Zeldryn slowly rose from the bed. The moment both feet touched the floor, pain spread throughout his body once again, and his unhealed wounds and bruises throbbed from even that small movement.
"Tch. When is this going to end?"
He held onto the edge of the bed for several moments before forcing his legs to move. The distance between the bed and the door was not far, but in his current condition, that short journey felt much longer than it should have.
After struggling for a while, Zeldryn finally reached his bedroom door. He grasped the handle of the luxurious, intricately carved door and slowly pulled it open with a faint creak.
Zeldryn stepped into the corridor and looked to the right, then to the left. His gaze immediately stopped on someone sitting against the wall beside the door.
"Hera?"
The maid was asleep with her back resting against the wall. Her head tilted slightly to one side, her eyes were tightly closed, and her bandaged hands rested on her lap. Judging from how little she reacted to the sound of the door opening, she appeared to be sleeping deeply.
Zeldryn frowned as he remembered what Hera had told him earlier. As his personal maid, she was required to remain near his bedroom at all times and was not allowed to leave until Zeldryn personally dismissed her.
"Tch. The old Zeldryn really was a pain in the ass."
He looked at Hera again. She had probably been sitting there ever since he returned to his room, and there was no telling how long she had waited before exhaustion finally caused her to fall asleep.
A young woman who was nearly twenty years old was being treated like this by a twelve-year-old boy. Her face and both hands were still covered in injuries caused by the previous owner of this body, yet she had still remained outside his bedroom because that was what she had been ordered to do.
While asleep, Hera looked far more peaceful. Her body was no longer trembling, and cold sweat no longer covered her forehead as it did whenever she stood before him. Only now could Zeldryn examine her face properly without seeing fear distort her expression.
In truth, Hera was quite beautiful. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, her face still looked youthful, and her figure was well proportioned. Unfortunately, her swollen cheek, the wound near her lips, and the bandages wrapped around both hands made her look miserable.
"If she lived in the modern world, she might have had a much better life."
She would not need to guard a door all day, fear making the smallest mistake, or tremble whenever someone approached her. Zeldryn sighed and looked down at her again.
He could not allow this situation to continue. At the very least, he needed to give Hera clearer instructions so she would no longer spend the entire day waiting outside his room.
Zeldryn tried bending down, but the moment he lowered his body slightly, a sharp pain stabbed through his waist and back.
"Kh."
One hand immediately pressed against the wall to keep him from losing his balance. After considerable effort, he managed to crouch in front of Hera and raised one hand to gently tap her cheek.
"Hera."
There was no response.
"Hera, wake up."
She remained asleep, so Zeldryn tapped her cheek once more.
"Hera."
Her eyelids began to move. She slowly opened her eyes, but the moment she saw Zeldryn's face so close to hers, her entire body stiffened.
"Ah!"
Hera instinctively raised both hands to protect her face and pushed herself backward until her back pressed even harder against the wall. Her reaction resembled someone desperately trying to shield herself from an incoming slap.
"Please forgive me, my lord!" Hera cried as her breathing immediately became heavy. "Please forgive me for falling asleep! I did not mean to neglect my duties. Please forgive me, my lord!"
She apologized repeatedly while continuing to cover her face. Zeldryn silently stared at her, but this time her reaction did not surprise him as much.
What had happened that morning had clearly not been enough to make Hera stop fearing him. After thinking about it, that made perfect sense. Fear that had been rooted inside her for years could not disappear merely because Zeldryn had behaved differently for a single morning.
To Hera, the person standing before her was still the same Zeldryn. He had the same face, the same voice, and the same status as the boy who had tormented her for years. She had no way of knowing that Reka was now the one controlling this body.
Zeldryn sighed.
"Enough. Lower your hands."
Hera did not immediately obey. Both hands still covered part of her face.
"I'm not going to hit you."
Hearing those words, Hera slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze remained filled with doubt, but after several seconds, her hands gradually lowered.
Zeldryn then tried to stand again. He used the wall for support until he finally managed to straighten himself, although the movement caused his entire body to ache once more.
"All right, Hera. I'm hungry."
Hera looked at him nervously.
"From now on, bring me food three times a day. Morning, afternoon, and evening."
"Three times a day?"
"That's right."
Zeldryn thought for a moment before continuing.
"I want chicken and vegetables. A lot of chicken."
Hera looked slightly confused.
"Chicken and vegetables?"
"Yes."
Zeldryn did not know what kind of food the previous Zeldryn normally ate, nor did he know exactly what ingredients were available in this world. For now, he could only request food he already recognized.
"And from now on, do not wait outside my bedroom all day."
Hera froze again, her eyes opening slightly wider.
"I do not need to remain outside your room?"
"No."
"But I am your personal maid, my lord. I must always be ready whenever you require something."
"You are still my personal maid, but that does not mean you need to sit outside my door until you fall asleep." Zeldryn pointed toward the place where Hera had been sleeping. "Do your work like the other servants. If I need you, I'll call for you."
Hera fell silent as she tried to understand his words. Her surprise was not as severe as when Zeldryn had returned a servant's greeting that morning, however. It seemed she was slowly becoming accustomed to the strange changes in her master's behavior, even though her fear had not completely disappeared.
"Chicken, vegetables, and I no longer need to wait outside your bedroom all day?" Hera repeated, making sure she had understood his instructions correctly.
"That's right."
Hera remained still for several seconds. The moment she realized she had been silent for too long, she immediately lowered her head.
"Yes, my lord. I will prepare everything in the dining room immediately."
Hera quickly stood. Her body briefly lost its balance after sleeping in a seated position for so long, but she managed to steady herself before bowing.
She then walked away from Zeldryn and disappeared around the end of the corridor. Zeldryn watched her leave before glancing at the empty space beside his bedroom door.
"At least she won't have to wait here anymore."
He then began walking toward the lower floor.
According to the information Hera had given him that morning, the dining room was located near the main hall and not far from the kitchen. Zeldryn had never entered it before because his tour that morning had been interrupted by Henry and Aeglo's arrival, so he only knew its general location from Hera's explanation.
Zeldryn slowly descended the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing because his body was still incapable of moving normally. Along the way, he encountered several servants, and as before, they immediately lowered their heads upon seeing him.
"Good afternoon, Lord Zeldryn."
"Good afternoon."
This time, however, Zeldryn noticed something different.
Some of the servants still appeared frightened. A few deliberately put more distance between themselves and him as they passed, while others looked at him suspiciously, as though they believed Zeldryn was planning something. The greetings from several other servants, however, sounded slightly more sincere.
Zeldryn could see the difference in their faces. Their smiles were not as stiff as before, and their voices trembled less. The change was extremely small, but it was still noticeable.
'This must have something to do with what happened this morning,' Zeldryn thought.
The rumor about him returning the servants' greetings had probably already spread. Then there was everything that had happened in the hall with Henry and Aeglo. Zeldryn did not know what kind of stories were now circulating among the servants, but at the very least, some of them had begun to view him slightly differently.
'It makes sense that not everyone trusts me yet.'
He could not expect people who had lived in fear for years to suddenly believe in him because of a few small actions.
'That's fine. I just need to be patient. Little by little, everything will eventually work out.'
After walking slowly while enduring the pain, Zeldryn finally arrived in front of the dining room and pushed open the door. The moment he saw what lay beyond it, his steps stopped.
"Damn."
The room before him was far larger than he had imagined. A long dining table stood in the center, large enough to seat around six to ten people. Chairs were arranged neatly along both sides, while a taller chair with a larger backrest stood at the head of the table.
The room was not filled with expensive decorations or luxurious ornaments. Its walls and furniture were actually quite simple compared to Zeldryn's bedroom, yet its size still felt excessive for a mansion where only one member of the Giorry family lived.
Zeldryn walked toward one of the chairs and slowly sat down. His gaze moved across the rows of empty seats surrounding the table.
"A table this long and this many chairs, all for one person?"
A table this large should have been used by a family eating together. There should have been a father, mother, siblings, or relatives occupying the seats around him.
Instead, there was only Zeldryn.
"I really was exiled."
While he was still thinking about the circumstances of the mansion, three knocks came from behind the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Excuse me, my lord."
It was Hera's voice.
"Come in."
The dining room door opened, and Hera entered first, followed by several other servants carrying trays of food. They approached the table and began placing one dish after another in front of Zeldryn.
There was fried chicken, roasted chicken, soup, bread, several kinds of vegetables, fruit, and various other dishes Zeldryn had never seen before. With every new plate that appeared, his expression became slightly stranger.
Before long, the table that had previously seemed absurdly empty was nearly covered with food.
Zeldryn stared at the dishes, then looked toward Hera and the servants who were still arranging everything.
'This is way too much,' Zeldryn thought.
His gaze swept across the table once more.
'How the hell am I supposed to finish all of this by myself?'