Aric woke to sunlight streaming through the window and the distant sound of birds somewhere outside.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, and took stock of his body. His arms still felt heavy and his legs still felt weak, but something was different. The burning heat and dizziness were gone. The pounding in his skull was gone.
He slowly pushed himself upright and sat at the edge of the bed, giving himself a moment before placing his feet on the wooden floor. After steadying himself with one hand against the mattress, he pushed himself to his feet.
He stood upright.
His legs trembled, but they held.
Aric waited another moment before taking a careful step forward, then another. He moved across the room at a slow pace, occasionally reaching for the wall whenever his legs began to feel unsteady, but he managed to reach the door without falling.
"Okay," he muttered with a small smile. "That’s progress."
He opened the door and stepped into the corridor.
The Noctra estate looked different now that he was seeing it while standing. The corridor stretched farther than he had expected, with several rooms branching off from either side and tall windows allowing the morning light to reach the polished floor. Paintings and old tapestries decorated the walls, many of them familiar from Aric’s memories even though Anastasius had never seen them before.
He had barely gone a few steps when a servant appeared from around the corner.
She stopped the moment she saw him.
"Young Master!"
She quickly bowed, but when she raised her head, she was still staring at him.
"Good morning," Aric said.
"Good morning, Young Master. Shall I escort you to the dining room?"
"I think I can find it."
"This way, Young Master."
She turned and began walking before he could say anything else, leaving Aric with little choice but to follow.
She kept glancing back at him every few seconds, probably to make sure he was still following and hadn’t suddenly decided to collapse somewhere along the way.
After the fourth time, Aric gave her a small smile.
"You don’t have to keep checking on me. I’m fine."
The maid quickly looked away.
"Of course, Young Master."
Aric continued after her, resting one hand against the wall whenever his legs started to feel heavier than he liked.
"Thank you," he said after a moment.
The maid looked back at him.
"For what?"
"For showing me the way."
She smiled, looking a little surprised by the simple thanks.
"It’s nothing, Young Master."
Aric nodded and continued walking beside her.
He had no idea what her name was, and judging from the way she kept addressing him, he suspected she knew considerably more about him than he knew about her.
The dining room was a large hall with a long table at its center and tall windows that looked out over the gardens. The Duchess was already seated at one end, a cup of tea in her hand, and she looked up when Aric entered.
Her face broke into a smile the moment she saw him.
"You’re up."
"Yeah." Alaric responded.
She stared at him for another moment, almost as if she still couldn’t believe he was standing there.
"How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Do you feel weak? You should probably sit down."
Aric couldn’t help but smile at how quickly the questions came.
"I’m fine, Mom. Just tired."
She nodded, though she still looked like she wanted to ask another dozen questions.
"Come, sit down. You need to eat."
Aric crossed the room and sat down slowly, careful not to move too quickly. A servant appeared with a plate of food and set it in front of him.
He picked up the fork and took his first bite, only to realize just how hungry he was.
He ate slowly, savoring each bite, while his mother sat beside him, watching him eat with a smile she could not seem to hide.
"Where is Emilia?" he asked.
His mother sighed.
"Still asleep."
"It is almost noon."
"I know."
"Has anyone tried to wake her?"
"Every morning," his mother said. "She sleeps like the dead. We have tried everything. Cold water. Loud noises. Once your father picked her up and carried her to the bath and she did not wake until she hit the water."
Aric laughed.
"She’s that bad?"
"That bad."
"I will go get her."
His mother raised an eyebrow.
"Good luck, don’t strain yourself."
Aric pushed himself up from the table and made his way back into the corridor. Emilia’s room was on the other side of the estate, and by the time he reached it his legs were shaking and he had to lean against the wall for a moment to catch his breath.
He knocked on the door.
No response.
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
He pressed his ear against the door and heard it immediately. A steady snoring came from the other side, loud enough that he wondered how anyone in the room could sleep through it.
Aric stared at the door.
"Water would work," he muttered to himself. "But I doubt I can carry a bucket."
He thought about it.
"I could try to carry her, but I doubt I can lift her either."
He thought some more.
Then an idea came to him.
He opened the door and slipped inside. Emilia was sprawled across her bed, her dark hair everywhere and her mouth open. Aric walked over to the bed and stood beside her.
He reached down and pinched her nose shut with one hand, then covered her mouth with the other.
Emilia’s eyes flew open.
She made a muffled sound and thrashed wildly, her arms flailing as she tried to push him away. Aric let go and stepped back, laughing.
"What is wrong with you?" Emilia shouted, sitting up and gasping for air.
"Good morning."
"You could have killed me!"
"You were snoring."
"I was not!"
"You were snoring like an engine."
Emilia stared at him.
"Like a what?"
Aric froze.
An engine. She would not know what an engine was. This world did not have engines. He had said something from his old life without thinking.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "It is just an expression."
"What is an engine?"
Aric scratched the back of his neck.
"It’s from a story I heard once. Something loud that makes a lot of noise and rumbles."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You are weird, are you alright?."
Aric shrugged.
"I’ve been asleep for three years. I’m allowed to be a little weird."
She huffed and threw her blanket off, climbing out of bed.
"I’m hungry."
"Then let’s go eat."
They walked back to the dining room together, and this time Aric did not have to stop as often because Emilia walked slowly beside him, chattering the entire way about a dream she had about a giant frog.
Breakfast passed quietly and comfortably. His mother told him stories about things that had happened while he was asleep. Emilia interrupted constantly with corrections and additions. Aric ate and listened and laughed in the right places, and for a while he almost forgot that he was not supposed to be here.
He had never had this before.
In his first life, meals had been quiet. His parents were tired, his brother was busy, and everyone seemed to have their own lives, so he usually ate alone in his room because it was easier than sitting at a table where he felt out of place.
This was different.
This was loud and messy and warm.
"This is nice," he said quietly.
His mother looked at him.
"What is?"
"This. All of it."
She smiled.
"We are glad you are awake, Aric. We have been waiting a long time."
After breakfast, his mother told him that his father and older brother would be returning later in the day.
"They are cutting their commission short," she said. "When they heard the news, they started back immediately."
"That was not necessary."
"It was absolutely necessary," his mother said. "Your father has been worried sick about you for three years. He will want to see you with his own eyes."
She paused.
"And Aster will be visiting tomorrow."
Aric choked on his tea.
"Who?"
"Aster. Your fiancée."
"I have a fiancée?"
His mother raised an eyebrow.
"You do not remember?"
"I. It has been three years. Things are a little fuzzy."
His mother smiled.
"You used to follow her around the garden when you were children. You would not leave her alone. She used to get so annoyed with you."
Aric felt his face heat up.
"I did?"
"Every day."
He sank down in his chair.
"And she is coming tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Great."
Ailo arrived later in the afternoon, just as Aric was settling back into his room. She knocked once and entered without waiting for an answer.
"Good afternoon, Young Master."
"Ailo."
She set her bag down on the table and gestured for him to sit on the bed. He did, and she pressed her hand against his chest as she had done the night before, sending another thread of mana through his body.
She was quiet for a long moment.
"Your core is stable," she said. "The repair appears to be complete."
"That’s good."
"It is."
She pulled her hand back and looked at him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better, just a little tired.."
"That’s to be expected. Your body has been through a great deal."
She hesitated.
"There is something I wanted to ask you about."
"What is it?"
"The black substance you vomited."
Aric grimaced.
"You want to talk about my vomit?"
"I took a sample."
"You took a sample of my vomit?"
"I did. I wanted to know what it was."
"And?"
"It was waste. Impurities that had built up in your body over the years. Your mana core forced them out when it repaired itself."
Aric stared at her.
"So my own body was poisoning me?"
"In a sense."
"And now it is gone."
"Yes."
He leaned back against the pillow.
"Well. That’s disgusting."
Ailo smiled slightly.
"It is. But it is also a good sign. Your body is clean. Whatever happened, it’s finished."
Aric nodded slowly.
"Thank you, Ailo."
"You are welcome, Young Master."
She packed her bag and left, and Aric was alone again.
Aric looked out the window, thinking about everything that had happened. He was in a body that was not his own, the mana core that had put him in a coma was repaired, and tomorrow he would meet his fiancée.
"Don’t think about it," he muttered. "Just don’t."
He spent the evening resting in his room and ate dinner alone when it was brought to him. The quiet felt strangely familiar.
He had just finished when hurried footsteps approached his door. Julia entered and bowed.
"Young Master. The Duke and Young Lord have returned."
"Oh really?"
"They are in the main hall asking for you."
Aric rose from the bed.
"Take me to them."