not know."


    I fall back onto my seat with a heavy breath, "Why would he...."


    "I''m afraid we haven''t found out his reason. He has gone mute after his arrest."


    I can now claim, this worlds human were the bigger oddity than me when all else counts.

 Remembering

    "Louise," I say to catch his attention from where he was scrubbing my back. It was in the early mornings of the day after I found out the news about Felix Carter. Last night had been rough, with my mind trying to come to terms with the fact that one of our old palace workers tried to kill my brother. That alone was enough reason to not mindlessly trust those in your vicinity. I fell asleep well after midnight and woke up too tired to even bathe myself, and so here I was, being bathed by Louise.


    Louise didn''t stop his hands from washing my back as he responded, "Yes, My Prince?"


    "What form did it take for you? The aura?"


    This time his hands did stop. I''ve faced away from him so I could only guess to what expression he had on. For a second he didn''t speak before his hand went back to work, saying, "My aura took the shape of weightlessness."


    "Weightlessness?" I repeated questionably.


    "It''s nothing flashy unless I make it so, however. Are you growing curious?" The humor in his voice had me smiling somewhat.


    I shrug, ignoring the rhetorical question. "Does that imply control of gravity?"


    "It''s not exact, but somewhat true. It''s more of how I am able to lessen the force of gravity being put upon me. The highest I can jump is a bit over a hundred feet."


    My head whipped around to him in surprise, water splashing onto his face and clothes. "A hundred- Are you serious?!" Looking at his assertive expression, I calmed myself down as I turned back around. "Has brother Elias''s aura taken from?"


    "He''s only thirteen, my prince."


    "But he did say there are rare times when the aura takes place earlier."


    "Prince Elias opened his gates at the right age of 5. It''s expected to release in the general age of 15 as well."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Same with Brother Avery?"


    "Yes."


    I finished with my bath and planned to spend the rest of the day till lunch reading. This was how mundane my life should be - Or as much mundane as it could be. For the last few days after my sister''s comingof age, I still haven''t asked about the attack. No one seemed to make a big deal of it, though that itself could be a front. However, I could tell what the event had influenced, from Louise especially. Louise was more constant than he had already been. He no longer tasked himself with bringing me tea himself, instead, he asks a passing maid to make and bring it over to my bedroom. He wouldn''t leave my side for anything except when he is demanded of a separatetask, not pertainingto me, to be done. However, just like those who open their gates before or after the most common age of five, it is rare to happen.


    "Loves A Lost?" I read out loud a title of a book I had found on my personal bookshelf.


    "Ah, Miranda had read this one, my prince. She had stated it was a very emotional book." Louise told me.


    "That would be expected from a title like this." I showed him the cover. Books were still my most favorite no matter what other fascinating existence there is. I made books my career before for that reason alone.


    I opened the book to its dedication page.


    "To the one I love. Forever in my heart."


    That... Why did it sound familiar?...


    I took the book with me to my bed and began to read. The story was a common romantic tale; A poor maiden falls for a handsome noble of Earl status: "His brown eyes were captivating. His cherry lips seducing. His dark hair pulling my hand to touch it. Every part of him took away my sense of awareness." - Is how she describes him.


    Ah... How relatable. I understood her feelings on such a close level, it was almost endearing.


    Daniel Knox was my Earl. He had me in the palm of his hands without ever realizing. He made me make him my entire world.


    "My Prince?" Louise''s voice snapped me out of my daze. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I looked over to him. My eyes seemed to blur at the edges and I realize I was tearing up. "What''s wrong?" Louise comes closer to me, taking out a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe the droplets falling from my eyes.


    "No," I shake my head and softly pull his hand away. "This books, just..." I can''t say it''s relatable out loud.


    "I didn''t take you for such a sensitive person, My Prince." Louise starts to tease, an obvious play to lift my mood.


    I chuckle sincerely, but my heart still stings from remembering the person I loved with my whole heart. I had given him everything; my heart and body - things to which he had taken for granted. I could never forget it.

 My Prince

    Louise never expected the bond he and Prince Eli formed. It was never calculated by him. It should''ve been purely professional: Serving the prince all his needs, protecting him, and staying by his side to do so. It was all an obligation set by his job as an appointed first aid to Prince Eli. If the King himself hadn''t ordered him to be so, he would''ve declined it first hand. Alas, the king had ordered him to aid Prince Eli. Worse, once one is appointed as the first aid to a noble, especially royalty, you can no longer escape from it.


    Because of these circumstances, he had already viewed it all as a responsibilityhe was forced to do by the authority of the king. Prince Eli would only be a task for him to serve and protect.


    "More?" The voice which spoke was soft and high pitched. The voice of a toddler.


    Louise turned back to Prince Eli, only four years of age, and yet already taken by the tea which most children would deem tasteless.


    "I''m afraid too much tea will be bad for you My Prince." When he had first met Prince Eli, the child was only a week old. With him himself too young to take care of a newborn, he was trained by a midwife on how to care for children, from infancy to toddler years. And she had warned him; "A child mustn''t drink more than one glass of anything but water or medicine if need be. It could harm them."


    Thankfully, Prince Eli had always been a complying child, even at infancy. There were barely any cries that it was surprising when he did start to bawl. And Louise had always felt guilty when changing the child''s diaper... it was as if he had invaded very serious privacy.


    True to form, when Louise had denied him a second cup of tea, there was no pout or complaint to his word. Prince Eli merely set the cup back down onto the table.


    Louise mentally ran over the daily schedule; Prince Eli is to be awakened at ten every morning. A shower must be given for a minimum of thirty minutes and is to then be guided to the dining room to eat breakfast with Prince Elias and Avery. After breakfast is study time with Mr. Reinhardt from one to three o''clock. After studies are free time in which Prince Eli uses to be readto by him before he is to attend lunch. After lunch, prince Eli must attend menial classes - such as dance, learning mannerisms, and behaviorism. After such, is tea time for an hour, and now it is almost nine PM; bedtime.


    His life was all about caring for Prince Eli and soon, after a few years, he grew to enjoy such a task, until finally, he grew to love his charge as well. Prince Eli had always been independent, but now he is independent enough that Louise can have some free time, to live some parts of his days in which they don''t include Prince Eli.


    "Ugh," Louise raised a brow from his place by the kitchen stove at the sight of a tired Miranda. She came into the palace''s kitchen with a tray balanced upon one hand, where a few empty champagne bottles are ready to be refilled. "When I was told that today would be a special day in which I could have time to myself - Away from the princess! My free day is taken up by serving over eight dozen guests."


    This was the day of the first princess''s coming of age.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "As much as I would like to hear you complain, you mustn''t get so lax to do so," Louise stated.


    Miranda''s lips pursed and parted to say, "I know. Any updates?"


    Louise shook his head. "We only know that he has made it into the palace."


    "Of course, anyone with an amount of skill could get past the palace''s gates."


    That is true. The royal palace has a unique system of guarding. The front gates surrounding the palace in a square has four gates, each on one side. Two guards are made to stand by those entrances, but they are not the actual guards of the palace. Their main task is to monitor who enters and goes from the palace grounds, although they do have good military training under their belt. However, anyone that is skilled, even at an amateur level, can get past them and the gates. This is so whoever may have decided to infiltrate, to give them a sense of confusion and paranoia at the initial easy entrance, or some may let their guards down. It works to the actual guard''s advantage and is easily captured if they come near the palace building inside the gates, or on rare cases, manage to get in. The guards, a group of elites in the form of fighting and assassination - more commonly addressed as the "Shadows", are situated within every corner and blind spot the palace may have, and so it is highly improbable for anyone to escape unnoticed. Or as a matter of fact, escape at all.


    With Miranda gone back to serving the guests, the tea for his prince is ready and he heads out to be back by his side. He see''s his prince chatting with Duke Garter''s son and it ends when he comes into hearing range. He was curious to know what their conversation pertained, but it was none of his business in the end. He understood the need for privacy, and his prince was an obviously private person.


    Louise showed no signs of tenseness nor inclination that there may be something wrong. The intruder was in the palace, most likely already caught. However, Louise has no way to find out such details and so keeps the chance of the intruder still roaming around and potentially targeting his prince in his mind. As he follows his prince and the duke''s son as they head to the Princess, he feels the pinprick sensation of instinct - which tells him to move aside, away from danger - instinct polished by his training. He grabs ahold of his prince and the dukes son and pushes them aside with him.


    His blood runs cold. A feeling of primal protection, which he had never felt before, settled in his gut as he sees the spear embedded within the space his prince had stood. If he was a second too late...- he saw red.


    Without a second thought, he went after the attacker by following the trajectory of which the spear was thrown from the second-floor balcony. With his lightweight, the distance was closed instantly and there he was, faced by a silhouette already held down. With a small dagger held to his throat by two of the Shadows members completely covered to leave their identities secret, the man had no chance to escape.


    "You catch the intruder after he attacks?" His tone held a real threat to the Shadows.


    They were unfazed, however, already used to the feeling of hostility. "All in the palace are capable of protecting those defenseless by themselves. With the thoughts and orders from the king, we waited to see who the target was." The voice was clearly male, spoken neutrally and without tone, leaving it unable to verify an estimate of age.


    Louise''s hands twitch to hurt the other in turn but suppressed his hostility once he hears it was the King''s orders. The king took chance with a person''s life, his prince''s life, to merely find who was targeted. His anger grew exponentially, but he understood where he stood against the king. With great reluctance, he let''s go of the matter and returns back to his prince.


    The next day, after the ceremony, Louise is informed of the intruder''s identity: Harold Gloss, a man from the town of Chirin which is under the Kingdom''s protection.


    However, the advances in question, even with torture slowly escalating, were becoming the same as with Felix Carter.


    Harold Gloss has gone mute.

 Worries

    The people I have in my life right now, there are specific aspects of my relationship with them which makes them unique when compared; Louise, Izzy, Miranda, Mother, Brother Elias and Avery, Mr. Reinhardt, and Mr. Hanz, even Daniel who I met only once. But father was confusing to look at in general, as my interactions with him bared no special meaning nor connection. Is it sad, that I can remember no words spoken between me and my father now?


    Today was the first I can say, sitting here on the couch across from the man, with Louise standing dutifully behind me from where I sat. Mother sits next to father straight and composed. With mother all professional next to him, you can tell father was many times more relaxed in comparison. Who would you believe is the true head ruler of this kingdom if you had no prior knowledge of the statuses? Fortunately, from what I read in books about our kingdom and knowledge from Mr. Reinhardt, who I doubt would ever be biased, explained to me that father came from a very humble beginning. I was shocked; how did a son of a poor farmer become king?


    Simple: Father is in his late thirties, so when he was fairly young, the kingdoms of the land still fought one another, making it a high demand for army recruits. My father loved his mother and father and soon decided to join a small army camp, which gave a salary a little above the regular rate of workers, so he could relieve them of paying taxes. Unfortunately, or fortunately seeing who he has become, the army camp he joined was raided. He was left the only survivor, managing to kill the leader that had led that raid, making the army back off from advancing to the town he lived in. News spread about his actions quickly, and a commander took interest in him despite many of the people cries of it being a fluke. The commander, Sir Tion J. Degar - a person still told in history as someone greatly respected - took him in as a servant and apprentice to teach combat, offering protection to his village and parents in return for his service. My father agreed without hesitation.


    The raidersreturned with a greater force to take revenge, but they were defeated by Sir Tion''s own men. Over the course of the years, through SirTion''s tutelage, he became renowned as a powerful fighter and prodigy of combat just like my brother, Elias. His valor allowed him a strong bond with the commander and once Sir Tion had passed away from a heart condition, Father took over as commander, coming to own his land and army as well. No one protested against his inheritance.


    The previous King, the one before Father, offered his sister''s hand in marriage to him. Father at first wanted to deny the offer respectively, so he went to the engagement meeting to do so face to face. Meeting mother, he was surprised. Mr. Reinhardt knew in detail the happenings of that day as he had been present as Father''s attendee. He said that Father had expectedMother to be the stereotypical royal princess, dependent on others with hard-pressed mannerisms. In reality, Mother turned out to be wholly independent, allowing the king to give out her hand in marriage because she knew she had to one day - so why not a reputable new lord?


    The meeting turned out to be a one on one bonding between father and mother on the old King''s persistence for them to know each other. Such little details on the old King, yet it still gets me interested in wanting to know the man himself. When I asked about him specifically, Mr. Reinhardt''s expression turned amused as he answered, "The previous king was certainly one of a kind. He was... charming if I have to find a way to describe him. He was the type of person anyone would come to like with his uniqueness." Mr. Reinhardt shook his head, "Even I have a hard time to truly describe how I think of him. You have to meet him to understand."


    "So, what happened to him?" How did father take over being king after him? - was my unasked question.


    Mr. Reinhardt sighed. "It was an accident. The king has a responsibility of keeping peace with the neighboring kingdoms, making the king take a trip across the mountain once a year to meet and discuss any updates the other Kingdoms, and ours would need to know. On the journey back, a witness had said it was the horses trip on a rock which overturned the King''s carriage, making it fall off the side of the cliff which they had been traveling along. The previous King did not make it. As you would know, the King was loved greatly, from commoners to the highest position of a noble. It was a time of great grief for our Kingdom from this unexpected tragedy." He further explained that the area the accident happened was examined thoroughly for anything that may have been suspicious. Alas, nothing had come up in a year of scavenging that one place the horse tripped and the carriage fell for any clues.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The previous King had not married or accepted any engagement offers, that I have yet to know why. With no heir provided by him, Mother becomes the heir to the throne as queen as she was the sister, and had convinced Father to marry her the same month, crowning him King.


    If I had not known such things beforehand, I would''ve doubted father''s capabilities right now. Lazy eyes, unkempt hair swiped back, lax body position - nothing of a King''s aura flowed out from him. I realized, he hadn''t seemed to have the presence of a King even at Izzy''s coming of age. It made me wonder, did he really want to be King? A very large question to ever ask out loud, but my thoughts are this. Or it could all be due to his origins as the son of a poor farmer.


    I was in their presence in the king''s lounge room, a more professional room connected to their actual bedroom because I had been called by father and mother for an important talk. I doubt I was in any trouble. "We had thought we would talk about this a little later, but it came to me that the sooner you know, the better it will be." I blinked in confusion as mother spoke, "It''s about you and your condition."


    "My condition?" Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room tensed, mostly from Louise as he stood guard behind me.


    "Hmm," Father seemed as lax as ever. "When a child turns nine, we would begin preparing them to attend Alistair Academy."


    "I''m only eight," I say.


    "As your mother said, we had decided to talk to you a little early because of your condition." I decided against repeating my first question, knowing it would be explained, and Father did. "When your mother was still carrying you, there were many complications. We thought we would lose you before you were even born. When we finally had the situation thoroughly examined, we found out that you had opened your gates still in the womb."


    It took me a moment to truly understand the meaning behind the words, and my mouth parted in shock. "Wait. When Mr. Reinhardt said I was the rarest..."


    "He had meant this. What he didn''t get to explain further," How would father know how much he explained? "...Is that there is a certain danger of opening your gates early. When the gates are opened early, more aura is stored within you. It''s already dangerous when one''s aura takes form at the normal age. What do you think would happen when someone had their gates opened from before birth?"


    I furrowed my brows, "Dangerous?"


    Mother decided to take over, "When the Aura takes form, it is first expelled from where it had been stored."


    "In an explosion?" I specified in question.


    "Yes."


    I blinked a few times, shaking my head. "How does the person releasing the aura survive that?"


    "The explosion doesn''t harm them, but the radius around them." Mother answered.


    "And how big is that?"


    "It''s kept a little under two hundred feet in radius."


    "And that''s a normal formation?"


    "Yes."


    "Oh, my god." I mouthed to myself paling.


    From my expression, they knew I understood what they were explaining about my condition. Father leaned back and draped his arms over the backrest as he said, "It''s rare, but there are still procedures made to control one who opened their gates early, but we have never heard of a person opening them as a fetus. It''s completely unknown and had scared many of the physicians and aura researchers. We''re unsure of when your aura might take form."


    "if that''s the case," I started slowly, "Why do you let me around all the people in the palace?" My thoughts were on Izzy specifically.


    My parents were quiet for a second before mother answered, "They''re not just anyone. All the servants, from the ones that serve you your meals, to Louise who personally attends to you, understand your situation and have trained to make emergency preparation when you start to show signs of your aura taking form. We even have two of the best specialists whose aura''s have taken the form of shields. it would potentially stop the blast from going further from where it is present."


    I look back to Louise as the information settled in me before turning back. "Oh," Was all I could really say. How else would I react when I''ve just been told to be a danger to everything and everyone around me. "That doesn''t explain Izzy."


    "Miranda is there with her. Her aura had taken the form of speed, she could make a five hundred feet distance within a minute."


    "But Louise, his aura is weightlessness."


    Father gave a pointed look to Louise. Said man came around from behind me and bowed his head, "The explosion is outward from a person''s being. Being weightless, I can jump above it."


    I slam my palm on the armrest of the chair I sat upon, letting out some of the frustration building within me. "Being hit with the explosion, of course, is something to avoid, but there''s a danger of being near one!"


    "And I assure you, My prince, you have nothing to worry about," Louise said soothingly.


    Lies. There''s everything to be worried about.

 Reassurance

    With everything else, even an attempt at my life, I would have never thought that I, myself, would be my biggest threat. I found myself subconsciously retracting from others presence, even from Louise. Said man understood my growing fear from the past few days after my talk with my parents, and Izzy''s visits were now only once in two days. I was aware I was slowly going into self-isolation, but the thought didn''t seem too bad given what the situation was.


    "My prince." I looked up to Louise and away from the book I had rested on my lap. The pages were turned but the words didn''t register with me.


    Louise gave a glance to it as he addresses me from the doorway of my room. He knew I could finish a three hundred paged book in a single day if I was given a minimum of three hours to read. It wasn''t too hard for me who used to write books myself. But I had been stuck on this book, which was only a mere two hundred and two pages long, for more than three days, and that in itself added to Louise''s already worried mind to my ensuing seclusion.


    Louise walked slowly to me and I had a sudden thought - I wondered if it was only a matter of time when it would really hit me, how I could, at any moment, potentially kill-


    "My prince," Louise''s call distracted me from my darkening thoughts like he knew exactly what I had been thinking, and wasn''t that a pleasing thing to have someone know you deep enough to help you without even noticing. "I''ve brought raspberry juice."


    "Raspberry?"


    "It''s the Queens favorite flavor and wanted you to try it."


    "Mother huh," had they expected me to react negatively to the news of my state? No doubt they did, anyone would when they were told they were a ticking time bomb. I took a sip of the red liquid, growing a bit pleased by the sour-sweet taste of it. It was so contradicting that it was a wonder with each sip. No wonder it was mother''s favorite. I looked at Louise with a raised brow as he seemed tense standing just a bit off to my side. I was on my queen sized bed, back leaned against the wooden headboard.


    "Mr. Reinhardt will arrive in an hour," Louise informed me curtly. I furrowed my brows at his uneasiness when it hit me - I hadn''t had any tutoring the last week. How hadn''t I noticed? That didn''t explain his fidgetting though.


    "Right," I responded after a moment.


    The hour went by seemingly in a few minutes. I was able to actually read the book I had on my lap; ''Loves a lost''.


    Louise got me dressed to meet with Mr. Reinhardt, guiding me even when it was unnecessary to do so, to the study room. Their Mr. Reinhardt seemed his usual self, if not for the wider shit-eating grin he had going. He curtly shut his catalogjournal he was going through and stood from his seat by the middle window. "Prince Eli, how nice to see you again."


    "Ah," Cold sweat brewed at the back of my neck, quickly wetting my collar. "You too, Mr. Reinhardt." It was so hard not to stutter.


    His smile, if ever possible, grew more wicked as he took a step forward. It took all I had not to step back. "When his highness told me lessons would be put on hold," He took another step forward, "I believed it to be because you were ill. Or perhaps you were going to attend some kind of event in the city, now that it was at the time of graduation for the students at Alistair Academy." He stopped just a foot before me, Louise doing nothing to help ward off the fear that was slowly making me forget about my situation. "Instead, I find out you were trying to hide away from something you, nor no one can really avoid. I never thought I had been teaching such a pathetic student."


    "Wha-" My eyes widen and the fear turned into anger for a moment. But I was mature enough to understand why Mr. Reinhardt was angry; He had been when I had only missed a day of tutoring in the past. If I were to go to my parents and ask for a day off, they would let me, that I''m pretty sure about. But it was Mr. Reinhardt that made me loyal to my lessons so far.


    He was serious, dedicated to instilling whatever knowledge he had into me. He was the perfect motivation to learn things. To miss him for a weak, even when to me it was due to a valid reason, I felt guilty for putting him off from his dedication. "I''m sorry. I promise it won''t happen again." For the first time, I felt like the child I was. "But..."


    Mr. Reinhardt gave me a hard stare as I trailed off with a shadowed face and gave a pointed look to Louise to let him know he was free to leave. Louise was a little hesitant, but with another pointed look from the man, he bowed and left the room.


    "I have a very passionate hobby." He suddenly started, "Or used to. I studied rarities within our world."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I blinked up at him, asking, "You studied people like me?"


    "Yes. In fact, I had a research institute just outside the borders of the kingdom. Being in a dangerous location already, barely anyone dared to follow my lead. Except for one person, but his interests weren''t in the research itself." Mr. Reinhardt chuckled, almost fondly.


    "You don''t have it anymore?"


    "I''m using past tense so it should be obvious. Have you lost all common sense in a week of vacation?" The fear was back a little. Mr. Reinhardt sighed through his nose and shook his head as he muttered, "Children, all so foolishly emotional."


    "Aren''t you young yourself?" I asked offended as I knew my mind was no less than a thirty-year-old man. Mr. Reinhadt looked to be only in his mid-twenties.


    Mr. Reinhardt gave me a look of amusement before laughing fully. "Oh, I forgot you didn''t know. Silly me." He moved back to sit on the seat he had sat on previously. "Other than rare people opening their gates at abnormal periods, there are also those few forms the aura takes which are unique. Like me, my aura took an unusual form: Life."


    I tilted my head in confusion, "What does that mean?"


    "It means exactly what it is. I have more life to me than others."


    "So you''re more exuberant?" It would explain his keen dedication to teaching.


    "Oh dear," He put a hand to his head and shook it, "Honestly, it was a truly bad idea to leave you be for a week." He sat up straight after a moment of sighing. It irked me pretty much to how anyone would feel to have a ringing noise perpetrate their hearing. "When I mean life, I mean by its literal sense. I live longer than the average human. I''m nowhere near young."


    It took me a moment to process this fact. "So you mean..." I trailed off. My expression was enough to let him know I got it.


    "To me, even an elderly of a hundred years old is still so young. Though I only met two who had made it to such age. Honestly, humans are so frail."


    "So..." I started, voice nearly brimming with caution and excitement at such information. "How old are you exactly?"


    "Wouldn''t anyone like to know? But we''ve trailed away from the main topic far enough," No, I think this is a hundred times more interesting. Mr. Reinhardt put his journal on the stand beside him. "The research institute was coming along smoothly. I was able to gather five rare gate openers - all willing to be studied if you would like to know. I was able to pin down certain signs concerning them. First, they were all prodigies in certain areas. One of them, for example, was a very proficient crafter, whilst another was highly skilled in puzzles. You yourself, are very intelligent, making you a prodigy in academics." I believe that has something to do with a past life of mine though. "Second, they were all very private."


    "Isn''t that too vague?" I ask.


    "Not at all. It has to do with a subconscious feeling of being different. It was hard to confirm, but I confirmed it none the less."


    "Can I ask how?"


    "I already have to explain a lot," He looked at his pocket watch, "And we only have two hours to spare."


    "It''s going to take that long?" I asked dubiously.


    "Are you against learning?"


    I quickly shook my head.


    He explained that the research institute grew fame in its successful research, attracting others enough to actually visit the place and sign up to join in the research process. Very few were admitted to the staff, and the rare gate openers were as few as they come, being rarities you know.


    When I asked him why it was no longer active, he said they only had a new study project in the next thirty years after a baby was born, only being a year old when her gates opened. The parents allowed her to be researched and he found that that the aura was starting to build up rapidly just a day after she was admitted, a sign that the aura was about to take form. They barely had time to prevent the explosion. It killed six of the eleven workers, the parents supervising over their child, and injured himself and the rest of the survivors. Evidently, anger boiled at the tragedy and he was forced to shut down the institution to cool the public anger.


    "Rumours were started and many stories were made up, most prominent being that the explosion had been intentional. It was a start to the hate against rarities."


    I furrowed my brows, "What''s there to hate?"


    "Peoples mind are very influenced by preached words. It was a rarity that caused the explosion which killed those people, and it just brewed the anger from that fact alone."


    "That''s pretty... unfortunate."


    "Indeed, but it''s no longer such a worrying topic. Rarities are growing to be accepted after the previous king was revealed to be a rarity himself."


    "Really?"


    "Yes." It was quiet for a moment before Mr. Reinhardt suddenly gestured me to come towards him. When I did, after a bit of cautious fidgetting, he patted my head to my surprise. "I''m telling you this because your potential for endangerment of your surroundings had already taken place. I''ve experienced it first hand. Don''t be so afraid to interact anymore, everyone is well aware of what may happen. Everything has already been put in place to not repeat what happened before."


    "I''ve already been told that reassurance."


    "Hm, so you have. You''re very sensitive aren''t you?" The question was rhetorical but I had the urge to retort. Honestly, it would only be Mr. Reinhardt to make me feel like the child I should be. He speaks up again, "Even if the reassurance doesn''t help, nothing will move forward if you don''t try to at least give reassurance to others. Louise had been on edge about you for a while, especially your father."


    "Father?"


    "Yes, that man is as emotional as an infant, even when he doesn''t show it. He rarely interacts with you or your siblings, but that''s because he thinks his image of a king wouldn''t really hold up in front of you all, believing a king should be a figurehead to all you future leaders through tellings and his success in the past. He was a commoner after all."


    I snorted amusedly. "No wonder he fell in love at first sight." Mr. Reinhardt chuckled at my comment and looking at him now, I realized just how influential he was to me in this life. I held him in my heart almost like how close I held Louise. My family was a different value, but all were precious none the less. It was... Reassuring... the love I''m able to feel.

 Unsure

    "Louise," His attention turned to me in full at the instant I called his name. I sighed, holding back my need to tell him to relax. My gradual seclusion was fading away after my talk with Mr. Reinhardt, but it seemed Louise was still worrying greatly. I feel bad for putting such pressure on him, but now it was starting to grate on my nerves how he still believes any of his actions could trigger me. But I withheld my tongue. "When father called me in that day," At this, he tenses even further. "He told me everything about my condition, but I feel like it was supposed to lead up to something. Was it about Alistair academy?"


    I had time to revise what was said in my head and father had stated,"When a child turns nine, we would begin preparing for them to attend Alistair Academy." What''s the point of saying that? The conversation was nothing about the Academy.


    Louise''s shoulders stiffened and he stayed quiet. Only when I took my eyes away from my book to look at him did he respond, "Ah... The purpose of the conversation was to tell you about yourself that you need to be aware of. More importantly, that because you are of a special case, you would lead a drastically different path than that of Prince Elias and Prince Avery."


    I frowned and pressed on, "A different path?"


    Louise closed his eyes and let out a calming breath, letting the tension leave his being. When he opened his eyes, they were solemn. I feel as if everyone was starting to show their pity towards me. "Once those of royalty and aristocracy reach the age of nine, they are prepared to enter Alistair Academy. As you would know, there is an entrance exam. To pass, you must have firm knowledge and skill in certain criteria''s."


    "Oh, no wonder we began tutoring young."


    "Yes, but at this age, it is drilled into you in full in order to get full marks on the entrance exam. At Alistair Academy, the next generation builds relation and reputation there, so it is very important for everyone there to do their absolute best. Failing the entrance exam can ruin your future."


    My frown grows deeper and my brows furrow. "That''s rather strict."


    "It is necessary. Almost all those who attend may one day come to lead and continue the prosperity of our Kingdom after all." Louise pauses here and I wait for him to continue, "But you, My prince, are not allowed that chance. You will not be allowed into Alistair Academy."


    "Oh...I see." Hearing about my situation was a hundred times harder to take. Not being allowed to enter a school didn''t affect me, I had my experience done and over with. However, I can''t deny that I''m a little disappointed. I was looking forward to experiencing the people and the way schooling system works in this world. Then again, many have already called me to be one of the future leaders of the kingdom. Was that only for show?This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "My prince?" Louise looks to me in confusion.


    "What? Did you expect me to be angry? Well, I am disappointed. Either way, I can still live my life."


    Louise mouthparts to say something but not a word comes out. Unexpectedly, he starts to chuckle. "My prince, you are indeed one of a kind."


    I gasp mockingly, "What is that suppose to mean?"


    "No, no." He smiles warmly, "I mean well My Prince. You are truly someone I am proud to serve." The words hit me from a blind spot and I feel my cheeks growing hot. It must have shown since Louise chuckles more and his eyes sparkle amusedly. "You are simply marvelous."


    "Quiet you!" I tell him in my embarrassment, hiding my face behind the cover of the book I am finally close to finishing.


    Being childish was new to me. Even in my past life, many told me I was more mature than most. What can I do, my lover was a very rambunctious man, getting into trouble left and right. It was up to me to watch him. I remember a time when he had gotten into a fight against a teacher after the teacher had unjustly suspended me for a matter I had no part in. For me, he had risked his own expulsion. I did all I could to fix the situation and thankfully, the dean understood and withdrew the matter of expulsion to a few days of suspension. My own suspension was neutralized.


    It would have been really bad. We had been in our senior year and Daniel had a full scholarship to college. Being suspended was highly risky in itself. I had been enraged at his recklessness, but more so, I started loving him even more.


    Even my brother had been hard to deal with. Rebellious and followed after Daniel as if he were an idol.


    At the memories, my embarrassment died down and I was left feeling a bit homesick.


    "My prince?" I shake away from the memories at Louise''s call.


    "No, nothing," I tell him. "So what is it that I will do in the coming future?"


    Brother Elias is the heir to the throne, becoming King is his set path. Brother Avery already has plans to join the Kings Guard and serve his future king. As for Izzy, she still has time to decide as to what her path will be.


    "There are many things, My prince. But you shouldn''t worry as of now. Gain knowledge, learn more, and then we will see." Louise reassures.


    I smile. "We? So you''re sticking with me no matter what I become?"


    "That is absolute."


    "Oh jeez, Louise, don''t make me fall in love," I say jokingly.


    Louise looks surprised at my words before he shakes his head in amusement. "It''s only a matter of fact."


    Not going to Alistair academy leaves my future goals unclear. Before, becoming an author had always been my path. Bringing characters and their stories to life with words were my pleasure. For some reason, that path seemed unattractive in this life. Was it because that was the old me, Elliot''s, path? I am a new person despite my old soul, so do I subconsciously feel to do something different?


    I am left unsure.

 Rearing Back

    I never had a big party except for my first coming of age. My birthdays until now only pertain to a quiet evening with Izzy and Mother, Father and my brothers sending me presents, and my lessons with Mr. Reinhardt are put on hold. It was docile compared to what you would expect on a royalties birthday.


    ¡°Why are we having a celebration now? It¡¯s only my birthday.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your ninth birthday, my prince.¡± Louise specifies.


    ¡°Yes I know, but why a celebration?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve always celebrated, this one is just larger. Haven¡¯t his highness said, ¡®at the age of nine, we began preparing you for Alistair Academy¡¯.¡±


    I raised a brow and say, ¡°I won¡¯t be attending.¡±


    Louise climbs down from the wheeled ladder and hands me the book I had asked him to grab for me. We were in my room, where new books were put up on the shelf. One of them caught my eye, but I was too short to reach the top shelf. As Louise was grabbing the book, I took the chance to question him. He straightens his uniformed blazer and says, ¡°The age of nine is still an honorary milestone a noble can reach for many reasons of beginning to prepare for the academy and being put to the test to see what they could specialize in. When they find their specialty, they would expand their skill set on it in the academy as well.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I really am going to miss out on many things.¡± Louise doesn¡¯t reply to my comment and before he could speak up, I walk to my desk to begin reading.


    Other than writing, I dabbled in drawings. Anything to do with art, I tried out really. Maybe I can start doing that and sell paintings? That¡¯s a plan.


    By the time I got halfway through the book I was reading, it was time to begin my lessons. Mr. Reinhardt sat at his usual seat when I arrived. Ever since he had told me he was hundreds of years old, I look for any signs of old age on him in vain. This man was flawless. His skin was completely fresh and smooth, his teeth pearly white, his hair completely black and silky, his amber eyes alight with a young man¡¯s energy. He could play for a young adult if he tried too.


    ¡°Prince Eli,¡± He greets me and I greeted him back by name. ¡°Your birthdays in a few days no?¡± He asks.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Apparently, there will be a larger celebration with guests.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be as extravagant as a coming of age, but a noble''s ninth birthday signifies to them beginning their path in life.¡±


    I shake my head, ¡°So many celebrations for so many things.¡±


    He takes my comment amusedly and without another wasted second, he begins his lessons. Surprisingly, the lesson focused on the background of the guests that would attend, the invitations were already sent last week."If you have guests over, be sure to know as much about them beforehand." He stated.


    Duke Turning, his wife, and twin daughters were the first to be sent invitations for the fact that the eldest daughter was the first candidate in becoming a fiance to my brother, Elias. I was surprised to hear this and questioned Mr. Reinhardt on when this occurred. ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise that you don¡¯t know. This was a private decision brought up by Duke Turning himself in a council meeting.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t princes usually marry with princesses?¡±


    ¡°That only happens to strengthen ties with other Kingdom¡¯s. Or it would be an offering for peace by marriage. Other than that, noble¡¯s of high standing in a kingdom can marry into the royal family.¡±


    The house of Duke Turning overlooked the treasury on the kingdom. They managed the money brought in by the trade done by the house of Duke Garter. The third and last of our Dukes in our Sinnette Kingdom manages the business world. If one were to want to start up their own store, they would have to receive a certificate of business from the house of Duke Olbrich, and they have full authority to close it down if they wished. All rules in the business world in our kingdom is made by them and they receive the biggest percentage of tax from these businesses. The rest is given to royalty. Duke Garter gains the biggest percentage of profit made through trading, the rest also given to royalty. Duke Turning is directly paid by the royal family for being treasurer of the Kingdom.


    Even when the Royal family gets the smallest percentage of profits, we still receive a percentage of all and every money made. So in the end, the royal family gains the biggest profit year round. No surprise. That''s not to say the royal family wastes it. We send donations to Alistair Academy twice a year, a million in dollars worth each time to maintain the large campus and keep all supplies in the best state possible. This allows all activities to be taken care of and the tuition for the school is lowered enough for even the children of Baron''s to attend it.


    By the time he''s done explaining in detail, I ask, "You''re only doing the Dukes?"


    Mr. Reinhardt answers, "The Dukes are the only invitees. As I''ve said, it won''t be as extravagant as a coming of age celebration... But the ones attending are the most important figures in the kingdom. Be careful as to stay on your prime." He digs into his hidden breast pocket and pulls out a decorative envelope. An invite. "I''ll be there to see it through after all."


    After the lessons, I went over all the information I was given before it finally hit me: Daniel will be attending.

 Not My Daniel

    Felix Carter¡¯s arrest was kept secret. It¡¯s an obvious clue that the royal family wants to keep the poisoning incident away from the public. Why is it kept a secret? How many know about him outside of the people during the time it happened? However, the attack on Izzy¡¯s coming of age was done publicly and Harold Gloss''s arrest was known to anyone who read the Kingdom¡¯s newspaper.


    I don¡¯t know what to say to Daniel. He¡¯s most likely going to ask me about Felix and I don''t know if I could tell him anything that I now know. Something like this is not a decision I could make on my own, so I turn to the first person I could think of for help.


    ¡°Louise,¡± I call him to attention from where he was making my bed. I was about to go to bed, the sun having long set, leaving the stars surrounding the moon.


    My ninth birthday celebration will happen in less than a week, and it seemed like a good amount of time to make up a decision, but I was hesitant to even think about how I would speak to Daniel.


    ¡°Yes, My Prince?¡± Louis replied, stopping in his track and standing straight to hear me at full attention.


    ¡°Daniel Garter,¡± There was hesitation heard from my voice as I spoke, but I forced myself to ask, ¡°What should I tell him?¡± I didn¡¯t have to explain what I was asking for. Louise would easily understand.


    As I expected, he took in my words and his head jerked a little in understanding. ¡°The matter of Felix Carter will have to remain private as it is.¡± He simply replied.


    ¡°Yes, but I had told him I would inform him of anything I could find out about Felix Carter.¡±


    ¡°Those are merely words, My Prince. You have no responsibilities in holding up your words to Sir Daniel.¡± He says before taking a hold of the thin blanket and spreading it out with a quick flourish. The wind from the action ruffles my hair and suddenly, the tiredness of myself becomes clear. ¡°Sleep now, My prince. If you must continue to ask about this matter, we¡¯ll speak about it tomorrow.¡±


    I shuffle over and relax on my bed. The fresh coolness of the pillow makes me blink slowly and I trail my gaze after Louise who goes to shut the lights. Before I know it, my eyes shut, taking my mind into unconsciousness and somewhere beyond.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    *****


    ¡°Elliot,¡± The voice seemed far away, like a distant call from a hallway. ¡°It¡¯s actually here!¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± This second voice, I can tell that it¡¯s mine. But it¡¯s older, deeper. My old voice.


    My vision shows me the shelves of book overtaking the place. A library. I was scanning the fourth shelf of a stand near the entrance whose genre took you to the many books focusing on the worlds of fantasy. My eyes narrow onto a certain book with a familiar title, a book I named myself. I took it from its place on the stand, ¡°It¡¯s actually here.¡± I murmured, a tinge of euphoria filling my tone.


    ¡°I just said that.¡± The other person laughed. His voice was no longer distant but right next to my ear. It was no surprise, the other person had his head resting on my shoulder and was looking down at the book with me.


    I shrugged him off and turned towards him, my eyes still trained on the book in my hands ¡°This is awesome.¡± I said breathlessly.


    ¡°I know.¡± Suddenly the book was snatched away and I snap my gaze to the other person. Dark hair and emerald eyes - Daniel. My Daniel. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll be the first to buy it.¡±


    ¡°You already have a copy at home.¡±


    ¡°That was just sent from the publishing firm, it¡¯s not the same as buying one. Oh, and you''re signing it too.¡±


    I sighed. Exasperated but happy. ¡°Are you actually going to read it?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Is there something written in here that you don¡¯t want me to read.¡±


    I could feel the beginning of my face flushing. ¡°No,¡± I say, but there was no strength behind it.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to read the book then you¡¯ll find out anyway. I don¡¯t want to say it. It¡¯s really embarrassing.¡± I say before I try to take the book back, but he held it tight in his grip.


    ¡°Oh come on, just say it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I pull harder on the book.


    ¡°Elliot, really.¡± I still and stare at him, taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his tone, ¡°I hate when you don¡¯t tell me things. Even if it¡¯s just a detail in a book, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    *****


    I wake up with a vague remembrance of my dream. More of a memory I just dreamt about. I lay in my bed, half awake, the sun just starting to rise above the horizon. But I was clearly aware of why it felt wrong to not say anything to Daniel Garter about Felix.


    ¡°He¡¯s not Daniel,¡± I say mutedly. ¡°He¡¯s not him,¡± I whisper. ¡°He¡¯s a child. Different. He¡¯s not Daniel. Not my Daniel.¡±

 Dukes

    The day of my ninth birthday came much too soon. I have yet to make a clear decision on what I want to say to Daniel if he asks about Felix Carter.


    ¡°The dukes have already settled in the main dining hall, My prince. They are to congratulate you and show their respects, you may accept their pleasantries as politely as possible.¡± Louise informs me as he finishes buttoning the last button of my collared shirt. As always, there was a certain etiquette for everything. Unlike my clothing from Izzy''s coming of age, the clothing I''m wearing today seemed more eye-catching, especially with the knee length cape flowing down behind me from my shoulders. Apparently, it''s because this occasion focuses on me.


    Yup, I''m going with sailor moon.


    ¡°Yes, we already went over this.¡± I grabbed the cape as I spoke, ¡°Why must there always be a cape in celebration clothing? Father hadn¡¯t worn his own for any occasion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s customary my prince. During a king¡¯s coronation and wedding, the only two occasions more important than a royalty''s coming of age, the king and queen wear a grand cape to show their exuberance and power.¡±


    ¡°I feel like these are basic knowledge. Why hasn¡¯t Mr. Reinhardt teach me these things already.¡±


    ¡°Sir. Reinhardt only teaches what he deems necessary. Knowledge such as traditions can be learned easily from outside sources, no need to have an exclusive lesson. I have extensive knowledge on these topics as your aide anyway, so you may just ask me, my prince.¡±


    ¡°I see, thank you, Louise.¡± Truly, Mr. Reinhardt never delves into common knowledge, but I¡¯ve no doubt he¡¯d answer me if I ever ask about such things such as why wearing a cape is necessary.


    Will he answer me if I ask about private matters? Like Felix Carter?


    I let out a sigh before facing away from my full body mirror and repeat my ''mission'', ¡°So, I¡¯m to meet the dukes at the dining hall and eat and chat.¡±


    Louise didn¡¯t reply immediately, suddenly hesitant. I look at him in confusion, my glance making him speak up, ¡°Meeting and dining are most likely the only things you need to do. The talking may be controlled by the king and the dukes.¡±


    I chuckle understandingly. ¡°Making this into an exclusive meeting is no surprise. At least my brothers and the other younger guests will allow me to feel a little accompanied in the entirety of it." Unfortunately, I was told Izzy wouldn''t be attending this exclusive dinner party as there is a certain set of criteria to those who may attend. Obviously, only the dukes are to attend and any other third party guests must have already had their nine-year-old celebration.


    I''m getting tired of all these etiquettes.


    The halls of the palace were busier than usual, everything is carefully cleaned as to not leave a single speck of dust, and the butlers and maids hurried to their destination to serve the guests as best as possible. They bowed to me as I passed them, and I gave them a polite nod in return. Reaching the doors to the dining hall, the doors were to thick to hear anything from the inside. The guard guarding the door gave me a bow like everyone else. Louise coming forward to open the doors. I made sure to stand in the straight posture as I had been taught, standing in the middle of the doorway as it opened.


    I was greeted by the sight of a natural and softly lit room, large enough to house an elongated table in the center with furniture and chandeliers decorating it to give the feel of a truly luxurious setting.


    ¡°Eli, it¡¯s good to see you finally arrive.¡± This voice, it was my mother. She stood beside father at the head of the table with a soft smile adorning her face. Father himself was smiling slightly, though it was a bit hard to notice from so far away. However, the first person to have taken my attention was the boy beside a familiar middle-aged man, Daniel Garter.


    Daniel was standing just like everyone else around the table, his face unsmiling, unlike the rest. Somehow he seemed displeased, and the pleasantness he showed me during Izzy¡¯s coming of age was gone from his eyes. Brother Elias and Avery nodded my way when I caught there eye, more like a raised eyebrow from Avery. As if on cue, the guest who I know to be the dukes bowed.


    ¡°Let me be the first to introduce everyone.¡± Mother continued speaking and everyone raised their heads. Louise motioned me to come forward besides a seat on the opposite end of the table from mother and father, before going to stand beside the other butlers of my brothers.


    Hail and Calvey, standing side by side, looked similar. It was a backhand note and I wondered if they were related.


    "You''re most familiar with Duke Garter, are you not?" Mother sent a pointed look at Duke Garter, allowing him to speak after her.


    "Yes," Duke Garter smiled pleasantly. "I had spoken to Prince Eli for a moment during the princesses coming of age. My son had accompanied him for a while then as well. We congratulate you today, Prince Eli." He placed a hand on Daniel''s shoulder. It may be my own imagination, but Daniel''s expression seemed to have darkened at the motion.


    "Truly, it is very pleasing to hear about the royalty and its nobles bonding." There was something more underneath that kind tone of voice. I''m sure no one missed it. The man who spoke addressed me, "Prince Eli, I''m afraid we haven''t met until now. I am Duke Turning. These are my two daughters, Cana, and Layla Turning." He motioned to the two, admittedly pretty, girls beside him. They were definitely twins, looking almost identical, yet the differences were there. Both had long flowy brunette hair and eyes the color of caramel chocolate. However, the one Duke Turning motioned to be Cana had eyes narrower then Layla''s, it made her seem entirely more mature. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    I tried guessing to which one was a candidate to marry Elias as Duke Turning continued speaking, "We congratulate you for reaching this point of nine years of age. I have seen you at the princesses coming of age, however, but never had the chance to approach you after that small incident. Oh, there was that time during your own coming of age." Duke Turning seemed more his age as a middle-aged man, though he still had the energy to be talkative. I wasn''t implying anything negative about that comment. His talkative nature made me think he was a more optimistic person. After all, his black hair is still thick and strong and there are wrinkles at the outer corner of his eyes showing his fondness for laughter.


    "Ah, yes. That was a very alarming moment. The Prince of our Kingdom suddenly going faint. Thankfully it hadn''t been poisoning as we had thought." The last Duke spoke up. Again, there was an underlying tone to the way they were speaking and the noticeable look of specific suspicion, under a mask of indifference, he sent to Duke Garter spoke volumes. Suddenly, I was mildly aware of why Daniel was so on edge. "I am Duke Olbrich." When the duke looked to me, I was a little captivated by the misty blue of his eyes. They were undeniably beautiful. He nodded to me when I gave him a polite smile before speaking up, "Like Duke Turning, I''m afraid this is our first time interacting Prince Eli. I congratulate you on this occasion." Duke Olbrich seemed the youngest out of all the Dukes despite his full head of white hair. With his handsome features, he couldn''t be no more than thirty. Actually looking at him more closely, he had a presence that reminded me of Brother Elias. Posture firm and professional to the occasion, speaking what he only needed to for the sake of etiquette, or otherwise, he''d have just stood there without uttering a single sound.


    It seemed like all the more handsome men had tight restrictions on themselves. A disappointment really.


    Yup, Vergil. When you''ve got a geek for an author, your getting geeky contents. But this image fits Olbrich perfectly in my head. (Can''t really find an image of Duke Turning so I''ll leave you guys with your imagination.)


    When no else spoke of any greetings, I smiled to everyone now, not too wide nor too small, and thanked them for taking their time celebrating this occasion of mine.


    "Nonsense," Came the reply from Duke Turning, "Spending luxury time with the Royal Family, trust me, no one will be bothered by an invite. Especially when the occasion is planned by someone as reputed as Mr. Hanz. It''s nice to find time to bond with our royalty in the midst of such busy schedules." He chuckled in good nature before turning to Elias, "Prince Elias has yet to go on his expenditure?"


    Elias showed no signs of a reaction to having been suddenly addressed. He merely looked at Duke Turning with the perfect royal smile and replied, "Yes, our team for the beginner''s mission has only just been put together."


    "I see, of course. The Alistair academy does live up to its name of equal standing. Even our Prince has to follow through with all trials as everyone else." Duke Turning nodded to himself.


    "As it should be,father," This new voice, when I looked over, it was Cana who had spoken up. "I apologize for speaking so suddenly."


    "No, you spoke true sweetheart," Mother told her. The look in her eye showed she had a liking for her and made me a little sure to my guess that Cana was the candidate to be fiance. "Alistair academy is one of the greatest pride of our Kingdom. We take great care in its institution. It would be a great disappointment to find any signs of favoritism bleeding through the courses."


    "My Queen," Duke Olbrich took the chance to speak in the pause of conversation, "I have heard Prince Eli will not be attending the academy."


    At this, all attention returned back to me. I felt more vulnerable under their wondering gazes than ever before. It took almost all my effort to not tense and keep the warning thoughts (Oh my god, I could blow them up) which had subsided over the weeks came back in a great force of strength. I was successful to keep my body language relaxed and proper, but my mind was all the more prone to the haywire of my own demons.


    My eyes refused to meet everyone else, focusing on the silent presence of Louise standing in the background by the entrance. He had always been enough to calm me but in this situation, he had no power to come up to me and speak without being frowned upon. He didn''t need nor deserve that. And so I longed for Mr. Reinhardt''s presence.


    Mr. Reinhardt said he''d be in attendance. Where was he now?


    "Yes, That''s true." This was the first time father had spoken up and immediately took away all the attention off of me directly. I was thankful to be relieved. "I''ll explain, so shall we sit then as we continue our talks? The servants have been ready from the start to serve us our meal." To father''s words, everyone sat in their seats in complete obedience. With father''s voice seeming to fill with such authority despite giving no form of a command, I didn''t even need to actively move myself to sit. I just did before I even realized. When I realized this, a feeling in the pit of my stomach became noticeable. Something that urged me to be on my best in front of father. A feeling to please him with my actions and little words. Strange, I never had this feeling before. I kept my eyes on the table in front of me, but I could still see from my peripheral vision the others keeping their heads just a little bowed like mine. I didn''t know father had so much influence, especially on me as well.


    Later, when I had the night to think of random thoughts, I found that before, I hadn''t had a need to conduct myself or prove anything to father. He was barely present in my life in general, but when he was, he was kind in a sort of ethereal way which I just knew, showing nothing of any sort of intimidation you would expect from your father being a king. But the dining was full of the more, or highest class of our kingdom''s nobles. The way I presented myself reflected upon my family as a whole. The more private setting compared to a more public event, like our coming of age, made my father''s attention sharper on myself. I had been subconsciously self-aware of this and a little prideful that I had the common sense of such things even without clearly noticing them.


    However, the main part had to do with how my father now and then was similar. My father then had high expectations for my education and career as some sort of elitist in a professional field, namely a surgeon. Even now I was still excelling in all my academics Mr. Reinhardt throws my way, that I could just feel my father now had expectations as well, any parent would be. But the sort of expectations he had was lost to me at the moment.


    Back then, because of such expectations, I became so self-conscious that I beat myself over whenever I got below a ninety in biology and later chemistry, then physics despite a lot of my other classmates struggling to pass with a seventy. Daniel told me outright that I should stop thinking about what my father wanted me to be, and start thinking about what I myself wanted to be. I was taken back by his aggression towards my need to please my father then, that I burst out into tearful laughter. "That''s golden. I bet you binge on Tumblr to even say that." It truly was golden. His words, no matter how corny, got me to think about myself and what I wanted. And nothing clicked more to me than stories and my will to create my own worlds with just words.


    But habits are hard to let go of. Feeling the guilt of becoming something other than what my father then wanted, I apologized to him. But he wasn''t upset, maybe a little disappointed, but not upset. "At least you tried," He told me.


    Yes, at least I tried, and it all turned out all right hadn''t it. I had still been successful.


    All ended well I guess. Maybe...

 When Talking Of The Future

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you all are aware of Eli¡¯s predicament,¡± Father stated the moment everyone settled down in their seats. The servants who had been in wait worked perfectly to serve the dinner, a well-sized platter placed in front of each person with deliciously smelling meat and vegetables with sauces put to the side for dipping, a glass of water to accommodate whereas the wine was at the ready for the adults. I was a bit let down to be a child at the moment as wine had been my favorite pastime drink. Daniel had always liked to call me classy because of it.


    ¡°Yes, we know he is the first to open his gates before birth, and the moment his aura would take place is something to be truly ready for.¡± Duke Olbrich replied bluntly. I tried not to flinch at the reminder.


    ¡°Alistair academy houses all of our new generations potential, to place Eli amongst them is a danger to all there.¡± Father wasn¡¯t holding back at all, it was almost insensitive. Maybe it was. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my racing heart.


    ¡°My king, if I may speak?¡± Duke Garter asked hesitantly. Father nodded to him and confidence was back in his system. ¡°The academy has highly qualified guards and teachers. I¡¯m sure if they are aware, Prince Eli¡¯s attendance will not be as much of a threat.¡± I cringed at his assessment. I hated to be seen as a danger, to the lives of children no less.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure as well Duke Garter, however, Eli¡¯s condition is kept private amongst such few in consideration of public reaction. There will be petitions to put him in isolation and I have no desires to do so.¡± Father shut him down.


    Duke Turning shook his head, ¡°It is common sense that the public will be fearful of Prince Eli and his-¡±


    ¡°If I may,¡± I clenched my fist as I spoke. Surprised looks from everyone were piercing and I found myself growing insecure. I looked down at my clenched fists, my nails digging into my palm. ¡°I appreciate that you would take your time to speak about my predicament. There is no need for a discussion, I will adhere to fathers words. I will not attend Alistair academy.¡±


    There was no reply for a while, forcing me to look up. I inhaled sharply at father¡¯s smile seeming so full of proudness. ¡°You have heard my son speak.¡± He said. I blinked at Father, confused by his sincere smile.


    Duke Olbrich chuckled lowly. ¡°When Mr. Reinhardt had told me about how unique Prince Eli was, how full of potential he had, I was skeptical. A prince who is made to be kept isolated from his own kingdom seems as if there will be nothing noteworthy. But I can see what Mr. Reinhardt spoke of.¡±


    Mother shook her head as she lamented, ¡°As always, you have such a sharp tongue. I have always wondered if that was the real reason asto why you remain unmarried.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve simply no time to think about marriage.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, the Queen speaks true. I know for a fact you have many offers for a hand in marriage, why not just choose the few of your liking and make it happen?¡± Duke Turning said teasingly as he took a sip of wine.


    Father suddenly chuckled, soft and deep. ¡°It¡¯s the offer in question that keeps him unmarried.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how so?¡± Duke Turning asked questionably.


    There was no chance for Father to reply as the door to the dining room is abruptly opened. I turned to see who it was and there was a feeling of relief washing over me as I made eye contact with Mr. Reinhardt. He was smartly dressed as usual in a suit, however, there was no tail attached to this one. He walked over to the table, standing right behind me with a pleasant smile plastered on his lips, ¡°I apologize for arriving late. I had planned to go over Princess Isabella¡¯s new tutoring schedule before dinner, but her curiosity sure is large. She asked hundreds of questions.¡± He said.


    Everyone but mother and father and I stood and bowed to him without hesitation. They stayed in a perfect bow for a few seconds before Mr. Reinhardt told them to pick their heads up and take their seats again. That was respect only those of a very high standing received. I know that Mr. Reinhardt lived for a long time, more than just a few centuries. Is that why? Or could it actually be something more credible?


    ¡°I have already guessed that to be the reason. My Isabella can be a handful.¡± Mother replied in kind and gestured for him to take a seat on the empty chair to my left.


    ¡°Princess Isabella¡¯s coming of age was a great event. I¡¯ve got to see how she will become a great woman who represents our kingdom once she¡¯s grown.¡± Duke Garter complimented.


    ¡°Of course, with such a strong personality, she will be great. It¡¯s obvious to anyone who has witnessed the princess.¡± Duke Turning replied none too kindly, ¡°The princess makes me remember when my own daughters were still just toddlers.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Really father?¡± Cana, the elder of the twins, asked pleased. Anyone would be when compared to a princess. ¡°Prince Elias,¡± She continued, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Elias looked at her as he wiped his mouth, swallowing his bite of steak before replying, ¡°Isabella is a sweet girl. I¡¯m sure you are as well, Ms. Cana.¡±


    Cana¡¯s cheeks tinted a strong red. ¡°Thank you, Prince Elias.¡±


    It was obvious Cana had a crush on Elias. Young love sure is amusing to witness. Looking at the younger twin, Layla, she seemed shy to even take a glance at anyone. My stare must have been felt as she suddenly looked up and met my eyes, before quickly looking back down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Prince Eli¡¯s subject has been spoken of.¡± Mr. Reinhardt suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Aah, it has,¡± Father replied. ¡°Eli confirmed himself that he will not attend the academy.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mr. Reinhardt¡¯s tone showed he was not surprised.


    ¡°Question now is how will he grow?¡± Duke Turning sighed.


    ¡°How is that a question? He will grow normally.¡± Mr. Reinhardt stated.


    ¡°Howe-¡±


    Mr. Reinhardt shook his head and cut Duke Turning off, ¡°I¡¯m aware it¡¯s tradition to have the new generations make their path to the future during their time in the academy. However, tradition doesn¡¯t work for every individual. If we were to be subjective, the academy has only been standing for a good three hundred years. So it is not necessary to attend the Academy to make your future.¡± Mr. Reinhardt sighed and leaned forward towards me. I blinked at Mr.Reinhardt, confused at his attention. ¡°Prince Eli, you¡¯ve had a deep curiosity about mythical beasts, have you not?¡±


    I blinked two more times. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered hesitantly. ¡°More of, I¡¯m curious about their existence. How can they give us humans power and how could they have these amazing traits?... And such.¡±


    ¡°See, with this curiosity, prince Eli can grow to be a researcher of these mythical beasts. A work to unveil all their mysteries.¡± Mr. Reinhardt stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s all good, but who will teach Prince Eli on how to do proper research?¡± Duke Garter asked.


    ¡°He can teach himself.¡±


    The statement seemed to have left the others speechless. I was speechless myself. Teach me myself? It was a concept given to those who had to deal with a simple task, and he''s telling me that if I ever got into researching Mythical Beasts, I''d have to teach myself? Mr.Reinhardt truly was amazing or he was spouting some random bull.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s absurd. Reckless even! To do research on Mythical beasts means to come upon the creatures. Prince Eli can die by such means.¡± Duke Garter speaks my thoughts.


    ¡°Indeed, many have died in their quest to do their own research upon these Mythical Beasts. I myself have experience with the danger. However, when I say for him to teach himself, I mean for him to find guides and advice from others. Look for any clue to a path to researching these beasts. In the end, he will be teaching himself either way.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Father spoke up. ¡°Eli, your thoughts?¡±


    Being addressed by Father was nerve-racking for the fact that he didn''t speak up much. When he did, he got all the attention and control. Attention and control being handed to me right now. I took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Again, I appreciate your concerns. To teach my self is a great idea. Researching Mythical beasts sounds intriguing, but it¡¯s still too early for me to decide if that is what I wish to do.¡±


    ¡°Truly,¡± Duke Olbrich said. ¡°Prince Eli has many alternatives laid out for him. His title as Prince is a great advantage for this.¡±


    ¡°Brother Eli can learn to fight and enter the Kingsguard,¡± Avery speaks up for the first time. He looked at me, his eyes a little mocking. ¡°Perhaps he can be my apprentice once I become one myself.¡±


    ¡°How considerate of you Avery,¡± Mother complimented. Though I don¡¯t believe Avery was being considerate.


    ¡°How could I not be Mother, he is my little brother after all. Right, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Elias answered.


    It was an hour before the meal was finished with and dessert was handed out. With all the debates and conservation, it¡¯s hard to just enjoy the food. There was only one person who didn¡¯t speak for the majority of the time, Daniel. His face never smiled and he tried to stay under the radar as much as possible, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice how uncomfortable he was. I worried he may reach his limits when suddenly Mother announce for the children to speak amongst themselves in a private room and the adult to be left to their own conversation.


    And so we¡¯re lead to a smaller room the size of my bedroom, but it is still large enough to be luxurious.


    ¡°Prince Elias, is it alright to sit beside you?¡± Cana asked as they entered the room.


    ¡°If you wish so Ms. Cana.¡±


    Cana truly was bold. Layla hovered back in the doorway as everyone took their seats on the couches. Cana took her seat on Elias¡¯s right as Avery called the spot on his left. I sat across from them on the one man couch and looked at Layla. ¡°Ms. Layla, you can sit here.¡± I patted on the other one man couch situated beside me.


    ¡°Oh, ah, thank you.¡± She stuttered before rushing to take the seat. I smiled politely and she nodded back, her head bowing as if to hide. I looked to my right and found Daniel sitting on the end of the long couch.


    ¡°Mr. Daniel, it¡¯s good to see you again and talk like before.¡± I greeted him. I wanted to know for sure if he truly had something against me at the moment. It was confirmed when he looked at me, his eyebrows drawn together and his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± He simply replied back.


    I looked away from his hostile look and kept my face smiling and polite despite the sudden rapid beating of my heart. I was afraid, I didn¡¯t want to have any negative feeling between us.


    ¡®He¡¯s not my Daniel.¡¯ I reminded myself.

 Desperation

    Our Butlers had joined this ¡®noble gathering¡¯ of children as they bring in post-dinner snacks. When thinking about social class in this world, it¡¯s confusing to put together from a third person perspective. It was necessary for royalty to have their own personal aids, however, Dukes and positions below had the option of having one. You wouldn¡¯t see a capable aristocrat with a personal aid, however, many of their children have one just because it¡¯s much easier to raise a child this way when your job is to help govern an entire country.


    Random perceiving thoughts filtered in and out of my mind as I try to find something to rub away the awkwardness I feel from Daniels silently gloomy presence. With the snacks brought in, I stuffed away my already full stomach so I wouldn¡¯t be called into conservation that was prominent between my two brothers and Cana.


    I, Layla, and Daniel listened as Avery speaks in a polite manner, but his words were anything but polite, ¡°Miss Cana, may I ask about your advance in the academy? I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve only placed fifth in your class. How much does that match up to Brothers overall first ranking among the entire schools'' populace?¡±


    Again, the Academy is brought up. It was beginning to peeve me out a bit.


    Cana gave him a closed-eyed smile, no doubt hiding the contempt hidden within them. ¡°Very well, Prince Avery. I must remind you that my ranking in the Academy means little of my personality anyway. Prince Elias,¡± In her change of attention, her voice grew noticeably lighter, taking on a sweet and adoring tone, ¡°How do you view a person''s ranking on their own person?¡±


    Elias looked up from his staring of the biscuits placed in front of him to glance at her. His lips were thinner and his folded fingers were tight against each other. I knew for a fact he wanted to be left alone. Sadly, he was the crown prince and the Dukes and their children were guests of the king, it was his due responsibility of keeping them company especially in this private occasion. Suddenly, I felt irrational guilt as this event was put into place because of my milestone of reaching the age of nine. It was too extra but nothing could be done about tradition if they were so faithfully followed.


    I was silently thankful to Hail as he moved into Elias¡¯s view. It allowed Elias some peace of mind that his butler was there enduring the event with him. Though, that¡¯s just my thought. Hail moved to fix the positioning of the teacup so the handle was facing the way of Elias¡¯s dominant hand.


    ¡°Rankings are statistics,¡± Elias started, and for a second his and my eyes met. ¡°Sometimes they matter and sometimes not at all. Eli is smart, perhaps a genius, yet he¡¯d be allowed to have no ranking. If he did, he¡¯d most likely make first in his class.¡±


    My eyes widened at such praise and my mouth opened to respond but I was left speechless. Such high praise came as such a surprise from someone and at a time so unexpected. All eyes once again fell on to me but I took no notice until Elias nodded to me with a smile, that I realized his words were for comfort. He must think I was saddened at the prospect of being unable to attend Alistair Academy.


    I blinked out of my stupor and found Avery narrowing his eyes at me in jealousy. It made me chuckle in amusement.


    ¡°Thank you, brother. Your words mean a lot to me.¡± I say sincerely. It really did, as his words were proof of his care as an older brother that I could relate to and suddenly, there it was; Hair so black and eyes so blue with chubby cheeks looking similar to how I used to. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    My brothers'' image stood in front of me for just a passing moment, but it was enough to rotten my mood. I stand from my seat and turn to Louise who stood perched by my side, ¡°I will take a short leave, please excuse me.¡± No one would object to my leaving anyway.


    I rushed to the nearest restroom and didn¡¯t even say anything as I locked the door behind me and left Louise on the other side, now no doubt worried about my strange behavior. I took in deep breaths and did my best to keep the bile from rising up my throat.


    More than anything, thinking of the brother I no longer have was the hardest of them all. Thinking of Daniel, it hurt, but I had questions, wonders, that it became so common to think of him, becoming easier to deal with his memory. But Athen, my baby brother, I could never. I had short images because of the vague semblance Izzy had with him, but Izzy herself was a great distraction. Even If I was the one to have died, I lost him the same.


    There was a knock on the door. ¡°My Prince?¡± Louise called.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I winced at the crack in my voice.


    As ever, Louise picks it up and pauses for a second in thought. ¡°Sir Daniel is here to talk to you, my prince.¡±


    It was my turn to pause in thought. ¡°One moment.¡± I walk over to the sink and spray out cold water from the faucet to splash on my face before drying it with a towel always left on the handle on the adjacent wall before going back out.


    Louise stands in front of the doorway with furrowed brows but steps aside to let me see Daniel at the end of the hall. I walk in a calm pace towards him, stopping just three feet away.


    ¡°Sir Daniel,¡± I nod to him and he nods back. Louise followed behind me but he let himself keep a respectable distance, easy to watch over but not overhear. The only reason he would listen in is if father made it a point to be more than necessarily protective.


    ¡°So,¡± Daniel started. His tone was as the first time I had met him. ¡°It¡¯s been months since we met formally.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer a bit confused. ¡°I remember it well.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± He sounded disbelieving, ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you contacted me?¡±


    ¡°Contacted?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± his voice went deeper and more aggressive but his expression remained the same, ¡°You gave your word to inform me of Felix Carter.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± His words were so confusing I gave up on formal speech as well. ¡°Are you saying you were in a bad mood because I¡­ didn¡¯t contact you about this?¡±


    His lips twitched downward. ¡°The only reason I agreed to come to this event is that I wanted to talk to you. I don¡¯t even care what others would think of me seeking you out privately like this, that¡¯s how much patience I''ve lost.¡±


    Despite being told of his anger, the reason behind it left me amused to no end. No doubt, this Daniel was nothing like my Daniel - if not for those few things I noticed. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I was just putting on an impression of my Daniel onto him.


    I couldn¡¯t help it, laughter rose up from within me because of his childishness and my own desperation, surprising Daniel. His irritation from my laughter just made it worse. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡±


    I shook my head and my hand instinctively reached out. Maybe it was his childish irrationality that made me want to baby him by patting his head, but reason or no, I still reached out and my hand rested on his head. The next second, my own head burned with a piercing pain bad enough to make my vision blur and my knees giving way to thud against the floor harshly, adding to the pain.


    ¡°Wha-¡°


    I was vaguely aware of Louise catching me and Daniel falling down as he clutched his head in pain with me.

 The Third Set

    What the fuck?


    There¡¯s no need for any ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Just what the fuck?


    I felt like years passed before I woke up again, throat already parched from my shock, but I was still at the end of the hall with Daniel and Louise. I blinked rapidly before jumping out of Louise¡¯s hold to check myself, to see if I was still me.


    ¡°My prince?!¡± My head snapped back from where I was looking at my clothes and hands to Louise, face struck pale as if he had been shocked half to death. His voice had reached a high pitch as he came closer, ¡°What happened? Are you alright?¡±


    I looked back down and placed my palm flat on the ground to give me stability for my dizzy conscious. ¡°I-I¡¯m, Da- Eliot- Eli Dru Sinnette¡­?¡± I rasped.


    Louise furrowed his brows and nodded hesitantly, ¡°Yes, My prince. Third Prince of the Sinnette Kingdom.¡±


    I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, ¡°I am Eli¡­ I am Eli.¡±


    I can¡¯t make sense of what just happened. I had reached to ruffle Daniels'' head and then suddenly there¡¯s a third set of memories incoming into my unprepared mind. Daniel Garter¡¯s memories. I looked at the said boy and saw him nursing his own throbbing head as he stood back up using the wall as a support. ¡°Wha-¡± He tried to speak but then grimaced as it made the pain worse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go bring the physician quickly,¡± Louise says and rushes around the corner of the adjacent hall. He must be more worried than I thought to just leave me here.


    I small groan left my lips as my headache thumped harder before subsiding to a slight annoyance. ¡°Daniel, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°What just happened?¡± He retorted.


    I sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Daniel?¡±


    Daniel groaned as well before replying, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You loved him?¡±


    Daniel looked at me, his face straightening out from pain to confusion, ¡°Love who?¡±


    ¡°Felix?¡±


    Daniel¡¯s eyes widened and his mouth hung open speechless, ¡°Wh- No! I- He¡¯s my friend but I- What are you talking about?!¡± He groaned again and clutched his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I make sure my tone was even and unjudging, ¡°Felix... I could understand why you would love him.¡±


    ¡°I said I don''t-¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Louise called as he came back into view, behind him a woman I had only seen that time during my first coming of age. Tania Lanard, the royal physician, a woman of intimidating aura and surprisingly charming features of violet eyes, and brown hair cut into a bob cut. Her dress fit her slim body perfectly, yet she moved in a way that let you know she was someone not to be messed with.


    ¡°Prince Eli, it¡¯s unfortunate to see you again.¡± She says.


    I try to chuckle but my head wouldn¡¯t stop hurting, ¡°Unfortunate to see you as well. I¡¯ve got a headache. So does Sir Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying so.¡± She kneels down by my side and stretches her palm out to place on top my head and immediately the headache fades as quickly as it had happened. She nods to herself after I let out a relieved sigh before moving onto Daniel. She steps back once she was finished and shakes her head and says, ¡°I can¡¯t find any problems other than stress on the brain.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I raise my brows and straighten myself out to look proper. ¡°How can you tell? Is it your power?¡±


    ¡°After all these years, you don¡¯t know anything about your royal physician Prince Eli?¡± She teases with a chuckle and continues to speak before I can open my mouth to apologize, ¡°But yes, it is my power and what has made me qualified to be Royal Physician. I can only use it on living beings, where, wherever I touch, I know how that specific part of the body is functioning and in turn reverse the neurons which mostly causes damage. This kind of power has only been recorded to exist rarely in the past and now I¡¯m the first in a century. I call it ¡®Relief¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but praise with wide eyes.


    ¡°It is,¡± Tania smiles smugly before turning to Louise, ¡°I want you to put them both to rest for an hour or two and give them something warm to drink, will you? I¡¯ll inform his majesty of this and have him question his son later.¡±


    ¡°Wai-¡± I try to disagree but Tania glares at me.


    ¡°Your mother will be with you as well, I promise you. Her Majesty loves her children more than anything else in the world so you have nothing less to expect when his majesty comes to question you.¡± She left before anyone can say anything else.


    I watch where she had left and shake my head, clutching my hair as I try to form some kind of explanation. The third set of memories. Daniel¡¯s memories¡­. Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°My Prince, Sir Daniel, please let me guide you to rest,¡± Louise says. I nod and look to Daniel to find him watching me with a suspicious gaze. It was obvious he was sure I was the cause of this incident this time and I couldn¡¯t deny it. I was almost sure of what this was¡­ but it made no sense.


    I clenched my fist and suppressed the anger starting to boil within me. My existence right now, this world, my memories, this incident and the ones before, nothing makes sense. It feels as if I stuck myself in a world full of lies and make-believe.


    **************************


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what happened father, but I¡¯m sure Daniel Garter has nothing to do with my collapse. He collapsed as well.¡± My voice remained steady in the face of Father¡¯s expressionless gaze.


    It was two hours after the recent incident. Once all the guests were sent off properly, including Duke Garter and Daniel, I was left to face Father¡¯s questioning as said by Tania.


    Mother sat beside me on the couch of my room, Louise standing a respectable distance by the door of the room. ¡° I know you must be nervous, but you need to be clear Eli. You must understand that this time, this incident cannot be easily grazed off of you now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Mother?¡±


    Mother raises an eyebrow to Father. ¡°Dear?¡± She presses.


    Father lets out a deep sigh and sags more into the recliner before ex[laining, ¡°Daniel Garter was the other person with you.¡± He begins, ¡°Duke Garter is already under the suspicion by the other aristocrats, and if words get out that you collapsed in the presence of the Duke¡¯s son than the suspicion towards them will only grow stronger.¡± I look down and keeps my gaze from reaching anyone else.


    I understand what father was saying, I know first hand about this suspicion after all. Daniel¡¯s memory explained his situation and all I could feel is deep anger and resentment, things Daniel feels more strongly.


    ¡°There were two assassination attacks in the span of less than a decade. Attempted food poisoning of the second Prince, Avery Dru Sinnette, by a boy named Felix Carter. He came from Duke Garter¡¯s province, being the son of the head maid of his household in fact. And then you have the man who tried to harm you as well during Isabella¡¯s coming of age, do you remember?¡± Father continues when I nod, ¡°He came from Duke Garters province as well. I suppose you can tell why there¡¯s suspicion by now.¡±


    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t think anyone would be so obvious about their deviances like this,¡± I say indignantly.


    ¡°I know that. Duke Garter is a clever man, he runs the trading system after all. But it could also be a bluff. Making it seem like he is being framed when he is the actual perpetrator of everything.¡±


    I clench my fists tightly and gnaw on my lips in frustration. Duke Garter is not to blame for these assassination attempts. From Daniel¡¯s memory, I can tell Duke Garter had been put under so much stress that he¡¯s close to breaking, and Daniel¡¯s getting the entirety of it. The death of Daniel¡¯s mother had already made his father a sensitive man and this suspicion is making it a hundred times worse. From sudden anger bursts aimed at him from meager mistakes, such as a misstep in his sword training, or being late to sit for dinner. There were even times Duke Garter got physical, leaving a scar on Daniels forearm caused when the Duke hit him with a horsewhip. This has been happening since the time of the first assassination attempt. None of the servants can help him in fear of angering Duke Garter themselves.


    The happiest I can remember him to be was when he had been with Felix. Two children, one a servant under the other, yet it was no denying they were close friends. It was young love. I could just tell from the memories. He had been heartbroken when Felix disappeared from his life, crying silently under his sheets. How would he react when he finds out it had to do with Felix that led his father to get physically abusive.


    He¡¯s so alone. So very alone. I can¡¯t stand to be here right now, to be faced with the worry of my own parents when Daniel may as well be facing the anger of his Father right now.


    I take a deep before speaking, ¡°I¡­ I think it was because of my aura... It may have already formed.¡±

 Changes

    In an instant, everything seemed to shift. The relaxed atmosphere that had always been around me began to stir an undercurrent of being on guard. Lizzy was kept at a distance meantime and I was left to eat meals in my room. Mr. Reinhardt now comes over to me for continued lessons but focused on auras and what humans knew of them for now.In two days, I had not stepped a foot outside my room.


    ¡°Is this how it¡¯s going to be from now on?¡± I asked offhandedly as Louise stands behind me, not moving an inch for the last hour.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say, my prince.¡±


    I continue to speak without lifting my eyes from the book on my desk in front of me, ¡°I¡¯ve already been contained in the palace. It¡¯s big, yes, but I haven¡¯t explored much of it at all. Now I¡¯m left contained in my room.¡±


    Louise couldn¡¯t retort. Instead, he bowed at his waist and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my prince.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry to be troubling everyone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things. If anyone was truly troubled-¡± He abruptly cut himself off. I looked back in curiosity and found his face to be contorted as if to repress something.


    ¡°Louise?¡±


    ¡°If anyone was truly troubled¡­ No one would be trying to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I mouthed in realization. If it was anyone really afraid of what danger I could cause, I would be disposed of, whether it be killing or locked away.


    ¡°You are loved, my prince, you should understand this.¡±


    I smiled fondly, ¡°Of course I know.¡±


    When I had told my father about my theory of already having my aura take form, he immediately took action and had me taken to a clearing bare of any sort of wildlife or people or even architects. It was just the ground and grass.


    Father had two men perhaps, as they were covered head to tow, it was hard to distinguish any characteristics.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Father stayed close to me and kept his hand on my shoulder to show everything was fine and to keep calm. He knelt down in front of me to remain eye level and asked, ¡°Your claim, why do you think so?¡±


    Take action before asking questions worked well in situations such as these. You never know the possibilities anyway if the questions were asked first. ¡°I collapsed right after reaching out to rub Daniel Garter¡¯s head and¡­¡± Father as always kept patient, waiting for me to continue, ¡°...I gained all his memories. Royal physician Tania¡¯s aura form works when touching a person, so I thought it was my aura¡¯s form that made that happen.¡±


    It was silent for a moment, from father and Louise who had rushed me here. ¡°Memories?¡± Father finally spoke.


    I nodded.I clenched my fist from nerves and my nails dug hard enough to break the skin. Louise noticed and pried my fingers opens and wiped the blood with his handkerchief.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Father stood up straight again, ¡°I want you to stay here until dusk. If nothing happens, I¡¯ll have you brought back to the palace. The two ¡®Shadows¡¯ will keep guard. Louise, follow me.¡±


    Nothing did happen and when I was brought back, it didn¡¯t take long for me to feel and see changes.


    No life goes without its problems, and the risk of taking lives was the worst I could possibly possess.


    I cried myself to sleep that day, not because of my past life for the first time.


    ***...***


    ¡°Brother!¡± Four days since that day, I was finally able to see Lizzy again. She looked the same, but I was one to quickly catch if something was off.


    ¡°How is everything going Lizzy? Are doing well with Mr. Reinhardt?¡±


    It was unlike her to not respond immediately, but this time she took her time to think over her words, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just a little boring to me. Mr. Reinhardt scares me a little too." She pouts, "Like he¡¯ll hit me if I do something wrong.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll never hit you,¡± I reassured her, ¡°He¡¯s teaching you to be the best you can be. There¡¯s nothing to complain about that.¡±


    Lizzy scrunched up her nose in distaste but nodded her head, ¡°Okay, if you say so.¡± She was truly my light in this life.


    Before, in my past life, I always took my brother out to play and help him with anything. If he was scolded by any one of our parents, he would come running to me. When Daniel came into his life, he started to form a deeper bond with me through him. I learned so much about Daniel from their interactions, and I had begun to wonder about having a child of our own one day. A funny thought at the time, especially when I revealed my thoughts to Daniel and he said, ¡°Kids? I thought Athen was already it.¡±


    But now it was only sobering.


    I hugged Lizzy tighter and she laughed about being squished.


    It hadn¡¯t even been an hour before she was made to leave.

 Lets Start

    It¡¯s been two weeks and the only time I¡¯ve come out of my room is when I went to visit Izzy when she had fallen ill a week before. Of course, she was healed quickly by Tania but I had to see her and stop myself from incessantly worrying.


    Now, this is my second time leaving my room, and it wasn¡¯t as simple as visiting my sister. This was much bigger.


    I was brought to my father¡¯s study. It wasn¡¯t grand, not at all. It was actually an average sized room, one you¡¯d expect to find in the home of a middle-class family, with warm colored walls and fragrant candles, with the only thing seeming expensive being the mahogany desk which my father is sitting behind. I¡¯ve lived in the palace for nine years and yet this is the first time I¡¯ve truly felt at home.


    ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to speak with you. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been thinking about since you¡¯ve told me about your aura.¡± Father spoke once I¡¯ve taken a seat on the opposite side of the desk and leaned forward. There were piles of paper on each side of him, maybe a thousand worth in each one, and on top one of the piles read something that gave me the urge to question father about the primary problem of our Kingdom.


    It was vague, the title of the paper, but what I remember from Daniel¡¯s memories is that his family and province were under suspicion by the other aristocrats.


    ¡®D.G. Watch.¡¯ Or rather, ¡®Duke Garter Watch.¡¯


    Instead, I keep the urge at the back of my mind to address father. ¡°What is it, father?¡± I didn¡¯t want any tiptoeing around the bush. It was better to be straightforward.


    Father leaned back in his seat as he observed me. His blue eyes were sharper than Elias¡¯s and that was way too intimidating. ¡°Your aura form. We don¡¯t know what its effects might be, nor how much it could do. But we know something, which is, it could give you others memories.¡± I nodded my head and stared at father in confusion, willing him to continue. ¡°More so, you had no signs of it activating, so that¡¯s the riskiest point. It could still activate at any moment, and we have no way of predicting it.¡±


    ¡°If I had to theorize,¡± I say before he could move on, ¡°I don''t think there¡¯d be an explosion of my aura.¡± I had weeks to think about it myself and had come to many conclusions, but never one that¡¯s confirming. ¡°If I could use my aura, then it¡¯s already activated... or that memory incident was just a fluke.¡±


    ¡°How can you call getting someone else''s memories a fluke?¡± Father rebukes. He sighs and twists his wrist to crack.


    I sigh and shake my head, not liking anything about this. ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to spend my time locked in my room. I want to go out, learn about this world as much as I can, see as much as I can.¡± I say softly. This was what I wanted since the very beginning. To learn - about the mythical beasts and how they could give human ¡®magic¡¯, and the rest of the world along with it.


    Father looks at me indifferently. ¡°I see.¡± He says noncommittedly. He gets up from his seat and turns back to the wall behind him, where he lifts his hand to the painting just at his head level and places his palm on top of it before it disappears into the wall. I blink in astonishment as he gets a champagne bottle from out of nowhere and a set of glass to drink from.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    He places one of the glasses in front of me and pops the bottle open before pouring it into the glass. ¡°It¡¯s non-alcoholic, easy on the taste buds. It¡¯s how many children of aristocrats and royalty get introduced to the world of champagne.¡±


    My mouth hung open in stupid fascination as I watched the glass fill up. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked.


    Father chuckled at my dazed tone. ¡°My aura form. I call it ¡®Ghost¡¯ as I could pass through solid objects. Even humans.¡± Father suddenly reaches out and I flinch back but freeze as his hand passes through my chest. ¡°I could make it solid again at any moment, and anything I touch will be able to pass through matter as well.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± This was the most fascinating aura I have seen yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s how I survived the raid from so far back.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I say with my eyes downcast, ¡°You were the only survivor I heard.¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows about it. Anyone getting an education has to learn about their ruler. It¡¯s a rule.¡± Father sits back down as he continues, "Even though my aura¡¯s useful almost to no fault, I don¡¯t like using it much. It¡¯s such a cheat.¡± Father nods to my glass, ¡°Drink.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I wait till I¡¯m fifteen to start.¡± More so, I wanted to question father about the secret space he has behind the painting, but I was almost a hundred percent sure that had to do with mother, so I held my tongue.


    ¡°It¡¯s non-alcoholic. It¡¯s basically just juice that tastes like wine.¡±


    One little resistance was all I was going to give anyway as, now given the chance to taste some wine again, I was craving to drink it. Without further complaint, I grabbed the glass and took a sip, savoring my first taste of wine in this life.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem weirded out.¡± Father smiles small as he takes a sip from his own glass.


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡±


    We drank in comfortable silence with the wine distracting me from the topic of our conversation. It was only after my glass was emptied that I brought it back up, ¡°Why are we speaking about my aura now?¡±


    Father purses his lips and fills up the glasses again before answering, ¡°I need you to use it again. To help me out with something.¡±


    ¡°Help with what?¡±


    ¡°Felix Carter. And possibly Harold Gloss.¡±


    I stare at Father wide-eyed in surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t they-¡±


    ¡°People who attempted to assassinate the Kingdom¡¯s princes¡¯? Yes. But I don¡¯t believe they wanted to.¡± Father answers me, ¡°We investigated both of them and questioned a few closely related family and friends. The people who knew them all said they were all loyal to the Kingdom. Yet they attempted to assassinate direct descendants of their King. Most of all, they were people who had no sort of issues in their life. They lived well off as far as commoners could. My only thought is that they were manipulated, makes sense with the way they seem so inactive right now.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ Mind control?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I looked father in the eye in the silence that followed, already having an idea of what he was asking. ¡°So, you want me to receive their memories to know exactly what happened,¡± I state firmly.


    ¡°Would you?¡±


    I purse my lips in consideration, but I knew my final answer would be yes. Daniel loves Felix. That I¡¯m completely sure of. With his memories, even I was somewhat fond of that kind-hearted boy. But, my powers are unknown, it caused pain to both me and Daniel. What if the effects were different from other people than just mere migraines?


    However, how will I ever learn about my powers if I¡¯m scared to use them? I may be kind and caring for others, even with strangers. But, when push comes to shove, I¡¯m entirely selfish of what¡¯s really important.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with Harold Gloss.¡±

 The Fourth Set

    The cell is dark and grungy. Anyone would develop claustrophobia if they were kept here for only a few hours alone. In this one dark and grungy cell is Harold Gloss, laying on the dirty bed staring blankly into the ceiling. He looked dead being so completely still like a statue. His matted dark brown hair and grimy skin made him seem all the more helpless. It was hard to look at him when there¡¯s the chance that he didn¡¯t deserve any of this.


    ¡°Eli,¡± Father¡¯s voice shook me out of my head. ¡°I know this is upsetting. I¡¯ve wanted to fix this by putting him in a big and cleaner cell but he¡¯s here on the attempt of assassinating a prince.¡±


    I look up to see Father¡¯s shadowed face, lighted by the large candles held by the two guards on either side of us. It''s only the two of us with the guards. Louise was left to wait outside the dungeon. No one but the guards, the shadows, and the Royal family members are allowed in this dungeon unless the King gives a special permit. It was a rule made by the previous King in pity of the prisoners, leaving them free of the mocking and hate of the mass. Truly, they were being punished enough already.


    ¡°Is Felix kept in a cell like this?¡± I asked, fearful of the answer.


    Father heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Unfortunately,¡± My heart twisted at that word. ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do. I could put him in a larger cell but then it¡¯s not a punishment to try and accommodate someone who attempted to assassinate a royalty.¡±


    I clenched my teeth, ¡°What if they were actually manipulated, no¡­ They are being manipulated.¡±


    ¡°And that is why I delayed their execution date. The attempt to assassinate a royalty is immediate execution, but nothing was right from the beginning. In a way, I accommodated them enough by giving them the chance to be relieved.¡±


    That¡¯s understandable. It¡¯s understandable but it still angers me so greatly to think that the sweet, quiet boy, who cared so much for me---


    Not me, Daniel. He cared so much for Daniel.


    ¡°Would me gaining their memory do anything?¡± I ask.


    ¡°How could it not?¡± Father retorted, ¡°You will gain their memories. I don¡¯t think there¡¯d be any evidence as solid as that.¡±


    I contemplated for another minute. Already with three life memories in me; My life as Elliot, then me today as Eli, then Daniel¡¯s. My conscience gets confused as to who I am at times. How much more confused will I become with one more life¡¯s memory.


    It took one more look at Harold Gloss to resolve my doubts. They didn¡¯t deserve this. I have people around to remind me as to who I am. Self-identity is a small price to pay. ¡°Can we start now then?¡±


    Father motioned for the guards to open the cell. The guard to Father¡¯s left came forward and pulled out a bundle of keys and opens the cell with a click and creak. The entrance is now open for me to enter. I take a deep breath, regretting it a little as the dungeons had a less than pleasant smell, before taking the small steps into the cell. Father stays behind the entrance as space was too small for two people at once, even with a small child like me.


    I bite my inner cheek in nervousness but forced my hand to reach up and touch Harold Gloss¡¯s forehead. It took a moment, but I found myself watching a fast-forwarded play of memories as if they were playing out right before my very eyes, yet I remember everything about each scene played in the finest details. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The feeling of the first time I felt pain, to the ecstasy of a first love, to having that love to myself, and then losing it, only to find someone else. The emotions, the feeling of it all was a part of me now.


    Just like what happened with Daniel, my head erupted into a migraine and my vision blackened for a moment. I collapsed to the floor clutching my head. Father entered quickly and took a hold of me, dragging me out of the cell and telling a guard to call Tania into the dungeons.


    Other than my own ragged breathing, I could hear another pained voice.


    ¡°He reacted!¡± The guard exclaimed shocked.


    ¡°Eli, are you okay?¡±


    Eli? Me? No, I was Harold---- What?


    ¡°Eli, look at me.¡± My eyes darted in reflex to the order, to the man hovering over me. Black hair and deep blue eyes. King Audry? His eyes narrowed to me, ¡°It¡¯s me, your father.¡±


    ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eli.¡±


    Right¡­ Right. Father. I was prince Eli. I must have lost myself to the shock of new memories and made myself think I was Harold Gloss for a moment. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± I coughed and scrunched my nose at the pain still pulsing through my head.


    ¡°That must be a con to your powers.¡± Father held me in a seated position as he spoke, ¡°Of course you¡¯d be confused about your identity with so many different memories.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I have everyone to remind me.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not good to always be confused as to who you are. It could be mentally challenging. I doubt anyone would be able to overcome the stress.¡±


    ¡°My king,¡± Tania addressed Father as she came down the steep stairs and immediately knelt down beside me and got to work.


    ¡°How is Harold Gloss?¡± I could hear Father ask the guard.


    ¡°He seems to be having a migraine as well, but he¡¯s responsive to his surroundings now.¡± The guard replied.


    My headache resided as Tania finished her healing on me. ¡°I¡¯ll help him then,¡± She said as she stood and entered the cell.


    ¡°Father,¡± I try to speak but father raised his hand to stop me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll question you about it tomorrow. For now go back to your bedroom and rest. I¡¯ll have to think about your identity problem as well.¡±


    ¡°But Father I can tell-¡±


    ¡°Not today.¡± He said resolutely. ¡°For now we¡¯ll have to take care of dealing with Harold so we can question him first.¡± Father gestured to the Guard who helped me to my feet in response, ¡°Take him to Louise. He should still be outside the entrance.¡±


    I left without another complaint knowing Father wouldn¡¯t let me get another word out. The sudden brightness of the evening sun blinded me for a moment before I took in the greenery of the plain field making up the land behind the palace.


    Mr. Reinhardt had described the land of our kingdom to me. Almost 80 percent of the land was man-made, from the streams that are connected to the large river in the south, crisscross around the village to supply water. The soil brought in through trade replacing the original to farm better, and the hills that once made up the west side were flattened to make everything an even ground in the kingdom.


    The palace, instead of being built at the very center of the capital, it was built on the cliff which overlooks almost the entirety of the main capital, where the main streets are busy every day. Honestly, it was so unusual that I asked for a full tour of the kingdom, but was denied for reasons of me being a danger.


    ¡°My prince,¡± The familiar gentle voice of Louise immediately calmed the nerves that were still left over from the sudden memories I gained just minutes before.


    ¡°Father told me to rest.¡± I tell him, ¡°He¡¯ll question me later.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    All the stress from the day caught up to me as I entered my room. I was asleep on my feet as Louise got me ready for bed, and I nor he bothered to wash me up for the night. This casual preparation for bed reminded me of the times I just passed out from staying up late, writing to meet my deadline. Daniel teased me about my horrible breath the next morning.


    As odd as it was, I missed the teasing when I woke up the next day as Eli.

 Magical

    ¡°You should rest for a bit Master.¡± The voice was soft, almost shy. The timidness in the voice never left it even after the two have been with each other for more than a month.


    ¡°No. Father said if I don¡¯t finish my analysis on this book he¡¯s not going to let me attend Mother¡¯s memorial.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too harsh?¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Daniel''s tone remains curious, as he always is to Felix''s eye-opening statements.


    ¡°It¡¯s your mother¡¯s memorial. No matter what¡¯s the situation, you should be able to attend it.¡± The owner of the soft voice placed a glass of water on the table in which his master was writing his report. ¡°Master, for five minutes, stop writing so you can rest your hand.¡±


    The master sighed and put down his pen. ¡°If you say so, Felix.¡±


    Felix smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Master.¡±


    ¡°I told you, just call me Daniel when we¡¯re alone.¡±


    Felix showed his shyness by scratching his cheek, a habit that made Daniel train his eyes on his slim fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daniel.¡± He nearly whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird how bold you are despite how you talk.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice.¡± Daniel turned to Felix with a small smile, lightly taken aback when Felix was smiling back at him. Having Felix around changed almost everything for him. He learned that his father was too harsh on him and that this nice, comfortable feeling they had right now was what it actually felt like around someone that truly likes you. Cares for you. Loves you.


    *****


    I jerked awake when I felt a touch on my shoulder. When I looked back, I saw Louise looking at me with amusement. ¡°Already so tired, My Prince? It¡¯s only an hour before lunch.¡±


    I straightened from my slouch on my study table, where I had been reading a book, and stretched my arms above my head. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to sleep peacefully. I¡¯m too worried. It¡¯s been two days yet Father still hasn¡¯t come to question me.¡± I took a deep breath and shook my head, ¡°I still need to help with Felix.¡±


    Louise nodded knowingly. ¡±I don¡¯t know the details, but the King must be busy with other businesses of his. He his the King after all.¡±


    ¡°I just want to find out about how Felix is doing.¡±


    ¡°You will, My prince. Be a little more patient.¡±


    I sighed again and rubbed my eyes as I got up from my seat and said, ¡°Can I get tea? I¡¯m going to go wash my face for now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have tea during lunch.¡±


    ¡°An hour seems so far away though.¡±


    ¡°Patience, My prince.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I know, I know.¡± I walked into my private bathroom and dropped my smile. The short dream I had played back in my head, a memory from Daniel¡¯s life that felt too much like my own. The memories were starting to mix together.


    Father was right, even with people around me to remind me as to who I am, it¡¯s still difficult. My way of speaking changes mid sentences and my tastes in things were shifting. It was small things like my average two teaspoons of sugar in my tea changed to four teaspoons of sugar. Daniel was a big sweet tooth and it influenced me into being one myself.


    The memories I have of Harold does the same. Because of it, I¡¯ve grown a distinct interest to farming, with him being a successful farmer himself. Thankfully, even though he was a 27-year-old man, he still hasn¡¯t gone past the first stage in any of his two relationships.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered too much because I already experienced a lot from my first life as Elliot. Being together with a lover for almost a decade, you don¡¯t just do nothing, especially when it comes to intimacy.


    I washed my face quickly with cold water which instantly washed away the tiredness around my eyes. I stepped out of the bathroom and found Louise speaking with someone outside my bedroom door.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Louise bows to the person, and with a stretch of my neck around his figure I saw the head butler of the palace, Terrence Meyer. It wasn¡¯t often that I see the man as he¡¯s a direct servant to Father and watches over all servant activity that happens around the palace. But I¡¯ve seen him mainly taking care of Mother instead of Father. It was an odd thing, but I wasn¡¯t curious enough to ask about it.


    ¡°Why was Terrence here?¡±


    ¡°To inform me to tell you that the King wants a meeting with you after lunch.¡±


    ¡°Well finally,¡± I say relieved as I head back to my study table. ¡°Two days have been too long.¡± Before Louise could speak up I wave him off, ¡°I know, I¡¯m being patient. There¡¯s no harm in a little complaining though.¡± Louise smiled at my rebuke.


    I spent the hour before lunch reading but really couldn¡¯t put my mind to it. For the first time in this life, I wanted to start writing. It was more effective to clear my mind for me. But lunch came and passed more quickly than I thought. The last two days were dragging so much I felt like time had stopped itself, so this was a nice change.


    ¡°Are you taking me now?¡± I ask Louise as I see him tidying up my study table.


    He nods, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry. I don¡¯t have any more patience in me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, My Prince.¡±


    Louise led me to where I last met my father in his study room. He knocked on the door and a clear voice told him to come in. Louise opened the door for me and I wasted no more time to enter. I felt like I was meeting Father for the first time again. It was only him and me with Louise standing quietly behind me as I took a seat across from Father. The mahogany desk still looking like the only rich piece of matter.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been getting impatient.¡± Father started.


    ¡°Two days is a rather long time.¡± I reply, ¡°I just guess you¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± He says. His voice held the tiniest bit of tiredness in them. ¡°I interrogated Harold Gloss, personally. Oddly enough, even when I was speaking to the man who tried to assassinate my son, I didn¡¯t feel any negative emotions to him.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± I say defensively.


    Father smiles at my childish behavior and continues, ¡°I questioned him about the situation. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, he doesn¡¯t remember anything. Not even a few days before you had your coming of age ceremony.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I said resolutely. ¡°That¡¯s what I tried to tell you in the dungeon before you sent me off. I have-¡± I clear my throat and correct myself, ¡°He has no memories of the incident. The last thing he remembers is falling asleep after a long day of tending to his field.¡±


    Father looked at me for more than a few seconds and says, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he said.¡±


    My heart jumped in confusing nervousness. I pursed my lips and turn to Louise, ¡°Can you get me water.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Eli,¡± Father tells me knowing how nervous and frustrated I was. He stands from his seat and walks around his desk. He stops beside me as I look up to him.


    Father was handsome. Really handsome. There¡¯s a memory of Daniel meeting him for the first time and being mesmerized, more than he was with Mother. Honestly, all the little things Daniel does makes it so easy to know he was like me; gay. For Felix especially.


    Harold was as straight as a rod with his new lover.


    ¡°You¡¯re right Father,¡± I say to him. I take a moment to enjoy the feeling of Father¡¯s hand on my head. It felt safe and secure, warm and comfortable. ¡°I need to do something about the memories I have before it¡¯s too late.¡± Honestly, I have a feeling that if this keeps going on, I¡¯m going to lose my true identity completely.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been working on. With your words and clear evidence, Harold was being manipulated. Seeing how Felix is in the same situation, it¡¯s clear putting two and two together. But before gaining his memories, I was trying to find someone with an aura that can erase memories.¡±


    My eyes widen and I jerk forward, ¡°Really? Did you find someone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of, but any aura having to deal with memories are rare. I spent one whole day sending out personals to find someone like that. Trust me, I looked into more than a thousand people before putting up notices in every part of the kingdom. But no reply has come through in the last twelve hours, so it suffices to say there isn¡¯t anyone like that in our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Shouldn¡¯t we wait till another day then?¡±


    ¡°It was a notice from me myself, the king. I haven¡¯t sent out any notices since the beginning of my reign, so it was a popular topic that spread in the first hour. If no one answered to the notice then there¡¯s no one.¡±


    I slouched back in my seat in disappointment, ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get disappointed yet. I said there¡¯s no one in our kingdom." Father walks back to his seat, "I sent out a letter to the king of Lorains Kingdom. They¡¯re our closest allies, I¡¯m sure Reinhardt taught you so.¡±


    Reinhardt did teach me about the Kingdom of Lorain. The lesson lasted for just a single day, but I was interested enough to remember details about them. They were our first allies during the conflicting era two decades ago. Their alliance with our Kingdom is what helped our Kingdom stand strong and vice versa. The king of Lorain, still in reign today, offered his daughters hand in marriage to the king before my father. However, he was never given a reply back as the accident which killed the king happened only the day before he sent the marriage request.


    ¡°They sent a letter back just a few hours ago. The second prince of Lorain, Prince Lyle Lorain, has an aura which can block memories.¡± Father looked pleased as he took out the letter from his drawer, ¡°It¡¯s not the same as erasing memories per se. The memories still stay in your mind, except you can''t access them unless Prince Lyle unblocks them again.¡±


    I look at Father speechless, ¡°Everyone can do anything can¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Not everything. Just enough to make the world a bit magical.¡± Father says between chuckles, probably amused and wondering why I still find everything so fascinating.

 Nostalgia

    The two days passed by agonizingly slow. With all my attention on the Prince of Lorain''s arrival, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say so. However, now that the day was here, I was more than just a little nervous.


    I cracked my fingers and paced the length of my room, trying to figure out a way to get this warning pit out of my chest. I don''t know why I was reacting like this, I''ve never been so nervous about anything like this before.


    "My prince, how about I bring you a cup of tea?" Louise spoke up. His voice sounded calm but I knew I was freaking him out with my behavior. He''s never seen me like this, but how could I reassure him? I''ve never felt like this myself.


    I took in a deep breath before settling myself down at my desk. "I think that would be good," I tell him. Louise quickly goes to prepare it.


    Looking over the smooth wooden top of my desk, I figure I might as well write. Writing has always been the best relaxer for me. I pulled out a blank piece of paper from my drawer and my pen hovered over it to begin, but nothing happened. My hand wouldn''t move and the paper remained blank for a good few minutes as I wondered about what to write.


    It''s been nine years since I last wrote. Of course, it wouldn''t come so easily anymore. But this is my last idea to calm myself. After another minute, I managed to write something down. I blinked when looking at the strange letters that spelled out something I sometimes forget was mine; my old name.


    Elliot.


    It was strange to think of myself with that name now, but it still brought back the nostalgia that made the pit in my chest worse. But I pushed through, for some reason wanting to see and inscribe a name that connected me to my old life. Before I knew it, I was writing out my whole life story:


    Elliot Maynard. March 1, 2xxx - December 9th, 2xxx. I had lived a good twenty-nine years before I died. Born to a family of four, I was smart, well loved and cared for, and had a single best friend whom I would depend on. Then I found a lover and we stuck together for a good decade, maybe a few years more than that. I loved my life. I still do...


    "My prince," Louise''s entrance made me flinch and I quickly flipped my sheet over to hide the words I wrote. He came over and glanced at the paper,where the ink could be seen bleeding through to the back. "You were writing something?"


    "Ah, it''s nothing. It''s pretty embarrassing actually so don''t try to read it." I tell him. A nervous chuckle escaped me and I realized that - yes, it was embarrassing. It probably sounds like I''m whining about myself like some depressed teenager. I probably am, with how much I think about Daniel.


    "If you don''t want me to read it, I won''t."


    "Thank you."


    "Do you still wish to continue writing?"


    "What?" I look back at the paper and squeeze the pen still held between my fingers. "Yeah..." I answer hesitantly, "I do." I hadn''t realized how much I missed it.


    "It''s still a while before you are to get ready for the welcoming ceremony, so you have about two hours to yourself."


    "When is the prince coming exactly?"


    "A bit after evening."


    I nod to him and he retreats to stand guard by the door, ready to receive any orders I may have. I wonder how he never gets bored just standing there, then again, it''s apart of the job.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I flipped the paper back over and continued. My writing was amateurish as I began, but I got back my style after finishing the first page.


    My father was a car technician, owning a store that helped repair damaged vehicles of every kind. My mother was a beautician running a hair and makeup salon. My little brother, for some reason, had the behavior of a rebel. I''ve no idea how he came to be like that given how lazy my dad and sweet my mom was. I, myself was introverted and listened to most of what my parents had to say. But Athen, my little brother always talked back to any orders and was disciplined plenty because of it. However, he was obedient to me and so I was left to deal with him countless times. As an older brother, I had no problem with this. It was after he was introduced to Daniel that I did.


    It was nothing bad, they got along like wood and fire. The problem was how they would get together to prank me. They did all from locking me in my room with a tarantula let loose, one they placed themselves. They handcuffed me to my bed for an entire day. They put hot sauce in my dessert along with a bunch of other crap I don''t want to remember. I wanted to get them back, but I was never one to be so clever as to organize a prank.


    But those two devils were what made my life worth living. It still hurts that I don''t have them with me today. I miss them.


    The two hours flew by in the blink of an eye, and I was surprised I had written ten whole pages filled with useless details I remember from back then. Whether it be about my mother, father, brother, Daniel, or even myself, I still remember so much and it made me happy.


    A person dies when they are forgotten. That it is a statement I believe in.


    Louise dressed me in an outfit that shocked me at first. It was completely red with a hint of white under the blazer, the gold lining making up the design like a cherry on top. "Why... Is it so red?" I asked out of pure curiosity. It''s not that I didn''t like red, it was one of my favorites in fact.


    "As you know, each kingdom has a national color. The Sinnett kingdom''s color is white." I nod as Louise explains further, "The Lorain Kingdom''s national color is red. So when greeting a royalty from another kingdom, wearing their national color is a very big sign of respect."


    "Ah, I see."


    Looking myself over in the full body mirror, I didn''t look so flamboyant as I expected. It still held a sense of humility I had as a royalty.


    (I haven''t done this for a while, it''s still fun to look for these images.)


    "You will need to meet up with the princess and his and her majesty."


    "Brother Elias and Avery aren''t here?" Weren''t all the royal members suppose to greet the prince of Lorain.


    "Prince Elias is still out of the kingdom so he is unable to come on time. Prince Avery is too busy with his promotional exams as well. His Majesty has already explained to the King of Lorain in advance so there is no misunderstanding."


    "Oh, I forgot brother Elias was out on his first excavation. I wonder if I''ll be able to do the same one day."


    "We''ll just have to wait and see my prince."


    Louise leads me towards the main hall where Izzy, mother, and father stand waiting. Izzy greets me enthusiastically and I realize we haven''t seen each other for a while.


    Every one of them wore red as I am and they look exquisite. Especially Mother who gives me a chaste kiss on my cheek as a greeting.


    Father wore a red suit underneath a long white coat. (The gold is red, and the black seen is red).


    Mother wore a long floor touch dress and the white frills fit nicely into the design. (The gold is white). Despite being in an old era setting, I''m surprised no one was too caught up with modesty as my mothers'' arms were bare.


    Izzy wore something less extravagant, wearing a simple yet beautiful, of course, red dress with white flowers.


    We stood directly in front of the grand entrance a few feet away. WIth a pleasant horn sounding, a clear voice sounded from the opposite side of the door. "Now arriving, the second prince of Lorain; Lyle Riverty Lorain!" Then the doors opened.

 Prince of Lorain

    It was like nothing I had imagined. The prince of Lorain walked in, his listless bearing showing no signs of elegance and charm a royal should have. More so, he gave me the image of a commoner coming into a luxurious bar, completely out of place. Even the way he dressed, unlike us who dressed like nobles, he wore a simple collared shirt under a plain red blazer with light trousers. But he was respectful at least as he stopped, just five feet away in front of father, straightening his back and bowing down respectively as he should when meeting a king of a different kingdom.


    "I''m glad you made it here safely," Father spoke politely.


    "There was no reason to deny your invitation given the circumstances." The illusion of a commoner withered away with how he spoke, the tone and speech of a prince carried off of him as he spoke. The prince of Lorain''s voice is soft and deep. He pulled himself back up, his back remaining straight, and I was a little surprised to see that he was close in height to father who stood a good six feet two. I, as a nine-year-old, only reached the prince''s rib cage. How old was he exactly?


    "I''ve prepared a room for you in the palace center. I''ll have my head butler teach your attendant the necessary details needed for your stay here." Father informed. The attendant in question kept his head bowed, standing a foot behind to the left of the prince.


    The prince of Lorain chuckled. "My father ranted about how amazing your kingdom was the last time he visited. I hope to say the same by the end of my visit."


    "I wouldn''t know," Mother spoke up, drawing his attention. "His majesty visited during the time of my brothers rule. My brother was an amazing host, but my darling here," She gave a teasing glance to father, "He''s the least knowledgeable in entertaining a guest."


    I couldn''t help the smile that came on my face as I watched father try to hold back retorting. As I looked back to observe the prince again, we were suddenly locking eyes, him observing me as I held my breath in surprise. "So your Prince Eli, the one in need of my assistance."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Uh..." I suddenly lost all my etiquette training at that moment, unable to form a proper response for a good two seconds. "Yes." I finally answered.


    An amused smile lifted the corners of his lips, "You''ll be in my care then." His brown bangs fell forward, covering his hazel eyes as he looked down at me. He raised his hands and swept them back as he reverted his attention back to father and mother.


    Something was wrong with me. I was paying him too much attention.


    Soon, the head butler was called in to guide the prince to his room. Father ordered us back to our own rooms to prepare for dinner with the prince and as father gave me a meaningful glance, and softly patted the top of my head as he passed by me, the warning pit in my chest returned.


    ***********************************************************************************************************************


    I didn''t want to be here, sitting across from the prince of Lorain as we sat around the palaces main dining hall. It''s the same dining hall the Dukes had attended for my birthday. The nervousness then didn''t compare to now.


    "When shall I complete your request?" The prince said as he dabbed his mouth with his napkin. The more I observed him the more I was beginning to see that he was indeed a prince. He used a fork and knife perfectly, he even placed a napkin on his lap before eating. The way he spoke stayed formal.


    "I was hoping after dinner," Father said.


    "Very well,"


    Dinner ended too soon. I gave Izzy a good night kiss on her forehead as I wouldn''t see her for the rest of the day and father led me and the Prince towards his office. I looked back and smiled to know Louise followed behind dutifully.


    The normalcy of father''s office relaxed my nerves as always and I waited by Louise as the Prince eyed the design of the room. "I quite like how you remind yourself of your origin. From commoner to a king of one of the largest kingdoms, I have great respect for you." He said sincerely.


    "It was all by chance. I''m lucky,"


    The prince smiled amusedly as his eyes found his way back to me. I avoided eye contact, finding them to be too distracting. "Should we begin."

 Letting Out A Secret

    "Sit here," Father pulls out a tall stool and situates it to the side of his desk. As I climb and settle on top, the Prince of Lorain stands in front of me. With the help of the stool, I reached the base of his neck - I was thankful as it gave me no reason to look at his eyes.


    I close my eyes and clench my hand to hide the trembles. I still felt my chest clenching. My subconscious was trying to warn me of something and yet I couldn''t make out what it is exactly.


    I only had a second to register the feeling of the cool hand of the prince on my forehead before I was sent ricocheting back to my memories, into Daniels'', and Harold Gloss''. All three played like movies in a fast-forwarded play before I was watching just one... Just mines as Eliot.


    It was as clear as if I was experiencing it all over again; The cold still pierced through my two layered coat, the snow falling down slowly onto the train platform and tracks, and my bare hand was growing numb as I kept a firm grip on my suitcase.


    "Don''t misunderstand like this! Please!" Daniel spoke loudly, his behavior drawing the attention of the crowd in the train station. I refused to look back at him, the betrayal I felt from the day before still held me in a tight grip that was slowly suffocating me. I never thought Daniel, of all people, would cheat. Maybe he was growing bored after ten whole years... I needed space. I needed to be away.


    Without as much as letting out my frustrations and anger and sadness, I packed my belongings from our shared apartment and decided a good trip back to my home town for a few months, or years would be good. Daniel followed me all the way to the train station trying to speak to me, but I wouldn''t listen. I hadn''t said a word to him at all since yesterday. I jerked when Daniel tried to grab my arm, forcing me to turn around and look at him.


    My mind blanked out when I saw him with only a T-shirt on and shorts that laid bare his muscled arms and legs. He wore flip flops in three-inch snow and his feet looked as numb as they were - And here I was shivering in my two layered coat. I wanted to yell at him for being such an airhead - he was going to die of hyperthermia like this. But then I remembered everything that happened again, making me swallow what care Istill had for him, and turned back around.


    My head turned a little when I heard the train approaching, letting me see him from the cornerof my eye. "Please... Elliot..." His voice was weak. I stepped forward, away from Daniel when he tried coming closer.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Bad choice.


    My feet slipped on frozen ice hidden under the sleet of snow and I fell straight onto the train tracks. There were sharp yells of alarm from the crowd, but it was too late. The train was already approaching and wouldn''t be able to stop in time even when hitting the emergency brakes. Daniel''s painfully desperate expression was the last thing I saw.


    ******************************************************************************************************************************************


    My eyes opened and I was no longer in the train station - but my father''s study. I looked aroundconfused for a second before I saw the Prince of Lorain stare at me with interested eyes. "Well, that went better than I had expected." He said. His hands reached out to my cheek and swiped his finger on my pale skin, with the top of his index coming back glossy from the teardrop that fell from my eye. I was too dazed to react.


    "You successfully blocked the memories?" Father asked.


    "I did. The after effects of gaining others memories would still remain, such as his interest in farming and so on."


    "As long as he no longer has an identity crisis."


    "However..." The prince eyed me closer, his eyes smiling along with his lips. "You''re son really is peculiar. My stay here definitely won''t disappoint me."


    Ah, now I knew why I was so nervous. I was so sure nobody would figure out my little secret that I forgot the obvious... The prince could see my memories. All of my memories.


    The prince knew.


    "I''m not surprised. He was always mature for his age." Father commented, taking my attention away from the prince, thankfully. "It''s late, I''ll have my head butler guide you to your bedroom. Louise, show Eli to bed."


    I was eager to oblige and quickly made my way to my bedroom. Louise grew confused when I grabbed a hold of his hand along the way, but I was in no state to explain myself, and Louise wasn''t one to question any of my unusual behaviors. I needed rest and time to process that someone knew. A person, who I didn''t know I could trust, knew. Someone foreign knew.


    Would he say anything to father? To mother? To anyone? Even when people in this world had powers, to have memories of a past life, in a different world, wasn''t that weird? Unusual? Disturbing? Would they look at me like they''re own child again when they figure out that I have the soul from a different life?


    I was scared and insecure, I didn''t know what to do.


    Calm down. I might be overreacting.


    But reassuring myself wouldn''t do me any good.


    No, no, it''s okay. It wouldn''t change anything... Could it?... I never realized the tears never stopped even as I fell asleep, the exhaustion from too much worrying leaving me bound to mydreams.

 A Bird In A Cage

    "How old is Prince Lyle?"


    Louise takes a moment to process my sudden question. "As the second prince of Lorain, he is of age sixteen." He answers firmly.


    I paused momentarily in surprise as I expected him to be older. He seemed too mature for his age... But, I wasn''t one to talk now, was I?


    I shook away the thought of the prince for a moment as I open the drawer of my study table. I eyed the neatly folded papers inside hesitantly before deciding to bring them out. "Louise, can you bring me some tea?"


    "It''s already late, my prince."


    I peak out the window which overlooked the back garden and kept my eyes on the stars that seemed to glisten on a dark blue backdrop."Some late night tea won''t do any harm now, would it?" I say softly. The night seemed to be chilly, but not too cold. I might as well enjoy it with my favorite drink.


    "As you wish," Louise tells me, knowing I wouldn''t head to bed anytime soon anyways.


    I unfold the papers when he left andmy eyes roamed over the words written by my own hand.I read over the ten or so pages I had written of my past life, my mind remembering each scenario put to paper.


    "My baby brother gained a good impression of my lover from the first moment he had laid eyes on him. His bratty nature led him to hog all of Daniel''s attention for himself and dragged him around to show the man all the possessions my little brother was too proud of as a child. Daniel never complained and played along, actually enjoying the presence of the happy go lucky little brat."


    I chuckled as I remembered Athen - said baby brother - ranting about his favorite transformer figurine for a good twenty minutes or so without a single pause, leaving Daniel crouching next to him. He suffered a cramp right after.


    "He had always wanted a sibling, whether older or younger didn''t matter to him. It saddened me a little to hear this, as his father had passed away when young, and his mother was too attached to marry again. Athen was his chance to achieve this dream."


    I started my memoir from when Daniel and I were already dating. Maybe I should write from when we first met?


    I was too caught up about my writing that I hadn''t noticed Louise coming in with someone stepping along beside him.


    "A memoir I see."


    I jumped and spun around, crumpling the papers as I hid them behind me."Prince Lyle?!" I exclaimed. Said man stood laughing only a mere two feet away from me. I sent an accusing glare towards Louise, who showed an apologetic expression in turn.


    "I would say I''m sorry, but I thought teasing you a bit would be worth my time." The prince moved to my desk and sat on the chair. He crossed his legs and put his elbow on the table to support his head on his palm as he kept his eyes on me. Seeing my slightly irked behavior, he chuckled and waved his hand as if to brush off my surprise. "I came to have a little chat." He said.


    "I don''t see why at such a late time -"


    "I had to ditch my attendant one way or another. The man believes I head to bed right as the time hits midnight."


    I cautiously scour my gaze upon his relaxed figure. He wore his pajamas - sophisticated as they were - they did little to hide his lean but built figure. The casual wear changed the feel of his presence in a strange way, that it left me a little baffled. He felt more familiar, unlike how foreign I had sensed him to be when he was fitted in his more formal clothing. He didn''t seem to want to start trouble nor confront me about anything. He really did seem to just want to have a little chat.


    "How can I help you?" I asked after a moment of thought.


    "Not help me. Talk to me." He corrected as he gestured towards Louise. "Alone if you can."


    Louise was quick to decline, "I am to watch over Prince Eli in any sort of occasion as long as the King and Queen are not present."


    "He can order you to leave, can''t he?" The smirk on Prince Lyle''s lips sent shivers down my spine. A familiar tingle I had never expected to feel again.


    "Louise..." I was surprised that my body acted on its own. My tone left Louise disbelieving for a good minute before he hesitantly headed for the door.


    "I''ll be right outside only for ten minutes my prince. Ten." He emphasized.


    I showed him a reassuring smile and sent him away before I continued observing the odd prince. After what seemed like a good minute, I said, "I don''t see what there is to chat about."


    "Really now?" Prince Lyle sounded amused. "After seeing your memories and learning about the little secret you have going on... I''m sure there''s plenty."


    I bite my lip in an attempt to distract my nerves. I took in a deep breath. If Prince Lyle already knew, there was no point of beating around the bush. "You''ve been here for three days already. Why come to me now?"


    He grabbed a glass and the pitcher full of water that was on the desk before pouring himself a drink without reserve."I like to observe before approaching. I kept an eye on you and tried to figure out your character."


    "And?" I push.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "First of all, I respect that you have a goal. I heard about it in a conversation with King Sinnette. You wish to research the Mythical Beasts."


    Unsure of where this was leading to, I hesitantly answered, "Yes, that''s correct."


    He takes a sip. "And that''s where it gets pretty boring." I furrow my eyes in confusion. Before I could even ask, he continues, "You die. You get reborn. You retain your memories. You have a goal... You have a second chance, yet you choose to stay cooped up in this room. To me, you''re a bird kept in its cage."


    I part my lips to speak, but the words felt as if they were stuck within my throat. I let out a disbelieving scoff, but I didn''t feel angry.


    "A bird in its cage?" I repeated in a low mumble. My eyes roam around the room that''s been the same ever since I was a newborn. Books change on the bookshelf for me to read. The bed sheets color is different every week. And I am fed breakfast in this room, only taken out to see my sister, or eat dinner in the dining hall when mother and father are available. Of course, when I also have lessons with Mr. Reinhardt.


    However, ever since my ninth birthday, I hadn''t had any further lessons. I was taught what I needed to know apparently, and the rest would have to be up to me to decide.


    Eventually, my blue eyes settle back to meet the hazel eyes of Prince Lyle, who kept the smirk on his lips. His cheek was back to rest on his palm with his elbow on the desk.


    "A bird in its cage, huh," I repeat again. I look down at my feet, my mind seeming to not want to think anymore.


    "Yes." Prince Lyle said. "You''ve just had your ninth birthday as well. It''s a milestone meant to signal an expansion of the individuals'' bubble. Yet you refused."


    "I had a very good reason." My tone came out defensive.


    "I know." He assures. "You had a good reason, but it''s also an excuse."


    "You speak as if you know everything of how I feel or think."


    "Oh, no." He lets out a chuckle that was somehow effective in calming my building irritation. He takes another sip of water. I watch in a bit of entrancement as his constant smirk slowly, barely, changed into an actual smile. "I just understand... When I first opened my gates, nothing really happened. The aura left and returned to me, but I had no powers like that of my older brother."


    I shook my head trying to follow the prince''s words. "But you do have some power... The aura of being able to see other people''s memories and block them."


    "Yes. But I was ashamed of it."


    "Ashamed?"


    Prince Lyle sighed. "The Kingdom of Lorain is a kingdom of military might. We''re not the largest, but we''re definitely one of the strongest. My brother has a strong aura, an offensive one. The way he could control to what seemed like untamable flames is amazing."The prince paused to finish his glass of water and didn''t say anything more. He didn''t need to say anymore. I understood.


    "You hid what your aura is," I state.


    "I did. Even if it is a unique form of aura, it was not standard to a family of fighters. I thought people would find me a disappointment. Weird. Just something negative. So I understand why you hide the fact that you remember a past life."


    Prince Lyle no longer seemed like someone to be cautious of. My eyes brightened to see more than just an ''easy-going Prince who didn''t understand boundaries''.


    "I still don''t understand how that helps with me being a bird in a cage," I tell him after there was a shared moment of silence.


    The smirk was back on his lips. "As you can see now, my aura isn''t hidden away anymore. My father wasn''t a retard who believed me when I said I had nothing, nor did my brother." His tone turned fond. "My brother told me; "I know you''re scared of what others might think or say, but that shouldn''t control your life. You have to prove to them that you can be someone... Better than the someone that they want you to be."


    I swallowed down a ball of questions to why I was being told an entire life story. I wasn''t complaining, however. I was intrigued, actually.


    I wanted to know more.


    "So what did you do?" I ask.


    The prince shrugged his shoulders and leaned further into his seat. "I started to use my aura to help the guards in interrogations. Well, more like steal information from a person''s memories, to help solve cases of crimes and accusations of course. I even help to have people forget trauma''s that haunt them so they could move on. Many give in requests to the palace now."


    I chuckle. "It''s like your the kingdom''s therapist."


    The prince creased his brows in between as a sign of confusion. "Therapist? What''s that?"


    "Therapists... You don''t know what that is?" I say baffled.


    "Is this from your old world?"


    "I thought it was in all worlds," I answered in disbelief. "People who help others overcome their struggles. That''s a therapist."


    Prince Lyle raised his brows in understanding. "Oh, that''s something new. People here, as far as I know, never reveal their problems. It''s a sign of weakness, after all."


    "Then how do they deal with their problems?"


    He shook his head. "They just do."


    "That''s..." I wanted to argue on this, but what was there to argue in the first place? No wonder I always see Brother Elias keeping his complaints silent. I could see them in his eyes, the tiredness of a child who was expected to do too much.


    "But they still come to you," I tell the Prince.


    His smirk seemed smug. "Because they know of my abilities and are assured that I know how to keep it confidential."


    "Then why are you telling me yours?"


    "Why not?" He says half-heartedly. "I know so much of you. I just thought it''d be fair to let you know a little bit of me personally too."


    Prince Lyle faced away to pour himself another glass of water. As he did so, I kept my eyes on him. That seemed to be a trend between him and me. There was just something about him that wouldn''t let me look away.


    I flinched when my bedroom door was knocked on and opened by Louise. "I''ve given you ten minutes, my prince."


    Ten minutes? Why did it feel as if we''ve spoken for much longer?


    "Just in time too," The prince said. He finished the newly poured water in one round and faced me. "I had a nice time talking to you, Prince Eli."


    I was able to smile at him genuinely, for the first time, in response. "As did I."


    Something in me was reluctant to see the prince leave. Even as he was long gone, my gaze was glued to the door.


    "Your tea went cold... Should I go warm it up?" Louise asks from the side of the bed.


    I shake my head and walk myself to bed and under the covers. "I''m sorry Louise. I think I''ll just sleep for now."


    Louise smiles at me and made sure the covers were firmly encasing me in warmth... I wonder if he was curious as to what I and the prince had spoken about. It made me feel guilty. Louise was someone I trust with my life, but I still kept things hidden from him. Louise would never ask me questions himself, which makes it harder, and I more guilty.


    Would he understand like Prince Lyle?


    "Goodnight then, my prince."


    I close my eyes and focus on where Louise put his hand on my head. As always, his presence allowed me to relax enough to let the drowsiness overcome my thoughts...


    "Goodnight."

 A Different Feeling

    Something changed between me and Prince Lyle after that midnight conversation. We were no longer mere acquaintances, we were¡­ Friends. People who actually enjoyed the other''s company thanks to the comfortable routine I and the prince had come to between ourselves over the next two days, much to Louise¡¯s dismay.


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle each time Prince Lyle would come over to my ward at midnight, and request Louise to give the two of us privacy to speak alone. Louise made no effort to hide his displeasure, only giving us the accommodating ten minutes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware, but your butler really is protective of you.¡± Was his starter on the third day of his visit.


    I smiled sincerely at the thought of Louise¡¯s presence. ¡°Having been with me for the entirety of this life of mine, I can¡¯t imagine being without him.¡±


    Prince Lyle mocked a gasp. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have feelings for him.¡±


    I huffed unenthusiastically before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t fall for every guy who is good to me, no matter how handsome.¡±


    Prince Lyle agreed to my comment with a tease. We stayed in comfortable quiet for a few seconds before he began, ¡°You know it¡¯s not unusual in my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°Same-sex relationships.¡±


    I blinked in mild surprise at his choice of topic for a conversation. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Duke Mortise, my father¡¯s close cousin, married a man. WIth a noble being so open about such a thing that many others find shameful, you could say it gave confidence to those who hid their true selves.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite form a response to his reveal. ¡°So¡­ This world has opinions on sexuality as well.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Of course they do. It goes against what people view as ¡®normal¡¯, after all. Man with a woman is a given. For a man to be with a man or a woman with a woman... it doesn¡¯t quite add up in their heads.¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°When you said it wasn¡¯t unusual in your kingdom, what about my own?¡±


    Prince Lyle eyed me with uncertainty. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Mr. Reinhardt doesn¡¯t teach me such stuff. I ask Louise about this knowledge if I truly had to know them, but this topic is quite¡­ Weird for me. I mean, I¡¯m a child for crying out loud. Asking about relationships is too early.¡± I was taken aback when Prince Lyle suddenly burst into laughter. I watched him with confused exasperation. ¡°What are you laughing about?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You?! A child?!¡± He said in between breaths.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m a child!¡± I cried indignantly. ¡°Look at me and this baby fat everywhere.¡± I pinched my right cheek.


    Prince Lyle wiped away his amused tears and reached forward himself, pinching the other side of my face. ¡°Ah~ How cute.¡± He chuckled again.


    I furrowed my brows in displeasure, slapping his hand away softly. ¡°I can¡¯t understand you and your sense of humor.¡±


    He spread his arms and looked down at himself. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing to understand.¡±


    I had to disagree. There was so much to understand about the man sitting before me. He was good company, one that felt different from all the other bonds I had. He knew me. Knew everything about me. My past life, my sexuality, my doubts, my dreams of now and then. I was taken by his understanding and acceptance, by his bluntness about my flaws.


    ¡°But really,¡± His tone lowered into seriousness. ¡°You¡¯re not a child to me. It¡¯s more like you¡¯re a grown man getting his redo¡­ I can¡¯t really put it into words.¡±


    I thought quietly for a moment and shrugged a shoulder. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true my mind is not that of a child''s, but my body can¡¯t be argued to be any older.¡±


    ¡°I agree it''s a rather frustrating dilemma. How could you find the right lover now?¡± I knew Louise asked that question as a joke, but it was something I had stressed over a few times before when I had time to myself.


    I was a nine-year-old child with the mind of an adult. No one older would look at me as a love interest as that is quite disturbing, and I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone near my current age attractive. I pushed the thought to the back of my head and shooed the topic away with my nonresponse.


    ¡°I have a question I had been wanting to ask you.¡± His words broke me out of mind and I looked up to meet Prince Lyle''s eyes again.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to come with me? To my kingdom?¡±


    My mind came to an abrupt halt, my thoughts and reasoning leaving me as the unexpected request truly and surely had taken me back. My chance to reply was brisked away when Louise came in to remind us that our ten minutes had come to end. Usually, Prince Lyle would stay for another few minutes, but seeing my open surprise, he stood and headed back to his guest room, not before saying, ¡°I still have tomorrow left before I am to go back home early evening the day after. You can take the time to think about what I asked.¡±


    Louise heard and shot me an inquisitive glance. It was an hour after Prince Lyle had left, with Louise waiting for me to fall asleep so he can secure me under the blankets, that I was finally able to speak.


    ¡°Louise?¡± I called.


    ¡°Yes, my prince?¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­¡± I hesitated, the insecurities bubbling up reluctantly. ¡°Am I still a danger to people?¡±


    Louise walked over to the bed and softened his expression. ¡°As far as I know, there is no sort of danger that you would pose to others.¡±


    ¡°So my aura won¡¯t act up?¡±


    ¡°You already have your ability. There is no reason to believe it will.¡±


    I sighed, a sense of relief and comfort filling me. ¡°I see.¡± I turned onto my side and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Would you like to come with me?¡±


    I quickly put the cover over my head, hiding my anticipating smile.