Reincarnating into a Beautiful Woman

Chapter 55

"Caelina and Draco. . ." Akihiko murmured. He continued to stare aimlessly at the ceiling above him, recalling the past. 

*****

Ever since the day Caelina intruded into his chambers, he had soon discovered her identity as  the Crown Prince's fiancee. She was portrayed as an evil woman who was supposed to die for her sins on that fateful day. Instead, Caelina had escaped and was never seen since. Such trivial news wouldn't have affected the Second Prince, yet he was curious to know why she had asked him to run away with her. He wasn't particularly close to the Crown Prince and couldn't understand why his previous fiancee would casually barge into his room. However, he was never in a position to speak freely with the Crown Prince and the emperor, let alone dine with them.

After her departure, Zayden harbored an unbearable ache and feeling of emptiness in his heart. He had long forgotten the warmth and love of his mother living in the isolated palace for as long as he could remember. He taught himself how to read, speak, and endure the harsh treatment as a half-blood prince.

However, there seemed to be a void in Zayden's life, and he didn't know the root of this strange emotion. He often found himself walking towards the previous Crown Princess' room, which was now occupied by Zavia as if there was something missing in the Second Prince's life. 

Zayden couldn't forget the warmth in Caelina's eyes, and the familiar way she had addressed him. 

Because the Second Prince was isolated from society, he was never able to dig into the Crown Prince's previous fiancee. The palace was even forbidden from mentioning her name. No one had bothered to tell him what his heart was yearning for until Sir Vigos had climbed out of his state of mourning and pledged allegiance to the Second Prince. Sir Vigos was shocked to hear that the Second Prince didn't know who Caelina was.

Sir Vigos attempted to recall their past relationship, claiming that the Second Prince had always followed her religiously ever since he was a child. 

He described how Zayden looked up to Caelina, who had created a small business for cosmetics and educated him when no one would. He also recalled how the Second Prince never left her bedside when she was injured by an assassin.

The Second Prince surged with anger, and Red nearly turned Sir Vigos into ashes on the spot. Zayden angrily denied the official's words as blasphemy, eyes brimming with redness as he interrupted his stories. How could the Second Prince possibly believe that someone had cared for him? Akihiko would surely remember spending time with such a woman.

Therefore, Sir Vigos was careful to never mentioned Caelina again.

However, Zayden only felt worse. Every night, he dreamed of Caelina. She would often place his mother's flowers in her hair, and they would sit against the tree to watch the cherry blossoms in the spring. He wasn't sure if the dreams were real. He was truly haunted by her, by Caelina's smiling face. He didn't even think of his mother this often, so why was the Second Prince this shaken? 

Despite Zayden's uncontrollable emotions at the mention of Caelina's name, Sir Vigos found the Second Prince's loss of memories suspicious. 

"You clearly remember everything else, even our interactions. Yet you don't recall another woman standing beside you whenever we conversed?"

". . ."

"Whenever you took walks to your late mother's garden, do you remember seeing anyone?"

The Second Prince flinched slightly. ". . . No. I always walked by myself."

"The person who educated you. . . Do you remember their face?"

He frowned as he recalled his tutors' faces, all except for one.

"Your highness is a healthy man; a genius renown for your strength. There hadn't been any incidents surrounding the Second Prince, and you never suffered from any internal injuries either. . . It seems as if someone was deliberately removed from your memories." Sir Vigos concluded.

"How would that be possible? And for what reason?" He was baffled. Did nobles consider the Second Prince to be a threat when he was constantly looked down upon? Zayden could not help but laugh coldy.

Sir Vigos frowned before lowering his voice. "It is very possible, for black magic exists. Ever since the emperor had become very lazy, there were many cases where forbidden magic was present."

Their conversation drifted away from Caelina. They had noticed the change in the emperor and Crown Prince, and their suspicions narrowed on Zavia. She often came to visit the Second Prince, yet he guarded himself and never let her speak to him for long.

Eventually, Sir Vigos could sense the dark magic from Zavia and knew that they wouldn't be able to  resist her powers for too long. His hatred towards Yasna's murderers further urged him and Zayden to flee Nour, and they devised a plan to overthrow the weak king of Krastia. The task was not difficult to accomplish, especially since the combined strength of their familiars could easily defeat the small army of Krastia. 

Soon enough, the Second Prince sat on the bloody throne as officials bowed to their new emperor. On that day, Zayden had become Akihiko.

Earning respect from Krastia also came naturally since Akihiko possessed the royal blood of Krastia and could even speak the language fluently. A merchant named Draco had also surged in with his abundant resources, helping the country prosper tremendously. The country praised the emperor's just policies, luck and wisdom, welcoming their new emperor. Possessing the familiar of a dragon also earned the trust of many elders and prevented rebellion.

As the country became stable, nobles urged Akihiko to marry and secure his bloodline. Emperor Akihiko had been far too busy to accept a woman onto his bed, and he certainly wouldn't allow any woman to be near him, to the official's surprise. He had forgotten about Caelina until marriage was mentioned, and he frowned deeply. Discomfort etched its way to him, and each woman who attempted to earn Akihiko's favor failed terribly.

What a disappointment, he thought to himself. None of these women were interesting, and they had nothing to offer as empress. 

Choosing an empress was currently the most difficult task at hand.