The air in the room was at a level that could be cut with a knife. Doran could read Lord Albert's anger on his face.

When Doran decided that it would not be good to be silent any longer, he quickly gathered his thoughts and began to speak.

“I was going to discuss that with you too, Lord Albert. It's a pretty complex situation, so I'll have to get straight to the point."

Doran looked at Lord Albert and saw his eye twitch when he called him ‘Lord Albert’ instead of father. But he quickly gathered himself, as if waiting for Doran to finish all he had to say before deciding on anything.

Doran believed that in some situations only the truth would work. In a month with Lord Albert, he had seen what a clever man his father was. He knew that if he lied to his father now and was later exposed, he would kill him without hesitation. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Your son died a month ago at the same time as me. For a reason that I don't know exactly, our souls merged. And I think this fusion eliminated the disease.”

“I still have not received an answer to my question. Who are you?" said Lord Albert, his voice more uncertain than anger.

“My name is also Doran, I was 21 years old before I came into this world. I was a law student. But I think we have a connection with Doran on this earth. My Mother in the other world and my Mother in this world Elizabeth are like twin sisters. Let me stay with Elizabeth for a few years at least, even if I don't expect much from you. Having found my mother again, I don't want to lose her again so soon. ”

As Doran continued to explain, he hadn't realized that he had deviated from the main event. The fear of losing his Mother again and the effect this body had on his soul was affecting his mood.

Lord Albert looked into the face of his 12-year-old son, who was sitting in front of him. The boy sitting across from him said very strange things. But something in his words caught his attention.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“What do you mean, 'I was 22 years old before I came into this world'? Aren't you from this world?"

Arden was stunned at the unexpected question, but quickly replied.

“Yes, I am sure I am not of this world. I was born in a world where there is no magic, no races, only humans in the world I came from.”

Lord Alberth fell into deep thought when he heard Doran's words. It was as if he was connecting some dots in his mind.

“It means that the legends were indeed true.” he muttered.

This had not gone unnoticed by Doran, who was giving her full attention to Lord Albert.

“What legends!”

When Lord Albert saw the curious boy in front of him, he began to speak.

“This is not the first time this soul fusion thing has happened. It's something that has happened before, albeit very rarely. They become Legends. Because of such a person, the Elves ruled the whole world for 10 thousand years. Then such a person appeared in the Demon race and was about to kill everyone in the world, but was stopped at the last moment.”

Lord Albert sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Keep acting like Doran until I decide what to do with you. Don't tell Elizabeth anything, Doran's illness nearly killed her with sadness. It is better for him to see her son as healthy”

He paused a bit and continued.

“You can withdraw, we will discuss these matters in detail later.”

Doran had not expected Lord Albert's reaction. He had thought that at least he'd be angry and shout or blame him for his son's death.

Doran stood up and left the room. Only the thoughtful Lord Albert remained in the room.

—---------

When Doran left the room, Lord Albert placed the locket in his hand on the table. This locket was a family treasure. And when someone lied, it would vibrate to notify its owner. This locket had not flickered once during their conversation.

He didn't know what to do about Doran's situation. If their rivals saw this helpless state of Duke Albert, they would be speechless in shock. Ten years ago, when his father died in the war with the Oswolt kingdom, at the age of 25, he inherited his father's title and became the duke of Vartica. He brought those who wanted to take advantage of the young duke to their knees with his intelligence and political moves. He reminded them of the saying that a wolf does not have a child of a lamb.

But right now he was helpless. His son had contracted the red plague 1 year ago. And there was no cure for this disease. No one who caught it survived. In the final stages of his son's illness, he had prepared himself for his death. But his wife Elizabeth was devastated as she saw her son melt away and weaken before her eyes.

One day, all of a sudden, this whole disease completely disappeared. Lord Albert initially thought it was a conspiracy. But when he studied his son's movements, some of his movements were the same, although there were differences. For example, when his son was nervous, he put his hand behind his head. Or he would join his two hands together when he laughed.

Little things like that hadn't changed. Maybe that's why he didn't kill him immediately... Part of him knew that in this soul fusion, his son and this stranger were fused.

How could he kill this stranger, part of which was his son? But could he fully accept him as his son? Was he ready to hand over his family's land to a stranger?

He thought deeply about these issues. Finally he got up from his chair and came to the window of his study.

He sighed and looked at the City behind the castle walls made of red stone in front of him.