Part 2:The Serpent's Golden Head

“Democracy, you say that soldiers of that damned Republic will fight for their democracy and their freedom! You say they fight harder than our soldiers for that damn democracy of theirs. Democracy, and what does that give them? They beheaded their own best General who was loyal to that democracy of theirs just because a couple of soldiers slipped off a mountain cliff and died! Davos saved their Republic once, and now he's dead. He didn't die honorably on the field of battle, nor did he die of an illness. He died because of that damned Republic he served! What general will save their democracy now? What General will even lead their troops for them because if a couple of soldiers die of their own stupidity, they'll lose their own heads? The time to strike is now! Their fleet has been defeated, their armies are in confusion, and we are poised on the precipice of victory. The kingdom of Rointh strikes with or without you, so make up your minds already. The time to end this long war has finally come!”

~Prime minister of Rointh, Liander Belmont, at Pellana League meeting

Chapter 1: Dressing up

The month of Noel Day 10, Year 681 of the second holy calendar

“You're arrogant. " These words awakened Oliver from his light daydream about nothing in particular. Oliver's contradictions were arrogance and helplessness. On the one hand, he was arrogant and confident that he was more intelligent than everyone else, but on the other, he was helpless.

Well aware of this, Oliver wasn't bothered by the person accusing him of arrogance. “Tell Me Something I Don't Know,” Oliver said, displaying his characteristic arrogance.

“You see, that's what makes you arrogant,” she pointed a finger at him. “But you know one day you might just die unexpectedly.”

“Dominic, Dominic, are you listening to me.” He was finally knocked from his memories of the past by the voice insistently calling him.

“Some things change, and some things stay the same,” he thought, like his tendency to daydream or get lost in his thoughts. “No, my apologies, Lady Luce.”

“Seriously,” she said, poking his cheek, “you need to pay more attention, Dominic.” He batted her hand away before glancing at her. Luce hadn't changed much in the past 6 years and still looked like a 20-year-old. Although Dominic's outward opinion of her had changed. Initially, he thought of her as someone beautiful, but he was only judging by the standards of his world, in this world where nobles were all flawless in appearance. She was average, above average at best, but certainly not a good-looking woman.

“Lord Dominic, I need you over here,” Jane called out. She had changed quite a bit in the past few years, growing more beautiful. Her black hair had grown even longer, and she wore it straight down her back. Her green eyes captured the hearts of countless men who would propose to her, but she rejected them on the grounds of her work. Dominic wasn't sure if she should prioritize being his handmaid over marriage, but he wasn't about to question it since he had grown fond of her in the past 6 years. He also learned that her full name was Jane Livia Tallwood, a member of the prestigious Count House Tallwood and younger sister of its current countess.

He headed to the full-length mirror and allowed Jane to press various outfits against his body, checking them for his appearance. She pressed a dark green shirt with golden buttons to him before glancing in the mirror and immediately discarding the shirt before asking Luce her opinion. “Why don't you try white?” she said, picking up a white shirt and pressing against Dominic.

“I think white is a bit too light. It doesn't bring out his eyes that much.” He glanced at his own appearance, and staring back at him was a strange, adorable doll. Or at least that was what Dominic thought when he looked at himself. His skin was unusually pale, and his black hair was cut short and looked soft. But assuredly, the finest part of his appearance was his golden eyes. His golden eyes were strange and mysterious even by the standards of this world, giving him a unique and mysterious allure.

Dominic had found comfort in his early years by gazing into his sister's golden eyes, only to discover that he shared the same striking color. The two of them looked almost identical, and due to an innate similarity and their young age, it was challenging for anyone to determine their gender. Most people would find it difficult to tell them apart if it weren't for their height difference.

“If it's bringing out the color of his eyes, then the black shirt he has on would do just well,” Luce said.

Jane thought for a moment before grabbing a Gray turtleneck with golden buttons. “Lord Dominic, please remove your shirt.” He removed his shirt and allowed her to help him into the turtleneck before he buttoned the shirt up. She reached out to tuck the shirt in for him, but he blocked her and did it himself.

Luce and Jane, standing behind him, nodded their heads in approval. “We'll need a cloak, a belt, and some gloves,” Luce said.

“I've already selected all those things,” Jane said confidently. She picked up a belt with a golden buckle and, ignoring Dominic's attempt to block her, put it on him. Before picking up a cloak and pair of gloves, these had no embroidery or finery. They were just made of plain black material.

“Aren't they a bit too plain?” she asked Jane.

“We don't want Lord Dominic swanning about wearing hundreds of gold coins worth of clothing like other Royals did during their debut. As for the plainness, we don't have to worry too much about that, as Lord Dominic's eyes and general appearance do the rest of the work for us.”

“I knew I was right to bring you along, Jane. You have lots of good ideas,” Luce said, satisfied. Jane straightened up and looked proud. “Put them on, and we'll see your outfit together.” Jane eagerly followed her instructions, sliding the gloves onto Dominic's hands and placing the cloak on his shoulders before fastening it around his neck with a golden brooch.

The cloak fell around him, covering his back, sides, and front. It completely controlled and covered the outfit. However, one could still catch glimpses of the shirt through the gaps between the cloak. This highlighted attention on his cute face and golden eyes, which was what Jane seemed to be going for.

Luce gestured a twirling of her finger in the mirror, which he took to mean “twirl for me.” He immediately spun, allowing the corners of his cloak to whip around him. Once he was done, Luce clapped, “You have outdone yourself, Jane.”

“It is my honor to serve, My Lady.”

“We'll take this outfit and all of the others,” Luce said, gesturing towards the multiple small piles of clothing she had picked out earlier.

The merchant, who had been inconspicuous in the corner until now, bowed with a flattering expression. Whenever Dominic looked at this man, he could only think he was a typical greedy merchant. He was fat and wore several gold rings encrusted with jewelry. He attempted to give off a modest impression with the rest of his clothing by wearing black and other dark colors with inconspicuous decorations. But rather than giving off a modest expression, the tight clothing emphasized his bulging gut and rolling fat.

“Of course, My Lady. The price would normally be around,” he made a gesture with his hands, “50 Triton gold coins, or the equivalent value in other currency, but I'll be willing to give you a discount so long as you could put a good word into your father for me.”

“To increase the amount of armaments you purchase, if I'm not mistaken,” Luce said confidently.

The merchant blinked several times before responding, “Yes.”

“Which ones and how much exactly would you like to increase it by,” Luce said, frowning as if this was troublesome.

“500 enchanted Spears,” the merchant said.

“That can be arranged,” Luce said, “but I need all of this for free.” The merchant looked unhappy, and seeing this, Luce smiled triumphantly. “All you want is a recommendation to my father, but you might not know this. He's currently in the Uscan Union, and while he's away, I've been placed in charge.”

The merchant blinked several times before immediately masking his emotion. “My lady, 500 Enchanted Spears are locally worth only 250 Triton gold coins. I will only make a small profit if I sell in the kingdom of Cestia.”

“Oh really,” Luce countered. “We've already received requests to increase the amount from the Elliot in Marin companies. I also heard the Kingdom of Cestia was increasing its soldiers due to concerns about the Kingdom of Goldtowers and the Kingdom of Jax. Are you saying the price in Cestia is the same as the Kingdom of Black?”

The merchant’s eyes sharpened immediately.“I can give you a 50, no, 75% discount.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“I want it for free and don't worry, I'll keep the amount stable so long as you can continue providing excellent quality goods,” Luce said, gesturing at the piles of clothing. The merchant and Luce quickly reached a preliminary agreement, settling the matter.

Once they were done, the merchant gestured toward his slaves, who immediately picked up all the clothing that hadn't been selected. He tried to bid Dominic his personal farewells, but Luce and Jane blocked him, claiming they shouldn't even be in the same room since Dominic had not been baptized yet. So, the merchant had to leave satisfied with his new arms deal.

“Are you sure that was a good idea?" Dominic asked with concern. Making ordinary spears would be easy, but Enchanted Spears required extra steps, making them more expensive and tricky. Dominic glanced at piles of clothes they had gotten for free—seven complete outfits.

“The Belmont company has been increasing the amount of Enchanted Weaponry it's been making for some time now, and we only need a buyer. You will need all those clothes for your debut, and it's best to save money where possible. Remember that even if a royal is rich, the wealth primarily comes from tax money. People will get upset if they waste it.”

“Yes, Lady Luce," he replied obediently, recalling his previous life's politics. “I wonder what happened with the election," he thought.

“Good job during this period. I've heard you have been working hard and remaining quiet during your fitting, completely unlike the other one.” Luce said with some exasperation.

“You shouldn't be too hard on her, Lady Luce. We are two separate people; of course, we would behave differently.” Dominic said that, while defending his sister, he sometimes worried that people would raise their expectations for her because of his presence. After all, he was not a typical 6-year-old.

Luce sighed. “Recently, she's been running away from lessons to practice with swords. I understand marshall training is important, but it's equally important to know how to read and write.”

Dominic remained silent, feeling as though there was nothing he could say. “Anyways, how's your music lessons coming? That's what I'm most worried about.”

Jane said, “He's very talented and hard-working and has received praise from the music teacher.”

Luce nodded. “I want him to focus more on music as I know his manners are already fine, But he'll be forced to give a performance in front of all the nobles of the Kingdom. It's the perfect time to impress them, but it could also be dangerous if he's not prepared.”

“I'll rearrange his schedule, but I don't think it's necessary,” Jane said.

“His Awakening is today, and his debut is in a few days. The winter festival will only be 20 days after that,” Luce said. She put her hands on Dominic's shoulders.

Suddenly, the door burst open with violent force. The girl who entered looked almost identical to Dominic, with a few exceptions: she was slightly taller, and her black hair was long and worn straight down her back. She was Nora Veronica Eloise Black and Dominic's older sister by 2 years. “Lady Luce, I just saw the clothing merchant here. You told me I wouldn't have to do a fitting this year, so what gives!”

Luce let out a sigh of a tired mother. “I didn't lie to you, Nora. The merchant was here for your brother. Also, you'll still have to get a fitting, but you won't have to pick out clothes as we're just going to get you the same clothes we got Dominic, a suggestion he came up with.” Just then, Nora's entourage arrived: two knights in their red cloaks, two attendants, and two scribes.

Nora's eyes moved and found Dominic. An expression of relief filled her face before she stared at Luce with childish rage. “You made Flick go through that, that Hell?” Nora said, still using his childhood nickname.

“Not everyone finds a fitting as much of hell as you, Nora, and besides, aren't you forgetting something? There are a couple of things.”

Nora looked down at her clothing. She wore a plain white shirt, pants, and boots. However, she was also dripping with sweat, and parts of her white shirt were drenched. “I was on my way to take a shower when I saw the merchant, " she said defensively.

“So you dropped everything for your cleanliness, manners, and the basic ability to knock on doors before you open them so that you could find me and angrily accuse me of something I didn't do?” Luce said in a clearly scolding tone.

Nora's Chief retainer also broke into the conversation. “Your Highness, Lady Luce is correct. You need to watch your manners and your appearance. The other Noble children are looking to you for guidance.” The 40-year-old woman giving Nora a piece of her mind was an attendant that Dominic had grown fond of in the two years since Nora's baptism, and Nora had gained a wary respect for her. Philine Aerials, House Aerials was a titled Baron house that served knights and officers for most of its existence. It was one of the many military houses that pledged its allegiance to the militant faction.

Under their barrage of criticism, Nora averted her eyes and looked abashed. She walked over to Dominic and hugged him, using him as cover to hide from her critical guardians. “I'm tired from sword practice,” she said to Dominic's hair. “So give me a break if my manners aren't perfect.” Dominic smelt her sweat and felt her childish but still toned muscles.

“Don't make excuses; we're not talking about perfect manners. Knocking on a door is just a regular courtesy. What if Lord Dominic had been changing when you burst into the room.” Philine said, exasperated and angry.

“Why would seeing Flick changing be such a problem? I see him in the nude all the time.” Nothing she said was a lie as they still frequently showered together, slept together, and generally did most things outside of training and studying together. However, it was the completely wrong thing to say to Philine.

“And that is precisely the problem! Your Highness, Lord Dominic isn't even baptized, so you shouldn't live in the detached palace, much less spend so much time with your unbaptized brother. Additionally, even though he is your brother, you most certainly should not be showering together or sleeping in the same bed. That might be acceptable behavior in commoner and lower noble families, but you are royal, a noble descendant of Noel and Francis, The Liberator. You cannot behave in such an uncouth manner because it would reflect poorly on the entirety of noble society. I understand that the two of you are close and that you are protective of Lord Dominic, but there are still boundaries that shouldn't be crossed,” Philine said with exasperation.

Dominic and Nora were used to hearing it from her and were completely unbothered. Nora took the opportunity to speak and start pressing their cheeks together. Dominic glanced in the mirror and saw the site of the two of them embracing. Nora was smiling happily, and Dominic, usually expressionless, was showing a sappy smile that Oliver definitely would have been disgusted by. It painted a very endearing picture, and several of the onlookers were clearly enjoying the sight of their kinship. The younger attendant, who Dominic was less familiar with, was crouching down and holding her nose, as was one of the guards, whose name was Bridget.

“Don't be so hard on them,” Luce said. “It's better for them to be close than enemies. There's nothing wrong with them being so close - they're related.”

“It's not like blood-related siblings can't have relationships,” Philine said. “We wouldn't want one of the true descendants of Noel to end up like the Cretin emperor.”

“You mean the emperor who killed his brothers and his father and married his little sister before accidentally killing her in an accident?” Dominic blurted out.

“Yes,” Philine Frowned but confirmed Dominic's words. “If the history books are to be believed his sister was a perfect Beauty and even a perfect human, the Cretin emperor was unable to have affection for other women or even other people and became obsessed with her.” Her eyes scanned both Nora and Dominic. Although it was probably narcissistic, Dominic knew that he and his sister were very good-looking, almost perfect in every way, even by the standards of this world. Incest was more or less accepted in this world, but only among cousins outside a few places where it was a religious standard. Most places abhorred incest, at least between siblings.

“Well, that could never happen between me and Dominic.” Nora said confidently, “After all, I'm his elder sister, not a little one.” Philine had a bitter expression, while Dominic couldn't help but smile at his sister's confident assertion.

Afterward, considering that he'd also been covered in Nora's sweat, they showered together. This world also had showers and even taps. Rather than turning the nozzle, they would press a button to activate a magical sequence that would cause water to be created via a Magic Stone. Then, that water would be instantly heated to a preset temperature via a different Magic Stone. If Dominic had had one complaint about this system, the temperature would have been preset and challenging to change.

The shower attached to Dominic's room, which was essentially Nora's room, was also made of black squares of stone with a door made of stone, although it had magic cast upon it to reduce the weight. One of the things Dominic thought about since coming to this world was how out of whack the technology was. Showers existed, but the mass production of glass did not. As a result, wasting glass on something as inane as a shower stall wasn't possible.

The water poured down from the entire ceiling, not just from a single showerhead. The floor was a stone slab with multiple holes where the water drained away. Dominic had once questioned where the water went, and apparently, it went to slimes below the floor, where all the feces and wastewater produced by the house went.

This world also had shampoo, soap, other beauty products, and hygiene products similar to Dominic's old world, strengthening his belief that other reincarnations existed, probably more than one. They were stored in glass bottles, and whenever they ran out, you would simply bring the glass bottle to the storefront, and they would refill it for you. This once again caused Dominic to ponder the technological disparity in this world, which didn't have oil or at least hadn't discovered it or lacked the ability to obtain it. As a result, they lacked plastic. They had to develop glass replacements but came up with the refill model since glass was expensive. “Life finds a way,” Dominic muttered.

Nora, who was about to press the button, looked at him strangely. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing important.”

After rinsing off the sweat, Nora pressed another button that sent a blast of heat through the ceiling. The two Royals let the heat dry their soaked bodies from the remaining water droplets. Nora moved to the door, and when he thought she would open it, she pulled the cracked door shut. The door was left open because they worried about leaving two Royals alone in the shower. After listening for a moment, Nora realized that none of their attendants had realized the door was shut. “Your Awakenings today,” Nora said before staring for a moment. “You're nervous?”

Dominic smiled ruthfully. He hid well from everyone else, but Nora saw through him quickly. “Yes, I am nervous,” Dominic admitted. In the past six years, he'd understood the political situation he was about to be thrown into. He would be one of the four heirs to the throne, with the expectation of the militant faction placed upon his shoulders. He'd be expected to battle his cousins and emerge triumphant, securing the throne for himself or his sister. Although, of course, he would have helped, especially before he became an adult. This world's politics was even more cutthroat than his politics. His losing very well might mean death for him and his sister. Nora said he shouldn't worry about it, and it was easy—a simple, almost painless process.

Dominic knew he'd understood for over 4 years now and had been preparing himself. He read as many books as possible and studied whatever Luce told him to study with obedience. He learned, trained, and prepared for this, quite literally, his entire life. Dominic looked at his sister, who was still rambling about something. “I'll play politics. I'll take down my opponents even if they're the emperor, even if they're Queen Veronica herself.”