The guest bedroom of Shadowfall Castle was so large it echoed. The bed—a monument of dark wood and faded velvet curtains—could have fit an entire family. Alexs sank into the pillows, staring up at the vaulted ceiling where cobwebs competed in complexity with the plaster moldings.
A day… or has it been a week? I don't know. Time feels stretched here.
The air smelled of old dust and the faint fragrance of herbs someone had scattered to mask it. Lilith… no, Andras. Remembering her name still took effort. The elf-otaku queen with a sleep-deprivation crisis. She had asked for his help. To restore her kingdom. To establish diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic relations? Me? The only negotiation I've ever done is convincing the corner store guy to let me buy a soda on credit. How the hell am I supposed to do that?
But that wasn't the thought pounding the hardest in his head. There was another—colder, sharper.
And Hanako…
If those lights were magic from this world, and she ended up on Truman's side… then we're enemies by definition. But if she's in danger…
He clenched his fists beneath the sheets. Helplessness was a bitter taste—one he knew far too well.
I need information. I need power. I need to know what the hell I can do in this place.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd squeeze answers out of Andras. First, understand why he was here. Then… find a way to reach her, without anyone knowing.
The exhaustion—mental more than physical—finally overtook him. His eyes closed, and the darkness of the room blended into the darkness of his dreams.
---
13 Years Ago
The sky was a cruel, empty gray. Alexs, nine years old and wearing an oversized black suit, didn't cry. He stared at the marble gravestone where his mother rested.
Beloved wife and mother.
The words felt hollow. Too small to contain who she had been.
A large, warm hand rested on his shoulder. His father stood beside him, eyes red but jaw clenched tight.
"We have to be strong for her, Alex," he said, his voice rough from holding himself together. "Both of us. Can you promise me that?"
Alexs nodded. He had no words. Just an iron knot in his throat and a silent vow carved into his soul:
I'll never lose anyone again.
---
Alexs – Age 6
The house smelled like unfamiliar food and strange perfume. His father, smiling stiffly, introduced two women.
Keiko—his new wife. Japanese. Kind smile, nervous eyes.
And Hanako—her daughter.
Fifteen years old. Immaculate school uniform. Long, straight black hair. A gaze sharp enough to freeze the sun. She crossed her arms, inspecting Alexs like a strange insect that had wandered into her room.
"Nice to meet you," Alexs lied politely, using the same hollow courtesy he reserved for his classmates' parents.
Hanako didn't say nice to meet you. She simply nodded and walked away.
The sound of her door closing was the overture to the months that followed: two strangers under the same roof, separated by an ocean of silence and teenage resentment.
---
Alexs – Age 10
Their parents left.
"Late honeymoon," they said. A trip to Europe.
Alexs, ten years old, was left in charge of Hanako, now sixteen.
The first night, she served him dinner: burnt instant noodles. He ate them without complaint.
The second night, she tried again. Burned the pot.
"Let me," Alexs said calmly, taking the pan from her. To her surprise.
He cooked. Rice. Eggs. Simple things.
Hanako watched from the doorway—offering no help, but not leaving either. Slowly, the silence stopped being awkward. It became… companionable.
One afternoon, he came home with a scraped knee. Without a word, she took out the first-aid kit and cleaned the wound with clumsy care.
"You're a magnet for trouble," she muttered—but her voice wasn't sharp anymore.
---
One Month Later
The dream shifted violently.
Now he stood in a dim hall filled with people dressed in black. The air smelled of wilting flowers. He and Hanako stood side by side, receiving condolences.
Blurred faces. Empty words.
"It was a plane accident… so tragic… so young…"
Hanako, seventeen, stood straight as steel. She didn't cry. She held Alexs's hand so tightly his fingers went numb—their only anchor in a world that had collapsed.
---
Present (in the Dream)
Hanako's image split and overlapped.
The severe teenager.
The strict teacher.
The woman who worked double shifts to pay for both their tuition.
The sister who, over the years, had grown distant—buried beneath responsibility and guilt.
I have to find you, dream-Alexs thought. Wherever you are.
---
"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! THE QUEEN DOESN'T HAVE ALL DAY!"
A female voice—sharp and commanding—blared barely inches from his ear.
Alexs jolted awake. Squinting against the light streaming through tall gothic windows, he saw a young woman leaning over him.
Vibrant orange hair tied into twin high ponytails.
Honey-colored eyes, wide and curious.
And a black-and-white maid uniform so scandalously short and tight it looked more like a Halloween costume than work attire.
"Th-the… queen?" he mumbled, his brain still tangled between funerals and reality.
"That's right! Andras-sama is waiting for you in the training courtyard!" she announced with a smile so bright it was suspicious. "And she hates waiting! So—up, up, up! Express shower, perfect attire! Let's go, let's go!"
Before he could protest, the girl—apparently his personal maid—grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of bed with strength wildly disproportionate to her size.
"Hey, easy! I can do it myse—" "Impossible!" she interrupted, shoving him toward a side door. "As your assigned maid, it is my duty to care for you at all times! Bathing, meals, clothing! It's the full service package!"
She opened the bathroom door.
It was a marble chamber with an ancient bathtub the size of a kiddie pool. Alexs rubbed his face.
"Okay, okay. You go outside, I'll shower real quick and—" "Go outside?" she repeated, as if he'd suggested flying. "No, no, no. Castle Personal Service Regulations, Section 3, Paragraph 12: 'The assigned servant shall assist the honored guest with all hygienic needs to ensure efficiency and royal standards.'"
As she spoke—far too casually—her fingers slid down the back of her own dress.
Click.
The clasps came undone. The black dress slipped down in a whisper of fabric, pooling at her feet.
Alexs blinked. His brain began processing at one frame per second.
She was completely naked.
Porcelain-white skin. Not a single blemish. Soft curves—and a conveniently placed, golden magical glow that appeared out of nowhere, covering just the most private areas with the most absurd soft-light censor effect imaginable.
Like a shy anime director had personally intervened.
"Come on, Alexs-sama," she said, advancing with her hands outstretched like a spider. "Relax! This will be… very educational for both of us!"
Her smile was no longer bright.
It was mischievous.
Lewd.
And her eyes sparkled with interest that had absolutely nothing to do with cleaning backs.
ALERT! ALERT!
Every survival instinct Alexs had went off at once.
This wasn't service.
This was a blatant trap with a goddess body and a maid label.
"WAIT—WAIT—WAIT!" he shouted, backing into the cold marble wall. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! STOP! HALT! CODE RED!"
"'Code red'?" She tilted her head innocently, still approaching, the magical glow dancing with each step. "There is no such code in the manual, Alexs-sama. Only very… detailed instructions regarding thorough washing."
Wednesday, Alexs thought in panic and embarrassment. Seriously?! An isekai, a ruined kingdom, a possible interdimensional war… and my first crisis is stopping a magical nymphomaniac maid from giving me an 'educational wash'?!
PLOP!
In pure desperation, Alexs jumped backward straight into the massive empty bathtub, landing with a dull thud and throwing his arms up defensively.
"STAY THERE!" he ordered, pointing at her with a trembling finger. "OR… or I tell Andras you tried to sabotage her honored guest with… with unconventional washing methods!"
The maid froze.
Her mischievous expression cracked—then turned into genuine worry.
"Y-you'd tell Andras-sama?" Her voice lost all seduction, becoming almost childlike. "But… but I was just following the special welcome protocol…"
"Well, the protocol has just been canceled by royal decree of the bathed!" Alexs declared, seizing the advantage. "Now turn around, pick up your… uniform, and WAIT OUTSIDE! I can handle myself!"
The orange-haired maid glanced at the door, then at Alexs curled in the tub like a frightened hedgehog. Her shoulders slumped.
"Fiiine…" she sighed, defeated. "But next time, I promise the back wash will be unforgettable!" she added, regaining a glint of her naughty smile before grabbing her dress and leaving, the door clicking shut behind her.
Alexs collapsed against the cold porcelain, panting. His heart hammered like a war drum.
What kind of kingdom is this? he thought, staring at the ceiling.
A sleep-deprived otaku queen.
A sharp-toothed goblin butler.
And now a maid who looks like she escaped from an adult game.
He rubbed his face. The dream about Hanako. The pain of the past. All of it felt distant now—replaced by immediate, terrifying absurdity.
But amid the chaos, a small, tired smile crept onto his lips.
At least it wasn't boring.
And for some reason, he had the awful feeling this was only the first level of the tutorial.