The Kingdom of Slañ wasn't mentioned often in the novel, but there was one detail repeated whenever it appeared: its people were strong, and they were ruthless.
Ash turned the thought over in his mind as he studied his surroundings. He lay sprawled across a vast king-size bed, the silken sheets cool against his skin. For the first time in both of his lives, he felt what true comfort was. In his old world, poverty had chained him to a worn-out mattress on a crooked frame—thin, scratchy blankets that never kept the cold away. But this… this was luxury beyond anything he had known. The softness embraced him, almost as though daring him to accept this new reality.
So this is what it feels like to be rich… he thought bitterly, his lips twitching into a half-smile.
His reflection was broken by a knock at the door.
"Young master," came a soft voice, smooth and respectful.
The door opened with a faint creak, and a maid stepped inside.
Ash's eyes followed her. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, her chestnut hair tied neatly into a braid. Her uniform was pristine, every fold sharp, every button polished. Though her features were delicate, her eyes carried a certain sharpness, the kind trained to notice everything in a room. She bowed gracefully, her movements precise.
"Good morning, young master Ash," she said gently. "The lord and lady request your presence in the hall."
Ash froze for half a breath. The lord and lady… my parents?
He pushed himself upright, the oversized sheets slipping from his small, fragile frame. His voice, when it came, startled him—it was light, childish, not at all what his mind expected.
"...I'll come soon," he answered, forcing calm into the words.
The maid's expression softened into the faintest of smiles. For just a flicker of a second, curiosity shone in her eyes, but she quickly masked it. She bowed once more before retreating, shutting the door softly behind her.
Ash let out a slow, shaky breath. His palms were damp.
So it's true… I really am Ash Kelvin, son of Slañ. But how long before they notice? How long before they realize the soul inside this body isn't the g
enius they were expecting?