Where were we? Oh yes! Our Heros of the story were in front of a crowd of Nobles and had just interrupted the Graduation ceremony!
Let Riya tell you, it was the most nerve-wracking few minutes of her entire life. She was so absolutely scared, she almost fainted in fright, so naturally she said the first lie that came to mind. “We are the messengers of the Gods!” Riya exclaimed, “And we are here because the Gods are angry with you but in their eternal Grace, have decided to give you one last chance!”
There was pandemonium in the room after that.
“YOU DARE DARE LIE- !”
“- IS THIS THE TRUTH? -”
“- THE GODS ARE REAL!? -”
“- WE CAN’T TRUST-”
“- SILENCE!” A man on the throne yelled, he was most likely the King… Zent of the country. Everyone quieted down after that, the man looked at her with these pale blue eyes, “Do you have any evidence to support your claims?”
Haha… No she didn't.
The Zent was the head of the country, the one with all the power... Think in terms of Kings and Queens. He inherited his seat from his father (or mother, Riya didn't know who he inherited the throne from) and will pass it onto his (hopefully) most competent child and retire when the time comes. Other then that, Zents were said to contain massive amounts of Mana and she once read on the Wiki page that they needed the massive Mana reserves so they could 'replenish the barren Earth' and 'Keep the White Walls up' and 'open and close the Country Gates' (so they could protect the country from enemy countries and open the gate and trade with the friendly ones).
So being started down by someone so powerful (physically and socially) made Riya freeze in place, her brain was too frozen in fear to even come up with a lie. Thankfully, someone from her group stepped forward and backed up her lie, "We descended the long stairwell, a testament sufficient to substantiate our assertions. It would be prudent of you to express your gratitude to the divine for bestowing upon you this benevolence, sparing you from a fate of decay. Furthermore, they saw fit to restrain our Mana, ensuring that our mere presence doesn't crush you like a helpless insect."
Riya looked back. The Grand Staircase (or the Grand Stairwell some translations of Merchant of Antonia would call it) was long, the staircase was made of clear glass from as much as Riya could tell (must have costed a fortune considering how rare clear glass was in medival times.) and it looked fragile, one hamer was all it would probably take to statter the staircase into a billion peices.
Not that she was stupid enough to do that, the Grand Staircase was said to lead staight to where the Gods resided, if she was actually in an isekai and the Gods were real, she didn't want to get zapped by lightning or tortured in the underworld for the rest of eternity.
The Zent looked startled, "Why were the eleven of you dispatched to our humble dwelling?"
"Zent, the ire of the Gods has been aroused by the conspicuous dearth of veneration you exhibit." The guy said with a very solemn voice, he sounded Australian.
The Zent became ghostly white when hearing it. "A dearth of veneration?! In what manner, pray tell?"
"Your actions have regrettably led you to forsake the age-old customs, transmuting the sanctuaries into dens of debauchery, turning away from the venerable traditions and daring to utter their names in vain." In vain? Oh ya! In The Merchant of Antonia , James the Merchant had to talk to a Laynoble and the Laynoble used so many euphemisms of Gods and stuff that it kinda felt like she was reading another language entirely.
What the Australian said caused the other Nobles to chatter loudly amongst themselves, some turning interesting shades of white.
"Silence! Emissaries, our earnest apologies for this tumultuous commotion. We entreat you to remain as our esteemed guests, whereupon you shall experience the finest of our hospitality."
The Australian gave a brief nod. "Very well."
Before an attendant could take us away, the doors to the staircase opened again and a few suitcases flew straight out, one of the bags even hurled towards me! Riya was bracing myself for the impact but the bag kinda just… stopped a few feet in front of her… wtf?
Riya pullled out the handle and dragged it behind her as she walked towards wherever the attendant was taking her. Beads of sweat started to form on her head, she had trouble dragging the heavy bad, her palms turned red from all the pressure she was putting on them.
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The Attendant (Marguerite) took them out of the Royal Academy and to a Palace. "I extend my sincerest apologies for the inadequacy of our accommodations, not befitting your esteemed presence." She said as she took us to this huge living room.
"There is no need for further concern. This abode suffices for our purposes. You may take your leave." The Australian guy said, still pretending to actually be a messenger of the Gods.
"Depart? Forgive me, as it is my duty to attend to your every need—"
"In that case, kindly procure us some tea."
"Indeed, Your Grace." She nodded uncertainly and was about to leave.
"Before your departure, could you apprise us if there will be any additional attendants tending to our requirements?"
"Absolutely, Sir. The selection of new attendants will commence promptly tomorrow morning."
"We are grateful for your diligence. You may now take your leave."
With that, she left.
Riya looked around for a bit, she almost dropped her bag in shock at the sight of the living room. It had an air of regal serenity, adorned in hues of soft, light blue that grace the walls like the sky on a clear summer's day. The high ceiling imparts a sense of grandeur, allowing space for dreams to ascend beyond imagination. Expansive glass windows line the walls, ushering in cascades of golden sunlight that kiss every surface with a gentle glow.
A magnificent glass chandelier hangs like a crystal constellation, its myriad of facets refracting light into a thousand prismatic beams, painting the room with a breathtaking dance of colors. Beneath this celestial masterpiece, plush and inviting, an array of fluffy pillows adorned in an assortment of jewel-toned fabrics await, each a testament to the meticulous attention to comfort and opulence.
Encircling a roaring fire, an ensemble of couches and sofas stands in regal formation, their sumptuous upholstery inviting guests to sink into their embrace. With every curve and line crafted to perfection, they form a semicircle, fostering an ambiance of intimacy and camaraderie. At their center, a glass coffee table, elegantly etched with delicate patterns, stands as a testament to the artistry that graces this royal abode.
Here, amidst this sanctuary of luxury, whispers of tradition and echoes of history converge with the present, creating a space where royalty may find solace and inspiration in equal measures.
Riya slowly picked out a seat next to the fire and sat down, keeping her bag with her, everyone else did the same.
“So why did you two pretend to be ‘messengers of the Gods’? And where are we?” This girl with dark skin asked.
Ok… This was gonna be difficult to explain, “Hi…” Riya said, steadying her nerves, it’s ok, it’s just a room full of strangers who all look like they’re around her own age and are most likely judging her for having the audacity to speak up help she can’t do this life is a misery, “My name Is Projookta Karmakar, please call me Riya, I’m nineteen and from India… Uh… basically we’re either in a simulation or somehow isekaied into a book called The Merchant of Antonia … Um… It’s basically this period-drama fantasy novel where all the ‘Nobles’ have magic which they call ‘Mana’ and um… Ya they hate Commoners, like really hate commoners…” Riya looked at the Australian hoping he’d continue cuz she had absolutely no idea what to say next.
The guy waved his hands a bit, “Name’s Max Townend, I’m from Australia and I’m twenty-two. And she’s correct, Nobles hate Commoners and see them as these lowly beings whose entire existence belongs to them and can be treated however the Nobles want them to be treated, though it’s not all true because most Giebes do get along with commoners, but yes, We pretended to be ‘messengers of the Gods’ so we don’t end up killed or tortured. Any questions?”
“Yes actually.” The British guy said, “Harry Brown, eighteen years old, you two sound very familiar with this place.”
Was he suspicious of her?! But she didn’t even do anything! It’s not her fault they were here!
“Yes, because I was a fan of The Mana Wastelands Trilogy series when I was eighteen.” Max said.
…What? “Trilogy?” Riya exclaimed, “That’s not right! There’s only one book so far! The Merchant of Antonia Just released a few months ago!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Max said, “ The Merchant of Antonia was released back in 2023, that was five years ago!”
Huh? “But it is 2023!”
“It’s 2028!” Max exclaimed.
“Something is definitely wrong.” The dark skinned girl said, “Sally Davis, nineteen and from America, I’m from the year 2025.” She looked at the rest expectedly, for everyone else to speak up about their names, age, nationality and year.
“I’m from the year 2020.” Harry said.
“Debajoti Roy, please call me Deb, I am eighteen and Indian and from the year 2024.”
“My name is Shuu Abe, I am twenty-two years old and Japanese and from the year 2014.”
“Maria Gomez, Mexican, nineteen and from the year 2026”
“Melissa Smith, American, nineteen and from the year 2018.”
“Jayden Wuu, Chinese, twenty-three and from the year 2027.”
“Valerie Bae, Australian, twenty-three and from the year 2016.”
“Leo Lopez, Mexican, twenty-one and from the year 2019”
The first thing that came to her mind was how fucking lucky and tragic some of their situations were, a few of them hadn’t experienced covid! The ones who isekaied (maybe) before 2020 never knew the joy of having chemistry in tab one of the laptop while playing Among us in tab two. Nor did they know how absolutely mind numbing it could be being forced to stay locked in for two whole years.
Riya shook her head, nope! Focus! she needed to focus on the convo happening!
“So how did we end up here?! How is it possible we’re all from different time periods?” Leo asked.
What an excellent question! Riya's mind wandered slightly again, this time to a very faintly remembered memory, that time she was floating in a water tank of some sorts… Could it be… Perhaps we were abducted by aliens and sent to this world to be experimented on or studied about?
Nah, that sounded stupid.
Suddenly, Riya felt a yawn coming up, “Ahh~!!” She covered her mouth, a few people looked at her and her ears started to burn a bit, “IDK about you guys but I’m kinda tired, I’m going to sleep.” She said, getting up, “Goodnight everyone, nice meeting you.” She picked up the bag and walked into the first room she found and headed straight for the bed.
[https://jooinn.com/images/royal-bedroom-20.jpg]
The view was most definatly fake, The bed wasn’t as soft as she had imagined them to feel like. It was a bit firmer than her bed, didn’t feel like it had springs inside.
And then she remembered, this was a period-drama fantasy novel, the beds were made out of goose feathers!
…This was going to take a while to get used to…