LOGINRagnar’s POV“What’s the meaning of that?”Lyrielle’s voice echoed through the lecture hall just as everyone began gathering their things.Students were still whispering about what had happened. Scholars were arguing amongst themselves. Even Archmage Valerian looked thoughtful as he reviewed the notes on the crystal board.And at the center of all of it stood Lior.Or whoever was inside Lior’s body.Because there was no longer a single part of me that believed I was looking at the same Omega prince who had arrived at my empire months ago.Lior slowly turned toward Lyrielle. The look on his face was annoyingly innocent.“What exactly are you referring to?”“The lecture.”“Oh. That.”“Yes. That.”People nearby immediately slowed down.Curious.Listening.Lior seemed completely unaware of the attention. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.“I answered a question.”“You corrected an archmage.”“He was mostly correct.”“Mostly?”“There was a small error.”Lyrielle stared at him.The silence s
Aziel’s POVThe next morning arrived far too quickly.I woke before sunrise, more from curiosity than necessity. Most people would have been nervous in my position. Lyrielle had practically announced her intentions in front of Ragnar and Soren. She believed this lecture would expose my ignorance and remind everyone exactly where I belonged.Unfortunately for her, I had never been particularly good at staying where people thought I belonged.After dressing, I ate breakfast in relative peace. Ragnar arrived shortly afterward, already dressed for the day and carrying the expression of a man who expected trouble.The fact that his eyes immediately landed on me suggested he believed I was the source.Rude.“You look pleased with yourself.”I set down my cup.“I just woke up.”“Exactly.”I frowned.“I don’t understand how that’s an accusation.”“It isn’t.”“It sounded like one.”Ragnar sat across from me and accepted the tea a servant offered. For several moments, neither of us spoke.Then
Aziel’s POV The moment Soren and I stepped into Ragnar’s chambers, I knew exactly how the next part of my day was going to unfold.Ragnar was seated behind his desk with several reports spread before him. From the way he looked up the moment the doors opened, I could tell he already suspected something had happened. Unfortunately for me, seeing Soren enter beside me only confirmed whatever fears he had. His gaze moved from the commander to me before narrowing slightly.“What happened?”Straight to the point. Not surprising.I moved toward one of the empty chairs near the fireplace while Soren remained standing. If I was about to be interrogated, I preferred to do it comfortably.“The prince visited the training grounds,” Soren said.Ragnar’s attention immediately settled on me. “You left the palace.”“Technically, I remained within palace grounds,” I replied. “Unless the palace walls have moved since this morning, I don’t believe I actually left anything.”His expression remained com
Aziel’s POVA month had passed since my arrival at the Iron Fang Empire.The difference between now and the day I woke up in this body was almost unbelievable.When I first opened my eyes as Lior, simply standing for too long had left me exhausted. His body had been neglected for years. His mana channels were weak, his muscles underdeveloped, and his endurance pathetic. Every movement had reminded me that I was no longer the warrior I used to be.Now things were different.Not perfect.Not even close.But different.The healers had finally stopped hovering over me every time I walked across a room. The bruises from my arrival were long gone. The constant weakness had faded. Through careful mana control and daily training, I had managed to strengthen Lior’s body far beyond what it had originally been capable of.For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt healthy.Unfortunately, that created a new problem.I was bored.Very bored.The first week of recovery had been frustra
Ragnar’s POVI should have been working.The reports covering my desk were important. Border disputes, military movements, trade agreements, mana reserve inventories. Normally I would have finished reading them hours ago, but tonight I found myself staring at the same page for several minutes without absorbing a single word.I already knew why.My gaze drifted toward the closed guest chamber door across the room before I looked away again with a frown. The fire burned steadily nearby, casting warm light across the stone walls of my chambers. Outside, the palace had grown quiet. Most of the court had retired for the evening, leaving only guards and servants moving through the halls.Everything should have felt normal.Instead, my thoughts kept returning to Lior.Or whatever had taken his place.Before his arrival, I had read every report available on him. They all described the same person. A weak Omega prince who spent most of his life avoiding attention. Someone ignored by his family
Aziel’s POV“So you and Lyrielle, huh?”I looked at Ragnar with a teasing smirk as we walked through the palace corridor side by side, the tension from the dining hall finally fading now that we were away from watching eyes.Ragnar didn’t even look at me at first.“I knew you were going to start talking the second we left.”“That isn’t a denial.”“It should be.”I hummed softly, folding my arms loosely as we continued down the long torchlit hallway. “The whole hall practically expected a wedding announcement.”“They expect a lot of stupid things.”“But not usually from Magnus.”That finally got Ragnar’s attention. He glanced toward me briefly before looking forward again, jaw tightening slightly.The reaction alone was enough to amuse me.Interesting.“Lyrielle looked pleased,” I continued casually. “Well. Until I spoke.”“You enjoy creating problems for yourself.”“I enjoy watching people react.”“That explains a lot.”I almost smiled at that.The palace around us was quieter now com







