Rein returned to his warm and comfortable room. The silence and tranquillity did not last long, as an excruciating pain suddenly spread throughout his body.
It felt as though he was being stabbed with needles from within his body, until finally Rein coughed and vomited black blood.
As if anticipating it, Elie quickly wiped away the black blood with a handkerchief in his hand and gently wiped Rein's mouth.
"Your Highness, the doctor will arrive shortly," he said after continuing to wipe the blood flowing from Rein's mouth.
'It hurts so much! This is so painful!'
Rein felt like fainting, but couldn't because the pain kept him conscious.
When he was about to go mad from the pain, the door to his room burst open, and someone rushed in.
The person carried a medicine box and pulled out a thin syringe. Rein stiffly watched as the person approached and injected his arm with an odd blue liquid.
Instantly, the pain subsided like a receding tide and returned to its original state. The black blood also stopped flowing.
Rein was shocked by how suddenly the pain had appeared and how suddenly it had disappeared.
After a few seconds, he finally noticed the person who had saved him from the pain. It turned out to be a silver-haired girl with shoulder-length hair, apparently younger than him.
The girl wore large round glasses and a white robe. From her panicked expression, it was clear she had come as quickly as she could.
"I apologise, Your Highness. I arrived late and caused you pain," the girl bowed and pleaded for forgiveness.
'Is this girl the imperial doctor? Is this a joke?!'
Rein wasn't thinking about the girl's negligence, but rather because he had assumed the imperial doctor should be an old man with a beard.
"It's okay, lift your face," Rein replied without anger, as this made him realise how bad his physical condition was.
Previously, he had only thought that this body was weak and would die, that was all. However, it turned out that this body did not feel the pain it should have because it was supported by certain medication every day.
Rein noticed that the girl looked surprised because he wasn't angry.
'Is Reinhart's true personality that bad?'
This became a problem because Rein didn't know what Reinhart's personality was like. In front of someone who knew the original owner, he clearly behaved differently from Reinhart.
'Does it make sense for me to pretend to have amnesia?'
Rein considered that option, then looked at Elie standing next to the girl.
"I don't remember who you are, what's your name?" Rein immediately executed his option after a moment's hesitation.
However, he couldn't act just like Reinhart. Also, he still couldn't be sure if he could return to his original world if he ended his life here.
So, for the time being, he would live as Reinhart by pretending to have lost his memory. That would make his personality change seem reasonable to them.
In short, this was a cliché transmigration trend. Even clichéd trends have their uses.
The girl's grey eyes widened in surprise at his words, then she said confusedly, "Your illness shouldn't cause you to lose your memory, but maybe the pain has exceeded the limit...."
The girl made her own assumptions, while Elie showed a different smile this time. As if Elie knew the truth.
Rein didn't care whether Elie knew or not; anyway, he would do whatever he pleased for his own comfort.
"Your Highness, I have strengthened the effect of the medicine. The serum will eliminate your pain for three days, which is longer than before. However, this is not a long-term solution; I will try to find a medicine that can truly cure you," the girl said, bowing again and showing her sincerity.
It seemed she was working very hard to care for this useless imperial prince.
Rein felt sympathy for her and could only respond, "Alright, thank you."
This time, the girl didn't show surprise but appeared pleased. "You, who lost your memory, have truly become a better person," she said softly.
This confirmed Rein's guess about Reinhart's true personality.
"You haven't told me your name yet?" Rein reminded the girl because he couldn't keep calling her the imperial doctor.
"Oh, right, my name is Azure Olswald. Although I am still young, I have been appointed by His Majesty the Emperor as the imperial doctor specifically to treat your illness. His Majesty the Emperor cares deeply about you, Your Highness," the girl replied at length, seeming to enjoy talking about many things.
'Oh, don't fool me. In the original novel, the emperor didn't even catch his son's murderer, but instead collaborated with the murderer.'
Rein muttered to himself, but didn't show it on the surface. He wasn't interested in insulting the emperor at the moment.
Regarding the identity of the imperial physician, the girl was also not mentioned in the novel. It seemed that anything related to Reinhart had very little information.
"Then, His Majesty the Emperor always schedules an audience with you once a week, but you previously refused to come. So, are you willing to attend the audience this time, Your Highness?" The girl continued with her request.
'An audience? That wasn't mentioned in the novel about the Emperor's audiences with his children. Is it only for Reinhart? Why?'
Rein suspected there might be a conspiracy behind this, but he suddenly felt it was too troublesome to think about. He was used to thinking in complicated ways, but all he needed to do was follow the flow.
It might be good to meet the Emperor; he might find something interesting that different from the novel's description.
"Alright, I'll come. When is it?" Rein nodded in agreement.
Azure smiled happily and seemed enthusiastic. "Your audience begins tomorrow morning, Your Highness. I will convey your approval to His Majesty the Emperor."
She turned to Prince Reinhart's personal servant, Elie Wonhart, and said, "Please take good care of His Highness from now on, Mr. Wonhart."
"Of course, I will always be by His Highness's side," Elie replied, looking at Rein.
Azure looked dissatisfied, but she did not continue the conversation. She quickly took her leave and departed as swiftly as she had arrived.
Now only the two of them remained. Rein grew increasingly uncomfortable with the way Elie was looking at him. It felt as though Elie was watching an interesting performance, and Rein was the main character on the stage. It gave Rein goosebumps.
"What are you looking at?" Rein asked sharply.
"Will you still carry out your plan tonight, Your Highness?" Elie's question was meaningful, but it was clear he knew what Rein was thinking.
Rein turned to him in shock and asked tremblingly, "What do you know?!"
"I can sense the aura of someone who wants to end their life; it looks like great despair," Elie replied slowly, calmly, and casually, as if discussing today's weather.
Rein's heart was beating faster and faster, and cold sweat was dripping down his cheeks.
Elie, who saw this, quickly took other handkerchief out of his black suit and wiped the sweat from Rein's face.
"Why do you look so surprised? I don't know who you really are, but I know that our destinies are intertwined. Something that initially annoyed me because it forced me to come here and become a servant. However, now it has become intriguing," he revealed for the first time the reason he was there.
'Who could force you? What do you mean by intertwined destinies?!'
"I need to tell you one thing: you cannot die before your time. If you try, your soul will be destroyed." Elie dropped a terrifying reality bomb on Rein.
"What do you mean?" Rein's voice trembled; this time, he truly felt his world crumbling.
Elie's smile faded, and he stated firmly, "I will be the one to kill you when the time comes."
Rein swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and asked again, "Then, what will happen to me? Can I reincarnate after that?"
Elie's smile returned as he answered, "I don't know; it can't be certain, but at least your soul won't be destroyed. So before that time comes, I will protect you."
Only now did Rein dare to look into Elie's eyes, hidden behind his glasses. Those eyes were a dark red, like the colour of blood, and seemed indifferent.
So, there was no guarantee Rein could return to his world. However, his soul was safe, even if reincarnation was uncertain. At least there was still a possibility rather than being completely destroyed.
He didn't know what great mistake he had made to deserve such a fate. One thing was certain: he wanted to live. Before, he had planned to end his life as Reinhart because he wanted to live in his original world.
But now the situation had changed. He just wanted to live, wherever that might be. From this point on, he began to fully accept his new life as Reinhart.
***