Chapter 1 Title: This Life is Truly a Joke
The maiden's hands were moving busily
The thick curtain opens and the bright Ashuri dawn lit up the bedroom. Soon, the prince's personal attendant, a baby-faced youth, stood beside the bed.
One should not use their hands to awaken a member of the royal family.
One should also avoid making a loud noise.
That is why the attendant spoke in a careful voice.
"Your Highness, it's time to wake up."
Prince Calian was a boy who always sat up like a cat out of a box at the sound of the door opening. But he never imagined the boy would act like this today.
'Are you tired?'
As this thought crossed the attendant's mind, he was handed a small bell from the woman who stood behind him. Soon enough, a gentle tinkle rang out to signal an early morning.
Darang, darang
Only then did the boy's eyes open.
The boy blinked for a moment, then sat up. Surprised by the sudden movement, the attendant bent his waist and bowed down slightly.
"Did you have a good dream, Prince? You must get up from bed."
He then handed the boy the morning tea he had prepared. That's because the prince usually washes his face after waking up with a drink of strong scented tea.
'Since when have I been served tea in the morning?'
The prince–, no, Bern, who thought of this, unconsciously reached out for the cup of tea. When he saw his hands, he thought they looked very unusual.
The arm that should have been covered in wounds and calluses was now replaced with white hands and slender, long fingers. Realizing what he was seeing, Bern unconsciously turned and examined his left arm.
His thin forearm didn't even have a single scar.
No, that's not the problem. The problem is that he could see his left arm.
"I had my arm cut off…"
Bern, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly became quiet. That's because his current voice was too childlike compared to his own.
"Why would you say such a terrible thing? Did you have a nightmare?"
Nightmare.
The destruction of Secretia, but there was a greater nightmare than that!
There was no time to respond to the servant's words. How the severed arm was reattached miraculously would be a matter to explore later. The first priority is to confirm the life and death of his brother and King, Chase.
"Where did my brother go?"
Seeing that Bern was in a hurry, the servant replied while giving him strange looks.
"They're both still in their rooms."
"…both?"
This time, Bern gave a blank stare at the attendant. He only had one brother–Chase.
"By this time, Prince Randel would already be changed. The same goes for Prince Franz."
Randel and Franz.
Strange, yet famous names.
One of them in particular was someone he hated to the bone.
'Kailis.'
The King of Kailis, Franz.
Bern's eyes narrowed after hearing the name of the man who wasn't worth killing.
After seeing Bern's expression, the servant spoke once again.
"Prince, we must quickly prepare."
Thinking that the boy still hadn't woken up properly from his sleep, the attendant signaled to the maid holding the pale of water from behind. Bern, who watched their actions, whispered in a low voice,
"…Yan."
"Yes, Prince."
Upon hearing his name, the attendant turned his head and answered.
For Bern to have his arm regenerated and seeing it for the first time.
And also, Kailis.
Bern didn't say more. He started to ponder the situation he was in while keeping his mouth shut.
He had never seen that servant before today.
'In Secretia's name, I swear that I've never seen him before. And yet I knew his name.'
And was that all?
In fact, Bern knew all of the names of the women who were attending to him right now.
Unaware that Bern was confused by this ridiculous situation, the maidservant lowered the container of water in a graceful matter.
'This is a nightmare.'
Bern recalled that the attendant's name was called Yan as he put his hand into the basin. The only explanation he could think of so far for these events was that he was having a strange dream.
Bern bowed his face over the sparkling silver basin.
No matter how horrible the reality was, he actually tried to escape it by saying it was all his wild imagination. This was not like him.
However, upon seeing his reflection in the water, Bern couldn't help but pause once again.
Red pupils were reflected in the water. This wasn't his.
Bern spoke in a low voice.
"Mirror."
"What do you need a mirror for?"
Bern didn't answer.
Yan quickly apologized after realizing his own confused appearance.
"I'm sorry. I'll have it brought to you right away."
The attendant moved his hand behind his back and signaled to the maids to bring a mirror.
There wasn't a mirror in the Prince's room.
That's why one of the maids who stood behind Yan rushed out and brought a mirror back in.
Yan observed Bern's face while Bern himself stared at his reflection at the mirror without thanking his attendant.
"…"
There was a young boy with black hair in the reflection.
Two eyes as red as rubies stared back at Bern through those long bangs.
Bern looked up.
The name engraved on the edge of the bell revealed that it certainly belonged to Kailis.
It was only after he saw the engraving that he recalled how his attendant addressed him as a prince, not a King. He felt so nervous that his lips had a burning sensation from dryness.
"Prince Calian."
Yan called out to Bern who sat while staring at the mirror wordlessly.
'No, I'm Prince Bern.'
Bern repeated his name to himself so he wouldn't forget who he was. Then, as if to defy his wish, memories of another person whispered into his mind.
A long name I never memorized before slipped out of my tongue.
"Calian Rain Kiaris"
Calian, the third prince of Kailis.
Bern knitted his brow. He then asked Yan with a frown,
"What did you say my name was?"
Thinking that Bern was in a joking mood, Yan replied with a smile.
"It's Prince Calian. For your information, I'm the prince's attendant called Yan, and I'm here to help you get ready for breakfast."
At that moment, as if it had been waiting for Yan's answer, a flood of unfamiliar memories burst into Bern's mind.
The royal palace of Kailis, its etiquette, the weather, the schedule, the horseman, the garden, the wizard, the Queen and King, and his two brothers.
Yan was right. He should never be late for breakfast.
His memory was shouting back at him urgently:
Now that he had become this boy named Calian, he quietly asked his attendant,
"What is today's date?"
"It's April 28. The weather is very nice, Prince."
After hearing the attendant's reply, Kailian observed his surroundings for a while. Everywhere he looked, the atmosphere was nothing like being in a war with Secretia, so he asked once again,
"What is the current year?"
"It's 522."
Calian's eyes trembled.
If it’s 522 in the Kailis calendar, then it’s 525 based on the Secretian calendar—the day when Bern would close his eyes for good had yet to arrive.
'10 years ago.'
10 years into the past. And the third prince of Kailis.
Memories of the other two princes kept coming to mind, as if urging him to prepare quickly and leave.
When the thought-ridden Calian remained still without moving a muscle, attendant Yan could wait no longer and reached for the prince's arms. He intended to grasp prince's sleeves and raise it.
Tak!
Calian's hand reflexively struck Yan's arm, causing his own thin palm to turn red. The sickly prince's hand was in pain, since it wasn't used to such actions.
Yan said with tears in his eyes,
"What did you do that for?"
"Sorry, I'm sorry. I made a mistake without realizing it."
The surprised Yan replied quickly without realizing that Calian tone of voice had changed,
"No, prince. You have to get up earlier than him. If you don't, I'll…..!"
Without waiting for Yan to finish his sentence, Calian jumped out of his seat and shook his head.
Due to the persistent memory that cried in his mind, urging that he should arrive no later than those horrible 'brothers' of his, Calian decided to get going.
T/N: Please comment below of you guys would like to see more updates of this novel. Thank you! –Jingyoo