Constantine stepped out with bare feet that felt biting cold against the damp stone floor of his bathroom. Each step he took felt heavy, as if gravity were trying to pull his new physical form back into the earth's embrace. His joints creaked softly, and the ache from the remnants of the poison, not yet fully neutralised, still throbbed along his spine. The musty smell and the scent of stale water vapour drifted through the air, filling his nostrils with the suffocating aroma of poverty.
He arrived in front of a stone washbasin with a surface that had cracked in several places. Above it hung a dull silver mirror, its surface covered by black oxide stains and thick dust that seemed to hide the truth from anyone brave enough to look into it. Constantine reached out his trembling right hand. His slender, fragile-looking fingers touched the cold glass surface, wiping away the clinging dust with a single, rough sweep.
Once the dust was cleared, Constantine froze. A pair of eyes stared back at him from behind the cracked glass.
It was not the face of the conqueror of continents he had known for decades. Before him stood a young man who looked as though his life could be snuffed out by a slightly strong gust of wind. His skin was deathly pale, almost transparent to the point that blue veins were clearly visible around his temples and neck. The youth’s cheeks were sunken, revealing a facial bone structure that was actually sharp but masked by a look of chronic sickliness. His hair was a mess, wet from the cold sweat that continued to seep from his pores.
"Utterly pathetic," Constantine muttered.
His voice sounded like the rubbing of sandpaper, dry and completely lacking the authority that once compelled generals to prostrate in fear. He touched his own jaw, feeling smooth skin without a single war scar. In his former life, his face was a map of every battle he had won; the sword gash on his left cheek and the small burn near his ear were medals of honour he took pride in. Now, he was merely a heap of flesh that looked helpless.
"So this is the third prince of Astraia," Constantine said again, this time with a colder tone. "A loser who cannot even protect himself from the poison of a lowly consort."
He turned the rusted copper tap beneath the mirror. Cold water trickled out with a noisy splash, breaking the eerie silence of the night inside the bathroom. Constantine cupped the water with both palms and washed his face repeatedly. The coldness of the water felt piercing right down to his nerves, helping to clear a mind that had been thrown into chaos by this nonsensical process of reincarnation.
He rubbed the skin around his mouth and chin roughly, ensuring no residue of the blackish-green fluid from his earlier vomiting remained. While cleaning himself, his brain began to whirl with incredible speed. As a tyrant who had once built an empire from nothing, Constantine knew that physical weakness was but a minor hurdle compared to the strength of will and strategic intelligence.
"This body is weak, indeed," he thought while staring at the murky water flowing in the basin. "The heart beats too slowly, the muscles have withered from lack of training, and the lungs cannot hold oxygen to their maximum capacity. However, a weak body is easier to hide. The enemy will underestimate me, and that is my first advantage."
Constantine straightened his back for a moment, ignoring the stabbing pain. He looked back at his reflection in the mirror, searching for remnants of the emperor's authority within the youth's eyes. Gradually, the gaze that initially appeared vacant and full of suffering began to change. A sharp glint, as hard as diamond and as cold as ice, emerged there. It was the look of someone who had seen the world burn and would not hesitate to burn it again for his own ends.
"Seraphina is the first step," Constantine thought. "She is already under my control, but she is merely a servant. I need more than just a bedroom informant. I need total control over this palace."
He evaluated Astraia's political situation based on the fragments of the original prince's memory that were starting to coalesce in his head. Astraia was a small kingdom squeezed between great powers. Its king, Alaric, was a man who cared more for false splendour and the pleasures of his harem than for national sovereignty. The ministers were corrupt, and the royal army was just a bunch of peasants given rusted spears.
"This is the perfect place to start over," Constantine smirked thinly, an expression that looked remarkably out of place and terrifying on the fragile-looking youth's face. "This palace is rotten to its roots. I only need to cut away the useless parts and replace them with a new foundation."
A plan began to assemble neatly in his mind like chess pieces placed in strategic positions. First, he had to survive the next attack that would surely come when the grand consort realised the prince did not die tonight. Second, he had to find resources to strengthen his new body. Without sufficient physical strength, he would not be able to perform the high-level combat techniques he once mastered.
"Time is a luxury I do not have," Constantine whispered to his own reflection. "I must master Astraia in a short time. Perhaps in a matter of weeks, not months. If Elara truly leads my empire now, she will surely look toward this Southern region soon. I must be ready before her eagle eyes find me."
He took a coarse towel and dried his face. Every touch of the fabric on his skin reminded him that he had to start getting used to this pain and limitation. Constantine knew that the original prince of Astraia was merely a victim of a cruel power game, but to Constantine, this prince was a tool he would use to seek vengeance.
"I will turn your misfortune into a weapon, young man," he said as if speaking to the soul of the departed prince. "You will be known not as the frail prince who died of poisoning, but as the vessel for the disaster that will destroy Valerion."
Constantine left the bathroom, returning to his bedroom which still smelled musty. He saw Seraphina tidying the bed with trembling movements. The woman immediately bowed her head deeply as soon as she felt Constantine’s presence near her. The fear radiating from Seraphina was the purest kind of loyalty for someone like Constantine; a loyalty born of absolute dread.
"My Lord," Seraphina’s voice was almost inaudible. "Everything has been cleaned. No trace remains."
Constantine did not answer immediately. He walked toward the window and pulled back the heavy, dusty curtain. Outside, dawn was beginning to break on the horizon, casting a dismal orange hue over the buildings of the Astraia palace. He could see watchtowers manned by soldiers who looked sleepy and unalert.
"Seraphina," Constantine called without turning.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Tomorrow morning is the banquet with the king and his consorts, is it not?"
Seraphina paused for a moment, appearing hesitant before answering. "That is correct, my Lord. Every morning after the dawn worship ritual, King Alaric requires the entire royal family to be present in the main dining hall. However... given your condition, you are usually permitted to remain in your room."
Constantine turned his body slowly. The dawn light entering the room illuminated half his face, creating a sharp contrast between light and shadow. A predatory smile played on his pale lips.
"Not for tomorrow," Constantine said in a calm yet authoritative voice. "Tomorrow morning, I shall attend. I want to see their faces when they realise their favourite poison failed to yield results."
Seraphina looked shocked, her eyes widening in surprise. "But my Lord, that is very dangerous! The Grand Consort will surely suspect something if you appear healthy after drinking that poison."
Constantine walked closer to Seraphina, making the woman step back until her back hit the bedpost. Constantine stared at her sharply, making Seraphina afraid to breathe.
"That is the point, Seraphina," Constantine whispered. "The most effective fear is the fear born of uncertainty. Let them wonder. Let them feel as though they are dealing with a ghost. I want them to spend their time feeling anxious, while I tighten the noose around their necks."
"But... what should I do?" Seraphina asked with a trembling voice.
"Do your duty as usual. Report that I suffered throughout the night and could barely breathe. However, ensure I have the best clothes this pathetic prince owns. Tomorrow morning, the stage of Astraia's history will change."
Constantine looked back toward the cracked mirror in the bathroom, the door of which was still open. He saw his reflection that appeared so fragile, yet he knew that behind that fragility, a lion was sharpening its fangs. His mental strategy was ready. He would enter that dining hall not as a victim, but as a judge ready to pass sentence.
"Prepare yourselves, Astraia," Constantine thought as he lay back down on his hard bed, waiting for the sun to rise fully. "For your emperor has returned, and he does not come to bring peace."
Dawn broke, illuminating the stifling room with light that seemed to promise a new day. But for the other inhabitants of the Astraia palace, that light was merely the beginning of the darkness brought by the reborn tyrant. Constantine closed his eyes for a moment, saving what energy he had for the grand performance that was about to begin. There was no more hesitation. Only a cold resolve that would guide him to the pinnacle of power once more. Inside his head, he could already hear the clink of Elara's golden dagger, a reminder that would continue to fuel his ambition until his final breath in this world. Every pain in his new body was fuel for a vengeance that would never be extinguished. He waited patiently, every passing second a step toward the destruction of his enemies.
Aksara