Darkness pressed around him like deep water, thick and endless. Adrian tried to breathe, but the air felt strange. A steady beeping sound echoed in his ears, slow and distant. He tried to move his fingers, but they felt light, almost weightless. He kept his eyes closed at first because there was no steady machine sound or distant footsteps on the tile floors. Instead, he heard fabric swishing every few seconds.
He opened one eye slowly and saw the ceiling above him was not white and smooth like a hospital room. It was high and painted with gold patterns shaped like wings. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision. Maybe he was still dreaming. That had to be it, or his brain was playing tricks on him while he lay in a coma. Yes. That sounded reasonable. People in comas dreamed, right?
He opened both eyes. "This was not the hospital," he said in his mind. The room was large, curtains made of heavy blue cloth hung around his bed, and he pushed himself up quickly.
The movement felt wrong, as his body felt lighter, leaner, different. His muscles moved in a way he did not recognize.
"Okay," he muttered. "This is not my hospital room." He looked down at his hands.
His hands came into view and his breath caught in his throat. They were not his hands. They were long and pale, with marks along the fingers as if they had held a sword many times.
"No," he whispered.
The word sounded unfamiliar in his own ears, then the door opened softly as two men hurried in long robes. One was old with sharp eyes and thin gray hair, the other was younger and carried a wooden tray filled with small glass bottles.
"Your Majesty," the older man said carefully. "You should not sit up so quickly."
Adrian looked behind him, there was no one else in the room. He looked back at the old man. "I'm sorry, who?"
The younger man's eyes widened. "You, your Majesty," the old man said gently.
Adrian pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes, King Caelan Valerian."
Adrian laughed, it was not a joyful laugh. It was the kind of laugh people make when they are one step away from losing their minds. He stared at them, his heart began to pound harder. "Where is my wife?" he demanded. His voice was smooth and deep, but it was not his own. "Where is Kate?"
The two men looked confused. "Your wife? You are safe in your chambers, Your Majesty," the older man replied gently.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, I am Adrian Kingston. CEO of Kingston Global. I was shot at my wedding. I should be in a hospital with machines right now."
The two men stared at him as if he had started speaking another language.
The younger one whispered, "He is worse than we feared."
Adrian ignored that and swung his legs off the bed and stood. The floor was cool beneath his bare feet. He ignored the dizziness and walked toward a tall bronze mirror across the room, and he stopped when he saw the reflection.
A stranger stared back at him. The man in the mirror had sharp features and long dark hair that brushed his shoulders. His eyes were lighter than Adrian's, almost silver in the firelight. A slight scar marked the skin near his collarbone, and he looked young but carried a cold strength in his face.
Adrian lifted his hand slowly, the stranger did the same. "Ahh!" He staggered back and fell on the floor. "What happened to me? This is impossible," he breathed.
Behind him, the younger man whispered, "The collapse must have been worse than we thought."
Adrian rushed up and turned sharply. "What collapse?"
The older man stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, you fainted in court after hearing of His late Majesty King Therion's passing."
"King who?" Adrian snapped.
"King Therion, your father."
The name meant nothing to Adrian, yet it stirred something he couldn't explain inside him. Suddenly, a strange image flashed in his head. A tall man with stern eyes sitting on a black stone throne, his heavy hand resting on a young boy's shoulder. "This is not my father," Adrian muttered.
He pressed his fingers to his chest. "I was shot," Adrian said firmly. "At my wedding in Seoul minutes ago, so, call my lawyer or my head of security. I need to go back to my family right now."
The younger man's eyes widened. "La-w-yer?"
"Yes, lawyer," Adrian snapped. "Attorney, or any legal counsel."
The older man's voice lowered. "Your Majesty, you are King Caelan Valerian of Daeyun. There are no lawyers inside the royal palace, and we don't even know what that means." The words hit him hard.
King in Daeyun? Seriously? He looked around the room again with clearer eyes and saw heavy silk curtains hung from carved wooden frames. A sword rested on a decorated stand near the wall. The windows were open, and beyond them, he could see stone towers and gardens stretching into the distance.
There were no skyscrapers, no traffic sounds or electric lights. Then, this was not Seoul! The door opened again, this time with more force. Several nobles stepped inside, followed by armored guards. At their front stood a man with calm but observing eyes.
"Your Majesty," the man said with a deep bow. "We were told you have awakened."
Adrian stared at him. "And you are?" The question shocked everyone in the room.
The man answered carefully. "I am Lord Cassian, your chief advisor."
Adrian folded his arms. "Good! Even if I don't know you, I need you to explain why I am not in a hospital and why no one here understands basic security." Whispers spread through the chamber.
Lord Cassian kept his expression steady. "Your Majesty, you are in the royal palace of Daeyun. You collapsed in the throne hall after the news of King Therion's death. The physicians feared exhaustion."
Adrian shook his head. "No, that's not true. I was at my wedding, and there was a sniper. Then boom! I remember the shot." More whispers rose.
"Sniper?" someone muttered.
"He speaks strange words."
"Has madness taken him?"
Adrian heard them clearly, his jaw tightened. "I am not mad!" he said sharply. That silence felt heavier than denial. "Okay? Did someone pay you guys to do this to me? This is kidnapping!"
"Your Majesty, we don't understand you," one of the chiefs said.
"You don't understand me? Once I arrest and sue all of you... get out of my way!"
He walked past them and stepped into the corridor. The guards quickly moved aside. Long stone hallways stretched ahead of him, lit by torches. Servants bowed deeply as he passed. Outside the arches, he saw vast gardens and high walls guarding the palace grounds.
His heart raced so loudly that he could hear it in his ears. "Is this real? Or am I dreaming? What's happening!" Adrian became restless. "Okay, I should make a call."
He searches his body and finds nothing. "No, this can't be happening to me! I need to see my wife!"
Cassian studied him closely now. "Your Majesty, there was no wedding."
Adrian froze as Kate's face filled his mind. Her white dress, the way she smiled before the gunshot.
He exhaled hard. "You are mistaken," he said, pointing at Cassian.
"I assure you," Cassian replied, "you have never been married."
Adrian burst into cries, "Kate!" he screamed so loudly.