Baby steps [1]

"Look at him."

"It's a shame he's born into a prestigious house like Ashbourne."

"Drunk and broken as a doll."

The man could hear voices around him, coming from the side. No, no, it's from above.

Broken.

That word made his whole existence shudder with anger, but he couldn't feel his body at all.

'Seems like I truly am dead, aren't I?'

"Come on, lets get this broken man to his chambers."

That word again. Again and again, it echoed inside his mind.

Broken.

He felt someone grabbing his shoulder.

Then another one grabbing his other shoulder before being hoisted up.

'Can't... move. Are they taking me to disassemble me? But I don't have anything in my body.'

He could hear something scraping against the floor.

'My foot?'

Senses slowly started returning to him.

'What's... happening?'

His mind faded away.

Then he jolted awake, clutching his head in pain.

Pain, pain, so much pain.

He touched the centre of his forehead where the bullet should have been, but there was nothing. No hole, no blood.

'What the... heck happened?'

He looked around, finding himself on a bed in a luxurious room.

The place was pristine, without a spot of dust, decorated as if a rich man had spent all his savings on it alone.

'Am I dead? No, no, no, it can't be. What is this?'

Then, with a soft click, the door to his right swung open, revealing a maid in her forties pushing a trolley of food.

She had chestnut brown hair and striking emerald eyes.

She was whistling a tune, but the moment her eyes fell upon him, her melody faltered.

"Young master! You're awake!"

She hurried over to him and checked his forehead.

"Did the healer not come yet?"

"Are you okay?"

"We were all so worried about you."

"I've made your tea, young master. Just a moment, please."

The woman's rapid speech left him feeling as though his brain was malfunctioning... again.

Then she dashed off, forgetting to wait for his reply.

But that wasn't what spooked him.

'I... I'm not dead?'

The idea felt absurd and illogical.

Sure, as humanity advanced with new Biowares and Cyberwares, someone could extend their life to hundreds of years.

'But I didn't have any Credits to even buy food, let alone a Bioware that extends your life.'

For a second, he thought he was hallucinating.

"Here, young master Kayden. Your favorite tea."

The maid said with a smile as she extended the cup to him.

He hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

'Kayden? Who is Kayden? Me?'

His train of thoughts derailed as he examined the cup and its contents.

'Tea? What the heck is tea?'

But the aroma wafting from the cup was... divine. Something he had never smelled before.

There wasn't even safe drinking water in Rusty Ridge, let alone something that smelled like heaven.

He brought the cup to his lips and took a sip.

'Delicious.'

"Is it to the young master's liking? I added some honey wood leaf too since you were... drunk again."

The maid chattered on happily.

At this point, the woman just seemed to want to talk endlessly. She didn't seem to care about his input at all.

'What a strange combination. Delicious drink and an annoying woman? And look at that dress?'

The black and white maid dress looked simple, yet the fabric appeared expensive.

And not to mention, the woman didn't have any implants on her at all.

She almost looked... ancient.

'Wait?'

"Who am I?"

He asked, making the maid stop babbling and stare at him with a weird look.

Then she opened her mouth, closed it, and did it again, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Then she started bawling, pounding her chest with her fist.

"Oh my god! My young master got so drunk he can't even remember his own name! Oh, sweet heavens, someone call the healer now! Now! Now!"

"Wait, wait, what?"

"You don't even remember me, do you?"

Sniffle.

"I looked after you from a young age."

Sniffle. Sniffle.

"Bathed you, fed you, and even wiped your—"

"Enough! Enough. It's... it's just the side effect of yesterday."

He stopped the woman from spilling all these shameful details.

Who wants to hear about butt stuff when you don't even know if you're dead or not?

'Bathed and fed? Somebody has a family... or a maid..'

Getting bathed and fed by someone else was an absurd idea for him.

Like, who had time and money for that?

Who would do that for an orphan, who's just like the millions of parentless children on the street?

'Kayden? Ashbourne? Wait, I remember that name.'

Sniffle. Sniffle.

He looked up to see the woman silently wiping away tears from her eyes, with the expression of a 5-year-old who just had their toy stolen by a 12-year-old.

'Ah, that brings back good memories.'

He shook his head like he missed those days.

'This is getting annoying.'

"Th-the tea is amazing."

The woman, who was sniffling just now, suddenly beamed like someone had switched on a lightbulb inside her head.

Her gloomy face transformed into a radiant smile, as if she had just won the lottery.

"You're complimenting my tea? You're actually complimenting something I made? Oh my lord!"

Then she jumped up with joy.

"Young master praised me! It's a miracle!"

'What the heck is with this woman? Are her emotions just running wild that she can make them burst out like that?'

He thought as he watched the woman dance around.

"Okay, okay, that's enough."

"I have to tell everyone. The young master complimented me! Oh my lord, it's a miracle!"

'This is getting really really annoying.'

'Wait a minute?! I know this behavior. This annoying antics. I feel like I've seen her before.'

Then something clicked in his mind suddenly.

"Emilia?"

The woman suddenly stopped dancing and looked at him with the seriousness of a drill sergeant.

"Yes, young master, you need something?"

Her whole expression shifted to that of a diligent maid awaiting her master's order.

The man suddenly put his free hand to his mouth and shook his head in disbelief.

He finally understood why this woman felt so familiar, as if he had met her before.

'No, no, no, no, no... This can't be. This really can't be. Am I really in that stupid novel?'