Felix lay on the bed as if merely asleep. However, Felix would never open his eyes again or smile at Isaac.
In the room were only Dr. Arthur examining Felix's remains, Duke Crockford watching over, and Isaac. The room was far too quiet, with only the faint sound of Dr. Arthur's rustling clothes audible. Eventually, after covering Felix's body with a clean cloth, Dr. Arthur turned to the Duke.
"I have confirmed the passing of Prince Felix Ark Ridill."
Even upon being informed of his grandson's death, the Duke remained unshaken. His cold, expressionless gaze at Felix's remains showed no hint of sorrow, pity, or sympathy.
"Inform the household that Felix has been spared. However, we cannot let the scandal of the Second Prince falling from the roof spread outside. Issue a gag order, and tell outsiders that Felix fell gravely ill."
Even at a time , the Duke only cared about public appearance. Quietly angered by this, Isaac heard the Duke mutter in a low, resentful voice:
"Foolish to the very end… choosing death himself…"
Those words froze Isaac's insides.
After learning that Isaac would become his body double, how despondent must Felix have felt? How much must he have cursed his own powerlessness? Being abandoned by the Duke as unnecessary, how painful must it have been for him?
Bearing such despair, Felix tried to let Isaac escape——by leaping from the roof, trading his own life.
It was because of Isaac's existence that Felix realized he was no longer needed and fell into despair. And while enveloped in deep despair, he still chose death to let Isaac go free.
Despite wanting so badly to protect him, it was none other than Isaac's existence that drove Felix to death. If Isaac hadn't existed, Felix surely would have lived.
It's my fault that Ark died.
That reality, that despair, pierced Isaac's heart. And from the hole it made in his chest, the kind memories he'd built up with Felix seemed to drain away like sand. Gazing vacantly at Felix, Isaac was told by the Duke:
"The plan remains unchanged. From today, you are Felix Ark Ridill."
Ah, to avoid this, the ever-kind prince threw away his own life, wishing for Isaac's freedom. And yet Isaac is here, wasting Felix's dying wish.
…Run away? Run and be free, and then what?
If Isaac disappeared from here, the Duke would have no choice but to publicly announce Felix's death. And so, Felix's death would be accepted by the people… and eventually, forgotten.
A young Felix's voice echoed in the depths of Isaac's ears:
——"I'll probably die before becoming an adult… and everyone will forget the weak, unsightly Second Prince. They'll forget me like I never existed in the first place…"
Just I alone, am remembering him won't be enough.
——"…If I died, I wish I could become a star… like the first king Ralph. If I became a constellation, everyone would remember me."
Then I'll become Felix. And engrave this name in history, so no one forgets it.
A dark glimmer shone in the depths of Isaac's eyes. It was a flame of madness and obsession, far too dark for a ten-year-old boy to harbor. The puppet who lost his precious master slowly opened his sealed lips.
"…Could you perform the procedure?"
At Isaac's words, Dr. Arthur nodded. "Yes, of course."
Thus, Isaac Walker abandoned his own face. To etch Felix Ark Ridill's name in history. So that everyone would remember the kind, young prince who died, just like the heroic Ralph.
…Just for that purpose alone.
The procedure performed by Dr. Arthur was completed sooner than expected——roughly an hour at most.
"You can remove the bandages now."
Following his words, Isaac peeled off the bandages covering his face, watched closely by Dr. Arthur and the Duke.
As the bandages came off, the cool night air brushed against his face. But that alone wasn't enough to tell if the body alteration magic succeeded.
Confused, Isaac received a hand mirror from Dr. Arthur. Silently gazing into the mirror, Isaac nearly blurted out "Ark." Staring back at him was undoubtedly Felix.
"Since your bone structures were already quite similar, it didn't require much effort. Removing the scars on your back was far more troublesome."
When Isaac slid his hand under his shirt to feel his back, just as the doctor said, the scars were completely gone.
His fingers felt no rough, bumpy scarring——they glided smoothly over the skin. The scar above his right eye had vanished too. No matter how closely he looked, it seemed inconceivable that a scar had ever been there. The only scar left on the current Isaac was the one mimicking Felix's wound on his side.
"However, the difference in physique was unavoidable, so it would be best to avoid meeting outsiders for about a year."
"You'll be confined, recuperating from a grave illness. We'll hire new attendants." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⦿fire.net
For the next year, Felix Ark Ridill would be bedridden with a severe illness. A year should be enough for any physique differences to be explained away as part of his growth spurt.
As Isaac tried to stand, he felt a slight dizziness and nausea. At first, he thought it was a visceral revulsion at having his face reconstructed, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"It's the side effects of the body alteration magic——mana poisoning. Normally you should find it difficult even to stand… but it appears you have an abundant supply of mana."
Body alteration magic directly channels mana into the body to alter it physically. Mana becomes toxic to humans beyond a certain quantity. This is precisely why such magic is forbidden.
…And by using this forbidden magic to reconstruct his face, Isaac was now impersonating the Second Prince——a crime punishable by execution if exposed.
He would perfectly act the part of Felix, deceiving everyone. To etch this name in history, he could sacrifice anything. As Isaac harbored that dark resolve, the Duke quietly drove a nail home:
"If you are to take Felix's name, you must not use magic. Your differing elemental affinity could give you away."
"A pity, considering your talent."
"If you wish to demonstrate ability, do so through means other than magic."
What the Duke demanded of "Felix" was flawless princely conduct. Very well, he would start with diplomacy and mastering high society.
The First Prince was rumored to be inept at foreign relations. Then Isaac's best path to the throne would be to first win over the domestic nobles through diplomacy, steadily achieving results on that front.
As Isaac pondered means to that end, the Duke gazed out the window and muttered, "Now then."
"Shall we proceed with the final touch?"
"You know very well."
Speaking thus, the Duke turned his gaze to Felix's body and laid upon another bed.
"We will kill Isaac Walker."
At the far end of the ducal manor's gardens was a small shed used for storage by the gardeners. Isaac and Dr. Arthur carried Felix's remains into the shed, then sprinkled oil around inside.
Tonight, they would burn this shed, making it appear that Isaac perished in the fire. That was the final step of the body double scheme.
Who could have imagined this dingy, mold-reeking shack becoming Felix's coffin?
A member of the royalty should be placed in a beautiful casket, surrounded by many flowers and prayers, then interred in the royal family's burial grounds.
No, no, it's not Ark dying here. It's Isaac Walker.
No matter how many times he told himself that, seeing Felix's remains filled him with guilt that nearly suffocated him. He was about to commit an atrocity beyond comprehension. No matter how often he reasoned that this was necessary, his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
He moved some flammable materials near the oil puddle. All that remained was to set it alight. As Isaac's shaking hand drew out a match, the Duke, who had silently observed until now, muttered softly:
"This will be the final touch."
"Huh?" the barely audible sound escaped Dr. Arthur's mouth along with a spurt of blood.
Clattering, his glasses fell to the floor, followed by the doctor himself collapsing forward, a knife deeply embedded in his slender back. Without hesitation after stabbing the doctor's back, the Duke stated flatly:
"Now the only ones who know the truth are you and I."
Seeing Dr. Arthur killed to silence him, the single thought that crossed Isaac's mind was:
Ah, I figured as much.
If Isaac ever made a mistake and became an unnecessary existence to the Duke, the Duke would likely dispose of him the same way. This was a demonstration of that. But Isaac's heart had become too numb to feel fear of the Duke's cruelty.
…Just one more sin added to the pile.
With that cold murmur in his heart, Isaac struck the match. Letting the flickering orange flame at the matchstick's tip drip onto the oil's edge caused the fire to swell up rapidly. The flames licked across the floor, engulfing the two corpses.
Burning Felix's face into his memory, Isaac left the shed. Soon, the raging inferno consumed the shed… Felix Ark Ridill's resting place.
Oh, my dearest friend, is burning away.
I'm a sinner who stole his face and name, cremating him without prayers or funerary flowers in a blazing coffin, burning him down to the bones.
If we meet again in the depths of the underworld, please, do not forgive me.