Past and Present: Intertwined

Chapter 2

Vincenzo's POV

When I woke up, I was in an unknown place for the second time. And there was even a thin, unusual tube that was in my hands.

"Oh, you're awake! You suddenly fainted. The doctor said you need more rest because you are too exhausted. It seems that you have traveled from a distant place." she explained to me while helping me sit upright.

"Thank you for helping me, for the second time," I said to her and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Well... do you remember anything? Why did you come here?" she inquired.

"While I was asleep, I started to remember what happened but..." I uttered, not finishing my words.

"But what?" she asked.

"But.. I don't know if you will believe what I will say, especially since we are here in your current time," I said, my voice laced with uncertainty.

"Well then try me. There's no harm in listening to your story." she challenged.

"The truth is... I am Vincenzo Cassano, and I am the crown prince of the Cassano Family. I was never actually meant to be the crown prince, but an incident took my brother away from us. He died at that time without even a clear explanation of what happened to him. It's just like he suddenly vanished." I started.

...

Flashback

Alessandro Cassano is the current king of the Italian empire and my father, while Stella Cassano is the current queen who governs alongside her husband and also my mother. They have two children named Paolo and of course, I, named Vincenzo. My brother and I are two years apart from each other in terms of age. And Paolo is the eldest and also the next in line to be a crown prince and the king.

Due to an unfortunate event, Paolo died and my father, King Alessandro, had no choice but to make me, his youngest child, the heir and crown prince of their kingdom. I grew up longing for my parents' love, ever since my older brother died, my parents' attitude towards me also started to change.

One night, I was in the library looking for some historical books and the map of our kingdom so that I could review for my tests tomorrow. Even though I am the crown prince, of course, I still study these things. As I was passing by a corridor that led from the library to my room, I heard my parents talking with each other because the door was slightly ajar.

"You know that he doesn't have any memories about what happened that night, right?" my father said

I walked closer so that I could hear what they were saying. Although I know that eavesdropping on the king and queen is a capital crime that has a heavy punishment, I need to know this because it seems that it has something to do with me

"Well, we can't blame him. But still, he needs to know what happened, especially that he will be the next king. And I cannot risk him knowing this in the future, when we are both gone and he is all alone." my mother, the queen replied

"But now is not the time for him to know this. Since I am now deciding whether to pass him the crown after we test his skills." the king insisted

"Oh well, let's drop this topic for now. I'm sure Paolo will understand why we have done this." the queen sighed.

After listening to their conversation, I realized that it had something to do with my brother. Still, I didn't think too much about it and continued walking to my room to study. I would've forgotten about what they said, but then I passed by my brother's room, so I entered.

I started reminiscing about our times as kids together and even though he is busy with his royal duties, he will still make time for me so that he can teach me my lessons and even study archery and fencing with me. It has been a long time since I came into his room, and it is still the same, it's just... he is not here anymore.

I looked into his things and even the furniture inside the room, and I can say that the servants really did well with the cleaning and maintenance of his things. I looked in the mirror near his dresser, and there was this inexplicable feeling inside me.

So I slowly walked towards the mirror, then I lightly touched my reflection in it. But to my surprise, my hand passed through the glass of the mirror. And this gave me chills, that I even tried checking if I am still alive or already a ghost. When I tried touching it again, my hand passed through again, so I proceeded to enter the mirror. When I woke up, I was already in the middle of the road.

End of Flashback