"Such magnificent swordsmanship as always, Prince Henry."
Standing in a wide-open field, two figures face each other. On the left stood a bearded, middle-aged man with a distinctive scar on his right cheek, wearing a shiny silver armor that gleamed in the sun's glare.
Opposite to him is a young man with blonde hair that is as bright as the yellow sun, unlike the former, this man wears nothing but a simple leather armor from head to toe that doesn't hinder his movement.
The young man, referred to as Prince Henry, flashed a wide smile and replied, "Still not as magnificent as yours, Sir Liam."
The armored knight known as Liam, scoffed, "Stop comparing yourself to me, Prince Henry. I honed my skills for twenty years while it only took you half a year to reach half of what I can do."
Henry simply chuckled and shrugged, "What can I say? It takes a good teacher to teach a good student."
"Heh, I should've known that the prince would possess a silver tongue."
Before the two could go further in their daily morning training, footsteps interrupted their session. It was one of the maids in the royal castle, tasked with assisting every member of the royal family, serving them in their everyday needs and wants.
In this particular case, Henry's priority is higher than the other members of the royal family except for the King and Queen. That's because Henry Charming, the firstborn Prince of the Lioncrest Kingdom is also the heir to the throne. Destined to inherit his father's position and lead the Kingdom to greatness.
To the outside world, Henry's image is almost like the personification of perfection itself. Handsome, strong, wealthy, and extremely talented, almost every woman in the entire Kingdom, married or not, fantasizes about marrying him.
However, behind closed doors, Henry is hiding a secret that he swore to himself that he'll take to his grave.
He possesses the memories of his past life, or in layman's terms, he's a reincarnator—a bunch of infamous individuals that can either grow for the betterment of the world or seek to destroy it and cause chaos.
In his case, Henry leans more on the former. He's not exactly a bad guy with issues. In his past life, his name was also Henry but with a different surname. He was born without any defects and was not an orphan. He has a loving family, a younger sister, and a moderately successful life.
Perhaps it was only his death that was unusual. It was in the middle of the night and he was busy drafting the last few paragraphs for his final article before retiring for good when all of a sudden, his ears caught the sound of smashing windows and a thick brick came flying straight to his head like a flying saucer. Just so you know, he's living near his 40s and his body is in the initial stage of falling apart, hence his final article for retirement.
Even if he did survive being hit on the head by the flying brick which is out of the question, he might spend the rest of his years confined in the hospital and sick in the head. So perhaps dying from it was more of a mercy than living the rest of his old life in hell.
As for regrets, he barely has any. If there is one, then the only thing he truly regrets is that he will no longer be able to do what he enjoys the most—rewatching the animated films he used to love as a child up until his teenage years.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself lying in a crib, uncontrollably crying and eager to be held by two people whom he eventually recognized as his new parents.
Years passed and he started to adapt to this new life. Unlike his past life, here he was born privileged. King and Queen as parents, the rightful heir to the throne of their Kingdom.
Life was almost good for him. Keyword 'Almost' because his siblings were born and he underestimated just how different it is to have siblings in a royal family compared to an average one.
First of all, those siblings of his were all but sweet and innocent. Perhaps it's because of the difference in their birth mothers. Henry's mother is the Queen of the Kingdom herself while his siblings were from his father's concubines.
Yes, history didn't lie and polygamy was practiced during the era of Kingdoms and Empires, all while the people barely batted an eye about it.
Nevertheless, Henry spent most of his years living having to watch his back from his siblings who were clearly jealous of what he had that they didn't.
Thankfully, the world did not abandon him. Even though he didn't ask for it but it seems like he was gifted with a talent where his adapting and learning things are off the charts.
What takes others days or weeks to learn, he only needs a single day. Give him a book about politics and he'll master it before the week ends as if he spent his entire life studying it.
It might not sound much but living in a new world with enemies eyeing him like a pack of hyenas, having this gift is equivalent to a lifesaver.
Speaking of which, Henry recalled the decision he made yesterday to leave the Kingdom next week and explore the world. At least that's what he made it sound like in front of his parents but the truth is quite far from that.
During the years he spent living in the Kingdom. It's not unusual for him to become curious about the outside world—that's when he accidentally discovered something that made his heart jump out in excitement
In the far west of the continent, there was a Kingdom that was said to be isolated after the death of its royal King and Queen during their voyage, leaving their two daughters behind to manage the entire Kingdom—It might sound like a tragedy to some but Henry felt like the story sounded familiar.
His curiosity filled to the brim, he started to snoop around, and soon, things just fell into place the moment he uncovered the names of the sisters that were left behind.
Elsa and Anna.
Sounds familiar?
Of course it is, they're the pair of sisters from the animated film—Frozen. If Henry's memory serves him right, it's about the older sister, Elsa, possessing the powers of ice, accidentally revealing it during her coronation, and cursing the entire Kingdom by blanketing it with an eternal snowstorm.
Then Anna saves her, takes her back, and removes the curse from the Kingdom.
The End.
Although he heard there was a sequel to the movie but his busy life prevented him from catching it.
And that's where his purpose for leaving next week came from. He wanted to visit the Kingdom of Arendelle and see the pair of sisters for himself. Maybe, just maybe he can interact with them or perhaps change their fate.
Sounds risky and ambitious yes but can you blame him? He's not a conservative person and if there's a chance he can change things for the better, then he'll take that chance with careful steps.
"My apologies for interrupting your training session with Sir Liam, Your Highness. But his Royal Highness, the King seeks your presence in his study." The maid, in a respectful distance, bowed her head and spoke.
Henry nodded his head and responded respectfully but still bearing a commanding tone, "Alright, I'll be there. Thank you, Elise. You may return to your duties."
The maid, known as Elise, lowered her head even more and excused herself, walking back to where she came from.
"Sir Liam. Unfortunately, we have to end our training this early." Turning his attention back to the knight, Henry also politely excused the man.
Liam shook his head, "It has always been an honor for me to be the one to train you in the arts of Knighthood, Prince Henry. My services will always be available for you at any time."
With that being said, the middle-aged man with a scar on his cheek left the open field, leaving Henry all by himself.
'I should go and see what father wants from me.'
———
Knock! Knock!
"Father?" A muffled voice whispered from behind the doors.
A commanding voice rang out from inside the room, "Enter."
Opening the door, Henry silently entered. His eyes immediately found themselves staring at the only man inside the room, sitting behind a desk that was filled with stacks of paper scattered all over the surface.
Similar to Henry. The man has dirty blond hair with a well-kept goatee in the same colour. His dim blue eyes scanned the contents of each paper he grabbed, while his facial features were less sharp than Henry's but in exchange, he radiates an air of maturity.
This is King Maximus Charming III. The 24th King of the Lioncrest Kingdom, bearing the same name of the first King and his great-grandfather.
Soon, Henry announced his presence in the form of a fake cough, "Ehem…"
This seemed to snap his father out of his trance and stare back at him. He then flashed a tired smile and spoke as if it was a fact, "I did it again didn't I?"
Henry chuckled at this, his father has always been like this. Once he entered the state of managing the affairs of the Kingdom, he tended to go and forget about his surroundings.
"Yes, you did, father," Henry answered with a nod of his head.
Maximus rubbed his forehead and sighed as exhaustion from constant reading and thinking finally took hold of him, "Just…Just don't tell your mother. She's going to nag me about it for hours."
Another chuckle and Henry agreed. No one in this world except him and his father knows the horror once his mother opens her mouth to berate someone.
"I heard from Elise that you asked for me. Is there something wrong?" Putting the jokes aside, Henry turned serious and shifted the topic.
"Elise? Who is tha—oh right, sometimes I tend to forget you keep memorizing the names of all the servants in the castle." Maximus stated as if it were the weirdest thing to do in the world.
Which indeed it is. Most of the members of the Royal family and Nobles barely acknowledge a servant's name, as long as they do their job right.
But Henry is different. He grew up in a place where respect is earned through hard work. And in his eyes, the servants around the household deserve the least amount of respect he can give them, which is getting to know them through their names.
"It's just a common courtesy of mine. They serve us with everything they've got and knowing their names is the least we can do for them." Henry shrugged and waved it off, not a big deal.
Maximus stared at his eyes for a brief moment before chuckling, "You're aware that we're paying them for their work, right?"
"Paying servants is a necessity and our obligation." Henry's rebuttal came swiftly and brutally.
His words may sound like he's disrespecting him, but Maximus doesn't see it that way. He knows just how blunt and straightforward Henry is. The boy only sugarcoats his words when he wants something.
"You're starting to sound less like a Prince and more like a Samaritan. Just tell me you're not going to empty our treasury to help everyone that you come across once you inherit the throne." Despite his words, Maximus stared at his oldest son with a hint of approval.
Henry blatantly stared back at his father and replied, "I'm just kind, not dumb, father. Not everyone deserves kindness."
"Good. At least I can be assured that you'll be seen as a kind and noble King once you step into my shoes." Maximus smiled and nodded proudly.
"Let's leave it to the future. So, is this the reason you called me?"
Maximus blinked and cleared his throat, "Right, I almost forgot about it. Master Elias is coming back from his retreat. You'll be joining me to meet him."
"Master Elias? Is that your teacher?" Henry frowned and tilted his head in confusion. 'Who is this Elias that even my father, a King, refers to him as Master?'
Maximus snorted at Henry's confusion and clarified, "I can only wish. No, Master Elias is not my teacher. He's our Kingdom's personal Court Magician."
Henry blinked several times, "Court Magicia—what?"
}——————{
Hey guys, considering this is my first time writing. I'd like to clarify a few things.
First of all, English is not my first language. So please spare me from the grammar hate.
Second, I suggest enduring through the first three chapters and reading up until chapter 6 before deciding if this is the fanfic for you.
Third, no systems or anything like that. The Mc is relying purely on his gifted talent and only that.
Lastly, Harem is not just a want but a must. So if you're not into that, you're welcome to leave.