Water splashed on his face and he opened his eyes with a gasp.
A harsh voice came from somewhere in the room
"Get up you whore. Your chores won't get themselves done. The palace won't clean itself."
'Excuse me?? Palace? Chores?'
He raised his head and the world spun.
He waited for his vision to stabilize again before looking at the person who spoke to him. A young girl of about twenty glared hard at him holding a bucket, the one that poured the water, he guessed. The glare thick with disgust. She was dressed in a maid outfit yet she looked anything but a maid. She was very pretty with her gold hair, round yellow eyes and full heart lips. He tried to speak but he couldn't. The girl turned around and left the room in a haste as if she couldn't stand the sight of him.
Jayden looked around and finally noticed the stench come from the room. The walls cracked and dirty with some suspicious brown stuff. A large bowl, which he suspected was for reliving, was at the corner with a bucket of water beside it. And a bronze like object, he guessed, was used as a mirror from its round shape. He was thirsty, his throat felt parched and he ached all over.
Jayden finally looked at himself and saw he was wearing a similar maid outfit to the golden girl. Only his was tighter and more exposed. He realized the reason for his body ache was due to fact that he was badly beaten up.
'What happened after the accident? Where's Sebastian? Did I hit my head too hard from the plane crash?'
He was about to risk moving when the door to the room opened again to reveal the golden girl from before, glaring harder than before. She spoke with same harsh tone voice thick with disgust
"Do you want me to kick your wh* as* up before you get moving?"
Again with the wh*re thing. He'd didn't deserve this.
"I'm injured."
His voice came out hoarse but definitely softer than his usual voice.
"I can't move without feeling pain."
"You should have thought about the consequences when you tried to sneak into the crown prince's room. People like you should know their place." She retorted with a huff flicking her hair over her shoulder.
'Crown prince?'
"That's enough Lucy." A stern voice came from behind the golden girl. A woman, in her mid fourties', appeared from behind the girl and gave him a disapproving look.
"Let him be for now and reflect on his actions."
"But his chores~"
"Lucy." The woman called with a warning in her tone cutting off whatever the girl wanted to say. The golden girl turned around and stomped out. The woman only spared him a glance filled with something like pity and then she too was gone leaving him alone with the absurdity of his situation.
He remembered reading dark romance transmigration novels before the scandal when he still had little freedom.
'Is this what transmigration is like?'
But he had no memories from the original owner. The golden girl said he tried to throw himself at some crown prince, which led to his beating.
The golden girl. The elder woman called her Lucy. Of course her name was Lucy, it just had to be. He couldn't escape her, could he? Lucy seemed like the head maid. And since he was also wearing similar uniform he guessed he was a maid too.
He gathered little strength and crawled towards the bronze like object. He saw his reflection and gave a gasp. He had a purple bruised eye and his face was very white. He looked like a hanged ghost. And felt like one too.
Jayden raised his skinny hands to his face some white came off. White powder.
He wondered what the original owner was like for him to rub powder like this.
He wondered if it was too late to go back home. Then he thought back to the accident, his parents, Sebastian and wondered if it was too late to back. Anything was better than looking like the hanged ghost of a giant bruise. Maybe another accident leading to death could take him back?
'Maybe this was just a prank from his father because he found out Jayden's plan to run away?'
But his reflection told him otherwise.
He took water from the bucket there, fortunately it was clean, and tried washing off some powder. He looked at the bronze mirror and froze. Although he had same black hair and green eyes from before his face wasn't the same at all.
Looking past the bruise, he had a very soft face. Round around the edges, small nose and long lashes like a girl.
'Beautiful' was the word that came into his head. He quickly washed off the rest of the powder carefully avoiding the bruises.
'I should look for something to apply on the bruise.'
He looked around again and saw the small bag he used as a pillow. He was about check what was inside when the door to the room flung open again. He looked up in annoyance and saw another girl of about his age with purple hair and eyes. Also very pretty.
'Why are they all pretty?'
She looked around and when her eyes landed on she froze for a second.
"Kyle?"
She asked. It seemed like that was his name.
"Yes?" He responded hesitant. He didn't want to do anything out of character. The girl's large purple eyes turned wide with shock when she heard his voice. It turns out people hadn't seen the body without the ghost powder.
She quickly regained her composure eyeing him suspiciously as she spoke
"Head maid Lucy asked me to get you."
Turns out he was right. Lucy was head maid and she held a grudge against him. He sighed and asked
"Can I get something for my bruises?"
She was surprised again but then reached into her apron and brought out a small bottle of green. He mumbled a thank you and started applying it on his face. The girl, who's name he still didn't know, watched him with sharp eyes. He noticed the bottle had strange writings on it. When he was done, he noticed the relief the ointment gave, immediately. He took a closer look at the bottle unable to understand the language.
The girl noticed his look of confusion and asked
"You haven't seen a class A healing ointment before?"
'Class A? Healing? Don't tell me I've ended up in some wizard's castle'.
"No. I haven't."
She looked at him puzzled
"Head maid Lucy gives one to every maid that serves in the palace."
'Of course she does.'
"Maybe she didn't give you one because you are the only boy among the maid."
'Oh? That was new information.'
He wondered if the Lucy in his previous life also had golden hair and yellow eyes. That would have been pretty, yeah but he still wouldn't have married her. If he really transmitted, and since there was a Lucy he also wondered if there was a Sebastian or his parents.
"But then even the servant boys have one. It's because those of us with low magical amplitude then to get injured around magical object with strong magic. And what is the use of an injured maid. Might as well pack your things and go back to living like the poor orphan you are."
Well scratch what he said about his parents being here too. She talked too much. But he didn't interrupt her. People like this were the best people to get information from.
He had really ended up in a Wizard castle. Curse his luck.
He gave her back the bottle and tried to get up. After wobbling a little he could finally stand straight without falling.
'Well I have to gather some information about the the original owner before deciding if I should try going back.'
All he had gathered so far was that he wasn't well liked, he was a maid, this was some kind of palace and there was a crown prince the original owner probably liked enough to try sneaking into his room and he was the only boy among the maids. And he was an orphan before he entered the palace so he had no place to go to. Right.
He could use this to his advantage if he decides to stay. People probably hated him. He could be free and live a normal life as a maid. Free of his parents and those heir responsibilities. He just needed information to see if this place was worth staying.
If it wasn't, he'd try creating another accident that will lead to his death and then maybe he could still make it to his safe haven in Country H.
With that thought he followed the purple haired girl out of the room.