Mirror Crown
Xavier had always been a quiet, unremarkable man. He spent his days cleaning rooms, tidying up after guests, making sure everything at the resort ran smoothly. There was nothing extraordinary about him—no hidden talents, no secret ambitions. He had never wanted anything more than to live a simple life, away from the glitz and glamour of the world that the resort guests enjoyed.
But today—today was different.
When the security guard had mistaken him for Christian Classic, Xavier felt his heart race. At first, it was just a simple misunderstanding, wasn't it? He had the kind of face that people could easily forget, so why would anyone think he was someone else? He tried to explain himself, tried to tell them that he was just a regular staff member, but they weren't listening. No, they were certain.
They were convinced he was Christian Classic, heir to the world's richest family. And for some inexplicable reason, they weren't even questioning it.
Xavier stumbled down the hallway, his mind a whirl of confusion. He had been dragged into a world that felt like a bad dream. His clothes—ordinary, nothing special—were now the symbol of someone else's life. The staff greeted him with exaggerated smiles, whispering among themselves as they passed by, relieved to see him. He could hear the faint chatter: "He's back, thank goodness!" "Mr. Classic is safe."
The words didn't make sense. He wasn't Mr. Classic. He wasn't Christian. He was just Xavier. Just a guy who worked hard, doing his best to survive. But they were all treating him as though he were someone else—someone important.
And that made his skin crawl.
Xavier couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He could feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on him, the eyes of the resort staff watching his every move. The staff seemed to be treating him differently now. There was an air of deference about them, like they were waiting for him to say something—something that would confirm he was, indeed, the heir. Their subtle glances, their tentative smiles, it all felt wrong.
As they ushered him through the corridors, Xavier couldn't help but feel like he was playing a role in a movie, a role he hadn't auditioned for, and one he wasn't sure he could play.
"What's happening?" he whispered to himself, his heart pounding. "Why is this happening to me?"
He didn't know. He didn't understand any of it. Why would they mistake him for someone so important? Someone so… untouchable?
As he walked through the grand halls of the resort, the sounds of laughter and chatter filled the air, but all he could hear was the pounding of his own heartbeat. His mind raced through all the possibilities—did they know something he didn't? Was he in danger? Was there some deeper plot at play? He couldn't even fathom how to navigate it all.
Then, there were the questions that plagued him even more: What if this wasn't a mistake? What if, somehow, he had been chosen for this role? What if fate had decided, in one strange twist of the universe, that he—Xavier, the quiet, unnoticed staff member—would take Christian Classic's place?
Xavier glanced at his reflection in a large mirror as he passed a lounge. The face staring back at him was his own, but now, it seemed to carry a weight—a burden. He looked nothing like Christian Classic, at least not in any way he could tell. His clothes, his posture, his demeanor… they were nothing like the heir he was being mistaken for. And yet, here he was, being treated as though he was him.
Is this a mistake I can fix? Xavier thought, a spark of panic running through him. But the longer he stood there, the more the doubt crept in. Can I even fix this?
The security team kept following him, pressing forward with a sense of urgency that made him feel even more trapped. It was as if they were trying to usher him into something he didn't want to be part of—a life he didn't ask for, one that didn't belong to him. But as their voices filled his ears, all Xavier could feel was the weight of their expectations, the burden of their certainty.
They were looking at him as though he held the key to something they all desperately needed, and Xavier realized then that he was already in too deep. There was no turning back.
What do I do now? He wanted to scream. He wanted to tell them the truth, but what would happen if he did? What if they didn't believe him? What if they decided to punish him for daring to question their reality? His mind spun as he tried to piece together a plan, but the more he thought, the more lost he became.
All Xavier could do was follow the path they set for him, walking with the weight of a crown he hadn't earned, but that they had placed upon him. The truth of who he was—who he had been—seemed further and further away with each step.
And yet, there was a nagging voice inside of him, one that refused to be silenced.
What's the truth?
That was the question that would drive him forward, the question that would change everything.