Chapter II
Hera Eckleis destroyed the Empire and reduced it to nothing more than a mere old folktale before running away and hiding in a Duchy far from the remnants of his home. Rather, for Hera, he couldn't say it was his home, after all, how could a place with people who only wanted to control him for power even be called a home, much less a family?
So when he got rid of the empire, he immediately got rid of his past and started anew in a duchy where no one seemed to know of his real identity. In this place, he was only 'Hera'. A humble personal servant to the Duke of dukedom in all of it's dukeness. Jayus, the Duke of Wesperg, specifically played a huge role in Hera's new life
Because the main genre of the novel was romance,
And it revolved around the one-sided pining from Hera to his most beloved Master- Jayus.
It was unclear in the novel if they ever got together since it never finished, but one thing is for sure.
'I have to help my OTP get together!'
Inaya internally screamed, if god made her reborn here like this then it was surely for this opportunity.
'Don't you worry, my little songbird. Mommy's going to help you win your unrequited love!'
Inaya couldn't help but get ahead of herself. Like hellfire opening cracks from the ground, her aura radiated one of an old martial artist's. Hera's unmovingly stoic face almost budged from the sudden heat. 'Why was it suddenly so hot here?'
He stared strangely at the kid infront of him. If there were any new people coming inside the duchy, then he definitely would have been informed. Even with the littlest of the tiniest of detail that went around here down to the last blade of grass, none would have made it pass him. So was this kid with one of the servants perhaps?
"Hey Old man!" Inaya stood up straight, her height only made it pass Hera's waist, but still, tall as the Eiffel tower, she held her head high and bore her eyes straight into Hera's own. What a rude girl. Hera thought. And the audacity that she had too. To casually address him as an old man without even answering his first question. Did she want to die or something? Like a balloon, a vein physically blew up on his head. If there's a god, please look away for what I'm about to do next. He raised his fist before taking in a deep breath.
Calm down, Hera. You're a new man. You're not your mother. You are NOT your mother. He humms to himself, massaging his head. Who knew a simple stroll would make him end up with more headache than planned. Blue eyes sharply glared at the yapping girl and she immediately shut her mouth. Oh no.
"First of all, I'm not old. I'm 21," He raised two fingers in one hand, and one finger in the other to show Inaya, as if she was dumb. Now it was her turn to be annoyed.
"Second, I asked you a question. Little girl."
Little girl?! Who is he referring to as little?!
Inaya paused mid thought. Ah, that was right, she was currently fourteen.
"I'm Inaya," she answered honestly, sweat dropping down her face. She didn't know the name of the character she was in. That's because in God's Thread, the character she now plays doesn't exist. Then her identity in this world is basically none existent. That was why she couldn't recognize the book when she first saw her new body. This character doesn't exist.
It's like playing an rpg game where you can customize your own avatar. But why insert a variable instead of replacing a soul....
Deep down, Inaya already knew the answer to that. None of the characters of the book in this moment have died. Which makes her appearance here not a Transmigration but something else.
Hera raised a brow "Inaya... That's all?" He said. As if to mock her.
Inaya gawked at him "What about you then,huh?!" She bellowed, "What's your last name?" She asked very loudly in a voice so squeaky it almost pierced eleven layers of the Earth, and there was only seven.
Hera bit his lip, if Inaya drowned, he almost choked on his own words. She had him there. No one was suppose to know his real identity, so he couldn't just casually brandish his family name here and there. There was nothing he could say to retort.
"You..." He growled. "Do you want to die?" He asked, a sense of danger surrounding his aura.
I died one, what's one more?
Before Inaya could speak up, another set of frantic footsteps made it's way in the middle of their diplomatic exchange of insults. This time, Inaya made sure to hold the back of her collar. But the old man who approached them had no intention of grabbing her by the neck, instead he looked at Hera and straightened up.
"Sir Hera, the Duke is looking for you," the old man announced. Like ice melting it's way for spring to come, all the crease on Hera's face disappeared. If Inaya had not seen all that unfold, she would have pestered him for his skin care routine, though she guessed he wouldn't even give it to her. It felt like watching the rebirth of a person in front of her own eyes.
"I'll be there shortly," Hera said, fixing his shirt and sleeves before tying on a velvet blue lace on his eyes. It didn't take a genius to guess what it was for. The people serving the duchy may not immediately recognize him as the Lost Prince of a long gone Empire, but it would have been a different tale with Jayus. In the novel, Hera wore the blindfold almost all the time except when he got time for himself, then he would take it off. The blindfold itself held a disguising magic that hid away a person's presence. And just like she thought, the presence that once intimidated her was now gone, leaving only a desert vessel of a man.
"Oh," Hera paused as if remembering something, then he turned to Inaya who flinched. She had thought she'd gotten away already if Hera would just go running for Jayus. Guess not.
"Albert, is this kid perhaps a new addition to the gardeners? I was never informed," At this, Albert also turned towards the unexpected guest.
Ah, this is it. It's over for me now.
But that wasn't the case, since Albert seemed to know her, a familiar look was casted upon her, she didn't know whether to be thankful or anxious. However, it seemed like she wasn't going to be sleeping on the flowerbeds again at least.
"Ah, yes! Recently, Rosia fell ill, however she promised to have someone else fill in for her time away. We couldn't afford to have a pair of hands off so we had her look for a substitute and she said her daughter would take her place for the time being," Albert explained carefully to Hera.
Phew. It was true as they say, stay silent and the story will tell itself. But now that it's come to this, it seems Inaya hadn't transmigrated but simply replaced someone else's minor role.
"I see, next time please inform me. Then I'll be going ahead," with that, Hera left, leaving only nothing but air in the... Well, air.
"Well then, shall we go also?" Albert kindly waited.
If outside the mansion was great, the inside was pure paradise. It was the first time Inaya was so close to watching such high ceilings, her eyes could follow the details carved into walls and ceilings for ages and she still wouldn't finish. If Inaya was to replace someone working in this place, she wondered what work she'd be left with. What kind of work did Rosia do? Inaya knew Rosia in the book, she was mentioned and appeared once on a minor detail to have a daughter, but no appearance her daughter. These people are mistaking me to be Rosia's daughter.
"Usually, Rosia managed the wine in the wine cellar, but I thought that wouldn't really be an appropriate work place for a child. So instead of doing some specific work, I figured it would be best if you would just do some regular work," Albert said as they both came to a stop.
"Regular work?" Inaya repeated before she was handed a maid uniform. "Now we didn't have any uniform that would fit your size so we had to make do with what we have. You will be cleaning the whole residence along with the rest of the maids, I will have Reblin look after you for the whole duration of your time here, she is the Head Maid. If you have any questions or concerns, you are always free to come up and ask her. She's a very kind lady, she's one of the many people who gets along with your mother. And hmm, what else? Oh, Wake up time is five in the morning, work starts at 6, to know what you'll be doing, just seek for Miss Reblin- she'll tell you what you need to know. Everyone here has breakfast, lunch and dinner together. That is with the exception of His Grace. Be sure to be on time." Albert placed a hand under his chin as he continued to ramble on and on. For an old man, he's very thorough with his work. That's to be expected, Albert has worked here for a very long time.
Clean...residence...
Rebel...? Or was it Rebellion?
....questions...
All the words suddenly came rushing in her ear, Inaya had very little time to process. Back in her world, Albert here would have been a famous rapper. If anything, he had more bars than Inaya's hair bangs.
"That seems to be all, did you catch all that?" Now Inaya could do nothing more than to nod along. Albert smiled delightfully, before his face turned into concern. "Inaya, was it? Before I leave, I want to tell you- I hope your mother gets well soon," It completely came from a strangers lips. What's more, this wasn't even Inaya's family they were talking about, but hearing that, she knew it was very sincere and from the heart. She felt guilty that Rosia's real daughter wasn't the one who got to hear it. She must have appreciated it more.
"Right now, why don't you get familiar with the residence, take a stroll around and get to know the others. You can start your real work tomorrow, get some rest for today," Just like that, Albert too, left. Leaving Inaya in front of the room Rosia occupied before she took a sick leave. Inaya didn't hesitate to go inside, making sure to lock the door before changing into the set of clothes she was handed with. The uniform she did not completely different from the one she was completely wearing, but it did not also stray away from the uniform the maids wore. Overall, it was pretty decent in her eyes. This whole outfit most likely cost more than any set of clothes she wore in her previous life.
Now then, unlock exploring expedition.