Prologue — The Prince Awakens
"Energy containment stable... increasing power to forty percent."
The soft hum of machinery filled the lab. Wires sprawled across the floor like veins, glowing faintly blue. Liam Hart adjusted his glasses, eyes fixed on the containment chamber. Inside, a small orb of light pulsed — the culmination of five years of sleepless research.
He exhaled. "If this works, we'll be rewriting physics itself."
A smirk tugged at his lips. He was a physicist, engineer, and dreamer. The kind who believed the world could be changed not by miracles, but by invention.
Warning. Containment breach detected.
His eyes widened. "What— no, no, no—!"
A surge of blinding light engulfed the lab. For a split second, he felt weightless — then pain.
Then… silence.
When Liam opened his eyes again, the world had changed.
The ceiling above him wasn't white or metallic, but carved wood, painted with gold leaf. A crystal chandelier hung overhead, scattering sunlight like diamonds.
"…Huh?"
He sat up — or rather, tried to. His body felt heavy, unfamiliar. His hands… were pale, slender, and definitely not his.
"Where—"
Before he could finish, the door burst open.
"Your Highness! You've awakened!"
A maid in frilled attire rushed in, her face flushed with relief. Behind her, two guards in scarlet uniforms saluted sharply.
Your Highness?
Liam blinked. "Wait—who are you calling—"
But the words caught in his throat. A mirror across the room reflected a stranger's face.
No, not a stranger. A young man with sharp blue eyes, neatly combed chestnut hair, and royal features that seemed sculpted from marble.
He was wearing a prince's nightclothes embroidered with gold.
"Wh-what the hell is going on…?" he muttered.
The maid looked startled. "Pardon, Your Highness?"
"...Nothing." He rubbed his temple. "Just... confused."
Confused didn't begin to cover it. He remembered dying — the flash, the explosion, the pain. And now he was… alive? In someone else's body?
[System Initialization Complete]
Liam froze. The voice wasn't human — it resonated directly in his mind.
Welcome, User: Liam Hart
Synchronization Successful — New Identity: Edward Arthur Windsor, Prince of Wales
Initializing Core Function: Industrial Dominion System
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes — floating in midair like a hologram.
[INDUSTRIAL DOMINION SYSTEM] Current User: Edward A. Windsor System Level: 1 Core Features Unlocked: - Blueprint Archive (Basic) - Political Interface (Basic) - Relationship Log (Locked) - R&D Tree (Locked) Mission: "Revolutionize the Kingdom." Reward: System Expansion
Liam — now Edward — stared at the panel, mouth half open.
"…You've got to be kidding me. I died and got... a kingdom-building system?"
He waved his hand experimentally. The panel followed his gaze. When he blinked, it minimized.
"Okay… either I'm hallucinating," he murmured, "or I just became a royal protagonist in one of those webnovels I read after midnight."
The maid looked even more confused. "Your Highness?"
Edward coughed, forcing a princely tone. "I—ah. Nothing, good lady. Just… thinking aloud."
"Shall I fetch the royal physician? You collapsed for two days after the hunting trip, and His Majesty was most—"
"Two days…?" Edward muttered.
So, the prince had apparently fainted before he—arrived.
"Right," he said, trying to stand. His legs wobbled, but he managed. "Tell my father I'll be at breakfast shortly."
The maid bowed and hurried off.
As soon as the door closed, Edward exhaled hard.
He looked around the lavish chamber — the curtains, the crest of the royal family, the cold air of nobility — and grinned faintly.
"So this is it... Britain. Or something close to it."
He turned toward the window. Outside lay a city of cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and smoking chimneys. No electric lights, no machines, no factories — not yet.
His reflection in the glass showed a prince, but behind the royal eyes, a scientist's spark burned.
"…If this world doesn't have an industrial revolution," he whispered, "I'll build one myself."
New Quest Unlocked: "The Dawn of Steam"
Objective: Construct the First Prototype Steam Engine
Reward: System Upgrade + Blueprint: Foundry (Tier I)
Edward's smile widened. "Now we're talking."
End of Prologue.