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 second 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 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 watery soups 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 attempting to murder 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.

❥

A few hours earlier, at the Empress chambers…

“Do you think our babies will be okay?” The casual manner of speaking is unusual coming from Empress Else, that is if she was accompanied by anyone rather than Emperor Magnus. 

The biggest room of the Palace is rather simple, the furniture is elegant and most of it is covered in gold and marble, however they were clean and well-made, the curtains are almost transparent since the Empress enjoys the moonlight lighting up her room. The bed is big enough to fit at least six well-built men, however at the moment the only one there is the Empress, her silver wavy hair falling on her arms that hold the white silk sheets up to cover her bare chest. Her pink eyes shine in a mischievous tone of purple, the mark of a hypnotic magician, the last of her kind, and her porcelain-like skin is covered in red marks, similar to bug bites. The woman isn't ashamed of her current disheveled appearance, after all, she's used to looking like this during the few nights that the Emperor was free enough to spend the night in her quarters. 

The man on the other hand, was calmly dressing up, his well-built body would make even the manliest of men blush, his dark hair appears almost gray-like in the sunlit room, revealing his already advanced age, his golden eyes are low, focused on the task at hand, putting on his white shirt to cover his back filled with scratches made by his wife.  “I would like to think so, Else”, differently from when the man speaks outside his room, he speaks softly, his voice almost sounding like a deep purr.

Else sighs, leaning back onto the bed. “I can't believe Nikki was suffering so much…” her eyes are filled with regrets. “I feel like we failed as parents trying to succeed as rulers”, her words make the man stop buttoning his shirt for a second.

“We tried our best”, he says finally, continuing his action. They stay in a comfortable silence before the Emperor speaks again. “Is it really possible? Nikias mana?” His voice is filled with worry, something he wasn't able to show previously.

Empress Else comes from a long lineage of powerful magicians, the same bloodline of the first Empress of the Empire, more specifically she's a descendant of Empress Nyx’s youngest sister. However, after her family was exiled by Magnus’ grandfather, she became the last living member of her family. With hypnotic magic, rare even between her bloodline, same magic Nyx possessed, she survived with scraps before being found by Magnus when they were 12. Of course their marriage was political in order to establish that Magnus was an Emperor that respects the history of the Empire, contrary to his grandfather and father. However, they still cared for each other in their own way, even if they can't admit their love to themselves.

The knowledge of Nyx was passed down together with part of her magic to her descendants, even if it got lost inside the Palace, Else made her whole life to honor the teachings left by the first Empress and the first moon of the Empire. So her knowledge of magic is even deeper than those in the magicians towers, after all she has unlimited resources and the secret Palace library at her disposal. “I've read about it, but it was just a tale, almost like a rumor written in the ancient tongue”.

Magnus sits to put on his shoes, however his attention is onto his wife. Else's gaze is mysterious, her lips purse as she clenches to the sheets. He knows why his wife is so worried, after reaching a certain age, they can't avoid but think back on their lives and reflect on the wrongdoings they did. Especially towards the sons they cherished so much. They can't have children anymore, and the knowledge that their kids are already adults is starting to hit both of them. The Empire always comes first, that's what Magnus was taught when he was growing up, the sole heir to the throne, he never thought that children were the joy of their parents. After all, he was never shown affection by his parents, however, when Alkaios was born, it was almost as if he was hit by lightning. Unconditional love, an urge to protect and care, that was the first time the man ever felt that, and as a consequence he was never able to properly care for his son.

And when Else gave birth to their second son, Nikias, the regret only grew bigger, the responsibilities he had as an Emperor versus his responsibilities as a father. Which one was more important to him? Regardless of finding out the answer or not, it's already too late to choose the latter. Contrary to the Empress, Magnus never held his children when they were babies, he never saw them walk for the first time, he didn't know their first words and even what kind of games they played with their friends.

He didn't even know that both his sons were suffering on their own. He snapped into reality when the news that Nikias was poisoned came. 

It was the first time in Magnus' life that he cried.

To Else, it was different, she was always there, gifting things to her sons and holding them in her arms. However, that was only once a week, she checked upon her children and commended the nannies and maids. She never fell asleep holding them onto her arms, neither played games with her babies. Scheduled tea times after they turned five and occasional visits to their quarters that stopped once they became fourteen. Even if compared to Magnus she was closer to her children, they never cried in front of her, they never asked for a gift or threw a tantrum. She only figured out that it wasn't normal to only see her children in composed moments, when her best friend complained about breastfeeding and how her older son wouldn't stop crying. However, both Nikias and Alkaios were already too old to come running to their mother's side. It was already too late to become a mom like any other.

When she woke up that day and found out that no one helped Nikias when he collapsed, Else cried until Magnus arrived to calm her down.

They both thought they were doing everything, when in reality they were being the parents their children don't deserve. The love they feel is infinite, but what's the point when your children don't know that?

“What tale?” The Emperor asks after the silence takes the room.