Aeren stirred from sleep and surveyed his chamber, feeling relief that he hadn't died during his slumber. His surroundings appeared blurred, as if seen through fogged glass.
"Finally, I've regained consciousness," he murmured to himself. Standing from his bed proved challenging—his legs barely supported his weight.
As he turned away from the bed, something caught his eye that made him freeze in shock. The entire bedding had transformed into a crimson mess, soaked through with his blood. Looking down at himself, Aeren discovered blood stains covering his entire body.
"Blood leaked from every part of me and created this bloody mess. Haa..." He stared at the gruesome scene for a moment before deciding, "I'll wash myself first and think about this later."
In the washroom, Aeren cleaned himself thoroughly, scrubbing away every trace of blood. Returning to his quarters, he selected pristine white clothing and dressed carefully.
"Perfect!" He examined his reflection in the mirror, satisfied with his appearance despite everything. "Now let's see what's happening outside."
Leaving the bloodied bed behind, Aeren approached his door just as someone knocked. The unexpected sound puzzled him.
Opening the door, he found a maid standing respectfully before him. She looked him over, noting he was prepared to leave, then bowed gracefully.
"His Majesty has summoned you, Your Highness."
Aeren listened in silence, pondering the implications. Why would Father call for me? I've been stripped of my crown prince title, and I doubt he's included me in the succession competition. Has he already chosen his heir?
As these thoughts swirled, Aeren found his gaze lingering on the maid's beauty, unexpected desire stirring within him. Recognizing this unusual behavior, he quickly suppressed the feeling and nodded.
"Lead the way."
Following the maid to the great hall, Aeren was stunned by what he saw. The space buzzed with animated conversation, as if a grand celebration was underway. Nobility filled the room, everyone dressed magnificently and radiating elegance.
The hall itself had been transformed into something celestial and dreamlike. Then realization struck him like lightning.
"Today's my birthday... I slept for an entire week." He could hardly believe it.
Overwhelmed by lost time, Aeren scanned the crowd silently until his eyes found his father, who seemed to glow with the same celestial radiance as the hall itself.
The gathering was complete—not a single important person had missed his birthday. He spotted Jarek and Nil engaged in conversation, and his gaze lingered on Nil as a familiar ache filled his heart.
Loneliness...
Despite their identical features, she wasn't Quella. Pushing aside these thoughts, Aeren focused on his father across the room, noting the darkness outside the windows.
As he made his way through the crowd, every eye turned to him. The hall fell silent, and even Emperor Baltazar noticed the sudden quiet. When their eyes met, the Emperor smiled warmly but remained where he stood, waiting.
Drawing closer, Aeren noticed a beautiful young woman standing beside Ellie, who was speaking animatedly with a handsome young man. Both Ellie and her companion appeared genuinely happy, but something about their joy irritated Aeren deeply. He wanted to scream at them but forced himself to maintain control and addressed his father instead.
"Father, you summoned me." His tone remained polite despite the irritation churning inside him—though Emperor Baltazar sensed something amiss in his son's voice without being able to identify exactly what.
"First of all, happy birthday, Aeren." Emperor Baltazar's announcement echoed throughout the hall. After wishing his son well, he smiled warmly while carefully studying Aeren's reaction.
"Thank you, Father." Aeren's genuine response allowed some of his inner turmoil to show, and the assembled nobles leaned in, eager to gather information about the royal family dynamics.
Emperor Baltazar smiled at his son's sincere tone, then turned to the young woman beside him. He gestured toward her with both hands, his warm smile remaining as he explained the situation. "Aeren, meet your fiancée, Princess Olivia Sacaler of the Sacaler Empire."
This bombshell announcement left nearly half the nobles stunned into silence.
Aeren was the most shocked of all. He could barely process the meaning while struggling to control his overwhelming emotions and keep his body's rebellious components in line.
Though he concealed it from others, he could barely walk properly. Having lost control over his body, he fought to manage his laughter, tears, blood flow, nerves—everything rebelled against him, and he nearly succumbed to inappropriate desires.
Aeren's mind raced. And Father chooses now to announce my betrothal? Didn't he strip me of my crown prince title? Has something changed, or am I merely bait for a political marriage? I can't think clearly with this half-functioning body.
He turned his gaze toward Olivia. She looked just as stunned, her eyes wide as she studied him. It was clear she had no inkling her life was being pledged to a prince she'd never met.
In reading her thoughts, Aeren realized she was more distressed by the arrangement than he was. This stirred a fresh surge of emotion within him—anger, pity, and something like guilt—all clamoring for release. He clenched his fists, then forced himself to look back at his father, determined to demand an explanation for the crown prince decision.
"But—"
Before Aeren could voice his objection, his father cut him off. "No buts! You both will accept this marriage, or there will be no empires left to rule."
Aeren watched his father's stern expression, confused by the cryptic threat. What does he mean by 'no empires'?
Once he had spoken, Emperor Baltazar turned and melted into the crowd, leaving Aeren and Olivia standing alone. Aeren watched his father's retreating figure, still unable to grasp the full implications of the announcement. Around them, the assembled nobles murmured among themselves, none having heard the Emperor's final, cryptic warning.
Glancing at Ellie, Aeren saw her smiling with her prince, clearly content with her own marriage arrangement. He caught the mocking expression on her face and felt that familiar irritation rise again, which he forcibly suppressed.
Ellie took her prince's arm and walked away from both Aeren and Olivia. He observed the same dismissive behavior he'd seen from his father, then briefly looked toward Nil before focusing on his situation.
Turning to Olivia Sacaler, he found her staring at the ground, apparently calculating something about her life. She was as easy to read as an open book.
Barely managing to stay upright, Aeren knew he had to leave before his body gave out completely. The aftermath of his shattered realm still plagued him—what had happened a week ago continued to ravage his system. When his Self-Freedom Realm collapsed, he'd lost dominion over every single component within his body. Now those liberated parts controlled themselves, leaving him as helpless as an infant learning to use limbs for the first time.
I thought leaving my chamber would help me regain control faster, but instead I've discovered I've lost a week of my life, it's my birthday, and now I'm being thrust into an unwanted marriage. What else can go wrong?
As he prepared to leave, someone approached him with obvious anger radiating from their posture. Aeren looked up to see a furious young man glaring at him with clear challenge in his eyes.
Today truly is the worst day I've had, Aeren thought wearily, recognizing that his ordeal was far from over.