‘’As for love, I don’t see the necessity right away, however marriage is another story, the power that comes from a faithful partnership, exceeds those based on frivolous feelings.’’

 

After his breakdown, Nikias falls asleep in Alkaios arms, the Crown Prince takes his brother to his room and proceeds to call a physician, however he had to wait as the doctor was treating the Empress. The moment mother wakes up she'll be furious, the pink eyed man thinks as he pulls a chair closer to the bed where his brother lies. And that's true, the Empress cares more for her children than herself, and finding out that her subjects neglected her youngest child's health for her own, will certainly earn some to be fired. If only she knew how they treat Nikias on a day to day basis… Alkaios snorts, their parents are always so busy that they rarely take care of their children directly, even if they love them infinitely.

It's a fact that the Emperor and Empress would go to hell for their children, that's one of the reasons why there wasn't any signs of harm towards the royals until now. Their safety is the most important thing. However the moment that Nikias was poisoned changed things, it was announced to the world that the second Prince was an easy target, therefore the whole Empire is busy mitigating the political aftermath of such information leaking. Alkaios stares at his brother's peaceful face, they were never close, on the contrary, from Nikias perspective they weren't even acquaintances, but for Alkaios, his little brother was his entire world. Even with his bad personality he never stopped loving him, even when he found out that Nikias was poisoning him he found it cute.

Well, you can't put standards of normality upon those who are born in a situation far from normal. The weight of the entire Empire is upon their shoulders, who lives, who dies, such responsibility is sure to bring madness with it. While Nikias was reckless, self-absorbed and violent, Alkaios was obsessive, perfectionist and also just as violent, except that the older Prince was better at hiding his true nature. There's only two people who are subject to Alkaios obsessive nature, his younger brother and his soon-to-be fiance. For them, he would burn the entire Empire if necessary.

The moment I find out who poisoned you… Alkaios thinks, lightly touching his brother's forehead which is burning. His expression twists with anger, if the doctor is late by another minute… 

Nikias' room's door opens and one of his servants enters with a tray. Water, towels and medicine, it appears that they're used to taking care of the youngest Prince without the help of the Palace's physician. On the outside Alkaios seems cold and uncaring, Lowe's eyes drift from his lord to the Crown Prince.

“I greet your highness, the star of the Empire”, he bows, however the man doesn't wait for the Prince to dismiss him, he goes to the other side of Nikias bed and starts treating the man. Alkaios watches in silence, he isn't bothered by the lack of manners of the commoner servant, on the contrary, he's glad that he's treating his brother. However, to Lowe, the Crown Prince seems to be glaring at him with anger.

“Does this happen frequently?” Alkaios asks after a few moments watching the man treating Nikias fever. Lowe nods, but doesn't stop the treatment, placing the wet towel on Nikias' forehead and using a syringe to apply the medicine directly on Nikias bloodstream. “Doesn't the physician ever treat him?” The question seems stupid in Lowe's eyes, since when does the Crown Prince care if Nikias lives or dies? He never even looked his way.

“The first time the physician visited his quarters was yesterday”, Lowe answers either way. He was in the middle of dealing with Nikias' request when he felt a burn in his right hand. When someone makes a mana pact, he's bound to the person forever and a mark appears on a part of their body proving the success of the bound. They can sense threats towards the person and if they die they feel extreme pain in the area where the mark lies. In Lowe's case the mark settled on his right wrist. A small mark the size of a copper coin and in the form of a golden crown, if he hadn't seen the mana test before the mark appeared, he would know about Nikias' magic just glancing at the mark.

When you pledge a mana pact towards someone without mana, the mark is a fading dot the size of a grape. However, in the cases where the person has mana the mark takes shape according to their mana type. Golden, and the symbol reflects what fate expects of him, a crown. Be it the crown of the Empire or something else.

Unacceptable. Alkaios thinks with anger. How can a royal physician never treat a Prince? “After he was poisoned, how did the treatment go?” He asks with a sigh, trying to regulate his own anger, nothing good will come from showing his anger in front of his subjects. Everyone is aware of Nikias' tricks and bad behavior, however he's a Prince, so good treatment is a given, that's why no one ever supervised if it happened indeed. The youngest Prince had a hard personality, that's why his family assumed he would just tell them if he wasn't being treated with respect, just like Alkaios would do in his place. To think that the boy was being treated badly under their own noses. Alkaios blood is boiling he wants to decapitate the physician and every single servant inside the palace that was a bystander to such treatment. Be a good ruler, Evangelia words ring inside his head, he's trying so hard to appease both subjects of his love, but at some moment he'll need to choose.

If he wants Nikias or Evangelia to be happy. Because both are bound to conflict. Evangelia hates Nikias and vice versa. Alkaios knows that more than anyone, however right now, he'll try to balance both happiness in the tip of his sword as long as he can.

“It didn't”, Lowe answers with caution. He isn't aware that Nikias already revealed his mana to his brother, in the servant's perspective revealing it might cause the youngest Prince's death. To everyone, Alkaios despises Nikias, even for Nikias' himself that is an undeniable fact. Even if the Empress and Emperor adore the man, they're too busy to notice the neglect, and if the Crown Prince himself despises his younger brother, then the servants are bound to mistreat the Prince. “He recovered by himself”.

Alkaios snorts, crossing his arms and staring at Lowe, his anger verging on the border of the glass, about to spill everywhere. His pink eyes that most times look kind and caring now are glaring at the servant with fervent anger. However Lowe isn't scared of the Crown Prince's anger, Nikias' glare is scarier. 

“He fell into a fever for a couple days, all we did was observe”, Lowe says, a few pained moans leave Nikias' mouth, but he stays asleep. 

“Why wouldn't you treat him like you are right now?” Alkaios is impatient, but Lowe is used to dealing with impatient bastards, even if Nikias was a better lord than the Crown Prince. 

“We used to before the other servants arrived. They outranked us and forbid us from treating Nikias” Fuck, Lowe thinks the moment the words leave his mouth.

“How dare you call the second Prince of the Empire by his name?” Fierce words leave Alkaios mouth, mana circulates the air, suffocating Lowe. He was talented, being experimented by the magicians tower wasn't a small feat, but the power that runs through the veins of royalty is impossible to beat. Crown Prince Alkaios’ pink mana, the size of an apple, the biggest since the first Emperor, he was the most powerful magician in the Exos Empire, that is until Nikias died and came back with golden mana the size of a dragon's heart. Lowe's face loses its color and the man can't even speak, the air soon escaping his lungs, he suffocates more and more.

“What's happening?” Nikias wakes up at the nick of time, stopping Alkaios' magic, and as consequence Lowe collapses on the floor, coughing as he grasps for air. “Lowe, are you alright?” His tone is soft and his voice is hoarse from the pain. I have a fever? Nikias touches his own forehead that is burning at a high temperature. Shit, it's almost as if this body is fighting against my soul.

That's not entirely wrong. Not everyone survives the soul transfer, the body must be compatible, and the process is indeed painful. Memories clash and if you have hidden memories like Vahe, they might be even more painful to synchronize, and in some cases memories of the old owner of the body might blend, causing the new soul to go crazy. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case for him, at least for now.

“I was disciplining him”, Alkaios says calmly, “How are you feeling, brother?” 

Nikias is annoyed, he's feverish and the pain in his head hasn't completely subdued. And to top everything, he had a dream about his older brother where Zerah got beaten to protect him, however he doesn't know how much of it was memory and how much was dream. “Who gave you the right?” His tone is harsh, Alkaios' is taken aback, Nikias never spoke harshly to him, his eyes had disgust but his words were always coated with sweetness.

“As your older brother…”

“My servants can only be disciplined by me”. Cold golden eyes that remind him of their father, filled with anger and determination, the eyes of a cold tyrant. Even with a flushed face, cold sweat and weak appearance, Nikias was the most beautiful being in that room, and for his luck, his brother was weak to him.

“As you wish, brother”, Alkaios says, however he directs a threatening gaze towards Lowe. “However your servant called you by name, as he is lower than you in rank he should…”

Nikias cuts his words. “I couldn't give a shit about how he calls me”. And that's the truth, Vahe was used to being treated as anything but a human being, he was called bug, cockroach, dirt, fly and even pet. Being called by a name that isn't even his, couldn't bother him at all. Of course as a Prince he needs to establish respect and Lowe was sure to receive his punishment, however it isn't Alkaios' punishment to give. “If I need to discipline my subject I will, but he serves me, not you.”

I don't want to be on his bad side, both brothers think at the same time. “I apologize, it won't happen again”, the Crown Prince backs down first, after all what matters most is his brother's health and not some servant.

“Alright”, Nikias sighs, feeling his consciousness fading slowly. “You should leave, brother, you have duties”, he says, closing his eyes slowly.

“It's okay, brother, I'll stay by your side this time”, Alkaios' means so, he doesn't wish to not be a part of Nikias life anymore. He stayed away because he thought that he would be better far from him, but he was poisoned, so that isn't the truth anymore. He'll attempt a different approach this time. “You can rest, I'll take care of you”.

Nikias nods as he falls asleep again. Lowe gets up from the ground, not paying any mind to Alkaios', being suffocated a little doesn't even come close to the things he endured before, but the words Nikias said did touch the servant's heart. Lowe belongs to Nikias, and his soul is forever bound to protect the second Prince, so he should be a little more confident as he and Raphael were chosen. Even if they're trapped around him forever, they shouldn't act pitiful as their survival is what matters in the end.

Before leaving the room to fetch more water, Lowe turns to Alkaios. “His highness used to wait for you on his birthday, but you never showed up”, his words are cold, and the lingering feeling of being suffocated is still there, but he shouldn't back down now. “So you shouldn't give him any more false hopes”. Every year in the middle of spring, the second Prince became a year older, and that was the only day in the year where he let his fragile mental state show. 

The boy would stay still staring at his door, waiting for people to come congratulate him. But they only came to the ballroom in the evening, no one ever visited him outside the party, and during the festivities, he would already be out of control, drinking, throwing things and cursing other nobles. A true reckless Prince, however only Lowe and Raphael knew how broken the boy was to act that way. Even if his parents showered him with gifts, the attention was so little that the boy deeply believed the tales others told him. About how he was abandoned and unloved. That was the only day in the year where Nikias cried until he fell asleep.

Not that his family is aware of such.

“I always attend his balls” Alkaios' answers coldly, he can't understand what Lowe means, however the servant isn't there as a therapist, he couldn't care less about the relationship of the brothers. He just didn't want to pity the second Prince again, as a wicked man shouldn't be worth such a feeling.

“Then, I'll take my leave”, the servant snorts, but leaves before Alkaios can suffocate him again. 

 

❥

 

Nikias wakes up together with the moon, he finds himself alone in his room, however there is a wet towel on his forehead, signaling that there was someone there just a while ago. The pain is now completely gone, and he feels well rested, he sits up, looking at the room engulfed in darkness. It feels lonely, for the first time he's completely alone with the darkness. He used to sleep at a homeless shelter, inside beds in pods that regulated their hunger, a mitigating procedure by the government. Instead of providing actual food, they were fed drugs that hid their hunger. So he was rarely alone at night, unless he slept on the streets. To be reborn with such riches… he couldn't even enjoy the food as he hadn't eaten during breakfast, ashamed of his lack of etiquette. Even if Vahe was used to dealing with hunger, it doesn't mean that his stomach doesn't hurt just the same.

My body feels itchy. After staying most of the day in bed, he feels the lack of exercise hitting him. Vahe used to be quite the runner, he woke up early and watched the sunrise as he ran across the city he lived in. That was something the man had in common with the old Nikias, as they both enjoyed running in the early morning, one for the freedom of the mind and the other for the beauty of his body.

He gets up from bed, going towards his closet to change into more comfortable clothes. I didn't think that I would enjoy only 10% of my day here, I wish it was more productive, he thinks while changing. Even though I learned a lot about who Nikias was and about the world surrounding him, I don't think I'm ready to take onto his role. And just like that a sudden realization comes to the man. Coming of age, does that mean that in two days there will be a ball in my honor? The thought of having to deal with nobility before being ready sends shivers down Nikias spine, he isn't even close to being ready and the fact that his family didn't cancel the event doesn't sit right with him. I almost died and we're still having a ball? I don't understand. Of course, even with all of Vahe's skills, socializing was never one of them. He was a hard worker for sure, however he was known by his colleagues as the monosyllabic boy. 

Having a ball is a way to show nobility that the Imperial family isn't easily shaken, of course that isn't necessarily effective or right, but it's the way they do things here. After getting dressed the man leaves his room to find the previously crowded corridors to be incredibly empty, with only a few guards in front of certain rooms. However there was none in front of him. No wonder I was poisoned, just how much neglect can a Prince have? This thought brings the information he received from his servants previously even more believable. If he's poorly guarded, no one would've told his parents that he went missing.

‘’Excuse me, can you show me where the training grounds are?’’ The palace is huge, therefore Nikias had to stop a guard to ask the location where he wishes to go. The guard was confused at first, but his disgusted expression was enough to tell Nikias that the man recognized him, however the man tells him where to go either way, as he can neglect a Prince but not ignore him when he directly talks to him. 

The complete silence of the palace is comforting, Vahe always found the silence rather cozy, his company was always the best he could have, of course no human enjoys being alone, however, enjoying his own company isn’t the same as being lonely. He walks for a while before being able to actually leave the Palace and enter the garden. The Palace’s garden is the same size as the building, with different flowers and gorgeous sculptures made of bushes, fruit trees and bushes also adorn the beautiful garden, the fresh air in there is incomparable to the air that Vahe was used to - full of pollution. After crossing the garden he finally arrives at the training grounds, surprising enough, there were a few knights training late at night as well. They don’t take a second glance at the Prince and neither greet him. This is starting to become ridiculous. ‘’When a royal appears before you, you must greet them’’, he practically yells, his voice more hoarse than usual because of the cold air in his throat. The knights stare at him without understanding at first, but they’re smart as the royal knights should be, soon they take formation and bow to the Prince.

‘’We greet the young star of the Empire’’, they yell together.

‘’Good’’ Nikias says, turning his back to the knights. They’re probably used to his presence there, but being insolent seems to also be part of their routines. Maybe the youngest Prince used to not scold the knights to avoid conflict. How can someone so self-absorbed still be so insecure? Nikias asks himself while warming up, he can feel the eyes of the knights on him, but he doesn’t care.  Some of the gazes are of disgust and others are of lust, he rather the previous than the latter, not that he isn’t used to both even in his life as Vahe.

After warming up the second Prince starts running on the training grounds’ track field, the size of a football field, the training grounds is the size it needs to fit the battalion of the Empire, it also has an attached building with an indoor arena and dorms for the knights that live far from home. It's quite effective in making those men live and breathe patriotism. Running makes Nikias feel free, the cold air against his skin, the sweat dripping from his hair and the control of breathing, everything under his own control, it feels amazing. But not only as a moment to feel free, but also a moment to do what he does the most: think.

A ruined Prince with a bad personality… Not only do I need to regain the trust of my brother and the heroine, to survive I also need to understand the environment I am in. Nikias never touched a weapon in his life, and his social reputation is terrible as he never went to social gatherings. So he already is two steps back from any noble man in the Empire. In a place where your connections are everything, Nikias is surrounded by people that don’t respect him or worse, use him for their own selfish gains. There are two paths that a Prince who doesn’t hold the crown can go, the first is the path of war, to become a knight and fight for his Empire in the frontlines, and the second is the one that Nikias took in the novel in the first three lives, political marriage. In the novel, it was described that the second Prince married the Princess of a nearby Kingdom that wanted to attack the Empire, being part of the agreement of peace. However there’s a big problem with marrying the Princess.

The first is that in all three timelines the Kingdom he went to live in burned to ashes during the war with the ancient god. And the second is that differently from the old Nikias, Vahe is gay. That was one of the reasons why he was hated by his previous parents and also why he was constantly alone. Of course that being gay wasn’t an issue in his previous world, it was quite common, however there were still people that saw it as something to be ashamed of, and some that even told him he should die.

Good for Vahe that he was a hard shell to break, though.

In the novel it was described that after birth with mana became a thing, there wasn’t any other prejudice against same-sex marriages, it became even a common occurrence in households with only male or female heirs. But I can’t assume that a Prince getting married to another man is the same thing as a Baron or Viscount doing so. I know that in my coming of age ceremony they’ll ask that I choose a fiance, that was how Nikias met the Princess. He chose her because she said that from all the people in the ballroom he was the shiniest. What a simple lad. There wasn’t love in their marriage, though. Which is the common thing in political marriages, it is quite good to imagine that the Emperor and Empress love each other, but the truth isn’t as simple. If he’s going to propose a political marriage with another man, he must find the perfect candidate. Even if I’m living as Nikias now, I refuse to erase my own identity, I won’t marry a woman for the sake of appearances. Confident as ever, Nikias continues to run while reflecting on his situation, the prying eyes of the knights still lingering on him.

They’re staring not because he’s running or because of his beauty, but because Nikias never ran for almost half an hour non stop, the man enjoyed running, true, but he constantly took breaks and slacked a lot, he only did enough to keep his appearance lean. However right now, he seems to me actually enjoying the run for the sake of running.

It would be interesting to marry someone that is allied to the heroine, therefore I can have other protection besides the fairy… The heroine has four main allies during the course of the story besides the Crown Prince, they all die at the end though. I don’t care if they die after I get married, and after the war the heroine won’t have the time to worry about me. That’s cold, to want to marry someone even knowing they’ll die, and not think about preventing it and rather how to benefit from it. 

The first is Rainier Baudry, son of the duke of the south, he was the first to help the heroine, he was a boy from the slums that became a hero after saving the Crown Prince when they were both children, he was adopted by Duke Baudry, that never married or had children, as his heir. He’s Alkaios friend, and part of the royal knights if I’m not mistaken, he certainly is good enough, however he despises Nikias so much that he killed the fairy to hit him in one of the heroine’s previous lives. Philippe Doujan, he was the knight that was appointed to Evangelia after she became the Crown Princess, he’s probably the easiest to access since he lives close to the palace. However as son of a Viscount, he isn’t of high status enough to be a good match to Nikias.  He was described as quite loyal, which is good in a marriage, but I quite dislike the golden retriever type of man like him. 

And the last man of the four allies, is Margrave Nicholas Larchier, he was an ally that appeared at the third book, however he was essential for the win of the Empire against the ancient god, he was described as a man with no honor and a strong sense of power. A powerful magician, he became a Margrave at the age of 15 and closed himself off in order to complete his mana research. He has ties with the magician’s tower, which is quite nerve-wracking, and he won’t appear until late so I can’t pretend to fall in love at first sight like a fool.

So from the heroine’s allies, the best option is Rainier Baudry. How am I going to make him accept my proposal? The marriage would benefit him as well, but he hates my guts. Finally the second Prince stops running, his whole body is dripping sweat, but no one that sees him at this moment could say he looks disgusting, he rather looks like a model from a sports commercial. The knights that glance at him blush with the realization of the beauty the Prince is at the moment. Gross, Nikias thinks when he notices the gazes full of lust directed at him. I think I'd rather someone that hates me than someone that wants me like that. He walks towards the knights bathroom to wash his face and get rid of a bit of the sweat. When he enters he finds only one other knight there, who only glances at the Prince with seemable disinterest. Thankfully this society is advanced enough with magic to have a plumbing system. The man thinks, distracted enough.

‘’I thought you gave up playing royalty’’, the knight comments with disdain after a couple minutes. Nikias scoffs. 

‘’And I thought that royal knights were smart enough to not be insolent towards their employers’’, his eyes are full of disdain and anger directed at the young knight. By the dull appearance of the man he seems to be a commoner, black hair and green eyes are common in the Exos Empire, and his clothes are full of holes and patches, almost as if he’s stitching the holes that keep opening again.

The knight doesn’t back off. ‘’Do you known what the people think of you?’’ Not really, Nikias thinks but awaits for the knight to continue. ‘’They see you as a disgrace, compared to Prince Alkaios, you’re the trash of the Empire’’. Nikias laughs, however his laugh isn’t of amusement but disbelief. ‘’You should just die soon’’. The knight attempts to leave the bathroom but Nikias stops him.

His eyes are glowing with the challenge, his lips are up in a smirk. He looks completely mad. ‘’Who do you think you are? I never asked for your advice, I allowed you to talk because it was amusing to see someone speak complete bullshit’’. His grip on the knight's arm tightens, his other hand grabs the sword on the man’s hip. ‘’I couldn’t care less about a bunch of rats like you’’, he raises the heavy sword towards the man’s throat. ‘’However, don't think you can insult a royal and live to see another day’’. His tone is confident, making the knight falter, the commotion at the bathroom door catches the attention of the other knights.

‘’What’s happening here?’’ The bravest of the bunch asks. Nikias doesn’t divert his gaze.

‘’Let this be a warning, to all of you insolent rats’’, the tip of the sword cuts the knight’s throat slightly enough to bleed. ‘’I am Nikias Gregor Chrysl, second Prince of the Exos Empire, and however decides to act with insolence towards me…’’ With a clean cut, the man cuts the knight’s throat, gushing sounds are heard in the silence of the training ground as every single knight there seems to have grown quiet. ‘’Will not live to see another sunrise’’, he completes his phrase, cleaning the blood that splattered onto his face.

Shock, confusion, fear. The emotions that cross the knights face is rather obvious, they can’t attack the Prince back as they will be accused of treason, however they also can’t avoid but want to fight back. 

It might even seem like the second Prince suddenly went crazy, a man that never touched a sword to suddenly kill a trained knight with one. Even if the man didn’t fight the Prince off, holding a sword and doing such a clean cut isn’t as simple as he made it look like. In his life as Vahe, this isn’t the first time he killed someone, survival of the fittest, that was how living on the streets was like. It was kill or be killed, traumatizing to a child, of course, but to Vahe, that was never a struggle, he didn’t like killing, but he understood the necessity of doing so. That’s why he enjoyed ‘Odd Eyes’ so much, Evangelia did what she had to for the good of the majority. However Vahe did what was best for himself only. He isn’t unable to feel empathy or pity, but he learned that sometimes, people don’t deserve mercy.

As a Prince of the Empire, he can’t show weakness, he needs to show that he isn’t the poor old Nikias anymore, that he won’t be walked all over again. Vahe isn’t a pushover, and he won’t start being one now. 

I hate the smell of blood. He thinks, before taking the path back to the Palace, leaving the mess for the other knights to deal with. I need a shower and a good cup of tea. I wonder if Raphael and Lowe finished their assignments. A sigh leaves his lips, his hands start shaking, just because he is used to killing, doesn’t mean it doesn’t take a toll. Maybe I should take the war route instead of the marriage one. Nah, I don’t intend to die in a meaningless war for a people I don’t even know. In the death of night, Nikias walks calmly, covered in blood, trembling, but his steps are just as confident as ever.