The room went silent.
For a second, I thought it was my imagination. Maybe I had just been reading too long, the words now blending into my thoughts. But then I heard it again.
"Why wait any longer?"
My eyes darted around the room. Nothing. Just my desk, the faint sound of my computer fan, and the cute face of my little sister. And to add to everything, it seemed time had stopped, as everything just looked still, my sister's expression not changing the slightest, and she hadn't said anything since.
"…Who's there?"
No response.
Then I rubbed my temples and leaned back, trying to laugh it off, "Man, I need sleep."
"Sleep won't help you find love."
Okay. That one wasn't in my head. The voice was clearer this time—soft, feminine, but not human. It echoed like it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"This… isn't funny."
"Nor is loneliness."
Immediately, a chill ran down my spine. My phone screen flickered, then glowed with a faint white light. The page I had been reading disappeared, replaced by a blank screen with a single line of text,
[Initializing: Heart Resonance Protocol.]
"What the hell is this?"
Before I could react, a blinding flash filled the room, and my heart skipped a beat.
Then, the light faded, as the screen went dark, and I was left sitting there, breathing heavily, my palms sweating.
"You wished to find love, didn't you?"
"...Yeah," I muttered under my breath. "But not like this."
And the next moment, I wasn't in my room anymore.
....
The last thing I remembered was the text on my phone, 'Heart Resonance Protocol,' after that, I found myself in an elegant hallway.
I didn't know how I got here, but one thing is for sure, it had something to do with that voice I heard in my room.
Then, my head began to ache slightly, and that's when I felt it, my hands. They were occupied, holding a tray of what looked like black coffee.
Immediately, I began to piece things together, from the instrinic design of the coffee cup, to the elegant marble floor of the hallway, I was deciphering my possible situation.
'From what I can gather, I'm definitely in a manor. The hallway is long enough to lead into more turns, suggesting there are other rooms beyond that point. The floor, its entire aesthetic screams royalty, a detail reinforced by the mini marble sculptures that fill the hallway.'
'So I'm in a manor at least, Maybe a noble house, this means I'm not in America anymore, and possibly not in the present.'
"######"
A strange voice called out as I quickly turned, my gaze locking on a tall elegant man with a full on suit and a well groomed black hair.
He kept calling out, but I couldn't understand him.
The language.
It was different.
It meant one thing.
The thing I already figured out.
This isn't my world, at least.
Again and again, he kept calling out, as he stood at the end of the hallway.
"#####"
"Art.."
Then,
I began to understand.
His words.
His vocabulary, instantly downloading itself in my head.
"Arthur, how many times should I call you?"
'Arthur? Who's that?'
'Wait.... Not only am I in a different world, I'm also inhabiting someone's body.'
Snap—
"My my, spacing out, are we?" He inquired with a snap of his finger, taking note of the coffee-laden tray I clutched.
Then, he stopped a few strides away from me, his gaze lingering upon the coffee tray in my hands.
He tilted his head slightly, a bemused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he observed the subtle hint of surprise in my expression.
"You seemed lost in thought just now," he replied, his tone carrying a note of nonchalance. "Care to enlighten me as to where your thoughts were wandering?"
With a sigh, I had a look at one of the marble sculptures that stood beside me.
"The sculptures, they always light up the hallway, don't they?"
His smirk widened slightly at my response, clearly intrigued by my observation. He nodded, his gaze flickering towards the sculptures lining the hallway.
"Indeed," he agreed, his voice carrying a subtle lilt. "Those sculptures do have a certain... allure to them, don't they?"
He then took a step closer, his gaze returning to me, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Did they distract you, then? From whatever you were pondering before I interrupted?"
'What's he on about?'
"The sculptures? I don't think any did."
"Hmm," he hummed, the sound low and annoying, his eyes now narrowing ever so slightly.
He then stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his breath.
"Then it wasn't the sculptures... and yet your mind was clearly elsewhere." A gloved finger tapped once against his chin. "One does not simply stare at a tray of coffee meant for Her Majesty unless something is troubling."
'Her majesty? So I'm in some royal palace.' I thought. 'And what's wrong with this guy, he's too persistent.'
"Nothing is troubling," I replied back. "I mean it."
He let out a short, mean laugh. Then he took a few steps, circling me in a way that made me feel nervous and uneasy.
He reached out and used a thin finger to gently tilt my chin up, forcing me to look straight into his eyes.
"You protest too fast. Too fast for it to be the truth." The smirk hadn't slipped from his lips. "Now, try again. What were you thinking about?"
But before anything else could happen, a voice broke the tension, calling out from somewhere nearby.
"Sir. Sebastian."
He then turned his head to look where the voice came from.
"It seems my time here is up," he said, taking a few steps back to create distance between us. He then placed a firm hand on my shoulder, adding, "And yes, do remember to take good care of her majesty."
With that, he left the place.
'Sebastian. So that's his name.'
Looking at the tray again, I couldn't help but laugh at my situation.
Queen? Coffee? Sebastian? The suddenness of it all was overwhelming.
I shook my head to clear the buzzing confusion. Laughter wouldn't help me, I had a job, or at least, the body I inhabited did. 'Take good care of her majesty.' That meant this coffee, which was now getting cold, needed to go to its rightful owner.
I looked down the seemingly endless, richly decorated hallway. It was beautiful, but terrifyingly silent now that Sebastian was gone.
'Okay, Focus. I need to find the Queen's chambers, and I need to do it before this coffee is utterly ruined, or before someone else comes along and starts asking questions Arthur should know the answers to.'
Taking a deep breath, I tried to analyze my surroundings one last time. There was no map, no directional sign, just the endless marble that filled the hallway. I couldn't wander aimlessly that would definitely raise suspicions of me being an imposter.
Then, I noticed it. Near the end of the hallway, where the corridor turned sharply to the left, there was a single, massive door, much grander than any other I could see. Its wood was dark, almost black, extremely polished, and was flanked by two elaborate, golden crests.
'A manor this grand... that has to be a main chamber. And given the warning I just received, I'm betting this is it.'
The logic was thin, relying purely on fantasy tropes and the aesthetic of exaggerated wealth, but it was the only lead I had. Staying here was not an option.
I squared my shoulders, shifting the weight of the coffee tray slightly, and began my walk toward that door.
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[A/N:] Welcome to my first novel, and yes it's another 'Extra' novel to add to the growing ranks of that in webnovel. Never mind, this is just another author plea to his loyal masters, his readers. I ask not much, but some piece of your power stones and time to comments.
And also, dropping a review would definitely help me understand what you like and don't like about the story.