Chapter 108: 2
Hiroshi opened his eyes. He did not know where he was. The ceiling was made of dark wood. The bed was hard. He sat up and looked at his hands. They were small. They were the hands of a woman. He got out of bed and found a mirror on the wall. He saw a young woman with short hair and a plain face. Her name was Lena. Hiroshi had her memories. He knew he was now Lena.
Lena was a butler. She worked for the 12th Prince of the Demon Kingdom. The prince was named Caelum. They were at a place called Ashfen. This was an estate on the outer edge of the kingdom. It was a small house with few rooms. Hiroshi stood in the small bedroom. He felt the cold floor on his feet. He had to start his day. He had to understand his new life.
He dressed in a black suit. The clothes were clean but old. He walked out of the room and into the hallway. The house was quiet. He remembered that there were only six servants in total. He walked to the kitchen. Three servants were there. They were preparing breakfast. They nodded at him. They called him Lena. Hiroshi did not correct them. He looked at the food. He did not think about how it smelled. He only looked at the amount. There was not much food. The estate was poor.
Hiroshi walked to the main part of the house. He needed to find Prince Caelum. He found the prince in a small library. Caelum was nineteen years old. He had dark hair and pale skin. He sat in a chair by the window. He was reading a large book. He did not look up when Hiroshi entered the room.
Hiroshi stood by the door. He observed the prince. People in the capital said Caelum was a failure. They said he was weak and discarded. Hiroshi looked at the prince’s hands. They were steady. Caelum turned a page. He did not look like a man who had given up. He looked like a man who was busy. He had many books on the table next to him. Some books were about history. Some were about law.
Hiroshi left the library to inspect the rest of the estate. He walked outside. The ground was dry. He saw the two guards. They were old men. Their armor was rusty. They sat on chairs near the front gate. They did not look like they could fight well. Hiroshi went to the stable. There was only one horse. It was a brown horse. It looked healthy but it was just one animal.
He went to the small office where the records were kept. He opened the ledger. He looked at the numbers. The accounts were small. There was enough money for food and heat. There was no money for luxury. There was no money for many guards. There was no way to send messages quickly to the capital. The estate was isolated.
Hiroshi sat at the desk. He thought about his situation. He was in a world that worked like a game he knew. There were three other heroes in this world. They were threats. He needed to survive. He needed to know the land. He needed to know the politics. He looked at a map on the wall. Ashfen was far from the center of power. That was good for hiding. It was bad for getting information.
He heard a knock at the front door. He walked to the entrance. A man stood there. The man wore a plain cloak. He held a letter. He gave the letter to Hiroshi. The man did not speak. He turned around and walked away. He had a fast horse. He left the estate quickly.
Hiroshi looked at the letter. It was for Prince Caelum. There was no name on the envelope to show who sent it. The seal was plain wax. Hiroshi took the letter to the kitchen. He used a thin knife to open the seal. He did not want to break the wax. He pulled the paper out. He read the words.
The letter had only one line of text. It said that they are watching the throne and no one is watching you. Hiroshi looked at the words for a long time. This meant the prince had allies. Or it meant he had enemies who wanted to use him. It meant Caelum was not as alone as he seemed.
Hiroshi put the paper back in the envelope. He used a small flame to melt the wax and close it again. He made sure it looked like it had never been opened. He walked back to the library.
Prince Caelum was still reading. He had not moved. Hiroshi walked to the table. He placed the letter on the wood.
A letter has arrived for you, Hiroshi said. He used Lena’s voice. It was a clear voice.
Caelum looked at the letter. He did not look surprised. He picked it up. He looked at the seal. He looked at Hiroshi. His eyes were dark and sharp. He did not say thank you. He broke the seal and read the paper.
Hiroshi watched the prince’s face. Caelum did not frown. He did not smile. He stood up and walked to the fireplace. There was a small fire in the grate. Caelum dropped the letter into the flames. The paper turned black. It turned into ash.
Is there anything else, Prince Caelum asked.
Hiroshi shook his head. No, there is nothing else, he said.
Caelum sat back down. He picked up his book again. He did not look at Hiroshi anymore. He started to read.
Hiroshi bowed and left the room. He walked down the hall. He thought about what he saw. He had stayed in the room a few seconds too long before giving the letter. He had watched the prince read it. Caelum was smart. Caelum had noticed the delay. The prince was watching him.
Hiroshi went to the backyard. He stood near the old guards. He looked at the hills in the distance. He had to make a plan. His first goal was to stay alive. He knew the geography of this area from his past knowledge. There was a dungeon nearby. It was a place with resources. He needed to visit it soon.
He also thought about the letter. Someone in the capital was helping the prince. That person knew that the royal family was busy with the throne. They were not looking at the 12th prince in Ashfen. This was an advantage. A person who is ignored can do many things.
Hiroshi decided he would not tell Caelum that he read the letter. He would keep that secret. He would serve the prince and watch him. The prince was an asset. He was not a broken man. He was a man waiting for his time.
Hiroshi saw one of the servants carrying a basket of laundry. The servant was a young boy. He looked tired. Hiroshi realized he had to manage these people. He had to make the estate work better. He went back inside.
He spent the next few hours checking the kitchen supplies again. He counted the bags of flour. He counted the dried meat. He made a list of what they needed. He found that they were low on wood for the winter. He would have to fix that.
He went to the stable again. He looked at the horse. He checked its shoes. The shoes were worn. He would need to find a blacksmith. He realized that being a butler was a lot of work. He had to track every small detail.
In the evening, Hiroshi brought tea to the library. He placed the tray on the table. Caelum was still there. He had moved to a different book. The room was getting dark. Hiroshi lit the lamps.
You are very quiet today, Lena, Caelum said.
Hiroshi paused. He did not know how Lena usually acted. He had to be careful.
I am focused on my work, Hiroshi said.
Caelum looked at him. The lamplight made his eyes bright. He looked at Hiroshi for a long time. He did not say anything else. He went back to his book.
Hiroshi felt a chill. The prince was evaluating him. The prince knew that something was different. Hiroshi had to be more careful. He had to act like Lena, but he also had to be better than Lena.
He left the library and went to the main hall. He looked at the front door. The estate was a small cage. But it was a cage that no one was watching. He could use this. He could build power here.
He thought about the three heroes. They were probably in the capital. They were probably getting strong weapons and meeting important people. They would think they were the leaders of this world. They would not think about a butler in a small estate.
Hiroshi went to his small room. He sat on the bed. He had been in this body for only a few hours. He had already found out that his master was a secret player in a political game. He had found out that the estate was poor and weak. He had found out that he was being watched by the man he was supposed to serve.
He lay down on the hard bed. He did not feel tired. He felt alert. He began to plan his next move. He needed to see the dungeon. He needed to find a way to get more money. He needed to see if the two old guards could still hold a sword.
The house was silent now. The fire in the library was probably out. Hiroshi closed his eyes. He thought about the line in the letter. No one is watching you.
That was the best thing he could hear. If no one was watching, he could change everything. He would help the prince. He would use the prince. He would survive the heroes. He fell asleep as he made his list of tasks for the next day. He was no longer just Hiroshi. He was Lena. And Lena was going to turn this small estate into something dangerous.
