“The world is so vast and the universe so unknown, that we could be living six lives simultaneously without ever realizing.”

  Parallel universes and multiple lives are concepts widely discussed no matter the version of Earth which you live in, be it in an era of science, one of magic or one of none. The possibility of past lives or even simultaneous lives in different universes is something most consider it to be mere specution or even a superstition. Religions are even based in the concept of heaven, hell and reincarnation. The chance to live again is something a lot of humans dream of, but may never be sure if it is even possible.

  Having faith that your soul will be reincarnated in a new life doesn't guarantee that it'll happen for sure.

  The universe itself works in ways that even the gods that care for each of those different worlds, don't understand its reasons.

  But something is certain, the universe sure acts in mysterious ways.

  ?

  A man slowly opens his eyes, two gorgeous golden irises stare at a fancy marble ceiling; the man is one of gorgeous appearance. His golden eyes are complemented by long silver eyeshes and a short shiny silver hair that reaches his well trimmed - also silver - eyebrows. A symmetrical face that could be the envy of many regardless of the world he was born into. A groan leaves his small pink plump lips as the man turns and ys on his side, he slowly stares at the room, processing the information around the unfamiliar pce before jumping with a scream.

  The man stares around with a surprised expression, confusion clear in his golden eyes. The door of the unfamiliar room opens and four men enter, by their clothes and demeanor, one can assume that they're servants. Two of them are wearing simple bck clothes with a white waist apron, the other two are wearing more fancy white clothes with a bck waist apron. The ones in white also have a golden pin on their shirts, the pin is a beautiful coat of arms with a phoenix at its center.

  “How can we help you, your highness?” One of the servants in white speaks, he’s short in stature, his posture is however quite elegant, he has dull bck eyes and light brown hair, his tone is monotone and his expression is calm, almost as if he's used to the man's screams.

  “Your highness?” The man finally speaks, his voice is low and hoarse, he pushes his hair back with his hands in confusion. “Who are you and where the fuck am I?” His tone is harsh and crude, for a second the servants are taken aback, not only by the man's words but also by his beauty. Of course, his slightly parted lips, his fierce eyes and his hair aback showing his forehead complimented by his white shirt that barely covers his well defined chest, is a beauty that none can resist.

  “Pardon me, I'm the son of Baron Gasser, Andreas Gasser”, the man that spoke previously speaks as he slightly bows, his eyes are still dull but they seem more annoyed than calm now. “And this is your room, your highness”. The other servants only observe the conversation without speaking a word, almost as if they're walking in eggshells around the man.

  “My room?” The man scoffs, almost as if he just heard a joke. “Is that a joke? Because it isn't a very funny one. I don't have a home, much else a fancy room like this”, he speaks with his hands, pointing at the ginormous luxurious room around them. The whole room is covered in gold and precious stones, almost as if the person sleeping there is scared of the dark, everything is white and clear with gold and precious stone adjournments, even the curtains are made of white silk, allowing the sun to creep slowly into the room in the early morning.

  What bad taste, the man thinks, as he looks around the room he notices a mirror at the corner, in front of a tacky golden desk adorned with jewels. He gets up from the comfortable bed he was in, the sheets made of silk are certainly smooth on his skin, as the man walks towards the mirror he can feel the eyes of the servants accompanying him. I feel like a zoo animal.

  While the man walks across the room, his servants can't help but think that he has lost his mind again. What a pain, Andreas thinks, staring at the man with a sour expression. When the man finally reaches the mirror, he feels like the world stops for a moment. Who is this man? He thinks, staring deeply into his own deep golden eyes.

  More rare than reincarnating in a different world, it's the so-called exchange of souls. Where a soul that shouldn't have died enters the body of another dead soul. That process rarely happens, as the universe doesn't like to admit its mistakes. The problem with a soul exchange is, not only the paperwork the gods receive, but also the changes that will proceed in the world where a foreign soul enters.

  Even though remembering past lives isn't rare, the exchange of souls is something that can't be considered such, as the soul that entered the body can't recall the life that body had, and only has the memories of their previous body. They don't go through the memory erasure process as well. That's why it's such a rare thing to happen, it messes with the perfect bance of the world in question.

  The gods hate it when this happens, as they need to change the ways of the world and be ready for the butterfly effect that it might cause. But it's not like they can question the decisions of the universe.

  Golden eyes, silver hair… Where did I see this before? The man turns to his servants. “What's my name?” One of the servants in bck seems shocked by the question, his eyes go from the beautiful man to one of the servants in white in front of him, a question that could be easily misinterpreted. One might answer it without thinking, after all what's the problem with telling someone their full name, if the person asking it wasn't… Well, him. Could this be a test? The servant in bck wonders, differently from the ones in white, he can't answer that question lightly.

  Andreas is the one that answers the question, which in the eyes of the servants in bck, was quite the risk. You can't say the name of royalty like it's nothing. Names carry weight. “You're the second star of the Empire, Prince Nikias Gregor Chrysl”, all four servants bow to him, this time they don't look up immediately after, they wait a couple seconds, as if they're paying their respects. Thankfully he isn't aggressive… only slightly insane, the servant in bck thinks as he steals a gnce to his brother next to him, who's also staring at him. The brothers exchange a careful nod, they must stay silent, no matter what.

  The man known as Nikias starts ughing, appearing almost maniacal. Nikias? You must be joking? To understand the thoughts of the man, a few pieces of information need to be reyed first.

  In the life he lived before the soul exchange, Nikias was known as Vahe, in a world dominated by science he was an unemployed and homeless d with a terrible personality and no family, as science was so advanced, he ‘’lived’’ inside a pod made for homeless people in a poorly funded shelter and tried finding cash in hand jobs around the city. He was crafty with his hands and mostly did machine repairs around the town he used to live in.

  By natural rule of the universe he was supposed to die in a ndslide in the homeless shelter at age 36, but he died because of a machine explosion at age 17. Therefore his soul was transferred to Nikias body, as a reparation for ending his life previously than pnned. The explosion was supposed to occur six minutes after Vahe went through that path. It's easier to kill those that had to die at that moment, but harder to bring life back to those that weren't supposed to die.

  Fortunately, Vahe was the only one there that wasn't supposed to die at that moment.

  So, Vahe was transferred to the body of Nikias, in a different dimension of the world he called home. But what shocked him the most isn't his handsome appearance or the soul exchange, what shocked him the most was that he recognizes the name of the body he's now in. He recognizes who he is now.

  Second Prince Nikias Gregor Chrysl is a character from the popur historical fantasy romance novel series named ‘Odd Eyes’, and he's the vilin of the story that dies at 17 years old after barely escaping the consequences of his own actions.

  ‘Odd Eyes’ is the story of a couple that needs to stop the rise of the ancient god Vremes, the god of time that resents humanity for banishing him from the heavens. The story actually starts with the fourth rebirth of the protagonist Evangelia, who always dies when Vremes succeeds in raising and destroying humanity, almost as if the other gods are turning back time to give her one more opportunity to kill the ancient god forever.

  The fact that Nikias had died shows that this is the fourth regression and the timeline of the first book. There are four volumes, each with more than 600 pages, and Vahe read them back to back more times than he can count. He even listened to the audiobook while working!

  Nikias is the brother of Crown Prince Alkaios, the male lead of the novel, and for the previous three timelines, he's the reason for the Crown Prince's weak body and bad health, as he's been feeding his older brother poison for years. Evangelia only finds out about the poison when she reborns for the fourth and st time, and as the result of such, she gives Nikias the same poison that he was giving Alkaios.

  As a result, Nikias dies at age 17, before being able to cause more harm to his brother and torment the protagonist. You see, besides the poison, Nikias also tormented them with false rumors, traps and even kidnaping the protagonist to try selling her as a sve. Yeah, he was trash.

  His personality is a result of a doting yet neglectful father and mother, who couldn't resist their son's pleas and therefore allowed him to roam free and terrorize those who opposed him, and at the same time neglecting him enough to never know the consequences he was suffering. After his death during the novel’s timeline, his father goes crazy and speeds the rise of Vremes, causing the death of the Empress, his wife.

  It's better to continue pretending amnesia, I don't have Nikias previous memories as well. What the man seems to fail to understand, though, is that he is Nikias now. The original soul is gone and his original body is also gone. Either he accepts his life as Nikias, or he dies for good. Not that he's aware of this right now.

  “I don't have any recollection of being a Prince” he says after minutes of silence, his attempt to imitate the nguage of the novel is somewhat successful, even if that probably wasn't how Nikias previously spoke like. The servants seem to not believe the man, but Andreas tells one of the bck clothed servants to go fetch a physician.

  The physician arrives ten minutes ter, an old man with an annoyed expression, he was carrying a light brown suitcase and wearing fancy nobility clothes. He didn't seem happy to treat the Prince. Nikias, on the other hand, is now back on bed and his expression is calm, well… he is retively calm on the outside, but inside the man couldn't be more desperate. If Nikias is dead, then that means that my presence here changes the original flow of the story. I wonder if the changes my survival makes will still make killing the ancient god possible. The silver haired is engulfed in his own thoughts, so much so that he doesn't realize the old physician has been talking to him.

  Maybe I should go to the countryside and y low, since I was supposed to be dead anyway. Nikias' train of thought does have some logic to it, but what he forgot to remember is that he's a Prince, not any noble, he doesn't have the luxury to run away from his position and future.

  His thoughts are interrupted only when a woman bursts into his room. “Nikki!” The woman, clearly in her 40s, has beautiful skin, even with a few expression marks, no one could deny the fact that she was stunning. The woman looks like an older female version of Nikias, silky and shiny long silver hair that is up on a complicated hairstyle, soft yet strong features and a curvy lean body, however the only thing that made them apart was the glowing pink irises the woman possesses. She looks like one of those models I saw at the museum, the man thinks. All the servants bow when the woman enters the room, but she doesn't pay attention to them, it's almost as if she doesn't see their existence. “My sweet son”, the woman excims with tears in her eyes. She seems to truly love the man, but how can he say that he's not the son she loves so much.

  That's so cruel to think, that her son is forever gone, and now an impostor became him. I'm sorry, the man thinks, truly sorry for the woman weeping for someone who isn't there anymore. But what Vahe, now Nikias, still fails to understand is that he is Nikias now and he isn't an impostor, at least not in the way he thinks he is.

  “I was so worried that you would…” a sob leaves the small lips of the Empress, even though she's weeping, her dress still shines more than the sun and her pose is as elegant as possible.

  Nikias stares at the woman. I should keep the amnesia act, that's the only way to expin my personality change and the fact that I don't feel any affection towards this woman. The books that he read in his life, he always detested when characters sent to another world tried to act as if they're said characters. The moment you are living in another skin, this isn't a book anymore, it's not a py, it's not a movie, this is real life with real people. It's easier to just live as yourself. Vahe was never someone to live for someone else. Although Vahe's personality is simir enough to old Nikias' that no one would really question it, not that he would be willing to admit it.

  “I'm sorry, who are you?” He can't avoid but be polite, he's not supposed to know that she's the Empress, but her presence by itself was intimidating enough to earn such politeness.

  The physician, who before was annoyed to be there, is now smiling widely towards the woman. Two faced asshole, one of the servants in bck thinks. “Your majesty, I am here to examine Prince Nikias, but it seems that he suffered some sort of mental injury due the ingestion of an unknown poison”, the physician's words seem to aggravate the woman even more. Now thinking back, how could she not know that her older son is being poisoned? Even worse, that her youngest was dying in his room alone? Well, he ended up dying anyway, that makes it even worse, he thinks to himself as he watches the Empress’ expression.

  In the book the male lead had a bad retionship with his parents, I wonder if they truly didn't care for him... Nikias sympathizes with the Crown Prince, as someone who was hated by his parents as well, he knows how it feels to be alone inside your own home. That's why he chose to leave home at age 15 and live on the streets instead. After that he considered himself someone that had no family of his own. Sometimes being alone is better than being surrounded by pain.

  Cold hands touch the man's face, the woman's hands are shaking, it doesn't seem like an act. The novel did mention that Nikias was loved a lot by his doting parents, yet it also mentioned how the parents failed to save their own son by their neglect. Their love, however, doesn't seem that it was an exaggeration. “Do everything so that my precious son is healed…” she says towards the physician, then she turns back to her son. “Nikki, don't force yourself to remember, if needed, you can learn everything from scratch”, her smile is sad. “My name is Else Elizabeth Chrysl, I'm the Empress of the Exos Empire and your mother”. She emphasizes the your mother part of the phrase, almost as if that's the most important part.

  Nikias isn't used to motherly love, he's actually not used to any type of love. Just like the novel Nikias, he's just 17, he never had the opportunity to grow amongst those that care for him. But that's different for the Nikias that woman loves, he grew with care, love, money and power. At least that's what it seems for now.

  No wonder he was such a vilin, Nikias thinks as he extends his hands to touch his now mother's. “I'm sorry I don't remember you, mother”, his words are kind and sincere, by the gazes of the doctor and servants he can see the distrust. They must think he's faking it to not be condemned by his murder attempt on his brother. And sure, maybe the old Nikias would do that, but that's not the case anymore.

  “I love you my precious son”, she says as sobs leave her lips and tears flow from her eyes.

  “Don't cry mother”, Nikias cleans the woman's ters with his thumb and smiles dazzlingly. For a second everyone in the room holds their breath, that's the power of Prince Nikias beauty.

  “Oh my son, you're so handsome”, she smiles, cleaning her tears with a handkerchief.

  “Mother, you have a meeting right now”, a sweet voice comes from the door, Nikias directs his gaze towards the voice to find the source. Suddenly words from the novel popped inside his head.

  Pink eyes like a faded rose, pallid face as if the man hadn't eaten in months, silver hair that shines like snow in the sun, lips almost purple from the constant cold of the Empire and a body so skinny that most people would wonder where the food the man eats goes. Crown Prince Alkaios Theodore Chrysl, a man so frail, yet his eyes still shine with so much determination. That's the kind of man worth falling in love again and again ‘till the end of the world.

  That was the description that the author chose for the Crown Prince's appearance, and now that Nikias is seeing him with his own eyes, he knows that the author described the man's appearance perfectly. Alkaios is three years older than Nikias, yet he seems younger because of his weak constitution. He'll probably get better soon now that he won't be consuming poison anymore. In the novel, after Nikias died, Alkaios started a growth spurt and became a handsome and well-built man worthy of the title of male lead.

  A lot of readers felt sorry for the male lead as he suffered since his younger brother's birth, it was shown that he was considerably neglected compared to Nikias, going as far as describing his retionship with the Emperor and father as one filled with hate. Because of this, most deemed the royals as the true vilins of ‘Odd Eyes’. But right now, doubt grows inside Nikias as he sees the way his mother's gaze softens towards Alkaios with love and affection. Their retionship was never really clear in the novel, as most scenes were from the perspective of the female lead, however Empress Else was said to be a woman of many masks, going as far as faking love for her son when the situation required.

  How much can I trust the words I've read in the novel? How much can I trust the female lead at all?

  Maybe her point of view was rooted in prejudice against the family that hurt her man due to Nikias actions. But how could she assume that Alkaios was abused based only on his brother's actions?

  “Alkaios, come greet your brother”, the woman waves towards her older son, who coldly looks at the golden-eyed man on the bed. He seems tempted to avoid interacting with his murderer.

  So Nikias decides to establish the foundation for his new beginning in life. “He's my brother?” He asks with an innocent expression. One of the servants in white rolls their eyes, but he pretends not to notice it. Seems like Nikias was a bit of an actor. Alkaios also seems a bit hesitant, but he approaches the man anyway.

  There's something that Vahe always wondered, the expression that Prince Nikias was wicked from birth, is something that doesn't seem true. How can someone be actually evil from birth? He started poisoning Alkaios at age 14, before such actions, Evangelia pointed out that the boy would watch them from a distance with murderer eyes. Couldn't that simply be longing? Watching your brother from afar and seeing how happy he is without you…

  “Hello”, the Crown Prince says, snapping Nikias out of his head, differently from the hoarse and low voice of Nikias, Alkaios had a much smoother and silkier voice, his voice was one of those you would love to fall asleep listening to. He would be terrific at ASMR.

  Nikias smiles as brightly as he can. One thing he's learned reading a lot of novels is that older brothers are weak towards their younger brothers, even if they hate them to the core. Something along the lines of ‘only I can hate you, anyone else might suffer my fury’. Alkaios is taken aback, but he doesn't seem disgusted. Maybe their distance wasn't voluntary.

  “I'm your brother, Alkaios…” his voice trails off as he still seems hesitant to be too trusting. Considering what Nikias did, it's fair. “We can talk more ter, mother and I have a meeting with the nobles”. Commendable, Alkaios even with poor health, always was a great Prince, fulfilling his duties to perfection.

  “Nice to meet you brother”, Nikias smiles again. “I hope I can count on you to help me in the future”. The Empress seems delighted to finally see her sons getting along, but the Crown Prince seems wary of the Second Prince, as his eyes are full of distrust.

  “Sure” the Crown Prince answers calmly, but his eyes are saying otherwise, he seems anxious and distrustful, not that the woman between them notices the innuendos in his eyes, he's good at hiding his feelings from mother, Nikias thinks, but the Second Prince isn't as gullible, he can see right through his brother’s expression. In the novel Alkaios is known as a healing character, always calm and decisive, he was essential in so many decisions that Evangelia took, since she was more on the emotional side, having Alkaios by her side was a game changer.

  At this point they're still childhood friends and fiance's to be in Alkaios eyes, but to Evangelia, he's her entire world. That's why she got rid of the younger Prince early on, so that Nikias' damage towards his brother was minimal.

  Contrary to what Evangelia thought, Alkaios weeped during his brother's funeral, she thought he would spit on the man's grave or even keep a straight face. But the Crown Prince held his mother's hands and weeped with her, almost as if he was truly sad to see the death of someone who hurt him so much.

  That was the book's passage about Nikias funeral, and those words bring confidence to the man right now. Even with the distrust, maybe, just maybe, Alkaios was just as sad to see him hurt. Maybe Evangelia got it wrong and Alkaios pain wasn't solely because of his younger brother. But again, Nikias wasn't innocent and he was involved in a lot of the plots to take down the main couple in her past lives, and he was poisoning the older Prince too.

  But what was the evidence the heroine had? She was so sure that Nikias was poisoning his brother, but what if he was framed? Nikias thinks deeply, again, ignoring words coming to him by his mother.

  “Since when you're able to think deeply?” Alkaios chuckles, his eyes and voice are soft, he isn't scolding Nikias, he's just bantering him, just like an older brother would, just like… Nikias shakes his head, stopping his thoughts from forming. Alkaios slowly pats Nikias head, concern can be found deep inside his eyes, but the younger man doesn't notice it. “Get well soon, brother. You'll have lots to do if you truly lost your memory”.

  “Kai, don't bother Nikki too much!” The words of their mother makes theCrown Prince ugh, the atmosphere was never so light in the pace. But the servants weren't happy about it, since the storm always comes after the calm.

  After exchanging a few more words, his mother and brother leave his room to go to the so-said meeting. A sigh leaves Nikias lips, he stares at the servants that still hadn't left. He remembers that Nikias in the novel had four servants that did his dirty work for him, they're probably them. However the situation isn't like that anymore, he doesn't need to torment the main couple and neither does he harbor the animosity the old Nikias had towards his brother.

  “What are your names?” He asks, his eyes are fierce, the light reflecting onto his golder irises makes him look like a statue. There isn't a moment that Nikias doesn't look like the most beautiful person on this pnet. No, in all of the pnets and dimensions. Such a beautiful person with a rotten personality, anyone who crosses paths with him couldn't avoid but think that it was such a waste of good looks.

  Andreas opens his mouth to speak, but it's interrupted by the Prince.

  “You already spoke your name Andreas of house Gasser”, he's harsh but his low tone drags on to the man's name causing him to blush. Is Nikias' appearance that powerful? No… are my looks that powerful? The young man thinks as he notices the blush in all of the men present.

  “I'm sorry, your highness”, Andreas says, taking a step back. The other servant in white steps forward. He's ugly, that's the first thought that crosses Nikias mind as he sees the young man. He's tall, but extremely skinny, his skin is covered in scars and his eyes are dark and just as dull as Andreas’.

  “I’m the youngest brother of Duke Burton, Conrad Burton”, brother of a Duke, huh? He's probably here to get the favor of the royal family and outshine his brother. Nikias stares at the ugly man for a couple minutes without a word, all four men stare back, slowly sweating out of worry. The Prince is trying to remember where he heard that name before… oh shit, his brother, Duke Burton, is the one that helps the heroine with his guards to spy on the Emperor during the fourth timeline… He was critical at a moment that Evangelia had to be apart from the male lead. He had a minor part in the second volume, that's why it took so long to remember his name. Helios Burton… he could be an ally, but considering Nikias reputation and his role in the protagonist’s pns, I shouldn't have retions even with his retives.

  “You're fired”, Nikias words are so calm and cold that the servant has a bit of trouble understanding.

  “Ex-excuse me?” Conrad seems shaken, Nikias eyes are simir to those of a snake, as if he's going to swallow the man whole.

  “You heard me”, Nikias eyes twitch with annoyance and he lets out a sigh, even when he was Vahe, he hated repeating himself. The moment he shows weakness he won't be any better than the previous Nikias that ended up dead.

  “Your highness, it's unwise to fire him without reason” Andreas steps up again, he's getting on Nikias nerves, he seems like a good servant, but he's serving the wrong master. His words are sly with just the right amount of stubbornness that it couldn't be considered insubordination. The old Nikias probably relied on him the most.

  “I have a reason, he's ugly”, it's not like Nikias can say that Conrad is probably a spy, or could possibly become one. Or even that his brother would help a Viscount’s daughter to perform a coup.

  Andreas sighs slightly. “Firing a servant based on their looks isn't wise”. He's being bolder, stepping closer and closer to the line.

  Nikias chuckles “I thought I was a Prince, don't I have the authority to fire a staff I dislike?” Andreas seems to think that amnesia makes you stupid, or maybe Nikias used to be this stupid. But the current Nikias isn't weak or stupid, and he's definitely not a pushover, despite his young age, Vahe used to be the terror of his employers - that's why he was most times unemployed.

  With his sharp tongue and precise thoughts, he would constantly csh with those that tried to step on him. Labeled as a Wild Dog that most definitely would bite its owner, Vahe used such cims to his favor, instating fear is better when you have no one to rely on. They were men in their 40s scared of a 17 year old, they're the dogs. Memories of his life on the streets are so unpleasant that it brings shivers to his spine. It took him two years and a lot of traumas to create the Wild Dog, so what stops him from doing it all over again?

  “Yes, your highness, you do, I just would advise against”, the man is unshaken by Nikias words, he seems set in going against him for some reason. Does he think that I'm some sort of puppet Prince and he's the master of my strings?

  The Prince thinks for a couple seconds before replying to his servant again. “You dress like a servant, yet want to act as an advisor?” Finally, words that seem to shock the servant. At first he seems at a loss for words, but he's quick to gather himself.

  “My apologies, your highness, you are correct, I stepped out of pce”, he's smart, Nikias observes, Andreas probably was the one behind a lot of Nikias actions as he seems too used to giving advice.

  “Enough, you both leave, I'll talk with my mother about your compensation ter” Nikias says coldly. I shouldn't keep those unloyal worms here, I need to establish a good foundation if I want to stay alive.

  “Your highness, what do you mean?” Andreas' words are shaken, but he seems to keep his posture. Ha, Nikias thinks with a smirk.

  “I meant leave”, he emphasizes the st word strongly, his eyes shining with a hint of danger, both men flinch, but this time they obey the man and leave the room without another word.

  Then the Prince turns to the two servants in bck. Their eyes are less dull but they're filled with doubt towards the man in front of them.

  “What about you guys? Who are you?” His words are less cold, but still calm, almost as if he's trying to make the men comfortable, but that only makes them distrust him more.

  “I'm Lowe, a commoner”. So the bck clothes mean they're commoners, that's why the other ones were wearing white and that obnoxious pin with the royal family coat of arms. Nikias thinks with disapproval, why they need to be dressed differently if they both are still the same: servants.

  “And I'm Raphael, also a commoner” the other one replies. Both men look exactly the same, dark brown hair, bck eyes and well built bodies, one seems slightly taller and muscur than the other, and if he looked closely he probably could differentiate them, however right now they look exactly a copy of each other in Nikias' eyes.

  “Are you guys twins or something?” He states the obvious.

  “Yes, your highness, we're twins”, they bow slightly to show appreciation towards the royal comment. Nikias isn't sure who's the one that replied.

  “From now on, Raphael please use a freesia flower pin on your clothes so I can differentiate you.” Both men nod. “If you're my personal servant, that means you guys are probably quite knowledgeable, tell me what you can do”. Commoners are more desperate for the approval of the royal family, they're still dangerous but they least know their pce. He watches as the cautious brothers look at each other for guidance. Nikias remembers that in ‘Odd Eyes’, the younger Prince had skillful servants that would protect him from the constant murder attempts on his life. He didn't have guards, so his servants were the ones helping him, nobles wouldn't dirty their hands with blood, so the commoner servants were probably the ones protecting him.

  “Yes, your highness, I, Lowe, was hired because I'm well versed with poison, so I analyze your meals, drinks and medicine before you consume them.” The man on the right says, his voice is soft and he seems to know well how much to say and how to say it. He’s smart.

  “I see,” Nikias tone is low, he tilts his head, analyzing the man head to toe, he's the shorter one. “If you test my food for poison, how did I die then?” His words are harsh but not incorrect, Nikias heart stopped, he was dead for six minutes before Vahe’s soul entered and the body started recovering. Lowe doesn't cower to his words, his eyes are apologetic and his words are composed.

  “The poison was administered directly to you during a moment where we weren't standing guard”, the servant kneels, putting his head on the ground. “We were incompetent and allowed harm to come to you, we will accept any punishment you deem fit…”

  He's sincere, Nikias can tell as much, he's not used to undying loyalty, but he can tell when someone is desperate, as he was in that position once before. “Should I fire you as I did them?” He asks.

  Lowe doesn't raise his head, but he can feel the murderous intent from Nikias’ eyes on him. “I… I beg you to allow us to stay, we have nothing left, your highness, we swore our loyalty to you! Please allow us to stay by your side!”

  His words aren't that tempting, but his desperation touches Vahe. “Get up”, Lowe does as he is ordered. “I'll decide your punishment ter, continue your introductions”.

  The other twin that remained silent is the one talking now, “I, Raphael, am knowledgeable in curses and other offensive magics”. They're useful, in the novel Nikias didn't have mana so having two mages near him is quite good. However all the commotion seems to be weighing on his head. Being a Prince is exhausting, it's been what? Half an hour since I woke up?

  “You both may leave now, I would like my meal two hours from now, I'll rest”, Nikias says after thinking a bit more, the men are dangerous, but they won't go against him, at least not without someone else backing them. Maybe Evangelia could use them to target the Prince, but that's a possibility, while the noble servants were already for sure trying to manipute him.

  I just woke up and already had to throw the trash out. I'll be living an exhausting life from now on, Nikias thinks with a chuckle, at least he won't be unemployed anymore. That's the st thought that crosses his mind before the man falls asleep again.