Pendant

Ryujin woke up with a dull, persistent ache throbbing behind his eyes.

When did I…?

For a moment, he didn't move.

His body felt heavy, his mind sluggish. It was only when he tried to shift that he realized he was lying down again.

The luxurious canopy bed, the thick velvet sheets, the faint scent of herbs and incense lingering in the air. It was all the same. He was still in this unfamiliar grand chamber.

His hazy memories returned. 

A grand chamber, a crowd of unfamiliar people, mind reading, something about him being a Prime Minister, a beautiful man with long, pointed ears and then—

Everything went black.

A soft sigh escaped his lips. 

I miss my family.

I miss Earth.

The headache pulsed, making him wince.

He pressed his fingers against his temples, willing the pain to subside. 

Gut feeling tells him that this was an aftereffect of reading minds without restraint.

Thoughts had flooded his mind, unfiltered and raw. A cacophony of voices and emotions… It had been too much.

What he felt wasn't just exhaustion. It felt deeper, as if something had drained him.

His breath came slower as he tried to relax. 

But how could he relax? 

He only had a basic grasp of his situation. He had no idea where Nelson, Eu and the rest of the squad were. He had no idea where he was or how he could leave. 

With some effort, Ryujin sat up. 

A quiet sound of movement caught his attention. He turned his head, spotting a figure near the door. It was a teenager dressed in robes of deep green and gold, lowering a tray onto a polished wooden table.

From his humble behavior, he must be an attendant

Aside from him, there was no one else in the chamber. The beautiful man with long, pointed ears, no, the elf with a Disney prince energy was nowhere to be seen.

Ryujin let out a sigh of relief.

I am straight!

Noticing that he was awake, the attendant quickly bowed before speaking in that same incomprehensible language. Their tone was careful, respectful, yet utterly lost on Ryujin.

The moment their eyes met—

[His Grace is awake! Oh, no. Do I call the Head Butler first? Or an Imperial Physician? Do I offer His Grace a goblet of water? He must be thirsty. Ahhh, I still can't believe I'm chosen to personally serve the Prime Minister!]

Ryujin winced.

The attendant appeared calm and collected on the surface, but his inner voice sounded like a fangirl meeting her idol for the first time.

[Yikes. What am I doing? Water? Water? No, he's not reacting. I should ask His Grace if he wants to wash up instead.]

The attendant gestured toward the side of the room, speaking again. This time, Ryujin's eyes followed the direction of his hands and noticed a set of doors slightly ajar. The doors lead into another chamber.

An ensuite bathroom?

Ryujin hesitated, but his body ached with stiffness, his skin sticky with sweat. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but he felt gross.

With slow movements, he got out of bed. His legs wobbled slightly as he adjusted to standing, but he ignored it. 

The attendant immediately moved to assist him, but he raised a hand in silent refusal.

He could walk on his own.

The side chamber was as lavish as the bedroom, though simpler in design. A large stone basin enough to fit ten adults stood at its center, filled with steaming water and surrounded by folded cloths and glass bottles containing what he assumed were oils or soaps. The scent of fresh herbs lingered in the air.

Several other attendants waited inside, standing silently by the bath's edge. As soon as Ryujin entered, they moved efficiently, bowing their heads before gesturing for him to step forward.

[The Prime Minister is awake!]

[He looks sickly. Is he still ill?]

[Is the water temperature good enough? I hope it's not too hot.]

Ryujin swallowed his discomfort. He wasn't used to being served.

Still, resisting might cause unnecessary trouble.

He allowed them to assist, their hands light as they undid the loose robe he hadn't even realized he was wearing. The fabric slipped from his shoulders, pooling at his feet.

Fortunately, all the attendants were men. Though a little embarrassed, he distracted himself by reading their thoughts and gathering more information about his situation. Before he knew it, he was stepping into the pool of water.

Then he noticed it.

His hair.

It wasn't just long. It was the color of silver.

What the—

Had he slept long enough to become an old man?

No, that didn't seem to be the case. He touched his hand and his face. His skin was pale white and smooth, without a single wrinkle.

I must look at myself in the mirror after bathing.

Hanging around his neck, resting against his bare chest, was an unfamiliar pendant.

It was made of polished bone, smooth yet ancient-looking, carved with intricate symbols he didn't recognize. It felt warm against his skin, almost as if it were alive.

Instinctively, he lifted it, running his fingers over its surface.

He did not recall owning a pendant like this.

At first, after removing it, he didn't notice anything changing. The attendants washed him with their heads lowered in submission, and even after they finished and helped him wear an uncomfortable nobleman's attire, he had not realized it.

That there were no stray thoughts. No sudden invasion of voices.

Unlike before, the moment his eyes met an attendant's, there were no whispers in his mind.

Nothing.

The headache dulled slightly as confusion took its place.

Was it gone? His Awakened ability?

He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed.

And then when he wore the bone pendant back, the voices returned.

[Has His Grace truly lost his ability to speak?]

[Which ring suits His Grace more? The signet ring, maybe this ruby one—]

[After this, I should inform the Head Butler to have the kitchen prepare the Prime Minister Carvalho's meal—]

His breath hitched.

The pendant.

Mind reading wasn't an Awakened ability. It was the bone pendant's ability.

This thing was the reason he could hear people's minds. His hands clenched at his sides.

Slowly, he hid the bone pendant under his shirt. It felt abnormally cold against his skin.

This changed everything.

If the pendant gave him his mind reading ability, then it could also be taken away.

And that meant someone had given this pendant to him.

His mind raced. If he was truly mistaken for their Prime Minister, then had this pendant always belonged to the man they thought he was? Or had someone placed it on him after the supposed assassination attempt?

What happened before Ryujin got separated from his squad?

And if so…

How did he find himself in this place?

The attendants all stepped back after they finished fixing his attire. They brought him back into the main chamber, where they made him stand in front of the full body mirror.

His reflection was undoubtedly of Lee Ryujin, a Korean in his mid-twenties.

But with his silver hair long enough to reach his waist, his strong body clad in a double-breasted white suit with a luxurious one-shouldered blue cape, his appearance looked unfamiliar and unsettling.

An aristocrat. A peerage of the highest rank.

His Grace Duke Rio de Carvalho, Prime Minister of the empire of Valtheris.