Staring at the canopy of his bed for a few minutes, Thomas deeply contemplated his newfound issues.
He was certain that he died from that crash, but waking up in another person body's? That is kind of absurd from a scientific standpoint.
However, the nagging feeling deep inside his bones and the gut feeling told him that it was a very real, and by logical deduction, a very possible revelation.
He felt like he was living in a dream, where nothing makes sense.
He shook his head in confusion and decided to get out of bed and seek the answer to his questions.
He stood up and staggered towards the door then, he noticed a mirror hanging in the corner of his room and caught a glimpse of his own reflection.
That was the first time he saw his face.
He gasped at the image the mirror showed him. It was a face he had never seen before. With a sharp brow line, pale skin, and a square jaw. It was a face of a handsome young man. He has purple hair and a lean body structure with a defined musculature.
The man he saw in the mirror was not him.
He was certain that this person in the mirror is Alexander Romanoff, but he is Thomas.
It was him all right, but his appearance had drastically changed.
"What's happening to me?"
He then retreated backward in fear and fell back into his bed. As he stared at the ceiling, he began to consider the possibility that he had somehow swapped bodies with someone else.
"But...that's not possible. I died in a car accident, so there's nothing to be swapped with anyone. Nothing made sense." He muttered to himself.
He then shook his head to get rid of his worries. Instead, he decided to gather his bearings and focus on solving his current situation. To do that, he had to start with how he ended up here.
He stood up, once again, and made his way to the door.
As he opened the door, he was greeted by a large hallway with a red carpet leading to a huge double door at the end.
Thomas was a bit perplexed since this place was so big and grandiose. Much like a palace. Wait...this is a palace.
As he moved his foot forwards, he heard a few hushed voices coming from the direction of the double door.
He strode as carefully and gently as he can to the end of the hallway and stood behind the door to listen in on the conversation.
"So cousin Alexander is awake now? What a relief, the people are desperate to know his health condition...can I visit him?"
It was a masculine voice, a mature one and with a hint of authoritative tone.
"I'm sorry...but dear brother is not yet stable enough to meet anyone."
A feminine voice replied, he was familiar with the tone of it, it was his sister, Christina.
"I see...but it's a good thing that he is awake now. The people of the Ruthenia Empire are looking for a man who would lead them."
"My brother is going to become an emperor?"
"According to the line of succession, yes he will."
While listening to their conversations, Thomas couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
Alexander will be the next emperor of the Ruthenia Empire? Is a country with a name like that exist in the real world? He hummed in thought...there was none.
With this, Thomas was able that this world is not similar to his own. So multiverse was true all along?
Wait, that's unbecoming of him. To arrive at such a conclusion he needed data.
The memories of Alexander Romanoff provided the date which he can extrapolate.
Without sparing a moment, he started sifting through 20 years of Alexander's memories. Sorting and managing the data in order of importance.
Alexander Romanoff was the only son of Emperor Nicholas III and Queen Alexandra. The only boy in the royal family and has four sisters.
During a visit to one of the cities of Ruthenia, Alexander, along with his mother and father was attacked by a mysterious group who threw an explosive device at their car, injuring him and killing the emperor and the empress.
So that's what Christina meant when she told him he was badly wounded. It's because of the attack.
Now that the Emperor is dead, the next in line for the throne would be Alexander Romanoff, i.e. him.
What the heck? He just arrived in this world then a huge responsibility awaits him?
This is too much for him to process.
Thomas took a moment to breathe and resumed.
As for the personality of the prince, he is generally seen as a playboy prince, who often displays a laid-back and childish personality, wandering the city and bringing home girls and sometimes sneaking out of the palace just to have fun and not worry about his royal duties.
His main hobby was fencing, playing musical instruments, and singing. Quite different from Thomas.
His conflict with his father was because of his carefree and rebellious attitude. He felt that if he didn't give him a strict discipline, he would be lazy and never decide to take over his duties as the crown prince. He was also what you would call an average person in terms of academics, leading the people to doubt whether he is capable of inheriting and leading such a vast empire.
There is also a time when the emperor and the prince would get into a heated argument as Alexander blurted one day that he doesn't want to become an emperor. In short, they never got along well with each other.
He also hated his father after finding out that the country's social welfare, public order, and finances had all been in shambles due to misgovernance despite him being a spendthrift himself.
This prince is stupid. Thomas thought.
Getting a clear insight into Alexander, Thomas now understood why the emperor was displeased with his son.
If Alexander were to inherit the throne, he'll probably end up ruining the country like his father, or worst failing the country which would lead it to its downfall.
As for this world era, using information available to him, he concluded that this world is similar to the early twentieth century. Automobiles whose designs date back to the 1910s, and 1920s, are seen through Alexander's mind. Electronic appliances, basically the technologies that currently exist are what allow him to reach his answer.
Finding that out made Thomas's head spin. So this is not time traveling as the name Alexander de Romanoff didn't exist in history.
Little by little, Thomas is starting to accept the fact that he was transmigrated to another world.
"Very well, I'll come by again once he is fully recovered, please send my regards to the imperial prince, your highness."
The sound of footsteps getting quieter on the carpeted floor made Thomas conclude that the mand had left.
Meanwhile, another pair of footsteps seemed to be coming over to him.
"Shit..."
Thomas quickly ran back to his room and jumped over to his bed.
Christina entered the room and approached the bed. She noticed that his dear brother is panting heavily and sweating.
"Brother...are you feeling unwell again?"
"N-no, I'm fine. I was just walking around to exercise my body and end up exhausting myself." Thomas told a lie.
Christina's eyes were wide open.
"Dear brother...you can't walk properly yet, what were you thinking?"
She said as she rushed to bring him a glass of water.
He held his hand out to stop her.
"I can do it myself."
"No, you're not allowed to move around just to exercise your body. I'll have the doctor come to see you, you might get worse again." denied Christina.
"Please...don't, I'm already feeling better now. I don't need to see a doctor. I can look after myself. With just a day or two rest, I'll be okay." Thomas pleaded, holding her hands like how Alexander would do in this kind of situation.
Christine sighed and gave up. "Fine! But promise me that you'll behave yourself until you're completely recovered." She demanded.
"I promise. I promise." He said nodding his head.
She smiled. "I'm going to bring you your lunch." She turned around and left the room.
"What a pain in the ass..." Thomas muttered and brought the glass of water to his lips and drank all of it. "I hope I wasn't out of character."
He also realizes how serious his situation would be. In order to not raise suspicion, Thomas has to act like Alexander, that way people that are close to him won't find out that a new persona had already taken over his body.
So that means he has to act like a playboy who wanders the streets, brings home girls everything! Though not necessary, Thomas would make some changes to the prince's behavior.
After all, his life is at stake here. He is in a hostile world where a mysterious group within the country's borders threatens his life. It was proven by the assassination act. Their intention was to kill the reigning emperor and the successor.
He doesn't know what their aim is but he'll make sure they won't succeed.
