Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 23

It was difficult living in such conditions. My parents thought that moving from the slums to a calm and clean city would be a safe option. We lived in a two story house that was surrounded by neighbours that were nice to us.

I went to the most prestigious school because my parents could afford it. Little did I know that would be the worst mistake.

The world was corrupted by politicians and rich people that lived in high class societies. The politicians did not bat an eye to the poor and only preferred the rich. The rich bought out political seats and rigged the voting.

My family was the majority. The poor people that lived in huge slums, away from the big cities where all the filthy rich lived. I was the only child to parents that tried their best to support my future.

"Sung Hei! Breakfast is ready!" My mother's voice called out from downstairs.

I quickly put my books inside the backpack and took it with me downstairs. I entered the dining room and greeted my parents.

"Good morning mum! Good morning dad!" I exclaimed as I enter the room with enthusiasm

I still had my bandages and my entire body was in pain. I wanted to be as energetic and happy as possible so I tried my best to not sound down.

"Good morning, son. You seem all better in a day? You really have grown stronger! I'm sorry this is how everything is going."

"Pa, it's okay. I can take the beating. I will do my best everyday!" I told him back with a huge smile.

I quickly started eating my breakfast that consisted of bread and butter with orange juice. I gulped down the juice and quickly finished the toast as quickly as I could.

"Slow down! You will choke." My mother said seeing me in a rush.

"It's okay~ I need to hurry to reach school in time."

I finished my food and bolted for the door with my backpack.

"Did you take all your stuff? Please be careful as always." My mother said while I put on my shoes.

"I will be! See you soon, mom!"

My mother gently grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug. It was comforting and I held onto her tightly.

"Be safe. I love you." She said softly.

I let go and looked at her with a bright smile. "I love you too! See you soon! Bye bye mum!"

I rushed outside the door and ran full speed to school. I was not excited to go to school but I needed to act as if I was. I can't show my parents how much I hate school after all they have done for me.

The day was sunny and the sun was shining brightly. I felt the summer heat on my face, which is the only body part that wasn't covered in bandages.

Suddenly I see a face that I never wish to come across. Kye and his friends.

They noticed me coming straight towards them but before they could start chasing me I ran like hell.

I ran as fast as I could. Not today, not yet. I don't want a beating first thing in the morning. I will throw up.

I took a few back alleys and ran as fast as I could. I made it far from them and close to school. I could walk normally from here on out.

While walking I had flashbacks to the beatings I received for the last few days. It was more brutal and painful. They started using weapons like baseball bats and wooden planks. It hurt badly and I felt the fractures in my ribs.

"Don't think you can lose us."

Rexie. He found me.

I bolt it away from him in the opposite direction. I took a few wrong turns and found myself slightly lost from known roads.

I mistakenly ran into a dark alleyway and became trapped. I saw an exit but Dilan and Kye suddenly came through the other way. I was trapped.

"Why'd you run? Do you really want a beating this early on?" Rexie said as he got closer.

He grabbed a wooden plank from the floor and slowly came towards me with a huge smile. Kye and Dilan were no good either. They had no weapons but they were trained martial artists. They both punch and kick harder than any weapon.

"Come here, slum boy. Let me take out my anger on you."

Kye was the worst of them all. He is the son of the minister that overlooks this district. I had no power and if I did dare stand up against him my parents would suffer. My father's job will be gone and we will be reduced to nothing.

Rexie and Dilan were his friends that came from aristocratic backgrounds. They were no better but they fed off Kye's power over the school and this district in general.

"Did Mariah not say goodnight last night? You seem to be in a bad mood." Rexie told Kye who was looking at me as if he would kill me.

Kye looked at Rexie and just shouted at him. "Shut it! You can't even get Karla to like you."

They both started quarrelling with each other about having a relationship. At this moment I picked up a broken beer bottle and got ready to fight.

"Seems like he wants to fight back. Let's beat him till he's dead today." Dilan says in the middle of both Rexie and Kye fighting.

Their attention gets dragged back to me. Bandaged and bruised, missing teeth and bandaged head. My hair covered the bandage on my forehead but it showed through sometimes. I had to fight back today.

They charged at me with their fits and weapons. I took my stance and got ready to jab at whoever attacks me first.

"Take this! Go back to your slums! You don't belong in this city, you filth!" Kye shouted as he threw a punch at me.

I dodged his punch and got around him. My entire body ached at the sudden movement but I had to disregard the pain.

Seeing the opportune moment I took it and stabbed him with the sharp end of the glass bottle. It went through and into his kidney area. I have done it now.

Kye screamed in pain from being stabbed. I couldn't waste time in hearing his scream and I went in for my attack.

It's painful, all of it. It hurts.

My body ached from the bruises and fractures but this is the only time I can stand up for myself. I pulled out the glass bottle and kicked down Kye who was bleeding out furiously.

"Kye! What the hell is this kid thinking!? stabbing the minister's son!? Get him!"

The other two rushed at me but I was ready for them. They thought they were the hunters but they underestimated the boy that came from hell.

"Take this! You're not coming out of this alive this time, Sung Hei!"

He's slow. Too slow. He swung that piece of wood too hard and would go flying himself.

I dodged the attack and kicked at his legs. I dropped him on the ground and I jumped onto him. I was going to kill this guy if that's the last thing I do.

Dilan helps up Kye as I jumped onto Rexie who threw up all that he ate this morning. I squatted down on him while standing on his stomach and plucked up the courage to stab through him.

I clutched the bottle in my hand and pointed it towards his throat. With no second thought I stabbed into his throat and his screams got cut out due to his vocal cords being severed.

Kye and Dilan watched this happen in front of their eyes and became nervous. They knew I was not messing around today.

"What are you doing! You're going to kill him for real!"

The two of them lunged at me with their fists but as usual, they were slow. The martial arts I had learnt were more efficient than whatever these rich kids learnt.

I move out of the way slightly and they both miss me. They stumble and fall to their feet and this time I was ready to show no mercy.

There lay a broken metal pipe near me and I knew it was the only weapon that would allow me to give proper payback.

I felt the adrenaline rush through my body. The adrenaline of killing. This is the payback I have been looking for since the beginning of all these brutal beatings.

"Kye, Dilan, this is what happens when you boost your ego too high. Pay for your sins.

They both looked at me with fear. Is this the face that all preys make when they are being hunted? The face of two people that knew that they picked the wrong fight.

"Sung Hei! Stop this! I'm telling my father right this instant I swear to god!" Kye shouted as I came closer to him, step by step.

"No one is telling him if no one is there to tell him."

I got within range and took a deep breath. "See you in hell, dipshit."

Without a second thought I swung the metal pipe at his head as hard as I could. It made a satisfying sound that made me feel warm on the inside. I did the same to Dilan and it made the same noise. The satisfying noise of a metal pipe hitting the skull.

I laughed like a maniac while hitting them with the metal pipe. I kept hitting as hard as I could. Blood spilled from their heads and their body stopped breathing. The satisfaction of revenge is… beautiful.

Their faces became disfigured, beyond recognizable I killed all three of them with no mercy, just like I wanted to. This is payback from two years of bullying and beatings.

"Papa! Wake up! Alaric is coming this way!"

The voice of a young girl… Who is this…

I opened my eyes wide and realised where I was and who I am. "What the…"

"Papa! Hurry! He's coming!" Amelia's voice rang in my ears as I rubbed my eyes.

"Yeah alright… I'm up…"

Amelia brought my shirt and cape back to me and I put them on while sitting down and just took in what happened in the dream.

A soft knock came from my door as I buttoned up my doublet and took my cape.

"Artorius, wake up. The meeting will be in two hours. If you want breakfast I can send it here right now."

Alaric's voice came through the door as I got up from my bed. I was already in a bad mood after I just murdered three people in my dream and now I needed to deal with this. Damn these dreams

"Thank you for the offer but I'm not hungry. Send some meat for Amelia though, she might be hungry." I told him back

"Very well." He said before walking away from my door.

He really is like a distant relative to me.

I took some grapes from the fruit bowl and started to munch on those while Amelia waited for her breakfast to come.

"I'll go take a bath, care to join?" I asked her while finishing the grapes that I had plucked out.

"Okay!"

Amelia went ahead and started filling up the bath while I got undressed. There were a few amenities for the bath like liquid soap and some flower petals. They should do me nicely.

The bath filled up fairly quickly and I put in petals and the soap in and gave it a stir. It was ready.

We hopped in and washed off all the dirt from yesterday. It was a sunny day and I could see the sun shine through my bedroom window from my bathroom. It was quite the experience being in a castle bathroom and taking a bath.

Amelia washed herself on her own today, she's growing up quite fast. I relaxed and thought of the dream from today.

"Papa, you seem to be thinking about something. Is everything okay?" Amelia asked me as she came closer to me.

"I've been having dreams of my past life. They were traumatic experiences from my past as well. It's really annoying me now."

I vented to Amelia about this because she wouldn't tell anyone. She only spoke to me and I trusted her enough.

"Your past life…? What was it like?" She asked me

This is the first time I have been asked this.

"Painful. Really painful."

"Oh, I see. This life must be better then, right?" She asked innocently.

I looked at her for a minute and gave a gentle smile. "It is. It really is."

I spent enough time in the bath. I got up and dried off the water.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked myself as I got out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist and started to look around for my clothes.

"Papa, your suitcase was with uncle Felix the last time I remembered."

"Damn it! Now I have to walk outside with a towel wrapped around my waist all the way to Felix's room."

Well I had no other choice. I might as well leave with this on.

I dried off my hair and fixed it back to my usual shape. I put on some perfume that I found on the dressing table and thought for a second.

"Should I just wear my old clothes?" I muttered and thought for a moment.

The clothes were dirty and I'd rather not wear them.

I opened the door and peeked outside, looking if anyone was around. Luckily no one was around and I was free to walk outside.

"He is right down this hallway. Follow me!" Amelia exclaimed while taking the lead.

She went right towards Alyssa's room and past it. It must be that other room right behind it.

Just when I thought everything was fine, my worst nightmare came up.

I heard a door behind me open up. The only other door behind me would be Alyssa's door. I slowly turned my head around to see none other than Alyssa walk out of the room.

"Papa! Run!"

If I ran it would be even worse!

Alyssa turned around and saw me standing with nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist. Surprisingly I wasn't the only one who had a towel wrapped around their body.

Surprisingly, Alyssa also just came out of the shower and had a towel wrapped around her body. We both looked at each other for a moment before turning sideways, avoiding eye contact.

She quickly covered her eyes with her hands and stuttered as she spoke. "G-good morning… Artorius…"

"Good morning, Alyssa. I suppose we found ourselves in the same situation. I said while turning around and slowly walking away.

"Y-yeah… C-can you help me?" She said softly, barely reaching my ears.

"Later, I will get someone to bring your clothes when I get mine. Bye bye!"

I walked away and did not bother looking behind me. I went straight to Felix's room and barged in.

"Felix! Where is my suitcase!"

Felix was putting on his shirt as I suddenly waltzed into his room and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Gods above! Someone is in a feisty mood today. It's next to mine near the wardrobe." He pointed while buttoning up his shirt.

"I had to walk all the way from my room in a towel to your room. Alyssa came out of her room as I walked out too!" I told him as I rummage through my suitcase to pick a good outfit.

"What. Really? That's hilarious!"

Felix spent the next few minutes laughing hysterically as I put on some clothes that suited my mood.

"Well, today is the day. We end this war and go back home to work on the project." I told Felix as I put on my clothes.

"We've been so busy we couldn't even begin the project. Should we get King Alaric on this?" Felix said back while fixing his collar.

I didn't know Felix had such genius ideas.

"You just gave me another topic to bring to the meeting." I said before walking up behind him.

Never have I realised how tall I was in this world. I was taller than Felix who was like two inches shorter than me.

I start to button my shirt while looking at the mirror with Felix beside me doing the same. "King Alaric seems to be using you. I hope you're not falling for any traps."

"He won't be using me. I will use him."

Felix looked shocked as I told him that I will use Alaric like a pawn. I had no clue how I would use Alaric but I suppose he will be useful in my future endeavours.

"That's the Artorius Dorman I know. The Dorman family really came down from daredevils and courageous people." Felix said with a smirk on his face.

I give a soft chuckle as I fix my cape on myself. "Runs in the family. Let's go now."

"You need to tell one of the staff to bring Alyssa her clothes! Don't forget!" Amelia said as I turned around and headed for the door.

"Oh right. I need to do that." I said while walking out of the room. "I'll see you at the meeting then."

I closed the door behind me and walked back to my room. Just the perfect timing to find one of the maids bringing in Amelia's food.

I walked into the room to find her keeping the plate with steak on it on the table.

"Good morning, my lord. Here is the steak his majesty has asked us to give you on your request." The maid said while bowing down.

I walked past her and took my seat on the chair. I let Amelia plow through the steak seeing as she was quite hungry in the morning.

"I met Alyssa in the morning and she seemed to be searching for clothes. I suggest you provide her some if you haven't." I told the maid before she left the room.

The maid stopped right in front of the door before turning back towards me. "I see. I will get that done as fast as possible. Thank you for letting me know."

She closed the door and walked away. I watched as Amelia slowly ate away at her steak while I munched on a few grapes.

"You should have some of the steak! You can't go to the meeting all hungry." Amelia says while chewing away at the tender and juicy meat.

"There will be food at the meeting, I'm not hungry right now and I can always have food."

Today started off quite odd. The dream, the situation with me and Alyssa and now the meeting that will start in about an hour. I don't know what to feel about this, but I just hope everything goes well."

"Good morning~ Artorius. Did you sleep well?" Alexander barged in suddenly as I thought about what would happen today.

Damn this kid.