"Doctor, please. Is he going to be okay?!"
A young boy, no older than three, was tucked into bed, surrounded by three maids and a woman.
Standing in the middle of the room was the doctor, and right beside him, the father.
"I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have never seen something before—"
The doctor chose his words wisely, eyes glued to the boy in question, who had a bundle of bandages wrapped around his head.
"He seems to be breathing, but his heart is completely silent."
The doctor didn’t need to finish his words before the woman gasped in tears.
"Are you saying you can’t save my son?!" yelled the majestic-looking man as he grabbed the doctor by the collar.
Panicking, the doctor hoisted both his hands into the air—
"I’m so sorry, Your Majesty! I—I just need to head back and do some findings. If the Prince is still breathing, it’s safe to assume he is still alive."
Silence took over for a while when a small girl, dressed ever so elegantly, pointed toward the boy.
"Papa, look, Sylus is awake."
As soon as those words left her mouth, they all turned their attention toward the bed.
The boy had sat upright, his gaze focused on the bed.
He didn’t say a word, nor did he try to move.
"Son! You’re awake." The mother was the first to act, grabbing the boy and hugging him as tightly as she could.
The others began to gather around, the shock that once glued their faces giving way to relief and rejoicing.
’What the hell? Did someone save me from the jump? I should be dead. Who is this attractive woman hugging me?’
[Congratulations on your successful reincarnation.]
The screen displayed before him.
If his limbs weren’t numb for some reason, he would have most definitely pushed the woman away to run.
Why the hell was a blue screen dancing in front of him?
Then again, amidst his fear, the information the system revealed to him began to make sense.
There was no doubting it; Alex remembered it very clearly.
The feeling of the ocean clogging his throat until he could no longer breathe.
The darkness and regret that swallowed him whole.
Taking a closer look at the people watching him, he now understood why they were dressed so strangely.
The woman hugging him wore a yellow dress, all fluffy, with a yellow hat on her head. Alex was sure he had seen queens and princesses dress whenever he watched a movie from outside a store.
The handsome, neat man standing next to the doctor was no different; he had long blonde hair, as majestic as it could get, and wore an eastern-like royal outfit. Just from looking at him, Alex could tell he had to be someone very important.
He, on the other hand, was now a three-year-old boy.
It wouldn’t be a far stretch to guess he was their child.
Unexpectedly, the doctor moved closer.
"Your Highness, please allow me to examine the prince."
Alex wasn’t sure if he heard that right, but was he just called a prince?
It must have been the wind.
His supposed mother released him from her hold and handed him over to the doctor.
Lying him back down on the bed, the doctor brought out a strange piece of equipment from his bag and rested it on Alex’s chest.
It was a ring, with strings dancing around and latching onto Alex’s skin upon touching.
After a while, the doctor pulled away, looking relieved as he turned to face them.
"It looks like your son will be alright. All he needs is a bit of rest, and he could be well enough for his awakening."
True, Alex was feeling extremely tired, but the questions he had far outweighed that.
Not long after, his father escorted the doctor out, leaving only his mother and the maids, who were tidying up the room.
’This... is a pretty weird feeling...’
Alex looked around the room for a while. Every second, his eyes would land on something made of gold.
Just when he thought it would be the last, another one would pop up.
’That weird screen said I was reincarnated. Shouldn’t I have been a newborn baby or something? Why am I a toddler?’
[The original soul of this body was erased. You are currently taking its place.]
’It’s that weird screen again. Are you some kind of spirit?’
There was no response.
’At least tell me who I reincarnated as.’
[You are the third son of the King, Von Astrodial.]
[Sylus Von Astrodial.]
[All memories of the previous owner cannot be obtained. Knowledge of the world is minimal.]
[After falling from the arms of his mother, the former soul died, granting you the chance to continue his life for him.]
Sylus allowed the information to sink in.
Basically, just like him, the former owner of this body also died.
’Well, one thing is certain: I am indeed a prince. But the third? I didn’t know people could birth more than one in a lifetime.’
’Then again... can I really complain? In my past life, I had absolutely nothing going for me. I barely knew bread could be eaten with butter; hell, I couldn’t even afford the bread.
And now, by luck alone, I’m getting a new life as a prince. I could be the 99th prince of the family and still wouldn’t care as long as I’m getting something to eat.’
’I don’t know which of you gods granted me this opportunity, but I thank you.’
Those who suffer in one life will enjoy in the next. A saying Sylus always heard from the homeless people he stayed with.
Of course, he always assumed it was nonsense and a lie to give others some kind of lingering hope while they begged for money in the street and got rejected.
Now... the case was different.
His life could potentially take a turn for the better in this world.
"How the hell is this bastard still alive?"
Towering close to him was a kid who looked to be much older, at least eight years of age.
He was young and yet somehow already had wrinkles as he stared Sylus down like a wild beast.