The Next Morning

Issac woke up once again to someone knocking at his door. He sat up slowly on his bed and yelled, “Yes?”

A maid spoke from the other side, “Sir, I’m Emme. I shall be the maid accompanying you on your escort for the next few days.”

Half asleep, Issac nodded and said, “Oh, good. Nice to meet you.”

For a brief while, he couldn’t hear Emme’s voice. However, her monotone voice came from the other side once again, “It’s an honor meeting you too, Sir. And I’d like to inform you that breakfast will be served in an hour.”

“Oh, understood,” Issac rubbed his eyes and moved to the side of his bed.

As he was getting up, he heard her voice from the other side again, “Sir, do you need assistance in freshening up and getting dressed?”

“No, Emme, I’ll be just fine on my own. Just give me a minute or two.”

“As you wish, sir.”

Issac slowly walked to the bathroom and rinsed his face in the sink, getting rid of any sleep in his eyes. He looked into the mirror and saw his well-rested self. It was the first time he had had a decent eight hours of sleep ever since he came to this world. In the palace, the unsettling nature and the overwhelming comfort, ironically, made him uncomfortable. One can never really feel situated in a place where they think they’re not meant to be.

“Huh, what’s this?” Issac looked at the counter next to the sink and found a small wooden box. It had no lock and had a simple, flowery design. He opened the lid to find, “Gum? In the bathroom?”

In small rectangles, the gum was wrapped in wax paper inside the box. He took one out and unwrapped it. “It’s just white…gum,” Issac didn’t know what he was expecting, but this wasn’t definitely not it. He took the gum to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled like mint.

“Is this for like-?” Issac couldn’t even fathom what it was for. He looked around, trying to guess which modern-day counterpart this gum was replacing. Upon closer inspection, there was only one thing that it could replace.

“No way! Is this for brushing your teeth or just mouthwash in gum form? Ugh.” Issac felt particularly stupid for saying that last line since any mint chewing gum was close to being a mouthwash in gum form.

Issac stared at the gum again and pondered, “Am I really going to put something unknown in my mouth? Wait.” He remembered something. The goblin he killed in the forest only had his status screen appear when he came close to it. “That means everything has a screen. I just have to look.”

Issac focused on the gum with the intention of deciphering it. And just as he theorized, a status screen popped up.

Freshening Gum

Materials: (Locked)

Used to cleanse the mouth. A product only purchased by nobles and merchants.

“Materials locked?” Issac stared at the second line on the screen. “Does it mean I’m not high enough level to see them, or is there a required skill to see them?” Issac looked at the gum once again, but this time with the intention of making the status screen disappear. And just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

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“Well, at least now I know what this is,” Sol put the unwrapped gum in his mouth and chewed. Instantly, a cool sensation spread throughout his mouth. It was exactly like chewing a mint chewing gum. As he continued chewing, he left the bathroom and began getting dressed. He wore everything he had worn to last night’s dinner. He got the space pouch from underneath his pillow and put it in his coat’s inner pocket.

As he grabbed the door handle, Issac stopped. The gum was still in his mouth. While it might be acceptable to chew gum on Earth publicly, that might not be the case here. After all, here, this gum is essentially a toiletry. And you don’t really brush your teeth on the streets.

Issac quickly walked back to the bathroom and looked around. There it was. Just beside the counter where the box of gum was, there was a small bin on the floor. He wrapped the chewed gun in the wrapper he had previously left on the counter and threw it in the bin.

Quickly walking back to the door, he opened it and found his maid, Emme, standing just a few feet to the left. Upon seeing him, she did a little curtsy and introduced herself, “My name is Emme, sir.”

Issac nodded and said, “Thank you for waiting, Emme. Please, lead the way.”

“Right this way.” Saying so, Emme walked forward, and he followed closely behind. As they walked, some servants walked through the halls, cleaning or going somewhere.

Issac asked, “So, how long have you worked here, Emme?”

“Five years, sir,” she responded concisely.

“And how’s the job?”

“It’s just fine, sir.”

“You don’t feel that it’s hard or anything?”

“No, sir.”

“…” Issac sighed inwardly. “Jesus, this woman is energy-efficient and exhausting to talk to.”

The rest of the trip was silent. After the same series of turns, they reached the dining room, and Emme opened the door for him. Issac walked inside and found no one there. He looked at Emme with an inquisitive look, and she bowed, saying, “Sorry, sir. The Mayor usually takes a while to get ready. Exactly o-”

“Exactly one hour, I get it,” Issac cut her off. “I don’t suppose breakfast can be served without him readied. So then, Emme, what shall we do?”

“I can guide sir to the nearest waiting room or give a tour of the garden.”

“I’ll take the garden, thank you very much.”

“Right this way,” once again, Issac began to follow Emme. And this time, he didn’t even try to strike up a conversation. She led him to the back of the mansion and opened a door that led to the outside.

Issac shielded his face as the sunlight hit him. Once his eyes got adjusted, he lowered his hand and saw something beautiful. Hedges and bushes of various plants separated by winding cobblestone paths; some smaller flowers were planted on the ground. The air was suffused by sweet aromas that seemed to bring back pleasant memories.

“Oh, you’d love this, Lucy….” He muttered quietly. Not waiting for Emme to guide him, Issac walked forward. It was beautiful, all the colors inlaid into the vast expanse of green. He’d see roses of different colors, lilacs, asters, magnolias, carnations, marigolds, petunias, and many more. Well, at least, the flowers looked like ones from Earth, though he was sure that they had different names. He also saw flowers he had never seen before. Some with psychedelic patterns, constantly shifting petals, and tubular flowers that, when looked inside, would produce a kaleidoscope effect.

As he walked, the path eventually led to a gazebo made from wood, painted white. Inside were a table and four chairs. Issac took a seat and inhaled deeply. The aromas, combined with the gentle and warm sunlight, soothed him. Emme stood behind him quietly. He looked around and found a purple flower that was very similar to, “Forget-me-nots? Forget… huh? Mom must be going crazy, searching for me right now. I wonder how Lucy’s doing.” Issac pursed his lips and looked at the horizon, “I’m…so sorry. I-I can’t even get back, not now. What have I done? I-I’m so sorry, Mom and Lucy.”

“Are you okay, sir?” as his eyes watered, he heard Emme’s voice calling out to him.

“H-Huh? Yeah, I’m alright,” Issac kept his hands on his face until he was sure he could control his face.

“Sir, we have just over fifteen minutes remaining. Would you like to wait in the waiting room or stay here?”

“I’ll…I’ll stay here if that’s okay.”

“As you wish, sir,” Issac was sure Emme could tell something was off with him. But he was still grateful for her tact.

Issac took several deep breaths to calm down. Now was not the time to wallow in sorrow and regret. There will be time for that. For now, he still had to survive. He took a last look at the garden, and when there were only ten minutes left, he and Emme left the garden and went back into the mansion. Once again, he followed Emme through the labyrinthine corridors of the mansion and reached the dining room. He was just on time. Letting her open the door, he stepped inside and found the Mayor sitting at the head of the table.

The Mayor looked delighted seeing him enter and enthusiastically greeted him, “Good morning, Secretary Jobin. I’m sure you had a good rest?”

Issac bowed slightly and reciprocated, “Yes, sir. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The Mayor laughed heartily, “Well, there’s one thing that I pride myself on: my hospitality. Even City Lord Sauer has complimented me for this.” He clapped his hands and asked, “Well, enough of that, sit down, and let’s have breakfast!”