I think it would be a good idea to delve into the characters' past and provide some background to understand the context in which the story unfolds.
Maurice, that's me, was born 20 years ago into the family of the Duchess of Kyiv, Olga. From what I gathered from the novel I read and other sources, this Olga is one of the most powerful women in this world. There's a rumor that Olga is the greatest love of the Holy Roman Emperor. However, the significance of this miraculous or diabolical person will become evident in my future tales.
However, my life, or rather the life of the main character in my favorite novel that I joyfully read, in whose body I have transmigrated, did not only take place in the Duchess of Kyiv's house but also other places. Particularly in the house of a wonderful young man and his family... With this young man, I spent the best periods of my childhood and youth, and that's probably why we have remained friends. I'm talking about Jonathan, my best friend, and I believe he is the only person who has ever truly understood me.
Well, there's a lot to tell about this character, but I can only say that he was raised as a nobleman, receiving the finest things in life: highly educated tutors, the best clothes and food, and, last but not least, the immeasurable love of the most important people in the world. The previous Maurice was known to be extremely pretentious and would never stoop to converse with people who were not nobles, something that I, the new Maurice, will try to change... Let's see if I can succeed...
There's much to say about Jonathan as well... Anyway, the most important thing I can say about him is that he is my best friend. He is also the nephew of the King of Poland, one of the closest people to the Holy Roman Emperor, the greatest ruler of the world in this novel. Since childhood, Jonathan has been spoiled by those around him and has not been very open to others. That is until he met Maurice. I will now try to narrate their first encounter.
It was a beautiful day in October... I was 10 years old, and my grandmother decided that we should visit her friend, the King of Poland. Honestly, I wasn't too thrilled about leaving the safety of my home, but I had to accept. I knew that the king's brother had a son around my age whom I could befriend. I didn't need friends, but if my grandmother said so, then I had to comply.
We arrived. The palace of the Polish king unfolded before us as we were greeted by the bows of the palace servants. In the main hall of the palace, the King of Poland himself awaited us, along with his wife, brother, and his nephew, Jonathan. I wondered why the king's nephew was present instead of the king's heir.
Well, the King of Poland was unable to have children. Honestly, I don't know if it was him or the queen, but the important thing was that the Polish king had no heirs. The only successor was his brother's son, Jonathan.
"How joyful it is to have you in our home, Duchess... Especially the young nephew of Your Highness. I believe he would get along splendidly with Jonathan," said the Polish king.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. We thank you for your hospitality, and we hope that our descendants will continue the alliance between our families."
I believe the young nobleman next to the queen is Jonathan, the one His Majesty is talking about. Well, I don't think I would mind becoming friends with him. I approached him and greeted him respectfully. Jonathan seemed extremely bashful, which made me want to get closer to him and become friends.
"Boys, go to the room and play," said the King of Poland.
"U-Uncle... I don't think-"
"Young prince, I don't know much about Your Highness, but I would like us to become friends, wouldn't you?"
"Well, I've never had any friends before, which-"
"Then I think it's time for you to have friends, don't you? Can I be the first?"
"Um... I guess we could give it a try..."
Jonathan and I went to his room to talk and play like well-behaved children. To my great surprise, I discovered that we had a lot in common, which made me very happy and made me believe that I finally had a friend who could understand me perfectly.
At the end of the meeting, we bid farewell to our allies and my new friend, promising to meet again in the future. My grandmother was extremely amazed at how quickly I befriended the Polish king's heir. Honestly, I was amazed, but I am confident in my persuasive talents.
By the time we started studying at the Academy, we were already best friends, and I can say that I was the happiest knowing that in the future, I would have a friend who would become a king. However, something told me that our friendship meant more than just an alliance between two noble families.
Now I think I should talk a bit about Marcus and our relationship with him. We were already 12 years old, and I had been friends with Jonathan for almost 2 years. That summer was incredibly interesting because my grandmother agreed to spend it with Jonathan. One surprising fact was that during that time, the Holy Roman Emperor sent one of his sons named Marcus to study in Jonathan's uncle's kingdom. There is much to say about that summer, but the most surprising event would be one particular incident.
First, I can say one thing: Marcus, our teacher, is one of the sons of the Holy Roman Emperor, the most important person in the whole world. So, Marcus is one of the most significant princes in the world. If I could characterize him, I would say he was the most noble among the people I've seen. He was almost 20 years old, but that didn't stop him from being friends with us, even though he was almost 10 years older than us. He was also extremely humble for a prince, completely different from me or Jonathan, who were like two sides of the same golden coin. Well, renouncing the right of succession for a life dedicated to Divinity was the most wonderful thing a prince could do.
That summer, we started to become extremely close. So close that Jonathan began to imitate him and become friendlier than before. No one, not even me, could bring him on that path, but Marcus could. At one point, after lunch, we were all together in Jonathan's room, talking about various subjects and learning different games from Marcus. After having fun together, learning various things, and playing different interesting games, Marcus left for his room, leaving just Jonathan and me in our room.
"Jonathan, what's the matter? You seem extremely troubled."
"Maurice, can you keep a secret?"
"S-Sure... What is it about?"
"I have started to feel something more than just friendship for Marcus. I think when I grow up, I will ask my father to allow me to marry him..."
"Jonathan... You know that such a marriage is not permitted in noble families, right?"
"Why? Because I won't be able to produce heirs? It's not like the king has any..."
"Jonathan, there's more to it-"
"I don't care. I want to be with Marcus for my whole life... Maurice, you two are my only friends..."
"Jonathan, I-"
"Don't worry, I wouldn't want to marry you, okay? Besides, we are both extremely proud and wouldn't fit in such a relationship. Well, Marcus is different..."
At the end of the summer, Marcus left with the promise that we would meet again the following winter to spend the holidays together, just like we did in the summer vacation. Honestly, I was extremely happy that the three of us would be together again this winter.
However, something terrible happened that autumn. On his way to his parent's house, Jonathan became the victim of a severe accident. The impact was so great that Jonathan suffered partial memory loss. The only people he remembered were his uncle and aunt and me. He didn't even remember his biological parents, let alone others.
"Maurice, what happened?" he asked me immediately upon waking up.
"N-Nothing... Just that you had a little accident... Anyway, I'm here, right?"
"Um... Who are these people?"
"They are your parents... Duke Alexander and Duchess Anne, don't you remember?"
"N-No... Anyway, I want to be alone... Can you-"
"Sure... I'll leave-"
"No... I want it to be just the two of us... Honestly, I don't trust strangers."
I was the only one who was there for him after that accident. Time passed, and with my help, Jonathan recovered and began to remember his parents. However, there was still one person unknown to him. Winter came, and with it, the time to keep the promise we made at the end of summer.
Marcus came back to the palace of the Polish king to stay with us as he had promised. However, nothing was the same...
"Maurice, what happened to Jonathan? He was always happy to see me, and..."
"Well, Prince Marcus, Jonathan had a severe accident and suffered partial memory loss... It's uncertain when or if he'll recover. It could be today, in 10 years, or never..."
"Is it that serious? It seems like I've lost one of my best friends... Anyway, I will leave... Don't tell him anything about what happened last summer, okay?"
"Why? Did something happen?"
"I have finished my studies and am about to enter the Academy and become a cleric... The important thing is that we won't see each other anymore... Maybe only if I become a professor at the Royal Academy..."
From that day on, I never saw Marcus again... The sadness in his eyes for losing Jonathan saddened me as well. However, I couldn't let everything end so abruptly. I spoke to my grandmother and my uncle, who was the director of the Academy, to have Marcus as our professor, and they agreed.
Prince Marcus, son of the Holy Roman Emperor, had now become Father Marcus, our teacher. When we arrived at the Academy, joy took hold of him again... Especially because of Jonathan. Jonathan had always been a troublesome student, so they never got along...
"Jonathan, you are crossing all limits. Why can't you be like Maurice?"
"Father, that's enough... I can't be the way you want me to be, so if you're not satisfied-"
"Why don't you at least try? You disappoint me greatly... When I think about how you were 6 years ago..."
"Wait, what? How do you know me?"
"It doesn't matter... Anyway, if you don't start to change, I will be forced to punish you..."
"I'm tired of your punishments... I hate you, and I hate the fact that you're our teacher. If you like Maurice so much, then marry him!"
Right as I entered the room, Marcus slapped Jonathan across the face and stormed out in anger. Jonathan remained in the room, looking sad... I couldn't believe what was happening... I went to talk to Marcus.
"Marcus, what happened between you two?"
"It doesn't matter... Anyway, Jonathan can no longer be healed..."
"Oh, come on... Remember the change he went through because of you... He intended to marry you when he grew up... He cared about you because it was you... What changed you?"
"I changed because I cared too much about him... That's why I became weak... Anyway, go to class. See you in the lesson... Please don't tell Jonathan anything..."
Everything went back to normal, I think... Jonathan causing trouble, me defending him, and Marcus trying to change him... How will it all end?