His mind, now clearer because of the medicine, raised questions that kept popping out in his head.
"Where am I? How did I get here? Who is this person? What am I doing being in this person? Why am I in this person? Am I dreaming? Did I die?..."
A hundreds of terrifying questions in his mind. But even though the existential crisis still present, a more immediate, current series of problems began to prick at his awareness.
His foot, which had hit the broken glass earlier, was bleeding a little, and it stings.
He caught a whiff of himself and it was a truly disgusting mix of stale booze and his own puke.
His fancy night clothes felt sticky and gross against his skin.
And the whole room was a disaster, with broken glass and stained sheets everywhere.
"O-Okay, hold on,big questions can wait. First, deal with the stuff that's actually touching me."
He told himself, trying to calm down and not panic.
"I need to fix the mess this body that I'm in has caused last night before dealing with this whole thing. What ever the f*ck this is that I'm in."
He couldn't tackle this huge, weird situation until these basic, messy problems were sorted.
His gaze flickered from the stained wooden floor with footprints dyed red reaching till his bare feet, where several small cuts now showed against the soles of his feet, a testament to the shattered glass he stepped on several times.
Seeing the amount of blood startled him. He looked up, his eyes finding the young maid, who was still kneeling silently by the bed, her head still down, probably waiting for him to say something or so he thought.
"Hey," Ethan said, his voice clearer now, though still a bit raspy. He pointed vaguely at his foot.
"My feet are bleeding. Can you... can you bring something for these? Something to stop it?"
"Hik-k!?!"
The young maid flinched slightly at Ethan's sudden, direct tone, her nervousness still very clear.
Her head, which had been bowed, snapped up, and her wide, fearful eyes met his for a split second before looking at his young master's bleeding feet.
"Y-yes, Young Master! Of course!"
She stammered, scrambling to her feet.
"I-I will bring another vial, b-bandages, and something to... to clean the cuts."
She gestured vaguely towards the door. Then while stuttering she said;
"The small vial, the one that shimmers red sir. I-It will help remove the shards."
Without another word, she bowed clumsily, her movements still hurried and anxious, and then practically fled from the room.
Ethan watched her go, a flicker of bewildered annoyance crossing his face.
"A 'shimmering red vial' that helps remove glass shards"
This world just kept getting weirder. But as the door clicked shut behind her, his attention shifted from the peculiar healing methods to the maid herself.
"Why was she so jumpy?" He wondered.
From the moment he'd first registered her presence, she'd been kneeling silently in the corner, practically blending into the room.
She'd been trembling slightly when she spoke, and her whole demeanor was screaming fear and nervousness the whole time.
Even when he just asked for water and medicine, she spoke very respectfully, and barely a whisper, as if she was walking on eggshells.
"What kind of person was I, or rather, was he?"
Ethan thought with a grimace, looking down at his slender, pale hands.
This body's previous owner must have been a real piece of work for a maid to be that terrified just because he's waking up and speaking.
It wasn't just mild shock. It was genuine fear.
He suspects that this "Young Master" is a bit of a tyrant, or at the very least, unpredictable and harsh.
That realization added another layer to the already towering pile of problems.
While looking at the mirror again, Ethan raised his hand and holds his chin, looks to be checking out his face and seems to be talking to himself, finally said;
"It looks like this guy is not one of the good guys in the least."
He had no choice. If he wanted to survive even a day in this unknown place, he had to figure out everything.
"Ah! Right..." He muttered, flexing his new, weaker hands.
"I need to understand this guy's life, his standing, his enemies... every damn problem he left behind."
This wasn't just about his own survival anymore. It was about navigating a pre-existing minefield.
"I need information, and I need it fast."
He concluded, his smile showing. Ethan, who likes to play games and enjoys the thrill of challenges, seems to be looking forward to his future in this world.
The maid's POV
The maid, who pretty much bolted down the hallway, with her heart still beating fast. As soon as she was out of sight of the Young Master's door, she let out a shaky sigh of relief she didn't even know she was holding.
"Whoo... Wow, that was... easy." She thought, leaning on the cool wall for a second.
Most mornings after a wild night, the Young Master would be yelling, throwing stuff, maybe even hitting whoever came into his room.
She expected harsh and hurting words, maybe something thrown at her, or even a slap. But no, he just asked nicely for water and medicine.
And then, even with both his feet bleeding, he still talked in that calm, weird way, just asking for help. It was totally unlike him.
"Maybe... maybe his hangover is just super bad this time..", she wondered, "..so bad it made him gentle." Whatever it was,
she was super thankful.
A calm Young Master, even with cuts in his feet, was way better than an angry one. The tight feeling in her shoulders loosened a bit as she pushed off the wall and quickly headed for the small room with medicines.
________________________________________
After several minutes later, just as Ethan was about to take a more thorough look around the room for clues, the door handle began to turn slowly, and then with a soft, drawn-out creak, the door open.
The young maid reappeared, her arms with the promised supplies. She moved with a cautious haste, her eyes still darting nervously.
With a closer look, the maid seems to be holding a silver tray in her hands that has a roll of clean white bandages, a small container that seems to hold a clear liquid with a distinct herbal scent, and a small vial that shimmers red faintly as she mentioned earlier.
She approached him hesitantly, her gaze fixed on his foot.
"I... I have everything, Young Master." She said, her voice a little steadier now that she had a task.
"Shall I... shall I begin?"
Ethan straightened up slightly, trying to project an air of composure he definitely didn't feel. This was his first real test of acting the part.
He cleared his throat, trying to mimic a calm, slightly detached tone he imagined a 'Young Master' would use.
"Yes," he said, keeping his voice even, though his foot throbbed.
"Proceed. And do be... thorough. I prefer not to be left with any lingering discomfort."
He forced himself to hold her gaze for a moment, a subtle attempt to convey authority without being threatening, before looking away to his feet.
He carefully began to walk across the polished floor, his steps slow and slightly uneven due to the multiple tiny cuts that still has bits of shards on his bare feet.
"Ugh," he grumbled softly with one step, followed by a quiet "Ngh," on the next.
He aimed for the only armchair in the room, a true noble's seat. It was crafted from dark, rich wood, intricately carved with swirling patterns, and upholstered in deep, emerald green velvet that seemed to absorb the light. Its high back and wide arms gave it an imposing, almost throne-like feel.
"Now that's a chair." He thought, eyeing it's luxurious form.
"Way better than my gamer chair back home. This is how the rich lives, apparently."
With a soft sigh of relief, Ethan eased himself into its plush depths, letting the luxurious fabric envelop him.
"Oh, wow. This is actually incredibly comfortable." He thought, sinking into the cushions.
"Almost made forget I'm stuck in a fantasy body with a mountain of inherited problems."
The momentary comfort was a small, guilty pleasure amidst the chaos.
The maid quickly followed him, her movements quick and attentive. She knelt down on one leg directly in front of him, her head still slightly bowed to show respect.
Carefully, she reached out and gently lifted his wounded left foot, resting it on her knee.
"Wah?!"
Ethan who was lost in the comfort of the chair forgot the maid and he let out a sharp gasp at the sudden, unexpected touch, his body jolting reflexively.
"Hiikk?!!"
The maid, startled by his sudden sound, flinched back, her eyes widening in renewed fear. In her shock, she loosened her grip, and Ethan's foot accidentally dropped against the hard floor.
THUD!
"Ack!!"
***
"/Feel free to drop a comment, would love to here your thoughts!"