The library was quieter than Adrian expected.
He had been reading for nearly three hours, and his original plan of simply learning the basics had already fallen apart.
There were too many books.
Too many names.
Too many things he didn’t understand.
Adrian leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.
“Who writes a history book this thick?”
Elena, sitting across from him, didn’t even look up.
“You asked for it.”
“I know.”
“Then stop complaining.”
“I’m allowed to complain.”
“No, you’re not.”
Adrian stared at her.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
He shook his head and returned to the book.
He had learned more about Arvendale in the last few hours than he had from the memories left behind by the original Adrian.
The kingdom was large.
Much larger than he had initially assumed.
Its western territories contained enormous farming regions.
The northern forests supplied timber, herbs, and hunting grounds.
The eastern frontier bordered lands filled with monsters, while the southern coast connected Arvendale to several important trade routes.
The kingdom also had mountains rich in iron, coal, and mana crystals.
Resources weren’t the problem.
That was interesting.
Arvendale had everything a developing kingdom could want.
Yet the treasury was struggling.
Several provinces were heavily indebted.
Roads were poorly maintained.
Farmers complained about taxes.
The army was large but expensive.
And much of the kingdom’s wealth was controlled by a handful of noble families.
Adrian frowned.
“That’s not good.”
Elena finally looked up.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He tapped the book.
“Who manages the royal treasury?”
“The Minister of Finance.”
“Name?”
“Lord Cedric.”
“Family?”
Elena blinked.
“Why are you asking?”
“Because if I’m going to become king, I should probably know who’s handling the kingdom’s money.”
She stared at him.
Then she smiled.
“You really have changed.”
Adrian ignored the comment.
“His family?”
“The Marrow family.”
Adrian made a mental note.
He continued reading.
The Marrows had controlled the treasury for almost thirty years.
That immediately made him suspicious.
Not because they were necessarily corrupt.
He didn’t know enough to accuse anyone.
But thirty years was a long time.
And history had taught Adrian one thing.
Whenever one family controlled an important institution for too long, it was worth investigating.
He turned another page.
Then stopped.
“Magic.”
“What about it?”
“How strong are the mages here?”
Elena shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“Neither do I.”
She looked at him strangely.
“You grew up here.”
“I know.”
“Then how do you not know?”
Adrian paused.
Because the original Adrian had never cared.
He closed the book.
“Let’s just say I wasn’t paying attention before.”
Elena nodded slowly.
That answer seemed to satisfy her.
Adrian wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps she was simply happy that he was finally paying attention to something.
A servant entered the library.
“Your Highness.”
Adrian looked up.
“Yes?”
“The royal physician requests your presence.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“Father?”
The servant nodded.
Adrian stood immediately.
Elena followed.
They left the library together.
Neither of them spoke during the walk.
The palace suddenly felt different.
Adrian had been so focused on learning that he had almost forgotten the most important thing.
The king was dying.
And when he died, Adrian would become king.
They reached the royal chambers.
Two guards opened the doors.
The smell of medicine reached Adrian immediately.
Inside, several physicians stood around the bed.
His father lay beneath heavy blankets.
King Richard Valerius looked nothing like the powerful ruler Adrian remembered from the original prince’s memories.
He looked old.
Tired.
Weak.
His face was pale, and his breathing was shallow.
Adrian stopped at the doorway.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
This wasn’t his father.
Not really.
But the memories of the original Adrian were enough to create something strange.
A connection.
He remembered sitting on this man’s shoulders as a child.
Learning to ride.
Getting scolded after breaking an expensive vase.
Watching his father leave for war.
The memories weren’t his own, yet they still carried emotion.
Adrian slowly walked toward the bed.
“Father.”
The king opened his eyes.
It took him several seconds to focus.
Then he smiled faintly.
“Adrian.”
His voice was weak.
“You came.”
“Of course.”
Richard looked at Elena.
“And you too.”
Elena moved closer.
“How are you feeling?”
The king laughed quietly.
“Like death is waiting outside the door.”
Elena’s eyes became wet.
“Don’t say that.”
Richard smiled.
“Someone has to.”
Adrian pulled a chair beside the bed and sat.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Finally, the king looked at him.
“I hear you’ve been reading.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“News travels quickly.”
“In a palace?”
Richard smiled.
“Nothing stays secret.”
Adrian nodded.
That was useful information.
“Father…”
Richard raised a hand.
“Let me speak.”
Adrian became quiet.
“The kingdom will soon be yours.”
Those words carried more weight than Adrian expected.
Richard looked directly into his eyes.
“I know what people think of you.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
“I know what the nobles say.”
The king took a slow breath.
“And I know what you’ve done.”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
The old Adrian had done plenty.
Richard continued.
“But you’re still my son.”
Adrian looked back at him.
“You’re also the heir.”
The king’s expression became serious.
“When I am gone, everyone will test you.”
Adrian listened carefully.
“The nobles will test you.”
“The ministers will test you.”
“Foreign rulers will test you.”
“Even your own soldiers will test you.”
Richard’s breathing became heavier.
“A king cannot afford to be careless.”
Adrian nodded.
“I understand.”
“No.”
Richard shook his head.
“You don’t.”
Adrian remained silent.
Richard looked toward the window.
“You think wearing a crown makes you powerful.”
“It doesn’t.”
“The crown makes every mistake more expensive.”
Adrian absorbed the words.
His father wasn’t giving him a speech.
He was warning him.
“You will inherit problems I couldn’t solve.”
Richard’s voice became quieter.
“Debt.”
“Corruption.”
“Border disputes.”
“Political factions.”
“An army that needs reform.”
“And nobles who believe the crown exists to serve them.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So he knows.
His father knew the kingdom had problems.
That was important.
“Why didn’t you fix them?”
The question came out before Adrian could stop it.
Elena looked at him.
Even the physicians seemed uncomfortable.
But Richard simply laughed.
“Because knowing something is wrong doesn’t mean you can fix it.”
Adrian said nothing.
Richard closed his eyes for a moment.
“I spent twenty years keeping this kingdom from falling apart.”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Sometimes surviving is the victory.”
That sentence stayed with Adrian.
He understood it.
History was full of rulers who had inherited unstable kingdoms and tried to change everything at once.
Many had failed.
Sometimes badly.
Adrian stood.
“I’ll do my best.”
Richard opened his eyes.
For the first time, there was something like pride in them.
“That’s all I can ask.”
Adrian turned to leave.
“Adrian.”
He stopped.
“Yes?”
“Don’t become your father.”
Adrian frowned.
Richard smiled weakly.
“Become better.”
Adrian stood there for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
“I will.”
He left the room with Elena.
The moment the doors closed behind them, Elena grabbed his arm.
“You were serious.”
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Yes.”
She studied his face.
“You really intend to become king.”
“I don’t have much choice.”
“You could have changed before.”
Adrian sighed.
“I know.”
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Yes.”
She released his arm.
“I’d rather have a serious brother than the idiot I had before.”
Adrian laughed.
“You’re very supportive.”
“I try.”
They walked back toward the library.
But Adrian’s mind was elsewhere.
His father had given him a warning.
The kingdom wasn’t healthy.
And Adrian had no intention of pretending otherwise.
That night, he made a decision.
He would spend the next few weeks learning everything he could.
The economy.
The military.
The provinces.
The nobility.
Magic.
Trade.
Agriculture.
Everything.
He wouldn’t announce grand reforms.
He wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep.
He would observe first.
Then act.
Because if he had learned anything from engineering, it was simple.
Before rebuilding a machine, you needed to understand why it was broken.
And if Arvendale was truly as troubled as his father claimed…
Adrian had a lot of work ahead of him.
Three weeks passed.
Adrian barely left the library.
At first, people laughed.
The useless prince had discovered books.
Some nobles thought it was a temporary phase.
Others thought he was preparing for another extravagant hobby.
But Adrian didn’t care.
He kept reading.
He learned that Arvendale’s tax system was unnecessarily complicated.
He discovered that grain prices had risen for three consecutive years.
He learned that several roads connecting important provinces were in terrible condition.
He learned that the eastern army had requested more supplies twice and been ignored.
And then he discovered something that bothered him more than everything else.
The kingdom had suffered several poor harvests.
Yet grain warehouses belonging to certain nobles were overflowing.
Adrian closed the report.
“Interesting.”
Elena looked over from the sofa.
“What?”
“Nothing yet.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I don’t have enough information.”
She smiled.
“You’re becoming boring.”
“Good.”
Before Elena could respond, the library doors opened.
Marcus entered.
His face was unusually serious.
“Your Highness.”
Adrian looked up.
“What happened?”
Marcus bowed his head.
“His Majesty has taken a turn for the worse.”
The room became silent.
Adrian slowly stood.
“How long?”
Marcus hesitated.
“The physicians believe…”
He swallowed.
“Perhaps a few days.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
Only a few days.
His time as a prince was almost over.
And whether he was ready or not…
He was about to become the King of Arvendale.