Rosen Faithchild, 3rd prince of the Kingdom of Gotlands, smiled as he got up. The soft bed was far smaller than what he had at home, but here… it was a luxury that surpassed anything he had before. Even before he enchanted the bed.

“May Akashic guide my light today,” Rosen chanted as he kneeled towards the sunlight. The Goddess Mother seemed so much richer than when he had first arrived. Either she was smiling on him, or blessing his choices.

“Rosen, time for breakfast!” A youthful voice cried out.

“Coming!” Rosen replied as he stood up and dusted off his knees. Breakfast. A feast to start the day!

The family had already assembled and busy with the usual morning routine. Both the mother and father were busy in the morning affairs. Mother helping the two youngest with their meals, and she smiled as I appeared and hugged her.

Hugged her. The simple act so sinful in the Gotlands. Men were to respect decorum, and decorum stated that adults did not hug. They shook hands or gave the briefest of hugs.

She returned the hug, so happy to see Rosen. Her previous child, Rosen Smith, was the eldest son. A shut-in who had died tragically in his sleep from a poor diet of snack foods.

Rosen Faithchild had reincarnated into that empty husk. Immediate changes started when he woke up in the hospital. Being fat was a fresh experience. He was always too hot. It was hard to move. Yet compared to what he had gained, even this fatty body was a boon. He always had mystic spells to help regulate his temperatures.

Luckily, the arcane arts worked here. The world seemed fainter, but that was probably because of the lack of mystic lands that were abundant back home. Gaia versus Earth. So similar, yet so different.

“Ready for school yet?” the father asked. A smirk was on the man’s face. He understood that the boy was not exactly his boy, but it was. Confusing, but acceptable. They were a family again, and that was what counted.

“No!” Rosen said with a smile and the parents both laughed. The mother stopped hugging him as she pushed him into his usual seat.

That was also a novel experience for him. An academy for the children.

The food was wonderful. Fresh bread, hearty butter. High-quality eggs, thick cuts of bacon, and the largest sausages he had seen since the last winter solstice.

Here it was breakfast. For Rosen, it was a feast. Every single morning. Every single lunch. Every single dinner. Every meal was a feast.

Spices, meats, and greens from across the world. Here and available to him. How wondrous!

“The food will not run away, you know,” Coraline said with a sneer.

Rosen smiled and leaned over to his sister. He caught her in a one-armed hug and said, “Its delicious. Cooked to perfection and I am a fan of perfection!”

He then leered at her, looking over her scandalous shirt and pants. She blushed. Yet she had stopped slapping him for such comments. He wondered if she was becoming addicted to them since she would pester him until he said such things.

Rosen knew that these were terrible acts, but here so casually accepted. It was also fun, tickling her with praise and kindness. His elder sisters’ back home would have poisoned his next meal if he had so much as touch them.

Over the last month, Coraline had gone from a disdainful girl to a snarky sister. Something he approved of since his other sisters were planning an assassination. Most likely to claim in his inheritance. Here, she was just annoying at worst.

Rosen took a moment to ponder if they succeeded. Thus his waking in this world. An odd death since he arrived with his memories intact. Though he needed magic to relive his ‘past’ self’s life.

A poor man who fell prey to the mortal dangers of this strange society. He felt a need to be masculine, but could never succeed. Thus he had found solace in virtual lands and fatty foods.

Rosen promised that he would get fit and fulfill both their dreams of becoming a warrior. Something much easier in this world as money could purchase training from the best of men. A truth present in either of his lives.

“We still on for the evening training son?” the father asked.

Rosen smiled as he saw his father. The pudgy man was excellent as a cook since it was his day trade. The man always regretted not paying more attention to his children, being a workaholic, but that changed after the hospital incident.

The man had promised to help Rosen lose weight. The father had been a boxing fanatic when he was younger, and now the pair were attending the local boxing gym. They worked hard, sweated hard, and complained harder. Together.

The art of refined brawling wasn’t really for him, but Rosen loved spending time with the father. His other-father, the King, was always too busy and indifferent to his children. The man cared more for his gold crown than his family. Tragic as they were going to kill him, eventually. Raise poison and death by poison. Such was the fate of a Faithchild.

His current father desired to spend time bonding with him. With Rosen. He would eventually change his training from boxing to perhaps the more brutal Muy Thai. The combination should prove effective if he ever got into a scuffle.

“Of course!” Rosen beamed, and the parents shared a smile. As bad as it was the hospital was the best thing to happen to the family. It had brought them together. Even if Rosen claimed he was from another world.

“Well, I should go get ready,” Rosen sighed as he chugged the water down. Even the water from the tap was clean enough to drink. It didn’t require long chants to the gods, and or copious amounts of fire.

“Stay behaved!” Rosen commanded the twins, and the two girls giggled as he gave them sloppy kisses. They hid their evilness behind the fluffy smiles of eight-year-olds. He knew evil when he saw it. It was adorable!

Though he would make sure they used their evil powers for good! Even if it meant more tea parties. His etiquette training came in handy and he had them giddy to copy. They loved the snobby jokes and dour looks. The cookies he brought in also helped.

Rosen made his way up to his room, where the suit he loved was in the closet. The clean room was odd. His memories always had it in a mess. Which made no sense. Why leave it filthy? The mother should not have to deal with such things. He was no longer a child.

Rosen was often confused at how his other-self behaved. Even with the memories, it seemed so trivial. This loving family was his heaven, as the Faithchild family was all embittered husks of human values.

The suit was excellent. It had cost a fair chunk of money, but the magic arts were especially useful in this world. The ability to find gold lost in the corners of the city allowed him to earn a steady form of income.

The deep blue and purple accent of his three-piece suit was wonderful. Though he was careful to avoid the fedora as this world seemed to mock it. Despite its snappy appearance.

He walked to his laptop bag. He inspected it and slung over his shoulder. The leatherwork was far from perfect, but it was very good for a mass-produced item. The mystic runes he had applied ensured that it would last for many years to come. Lighter, tougher, and preserved in its pristine condition.

Rosen was no warrior. Neither was he a magus. Nor a tactician. He was an acceptable scholar to the family.

Neither wonderful nor valueless. Though he came close to the bottom. They all disregarded him, and he loved that fact. It allowed him to grow in relative peace as they bickered amongst each other.

Here on this Earth? He was a genius, as his ability to recall information had shocked his various professors. There was so much information here, but the regular human mind could only hold and recall so much. A scholar’s gift enabled him to transcend that.

Work in some runes, and boom, life was going to be super easy. The scholar arts enabled him to use many common magics. Not good for war, but excellent for a kingdom’s growth and maintenance.

Combined with Earth’s technology? Well, there was so much room for improvement.

He gave his farewells, ensuring to give Coraline a sloppy kiss and kisses for his parents. Another set of kisses for the twins.

Rosen Smith stepped out to the world. He wasn’t its master yet, but that was inevitable. They raised a Fairchild to be a king, and in this King-less world?

Perhaps he would become an Emperor.