I stare into a pair of eyes identical to my own, barely mustering a smile.
Augustus is pale, but the color returns back to his skin with every passing moment. However, within his eyes, I can see that something has been lost within my brother. He is almost the age I was when I had first woken up in this world and I can't help but recall how my naivete and expectations had been forcibly broken and molded by the world.
The man before me is shattered. But shaping who he becomes next is critical. I lean against his bedside with a heavy sigh as I quietly dismiss the imperial doctors and the royal guards who hover as closely as a morning fog. They move to the periphery, but are less obedient than they were earlier. Being in my brother's presence, the one who is to succeed their current master, emboldens them and weakens my standing.
