AWAKENING OF THE HIDDEN HEIR (REBORN INTO THE THRONE)

002: Family Dinner

The corridors of the palace were quiet, The only sound being the occasional shuffle of guards’ sandals against the polished marble stone.

The walls were decorated with elaborate paintings, depictions of victories, and scenes of war and battles that felt almost laughably distant now. Kael’s gaze drifted over them, not with admiration, but with calculation.

Kael took note of all the doors and areas that his eyes could see, checking out escape routes and dark secluded areas.

One of the guards pushed open the doors.Servants stepped aside as Kael was guided through the room, their heads bowed respectfully.

Kael looked around the large table.

At the head of the table sat the king. Thin, hunched with age, his white hair was and his robes were deep crimson embroidered with gold, he still commanded attention. Even in his old age. Officials leaned in, listening intently as he spoke in measured tones about something kael guessed was trade routes and taxes.

Beside him, a woman, kael guessed was the queen watched Kael with eyes sharp enough to cut. Cold. Calculating. Beautiful but now hardened into something lethal. Kael recalled the name from this new body: Queen Selara.

Beside her, Kael’s stepbrother, Rykal, sat near her. A boy the same age as Kael’s new body, handsome, upright, yet exuding arrogance. His features mirrored the queen’s malice.

At the far end of the table sat the young princess, barely fourteen, quiet, Kael recognized her__from the jumbled memories of the sickly prince he was reborn into.

“Sit here,” whispered a servant, guiding Kael to a chair. His hands trembled slightly as he settled in, the reality of this new life pressing down on him. He scanned the room, noticing the tension and whispers

The meal began. The Royal family's plates were piled high with meats, fruits, and delicate breads. Kael listened politely as the king discussed policies with his ministers.

Queen Selara’s gaze sharpened.

“Its nice to see you awake, we thought you died from the serious seizures you had the other day,” she said, voice sweet with malice.

Kael’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I… am well enough, Your Majesty,” he said carefully, keeping his tone calm.

“‘Well enough,’” she repeated, mockery lacing each syllable.

“Forgive me if I do not yet trust the strength of someone so… frail.i hope you get better crown prince” she said her lips curled in a smirk

Kael’s jaw tightened.

Then he realized something strange.

He didn't feel as sick as he felt when he entered this body, the fever and chills were gone.

His rebirth had healed more than his mind—it had restored the body itself.

A flash of satisfaction flickered in his eyes, but he masked it carefully. For now, weakness was a mask. Let Queen Selara underestimate him.

Rykal, encouraged by his mother’s words, leaned toward Kael with a smirk.

“They say you’ve been sick all these years, brother. I suppose all the healers are not doing well enough for you, or perhaps your illness has no cure?“

Kael’s fingers flexed under the table. He did not give Rykal the decency of a reply .

Across the table,

The young princess was eating her steak with her hand when Queen selara turned to her

“Are you a pig? Elyra” the queen said

Rykal chuckled obnoxiously and glanced at kael like a mockery of sorts.

And Kael glanced at the princess and got some jumbled memories, the sick prince and the girl __Elyra were quiet close

Elyra's eyes brimmed with tears and she ran out of the dinning room.

protectiveness coiled in Kael’s chest. He glanced at the king, engrossed in his discussion with officials, oblivious to the cruelty. If the king did not intervene, Kael would. Not yet, however. Observation first.

Kael sipped at his wine, and chewed on his herbal leaf.

"What is that brother, some medicinal herb?" Rykal asked

"of course son, he needs it for his strength" Queen selara said

they both chuckled and Kael went back to sipping his wine.

Finally, the meal ended. Kael’s mind had absorbed every detail of Queen Selara’s cruelty, Rykal’s arrogance, and Elyra's vulnerability. The servants cleared the table. Kael allowed himself a single breath. Exhaustion weighed on him, but it was not weakness—it was the cost of hiding his power, of keeping his healthy mind masked from those who would underestimate him.

The servant guided him back to his room. Kael tested his body, flexing fingers, turning wrists, bending limbs, when he was satisfied he felt much better he sank onto the bed , gazing out the window at the palace gardens below. The world was the same, yet entirely different. He was no longer Kael the general killed on the battlefield, betrayed by a friend. He was Kael the prince, reborn. Fragile in appearance, strong in truth. And the game—of survival, strategy, protection, and vengeance—had only just begun.

For now, rest was necessary.

***