The Emperor's Heir

ONE

Vin's eyes were blurry as he peered up at the blue sky above. He wondered aloud, "Is this death?"

The car was moving so fast, it was Impossible that he remained alive. But Vin found himself breathing fine, and still having thoughts; very unlike a dead person. Or was he in heaven? Heaven felt too much like earth though.

He only saw clear blue for a long time before finally remembering to blink. His vision now focused, Vin carefully shifted his gaze around. He expected to meet his judgment, but instead discovered a brilliant sky and the delicate, concerned face of a young woman peering down at him.

"Are you okay, Havan?" she queried.

The person suddenly called Havan, scratched his brow, wondering who the hell this 'Havan' was. Vin would have made this inquiry if he hadn't been taking in his surroundings. He was no longer in New York. Now, he was resting on the grounds of a sprawling compound surrounded by gigantic structures. The environment oozed a certain traditional essence and it was also incredibly opulent. He suddenly became aware of the girl who was patiently awaiting his response. She looked lovely in a stunning green gown with gold elements. It didn't take Vin long to realize he'd most definitely died, but this was not heaven. He appeared to be resurrected in a different body; otherwise, why would the young lady call him Havan?

"I'm okay, thank you," he said, adjusting swiftly to his new identity. It was a new language, yet he completely comprehended and spoke it.The girl smiled as she stood up from her crouch. She offered her hand to him and assisted him in getting up.

He walked over to a nearby fountain and glanced at his reflection in the water. He locked his gaze on a face that appeared to be his but it wasn't. Vin saw a very gorgeous man in fine blue robes, albeit he was a bit large, with muscles and everything. He still looked like he was in his twenties though.

"What happened to me?" Vin grumbled to himself. He didn't realize he'd said it out loud.

"You just dropped unconscious on the floor," the girl said in reply, then her eyes began welling up with tears. Vin gave a knowing nod. It was at that point he entered the body.

Vin was led by the girl into a house. He already realized he was in a different world from the one he had left, therefore the styles were obviously extremely different, yet he couldn't help but marvel at the overall beauty of the environment. He, however maintained a straight face.

They took many turns and climbed a flight of steps while the girl led the way. They came to a complete stop in front of a door with beautiful engravings on its surface. However, before the girl could say what she was going to, a stranger came round a corner and stood in front of them. It was a young man, and he was clad in extravagant red robes.

Without him even saying anything, Vin was already irritated by his demeanour. The man in red robes seemed astonished to see him. "How are you today, Brother?" he inquired.

Vin merely shrugged, not wanting to answer. This seemed, in turn, to irritate the other man. Vin brushed aside the man who apparently was his brother. The young lady spoke, "You should go in and rest, Havan. I'll get back to you later."

Vin nodded and pushed the door open without further ado. He entered, and found himself in a spacious room with a king-sized bed and a wide balcony. It was rather elegant, with various furniture positioned about. Vin wondered who he was in this world to have such flashy stuff.

He knelt on the wide bed and closed his eyes, thankful to be alive.

***

Over the next few days, Vin discovered his new roots from the girl, Suran, who turned out to be his cousin. Havan was a member of the royal family, the Emperor's first nephew. The Emperor had two brothers, both of whom had perished with their wives in a horrific fire while visiting an acquaintance of the royal family. The Emperor was reported to be the target of the incident, but it was unexpected that he would send his brothers to represent the family in his place while he dealt with a situation that had arisen in the palace on the same day.

Suran claims that Havan's brother, Jardius, resented Havan for inheriting their father's properties. To add insult to injury, Havan was the heir apparent to the throne. The Emperor's lack of offspring was the reason for this. The Emperor had since designated Havan as his successor.

Vin had heard that the Emperor was unhappy because he had lost his brothers, therefore he never married. He had taken his nephews and niece to the castle to live with him after the tragic deaths of his brothers and their wives.

Vin recalled the moment he awoke in this new body, after collapsing senseless on the floor. Hearing all of this from Suran or the gossipy servants, he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't a random occurrence. He focused more on his brother. Over the days he was there, he quickly found that the male was a very superficial and fickle brat.

Suran laughed as she noticed Vin's expression while he listened to her words, saying, "At least we're not as bad as the neighbouring Empire. One of their sons went missing a few years ago and has yet to be found." Vin frowned, perplexed. How does a prince go missing for years?

This was a strange world. And, Vin appreciated the luxury he had in this life, but he wasn't overly concerned about it. A second chance at life was the best gift he could have received.

***

One day, Vin came across a guard while walking around the compound. He found nothing to do, and idleness made him hungry, so Vin stopped the guard, "what is your name?" He asked.

"My name is Saff, Your Highness" the guard answered. He looked around nervously. The guard never expected the next Emperor would ever say a word to him. The next question made him even more confused.

Vin asked, "Saff, do you know where I could get some fruit? I am craving some right now."

The nervous and confused guard pointed him in the direction of an apple tree, and Vin smiled as he eagerly went in search of the fruit.

While on his way back from apple picking, Vin found a nicely dressed man on the path. At first, he could hear the man muttering to himself, "Where was that apple tree before?" The man didn't appear to be old, but he had a few grey hairs and was facing away from Vin. This way he didn't notice the youngster approaching.

After hearing his question, Vin felt the pouch at his side. He'd just come from the apple tree that the man appeared to be looking for, and the pouch at his side was bursting at the seams. Vin approached the man right away and offered him three of his apples. "I found the tree just now and picked too much for myself," Vin said, smiling and reaching out an arm.

The man, surprised, looked up, and when he saw Vin's smile, he returned it, taking the apples. "This is fortunate because I had an unexpected craving for apples and couldn't remember where I'd found the tree, but here you are."

"The tree had a lot of apples," Vin chuckled, shrugging, "I ate a few of them there; it was so sweet I had to take as many as I could. And, It's a good thing I found someone to share them with, or it would have been difficult finishing it all" Vin sighed.

"Seems we're both fortunate then," the man said, nodding. Vin was taken aback when he immediately chucked one of the apples into his mouth. With this, Vin felt himself quickly relax around the man.

They both sat down on a bench, and they talked until all of the apples were gone. The conversation mostly centered around food. Vin's ideas piqued the older man's interest. He'd never heard of some of the foods mentioned by Vin, but the way the young man described them made his mouth water.

They parted ways after a short period of pleasant conversation. Vin realized he hadn't gotten the man's name until he'd walked a long distance. He decided to ask whenever they saw each other again.

Vin was on his way back to his room. When he first entered the house, he heard voices coming from the hallway. He ignored his own door, and quickly found the one through which the voices were coming. There was a small gap in it.

Vin had become extremely wary after discovering his social standing in this world. He was hyper-aware of everything going on around him.

Vin, with his back to the wall, heard a voice that belonged unmistakably to his brother, Jardius. The other voice was harder to recognize, but Vin quickly committed it to memory.

"...when will it happen?" It's going to take a long time." Jardius spoke.

"Be patient, we'll get everything we want," the unrecognizable voice said after a brief pause, "but you appear to have failed in your half of the plan." He is still alive and well."

"I have no idea what happened. I'd put the herb in his milk that morning, but then I noticed he wasn't dead. The powder was most likely faulty " Jardius exhaled a sigh.

The other male laughed "There isn't anything like that. Simply put it down to incompetence on your part. You most likely put it in the wrong one." The person paused as if in contemplation, then added "but, then again, nobody died that day."

Jardius spoke, "then, did he build up an immunity?"

At this point, Vin was irritated. He was certain they were talking about him. Vin made a mental note to refrain from eating any food that was brought to him. He'd start preparing his own meals.

For a long time, Vin suspected Jardius had something to do with the body's unconsciousness just before he woke up in this new world. It turns out that his new body really did die that day.