The Man Who Should Not Have Lived

"Carlo, where are you?"

A call from high within the lavish palace interrupted Carlo's thoughts, pulling his soul back into this real world.

"I'm here, Father," Carlo hurriedly replied.

"Thank God, my child. Are you feeling better?" Only a few minutes later, the voice drew nearer and nearer, and its owner had arrived behind Carlo.

Carlo turned slightly, still finding it a little hard to believe.

The richly dressed middle-aged man before him was actually this body's biological father—the current ruler of the renowned House of Savoy, the first king to unify Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II.

"I'm feeling better. The medicine the doctor gave me has been quite effective." Carlo nodded obediently, but inwardly, he was considering how to speak with this unfamiliar father.

Vittorio Emanuele II paid no mind to Carlo's tangled thoughts. Instead, he affectionately stroked Carlo's head and said earnestly, "It's all right, my child. Though Edgardo is gone, you still have us, don't you?"

Edgardo was Vittorio Emanuele II's third son, granted the title Duke of Montferrat from the moment he was born.

In Carlo's memories, this elder brother had treated him extremely well. Their relationship was far closer than Carlo's relationship with his two older brothers.

But unfortunately, by the time Carlo's soul arrived in this world, Edgardo, Duke of Montferrat, was already at death's door and soon passed away.

Because of this era's appallingly poor medical standards, even the cause of Edgardo's death could not be determined.

Even a Prince had died so inexplicably. That gave Carlo a faint sense of fear toward this real world.

For an ordinary person who had experienced advanced technology and society, personally living through the technology and life of one hundred and sixty years ago was truly a torment.

Even as Vittorio Emanuele II's most favored son and a Prince of the newly established Kingdom of Italy, Carlo could not offset that awful feeling.

Seeing Carlo remain silent, Vittorio Emanuele II stroked his head again, forced out a smile, and said, "It will be all right. Everything will get better, my child.

"I will not allow anything to take you away from my side, not even God. Adelaide and I will protect you. You will be fine—I promise you."

For Vittorio Emanuele II, renowned for his devout faith in God, such a promise was clearly heartfelt and utterly sincere.

Carlo naturally knew Vittorio Emanuele II's reputation as well. Toward this father who cared so deeply for him, Carlo felt no resistance at all.

"I'm much better, Father. Thank you for your concern. I'm all right now," Carlo said.

"That's good, my child. May God bless you. I will remain by your side as well." Vittorio Emanuele II affectionately stroked Carlo's head once more, then motioned for the maidservants beside him to help Carlo back to his room.

Though the historical Vittorio Emanuele II had six sons—counting only those born to Queen Adelaide—only two truly survived past their prime. He had many sons, yet little fortune in children.

Among them, aside from Prince Oddone, who died young at nearly twenty, the other three children who died prematurely all passed away in infancy through accidents.

Although Carlo's arrival in this world meant Vittorio Emanuele II had lost one fewer son, the unceasing loss of sons during his middle years had made him treasure family ties all the more.

And Carlo, now his youngest son, was naturally the most favored by Vittorio Emanuele II. From birth, he had held the noble title of Duke of Savoy, with vast tracts of farmland, several castles and estates, and hundreds of servants waiting at all times to serve him.

While Vittorio Emanuele II stood lost in thought, Carlo had already been helped into his room by two maidservants.

Looking at the pure and beautiful maid on his left and the alluringly curvaceous one on his right, Carlo swallowed the words that had been about to leave his mouth.

Though monogamy was prevalent in the West, mistresses were hardly an unfamiliar concept to nobles of high status.

Especially among the very highest ranks of nobility, so long as Carlo was willing, young women wishing to become his mistress could line up all the way from Florence, Italy's capital, to Turin in the northwest.

At least in this respect, Carlo was willing to admit that the world of one hundred and sixty years ago still had a few pleasures.

Of course, mistresses were merely an unspoken indulgence among nobles and would generally not be made public.

For the highest nobility, maidservants were naturally a safer choice than mistresses, and their loyalty was also more trustworthy.

Especially for nobles in their adolescence, maidservants were better suited to providing enlightenment and were the first choice for educating the children of most European nobles.

The two maidservants serving Carlo were precisely the initiators Vittorio Emanuele II had selected for him. One was pure and lovely, the other sexy and seductive, and both were exceptionally beautiful.

At first, Carlo enjoyed the two women's massage, but a sudden sensation of pleasure from his lower body instantly snapped him back to his senses. Turning his head, he saw that Anna, who looked pure and adorable, had already slipped her hand into his trousers and was secretly teasing him.

"All right, Anna." Carlo patted Anna on the head. Seeing her raise her head and blink her wide little eyes, he finally smiled. "Not there yet."

"All right." Anna nodded with a hint of disappointment, withdrawing her hand from that place.

"I want to be alone for a while." After enjoying the two maidservants' skillful massage, Carlo finally relaxed somewhat and gave the two women his instruction.

Soon, the two maidservants left the room, leaving Carlo alone to lie there, lost in thought.

Carlo had more or less accepted being transported to this era. At the very least, being a noble offered plenty of ways to enjoy himself—far better than the bitter life of toil in later generations.

But the problem was that although monarchy remained the global mainstream for now, it could only hold on for a few more decades.

Once World War I and II erupted in succession, they would deal monarchies across the world a heavy blow, causing monarchist states to nearly vanish from people's sight.

In later generations, aside from Britain—a monarchist country where the monarch's power existed in name alone—people knew next to nothing about monarchist nations and could not even name many that still existed.

The Kingdom of Italy where Carlo lived would not become a republic until after the Second World War, but while Mussolini was in power, the Italian Royal Family's authority and status would already be hanging by a thread. Abolishing it would be no more than a word from Mussolini.

Though he did not know how he had crossed over, since he had begun a new life and possessed such a lofty starting point, Carlo naturally had greater ambitions.

In order to grasp his future fate in his own hands, Carlo formed a new plan.

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