Author's POV...
It had been three days.
Three long, suffocating days since Maelis had last stepped outside his room.
He hadn't dared to.
The palace felt alive with unfamiliar sounds-footsteps echoing down marble corridors, distant conversations in voices he didn't recognize, doors opening and closing with practiced ease. Every sound reminded him of one simple truth: everyone here was a stranger.
So Maelis stayed inside.
He didn't ask questions. Didn't wander. Didn't let his guard down.
The Queen and the King visited him daily.
They came with gentle smiles and worried eyes, sitting beside his bed, asking softly about his health, whether the dizziness had faded, whether he still felt weak. Maelis answered carefully every time, choosing his words like stepping stones over deep water.
"Yes, I feel better."
"No, my head doesn't hurt anymore."
"I'm just tired."
Each response was rehearsed in his mind before it left his lips.
Because one wrong word-one slip-and everything would shatter.
They believed he was their son.
But he wasn't.
He was a stranger.
A twenty-year-old trapped inside the body of a fourteen-year-old boy.
A soul displaced, pretending to belong.
Royal physicians came every day without fail. They checked his pulse, examined his eyes, murmured among themselves in low voices. They fed him tonics that tasted bitter and strange. Different meals arrived each day-rich dishes, fruits cut perfectly, warm soups served in gold-rimmed bowls.
Court attendants brought him clothes.
Too many clothes.
Fine attire embroidered with gold thread. Soft nightgowns that felt unreal against his skin. Robes meant for royalty-meant for someone who knew how to wear them.
He wore them all silently.
The original owner of this body had been loved. Spoiled even. It showed in every detail-the care, the attention, the way servants hovered outside his door as if afraid he might disappear again.
And it hurt.
Because Maelis knew that kind of love.
His original mother had raised him alone after his father's death. She had worked herself to exhaustion to give him and Milly a stable life. She had been strict at times, yes-but her love had always been fierce, unwavering.
Yet here, the Queen and King looked exactly like them.
The Queen's smile. The King's eyes.
They were the same.
The realization struck him repeatedly like a cruel joke the universe refused to stop telling.
How is this possible?
Why do they look like my parents?
It felt like mockery. Like fate was dangling everything he loved just out of reach.
Maelis sat by the window now, staring out at the palace garden.
It was breathtaking.
Flowers bloomed in careful patterns, fountains glittered under the sun, pathways curved elegantly through trimmed hedges. Somewhere below, laughter echoed faintly.
He saw them again.
The boys.
Princes, perhaps-his so-called allies.
They stood beneath his window, pretending not to look up, whispering among themselves, clearly trying to catch a glimpse of him.
Maelis's chest tightened.
He pulled the curtains shut at once.
Turning away, he sank onto the bed and clenched the silk bedsheet in his fists, frustration burning through him. He didn't want allies. Didn't want friends. Didn't want this world.
He wanted to go home.
That was when the room changed.
A soft blue glow flickered in front of his eyes.
Maelis froze.
Hovering midair was a small sphere of light-blue, shimmering gently, pulsing as though it were alive. His breath caught as he stared at it, heart hammering.
Slowly, cautiously, he reached out.
The moment his fingers came close, the blue light drifted away-as if inviting him to follow.
"...What are you?" he whispered.
The ball moved again, hovering near the door.
At first, fear rooted him in place. Every instinct screamed that following it was a terrible idea. But another part of him-desperate, lost, clinging to anything that might explain his situation-pushed him forward.
He had no other choice.
Quietly, Maelis slipped out of his room, careful not to draw attention. He tiptoed through the corridor, heart pounding as servants passed by, none of them questioning his presence.
This was the first time he truly saw the palace.
It was vast.
Endless hallways stretched in every direction, ceilings so high they disappeared into shadows, walls lined with paintings and tapestries depicting stories he didn't know. The palace felt alive-ancient, powerful, beautiful in a way that made him feel unbearably small.
The blue ball floated ahead, guiding him through arches and corridors until they reached the garden.
It stopped before a massive door.
Then, without warning, it passed straight through.
Maelis hesitated.
Two guards stood at attention beside the door. When they noticed him, they straightened immediately.
"Your Highness," they greeted, opening the door without question.
Maelis smiled awkwardly, nodding as he slipped inside.
The moment the door closed behind him, his breath left his lungs.
A library.
Huge shelves towered over him, filled with countless books, their spines worn with age. The scent of parchment and ink filled the air. Light streamed through tall windows, illuminating rows upon rows of knowledge.
The blue ball drifted deeper inside, weaving between shelves until it stopped.
Then it disappeared-vanishing straight into a book.
Maelis stared.
The book was placed high on the shelf, just out of reach due to his smaller frame. He dragged a nearby stool over, climbed carefully, and pulled the book free.
The title made his blood run cold.
"As Long As You're Here."
His hands trembled.
"This... shouldn't be here," he whispered.
A modern novel.
In this era?
He carried it to a nearby table and sat down, opening the book slowly, dread crawling up his spine. His eyes skimmed the pages-until he reached the character list.
And froze.
Main Protagonist - Riven Solcaire.
Female Protagonist - Seraphine Valoire.
Deuteragonist - Theron Ashveil.
Antagonist - Maelis Ravencourt.
His breath hitched painfully.
Supporting characters followed.
- Crown Prince's Allies: Lucien D'Ambrose, Kael Morwyn, Elric Vaelor, Celeb Reed.
- The Queen: Queen Aurelia Ravencourt
- The King: King Aldric Ravencourt
The letters blurred as tears filled his eyes.
This wasn't coincidence.
This was something far worse.
Maelis closed the book slowly, hands shaking.
The silence of the library pressed down on him.
And for the first time, fear settled deep in his bones.