The night was sweet with music and the heavy breath of lilies.
They hung from the golden arches, spilled down silken banners, and bloomed in every corner of the palace. A garden brought inside. Fragrant, dazzling—and far too many.
Carlos stood just behind his older brother, his hand resting at his side, fingers tense. His eyes scanned the nobles, lingering not on their silks or jewels, but their hands. Their faces. Their glances. He watched like a man expecting blood.
Because he had seen this night before.
In his past life.
The king had been hurt then. Ambushed. A blade to the ribs—one of three meant to kill him. But he hadn't died. He had lived. Barely. He'd spent months in bed, fevered and gasping while Carlos didn't do anything but stared at him completely like a coward. Even before Erevan knew that ambush came from him, Erevan covered Carlos with his whole body to protect him.
Carlos remembered those nights.
That life had ended in blood.
This life… was supposed to be better.
The king turned slightly, smiling at the court gathered below the marble balcony. Sixteen today. Just crowned. Young and proud, sunlight on his hair. His hand lifted a crystal glass of rosewine.
"To the empire," he said warmly, "and the peace it now holds."
Applause. Laughter. Glasses lifted in response.
Carlos didn't move.
His gaze was locked on the drink. On the king's fingers. On every heartbeat between now and what might come.
"And to those who came before," the king said. "To those who led and built, and left their strength for us to carry."
He hesitated. The pause wasn't long, but Carlos caught it.
"And… to my father."
*******
The little boy sat on the cool floor in front of his dead mother, the queen of this kingdom, the boy's one and only protector from his father, the boy's tiny shoulders shaking as tears streamed down his face. His mother is gone, the empress is gone because of that bastard and the boy can' do nothing about it. The world feels empty without her touching his hair making sure it is okay, it is fine.Even though the boy is her son, he can't bury her for not being recognized as the prince. And the worst part is that the one who is not even her son is going to bury her while her real son can't even get out of this stupid castle. The boy tightly hugged his knees, sobbing more and more, unaware of the footsteps approaching. A slightly taller boy, passing through the hallway, paused when he saw him.
"What are you doing here?" the taller boy asked.
The boy didn't answer.
" You were not supposed to be here, the queen is getting buried."
The hallway got silent again until the other boy whispered.
"As the son of the queen, you need to go pay respect and bury her"
"....."
As the silence travels across the room, with no one talking. Only the sound of two boys breathing can be heard through the room. But the silence was so loud that the shorter boy couldn't stand it anymore. And the taller boy looks like he is not going until the younger boy answers. So, the shorter boy answers..
" I was not allowed …
by the king"
"Why?"
Why?Are you kidding me.As the shorter boy thought as his mind was getting messy and his temper was rising more and more. But he knows, no matter how angry he is, he's not going to shout at him. He doesn"t wanna be the next person to die for some stupid reason. The boy isn't gonna waste her mother's sacrifice for him.
" I am not in the mood to entertain you, your majesty, the crown prince."
" Please leave me alone"
But no matter how much the boy tries to control his anger,he realises his voice hardens a little. So the boy can only pray that the crown prince doesn"t realise and just leave on his own. Yet the crown prince doesn't leave nor speaks even a bit. And that makes the boy more frustrated. So the boy said again, controlling his voice to be more gentle.
"Please"
" We should go now , we are already late" the crown prince said while one of his hands tried to make the boy stand.
" Where, …your majesty! Where are we going!"
The boy said, trying to be as weak as possible but his temper and vice is giving away. He is already tired from all the crying.He doesn't wanna move and go with that guy at all. So he tried to shake his hand that had been held hoping the taller boy would leave him alone. Yet the taller boy didn't even mind, he just led the path while holding the boy's right hand tightly.
"We are going to the queen's funeral"
The boy was startled by the crown prince's words.
"I had already told you, the king didn't allow me" the boy said again worrying as his mind became crowded with thoughts.
Did he want to kill him?
First his mother, is it his time now?
Before the boy could realize,he had begun to sob and he doesn't know why he is sobbing. Death is the thing that he will face no matter what. Now why is he so scared?
The boy begins to sob more under these pressures unaware that the walking had already stopped and the hands of the crown prince are around his neck and
Choking him ... No
Hugging and comforting him.
" it is okay, the king can't touch you… I will protect you"
The boy was shocked by those words. He doesn't know what is happening, why the crown prince is speaking gently to him, to the boy he was supposed to kill to secure his future king place. Why? Did he think the boy looked too weak for him to compete? Did he look that pitiful?
The boy sniffled and looked up, his tear filled eyes meeting the warmth of the gentle gazes of the crown prince.
"Why? " he asked.
" Why? …Hmm maybe because you are my brother" the crown prince said nonchalantly.
" Brother?...Are you kidding me, don't pretend and tell me the real reason"
" Didn't you found that many usefulness in me that you had to use that brother phase"
The boy is not speaking. He is shouting at the crown prince in front of him, no longer caring if there are people nearby. The boy is taking out all his anger on the other boy. How dare he use that "brother" word. He may look pitiful but he is not an idiot. There is no way in this royal family that brothers who loved each other would come out. Even the brothers with the same blood can not do it. How could we, the dethroned queen's son and the concubine's son. Yes, he tried to get close when he was young since the guy is his brother no matter what. And that decision almost made him die. That concubine is no joke at all, she tried to kill him as soon as he got close to her son.
" I am not saying that to use you" and it was soothing.
" I am saying this because you are my brother and you will always be my brother."
" No matter how much you try to deny I am not your brother but we both know we had the same blood flowing inside us" the crown prince said without turning his gaze from that boy.
" Of course, I am not saying I will give you the throne because I am your brother, you have to work for yourself…"
"The throne can't be given, the god already chose me, even if I want to,… I can't"
" I am saying that i will protect you because you are my brother"
" I will protect you from the king until you turn adult and get the ownership of the duke palace of the east that your mother left for you" the crown prince said again.
"She left something …. for me."
" Yes, she is a queen until her last breath."
" so… yes she got one of the place of the empire"
"Even if the king doesn't want to give, he had no choice"
The crown prince said straight into the eyes of the shattered boy in front of him.
" Your mother left a place for you to survive"
No matter how much the queen left for the boy because he is her son, right. B… but there is no reason for the crown prince to do anything or say gentle words for him. This time instead of staying silent as usual, the boy said "Why?". It is too much for him to believe.
" Do you need any reason to protect your own little brother"
" I know it is hard to believe but just give me a chance, I will protect you… no i will prove that i can protect you."
" You won't win against the king, and you will have to fight against your own mother too."
"Do you think it is worth it, just for a son of the dethroned queen?"
"Yes, …it is."
" It worth in the past and it will worth in the future as well"
"Just trust me, the only thing you need to do is to train harder to become worthy of the title, the duke of the east. Your brother will handle all the other simple things"
" Simple?" the younger boy said mockingly.
" Yes. Give me a chance" the crown prince said while giving his hand towards the little boy to shake it if he was willing to.
And the little boy thinks there is nothing left for him any way, it is not hard to give it a chance, right. After many thoughts, the boy shakes the crown prince while only looking at the floor. He is not ready yet. He is not ready for the love that his brother will give. Real or not. Willing or not. He wants to take it to the end. So, he just looked down to the floor, cowardly.
But the crown prince doesn't mind and said
"Now , we need to go. Remember you need to bury your mother. She might be waiting for you"
" Let go, Logan"
"My name is not Logan, it is the name that the priest gave me. My real name is Carols…., Carlos Moonier"
" You should call me Carl, my mother said that only my family and friends can call me that."
"From now on you are my one and only family, so I think you should be the one to call, " the boy, whose name is Carlos, said while looking through the window beside him, listening to the birds singing as his world ended and began at the same time. Yet he still doesn't dare to look at his older brother's gorgeous eyes. He feels shameful for getting a little glance at those eyes. He feels not worthy yet those eyes are tempting to make him the luckiest man. Those eyes are not like the scary man's dead eyes, those eyes feel human, and ...… warm and peacefully cold like … like his mother.
" If you say like that"
" Then, should I introduce myself again"
"Hmm…"
"I should"
After the older brother said." I am Erevan, Erevan Moonier."
****
Carlos remembered back then how Erevan had protected him when the king tried to hurt Carlos in the name of disgracing his family.
Now his brother is saying that man is "a father". The words landed like a dropped sword.
Silence spread, quiet and sharp. The nobles didn't breathe.
The old king had ruled with cruelty—behind closed doors, with quiet punishments and whispered threats. And when he crossed one line too many…
The blade that ended him had come from his own son, Erevan.
But the court never named it.
Not then.
Not now.
Carlos saw his brother's throat move as he swallowed the lie, then sipped from the wine. Carlos waited for the ambush to come, but nothing came, just nothing. There is no scream, there are no arrows and there are no swords. Carlos waits for the screen, but the one sound he hears comes from beside him.
KRSSHHH…
It happened instantly.
The glass trembled. A breath caught. The young king blinked hard—once, twice—then swayed.
Carlos stepped forward instinctively. "Brother?"
Then came the blood.
A cough—sharp, red, sudden.
The king collapsed.
Carlos didn't shout. He didn't scream "No." He is not going to stay in the corner like in the past.
He moved.
He caught his brother before his body hit the floor.
The boy was light in his arms—too light. Shaking. Lips pale. Blood wet on his mouth. And as Carlos held him, the crowd behind them screamed.
This was not what happened before.
In his past life, his brother had suffered. Had bled. But he had lived.
This time—it was death. Swift. Wrong.
"Ole," Carlos said inside his mind, calling on the god who had granted him this return. "Why is it worse?"
The answer came like breath on a blade.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You turned the wheel back. But the path ahead is no longer the same. You changed pain into peace. But peace has its price."
__________________________________________________________________________
The weight of that slammed into Carlos's chest.
He had done this.
He had tried to erase his brother's pain—and brought him closer to the end instead.
And this is only the beginning, many things will change in the future and every changes will bring his brother life to be closer to his death.
More blood. The king's breathing faltered.
Carlos's arms tightened.
The guards stood frozen. So did the nobles. No one moved fast enough. No one ever did.
"To hell with waiting." Carlos hissed.
He stood, lifting the king like something sacred, something already slipping away.
Gasps rose.
The music had died long ago.
The nobles backed away from him, shocked. They had never seen Carlos like this—jaw clenched, eyes blazing. They only knew the younger brother. The one who stood at the edge of every gathering, silent and watchful. The boy who had been called a spoiled brat is the one who is carrying the new king.
But this—this boy was different.
This was not just a brother.
This was a storm in human shape.
"Move," Carlos barked.
A path opened. He strode down the grand staircase, fast and fierce, his boots ringing over the marble, the king's blood staining the front of his shirt.
Kave appeared at his side, lips tight with fear. He said nothing.
The whispers began at once:
"Is he poisoned?"
"Was it the wine—?"
"Who served it?"
"Is this like… what happened to the old king? A fight between the royal family…"
"Did Carlos do it?"
"No—Carlos looked like he'd kill anyone who touched him—"
"Then someone else did. Someone meant to finish the throne."
"He is not Carlos. Prince Carlos is not like that."
"Is he a monster disguised as Prince Carlos?"
Carlos didn't hear them.
No, he don't CARE.
Right now, he is already at the healer's door carrying the poison king.
He kicked it open.
"I need him stabilized," he said, voice a low roar, fury barely leashed.
All the healer stood frozen as they had never seen their spoil prince like that, carrying the king that kill his own brother. They couldn't believe it. And Carlos couldn't wait anymore as he was about to shout....
"What are you all doing? We have a patient here, get to work."
Only one healer rushed and shouting and making everyone move forward again. They try to take the king.
Carlos didn't hand the king off.
Only when that royal healer herself reached for the boy did he allow it.
He laid his brother down gently, never looking away. His hand stayed on the boy's shoulder until the healer guided it away.
Kave stood near the door, finally finding words. "Do you think it was poison?"
Carlos nodded once.
"It's not like before." he said.
"They planned this." Kave murmured.
"They planned for him to die." And Carlos knows who is the one behind this.
"Kave."
"Yes, my lord.."
"Go get it." Kave didn't say anything, he know what "it" his duke was referred to. And he knows for sure, it means the glass the king had drunk.
"Yes, I will go get it."
Behind them, the nobles whispered:
"This isn't peace."
"This is a warning."
"If he dies—"
"His army won't forgive it."
"The only reason he is still alive after killing the king was because of his army."
"And they do not like when the king is hurt."
And they were right.
Because even if the king lived…
Carlos would never forget. Even if the army forgive,...
He would never forgive.
And if war was the price of peace—
Then let the world burn.