Chapter 20:

Identity Revealed?!

Doppolia: A New Magical World


“Huh? What are you talking about?” His words left me in a vegetative state. I refused to wrap my head around what he said. How did he know about my hometown? Maybe I heard him wrong… “Um, sorry. C-Could you say that again?”

“Sorry. You resembled Mr. Satori, yet your other name was Takumi. Your name sounded Japanese. During dinner, I noticed your unusual mannerisms. Also, your shirt.”

“Huh? You know who these girls are on my shirt?!” I shouted, stretching my shirt to give the prince a clear view of it.

“Yeah, they’re the Cutesy Twins. Kowala and Astra. I only heard of them when they were starting.” Prince Kaito took a closer inspection, rubbing his chin. “I’m guessing they are quite popular now.”

Unbelievable! He really did know the Cutesy Twins! I desperately tried to relax my body. I wanted to rush over and give him a hug, overwhelmed by the wave of happiness that washed over me.

Back in the dining hall, Princess Kiriko waited patiently, slouched in her seat, for her brother’s return. She stared blankly towards Amada and the others. Amada sensed the intense stare and nervously said, “I love your dress, Princess Kiriko.”

The princess ignored Amada’s compliment, dozing off. Amada awkwardly chuckled as she tried to initiate small talk again. This time, she approached it with a new method.

She observed the princess’s behavior towards her brother and used that to her advantage. “Kaito was telling us how he loved your dress.”

Kiriko’s body jolted from her statement. She fixed her posture and awkwardly said, “Oh, really.”

Amada stood up and twirled around. “Mine’s pretty. But yours looks way prettier.”

Princess Kiriko’s eyes fluttered with hearts as pupils as she gazed at the loose purple fabric on Amada’s waist. “Yours look so pretty. I want one.”

Kiriko turned her attention to Hinabe, who had woken from her sleep. “And I love your outfit, elf.”

“Oh, thank you.” Hinabe timidly replied.

Princess Kiriko slammed her hands on the table, with joy in her face. “Since you guys are staying with us, how about we go try on some clothes. We should have some dresses that fit you...”

“Amada. And she is Hinabe.”

It didn’t take long before the girls got along. With the mood positively shifting in the room, someone felt uncomfortable. Anojin remained in his seat, displeased by the girls’ conversations. “Great, girl talk.”

He glanced over at the closed exit, pondering about me and Prince Kaito. He felt left out by the boys. He calmly stood up and addressed the room, “I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

He secretly smacked his lips away from everyone as he stomped to the exit. Because he wasn’t invited to our conversation, he automatically assumed we were plotting against the girls.

“Curse that, Takumi,” Anojin growled. “He’s probably telling the prince he wants to sleep next to the girls! Or, the prince wants to sleep with the girls, who want me far away from them!”

As his thoughts enraged him, he heard mumbling behind the closed exit. Our voices grew louder as he drew closer to us. His curiosity piqued, and he refused to open the doors.

“What are they talking about?” Anojin gently leaned his ear closer to the door as he overheard our conversation.

My mind was blank. Never did I think someone would know of Japan. No one ever talked about that. Amada only knew about it because I told her. “Are you also from Japan?” I asked the prince.

“Yes, I am. I was transported here a few years ago. I’m from Kyoto.”

“No way! I’m from Osaka.”

Kaito couldn’t contain his happiness. A bright smile shone on him as he exchanging a warm hug with me. “I’m so glad I’ve met someone from somewhere else in Japan,” the prince said.

Our hug lasted for almost a whole minute. I sensed the joy in his hug as if he longed for this moment. After we detached ourselves, I posed another question curiously. “Why were you transported here?”

“My real name is Sado. The royal family told me that Prince Kaito had died from a deadly, incurable illness. His death was not made public. After his death, some members of the royal family secretly plotted to resurrect him.”

“With the past king planning this, only a few workers were aware of this plan, Garlan included. My siblings and mother were unaware of the plan. They were told I was to be left alone to heal. However, instead of using the resurrection spell, they used the teleportation spell.

“I was celebrating my mother’s birthday at the time when they teleported me.” Suddenly, Prince Kaito quietly mumbled, exposing the sadness in his heart. “…Never got a chance to say goodbye.”

I paused for a second. His pain sounded so genuine, I had no idea how to respond. Instead, I uttered, trying to relate to him.

“No way! That’s what happened to me. Except, I was at the Cutesy Twins concert!”

“I see…” Prince Kaito paid no attention to my rudeness. I expected him to mourn over remembering his past. Instead, his face brightened as if relieved by my story.

He added, “…I assume the transition of being someone you are not was a hard task to get used to?”

“Yeah, it’s still annoying from time to time, being called someone you’re not. But I got used to it fairly quickly. It has its benefits.”

“That’s so interesting.” Prince Kaito pointed out before explaining his story. “When I first came into this world, everyone in the room assumed I was the actual prince. I tried to explain to them that I wasn’t. However… no one listened to me. They concluded that I suffered from amnesia after the resurrection.”

I could understand how he felt. When I first arrived, I tried to plead with everyone to believe me. Sadly, the citizens never believed it, so I had no choice but to deal with it. Even though my friends aren’t the brightest, they were the only ones who believed me.

Prince Kaito continued his story. “Garlan worked for Prince Kaito and immediately sensed I wasn’t him. He apologized for summoning me here and explained how I needed to act like the prince in order not to raise suspicion.”

“It definitely took some time to get used to. I grew up in a poor area, so this felt new to me. I mourned for my parents at the beginning, as there was no way back home.”

“When I met my new family, I was welcomed with a huge amount of love. It appeared Princess Kiriko loved Kaito the most. It took a while to get used to her obsession with me.”

After bonding with our troubles, a strong connection formed between us. We exchanged a warm handshake, letting out a wide grin.

“Thank you, Takumi.” Prince Kaito smiled. “I’m glad I could share this with you. It feels good to tell someone this, and believe me.”

“No problem. I’m also glad I met someone who understood my struggles.”

“I assume you will keep this a secret.” Sado guessed.

I bantered, “Even if I did, I’m not sure anyone would believe me.”

“Ha, True.”

Anojin listened in as we exchanged a full-hearted laugh. He overheard our entire conversation, even Prince Kaito’s secret. He covered his mouth in shock. “First that fake hero, now there’s a fake prince?”

After gaining this information, an evil smirk rose from Anojin’s mouth. He believed he had the power to exact revenge on Kaito. “Ha, I think it’s time for some revenge, prince.”

This wholesome moment filled my body with glee. This was the best thing that has happened to me since I arrived. Nothing could ruin this moment… or so I thought.

sTakumi
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