“Lowe”, Nikias calls making the brown-haired man snap back to reality.

“I apologize for your highness”, he recomposed himself. “Your personal budget for this month is almost intact, since you spend most of your time this month in bed”.

“How much?”

“Eleven thousand golden coins”, Nikias jumps back to his sitting position, the servants are paid by the Empress, so that amount is for him alone. The youngest Prince was known to be a huge spender, he dropped thousands in clothing and other superficial objects. However, even to a consumerist, that amount is exorbitant. How much will they put the fairy for? He thinks, maybe I should save as much as I can for it. “However, we still need to pay for the attire of your coming of age ball”. 

Shit I forgot about that. So many things are involved in the coming of age ceremony. In the novel, it was described that in the first timelines, Nikias made a scene by asking for the Princess's hand in marriage and also he was criticized for not having an escort. As it's customary for citizens in the Empire, in the coming of age ceremony you must be accompanied by your fiance or by a family member, in order to properly have your debut. However, in the novel's timelines, Nikias wasn't accompanied by anyone, his brother went with Evangelia and his parents arrived late because of an emergency. No wonder he threw a fit, he sighs, from his perspective everyone simply abandoned him. 

“How much was it?” He asks, getting out of bed, the silver-haired man is shirtless, wearing only white silk pants, his chest is well defined and his hair is down since he laid with his hair wet. Lowe stares for a couple seconds, Nikias doesn't notice his gaze though. 

“A thousand golden coins, the tailor is coming this afternoon to deliver it”, the servant answers, getting up as well and following the man towards his closet. 

“I see, make sure he's properly paid and bring me the receipt later, I'll need to have some financial classes later.” The silver-haired man says, glancing through his clothes. “What did I used to wear?” He asks Lowe as he picks his clothes for the day. 

“White, shirts that showed your chest and golden accessories”, Nikias nods, makes sense considering the amount of white and gold in this closet. It seems like the man used to be obsessed with the Empire colors. The Exos Empire coat of arms is the image of a golden phoenix being engulfed by white flames, where it came from, the Empire's colors. Nikias obsession with those colors must come from his inferiority complex, maybe he felt the need to show that he was part of the Empire. However the ‘new’ Nikias doesn't have such an urge.

“What a bad taste”, he mumbles, grabbing another pair of black pants and a silk white shirt. I'll end up dressing the same everyday. He thinks, turning to see Lowe still standing there. “Can you leave while I dress?” He asks coldly, the servant complies.

After a while the man leaves the closet, completely dressed, with his hair even styled back already. Nikias looks surprisingly gorgeous with his hair back, the silk shirt is slightly open on his chest, oh well it's not like he has a choice considering that's all he has there, he can't spend money on a new wardrobe right now. I don't look like a Prince, more like a mercenary, the silver-haired man thinks looking at himself in the mirror. What was Nikias' thinking? If he wanted respect he should've dressed more properly. But again, if everyone saw him as just a pretty face, he might have clinged to that in order to at least receive some sort of attention. 

Lowe is standing straight close to the room's door, he looks like those servants I saw in movies, that must look like they're not there at all, it's uncomfortable. “Lowe, could you tell my parents I'm not having breakfast with them today?” He asks, sitting at his work desk, differently from Alkaios, Nikias didn't have an office in the Palace, probably because he never asked for one, so the man mostly stayed inside his room. “Also, bring me some strong black tea…” Nikias seems to ponder for a few seconds before speaking again. “I would also like books on marital costumes, a registry of marriages of the royal family… and also a daily newspaper”, the man asks, opening his drawer to grab a paper and pen. Wow, even his pen is encrusted with precious stones, he thinks, grabbing the materials. 

“I'll be right back, your highness”, Lowe bows before leaving. He's a reliable servant, even considering how I forced him into the mana pact. Nikias thinks, his pen hitting the desk rhythmically, he stares at the blank papers, a few of them are normal papers as the others are letter papers, with even a watermark to prove it is from the youngest Prince. A crown with a star below it, the symbol of the youngest Prince of the Empire. The symbol of the Crown Prince is the crown with the star above it. While the symbol of the Empress is a crown with a crescent moon inside it and the Emperor's is a sun with the crown inside it.

It's impossible to falsify the paper, however it is possible to steal it. In the second book, one of the supporters of the ancient god stole Alkaios' letter papers and used it to start a war with a small Kingdom near the Empire. The problem was that the Kingdom was responsible for 78% of the grains imported by the Empire, causing a crisis of food for the commoners and tension ensued. As if the Emperor becoming evil wasn't enough of a crisis for the main couple. The issue was resolved by the end of the first book, however, the toll in the Empire was so big that an uprising started ensuing. Alkaios barely became Emperor and he was already suffering a coup.

Nikias shakes his head with a sigh, he can't afford to let his thoughts wander like this, there's so much that will happen, after all it took the protagonists four books to defeat the ancient god, a total of six years of duration according to the heroine's records. This is the first year, the year that Nikias dies, they end the black market in the Empire and find about the cult that wishes to bring Vremes back. The first book only covers the two first years, while the second covers the following two, the third book is mostly flashbacks to explain the heroine's previous three lives in more detail, and the last book covers the last two years and the ancient god's defeat.

The problem is, how much my presence will affect the storyline? It's a big plot point, after all it causes the instability of the Empire, the Emperor goes crazy and the Empress dies, everything as consequences for his death. If Nikias didn't die, will the timeline slow down? Or maybe speed up even more? All this uncertainty is driving Nikias mad. At first he could've just married off and lived in seclusion, letting the couple deal with everything. However, the discovery of his mana and the fact that he is a Prince with no power at all, make his escape from the main timeline almost impossible. If he ran away what could he do? All of his knowledge comes from the novel, he doesn't know the true depths of the Empire, he doesn't even know how to use cutlery! How can he simply run away in an unknown world? Even back in the world he knew, running away was so hard he thought of dying so many times he can't even count! Plus… if I run away I won't be able to ever be this comfortable… a warm bed and warm food… 

Even if all he ate until now was warm soup, it was still warmer than the moldy breads and cold porridge he ate as a homeless man back in his original Earth. So, what should I do now? He groans, laying his head onto the table. I have no power in this Empire, and even the servants despise me. 17 years of misdeeds aren't easy to undo, especially considering I have a short temper. Indeed, how can one pretend to have a change of heart after murdering a knight in cold blood and threatening others so openly? Be the old Nikias or the new one, his reputation will never be one of an angel like his brother. Well, there are other ways of becoming respected… if I can't earn their respect, I can earn their fear. After all, the old Nikias didn't have any, he wasn't respected due to his awful personality and he wasn't feared because he was neglected by those with power around him. And unfortunately, the Prince never learned to use his own authority in the ways that mattered. 

Ok, I can do this! Excited for the first time since he came to this new world, Nikias raises his head with a spark in his eyes. He puts the pen onto the paper. First, what do I need as a Prince? What are the basics of my authority? All that he has to go by is what Alkaios did during the first book, since he doesn't know about the Empire's customs beyond it. I already have trustworthy servants, after that, I need a  trustworthy ally… maybe an assistant, all important nobles in the novel had one, a lower noble that is smart and capable… that also will grab the opportunity…

He hits the pen on his chin as he thinks. The novel was so extensive that the amount of characters in it is more than what he's capable of remembering, there were so many characters that were shown only once! Allies and enemies of the protagonists, and there is even to consider the ones that didn't appear in the novel. This is hard, I'll put this on hold for now. After an assistant, I need a guard. Nikias never had a personal guard, with his ex-mercenary servants and the fairy to protect him, he was almost never in danger, however things will be different from now on, and he'll need people to keep him safe from the sidelines. Usually, princes have their own division of knights inside the Empire brigade, Nikias was the first Prince in history to not have one. Maybe if I ask my father… Nikias stops. Why am I already thinking about him as my own father? His eyes widen and a slight blush appears on the man's cheeks. He remembers the previous day events, no he probably won't just accept my wishes like that. But then again, it is a right of his as a Prince to possess his own knights. Even if I had my own division, who would apply to it? 

Even with the knowledge of what he needs, this is going to become harder than what he thought. Will I need to put this on hold too? He sighs, writing the basics of his thoughts onto the paper. He doesn't know why, but he can write and read perfectly the language of the Empire. Maybe some of Nikias' knowledge is still engraved in my brain. Moving on, the last thing he needs is… a fiance. After thinking hard about it during the late hours of night of the previous day, he still didn't arrive at a decision. Rainier is the best choice, but he's a trickier character than what I need. He's Alkaios best friend, and he despises me. Another sigh leaves the man's pink lips. He stops for a few seconds, trying to figure out the formula to break Rainier Bauldry. Wait, I don't necessarily need to marry a close ally, what if it's someone they absolutely need on their side? Instead of going for someone that already hates him, he can go towards someone that doesn't even know him.

Someone he can have a mutually beneficial relationship with. After all I'm not after a temporary marriage, divorce is an option but isn't ideal. Even if it isn't looked down upon, divorce is seen as an offense to god, those who have a divorce can't even enter some areas of the Empire, even if they remarry. Of course, that's a view of the most conservative part of the Empire, however it's a cultural aspect for them. There are so many powerful allies, but the most important one that will only appear later…

Yeah, I should go with him. A wide smile appears on Nikias face. Jackpot.