"My name... is Lydia."

Lasory smiled with that same warm smile that he always gives. Honestly I was scared at this point that he'd win me over with that smile of his and I'd just trust him.

I've just had some bad experiences with trusting people, so I don't anymore. Not after you've really proven that you're trustworthy.

"What did you want to show me?" I asked, lowering my head and already wishing I hadn't spoken.

I guess having clean clothes on was a nice bonus. I felt at least a little more comfortable and relaxed, and I was just given something basic and slightly boyish to wear, which didn't bother me in the least.

"I'm going to be leaving tomorrow to return to my work. Before then, I'd like to take you and Myu down to the city so you can see the sights. After that, I have a meal cooking up, and I've only invited the four of us."

Miss Ayami scoffed. I really don't think she likes me.

"Sehri, please," Lasory softly pleaded with the woman. If she was a maid, she sure didn't seem to be treated like one.

She glared at him, but after a small sigh, she tidied her posture and expression. And Lasory gave her a thankful look.

"So, what do you say to running a quick errand and having some dinner?" The Doctor changed back the topic.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Go wake Myu," he instructed.

I went back up the stairs to see the girl peacefully snoozing on the bed. She was wearing the same dress, one that matched her hair perfectly.

So I had to nervously and awkwardly approach this girl and disturb what seemed like the essence of tranquility and serenity - sort of like getting up to get a drink when your cat is sleeping on your lap. You just don't.

A few gentle pokes and shakes didn't do the trick - and knowing she's a princess didn't make it feel any less wrong.

I had to shake her gradually more roughly, until she eventually stirred and I panicked, fully expecting her to be pissed at me.

She simply stretched and rubbed her eyes, groggily asking, "Do we have errands to run?"

I replied with a slow and hesitant nod, and she stood with a stretch. Everything about her gave a sense of peace - someone free from the worries and stresses of people and peers and expectations.

Ayami got her dressed for public and gave us both a quick washcloth bath, and Lasory grabbed a backpack. After that, we headed outside, and I realized that this was my first time seeing this new place.

What I saw in the mirror and all the things happening to me put aside, I was admittedly feeling a little curious as to what I'd find outside. Floating islands, strange creatures - anything was possible.

Myu noticed I was giddy to be outside and looked a little surprised, but Lasory in particular seemed somewhat curious as to my excitement. Either way, I was taking everything in.

The mansion wasn't far at all from town, and by town I mean a massive city rivaling even major cities back home. It was fairly active today, and seemed full of so much diversity. I was practically jumping out of my skin when I saw long-eared people, some very short, some with skin in colors I've never seen, some even with scales or tails. I got the sense that it wasn't normal for this much diversity, but either way, the people seemed happy.

As soon as some of the passerby and merchants saw Myu, everyone ogled over her as we walked. She was the complete center of attention, with people giving her different foods and accessories or asking to touch her hair or give her a free palm reading.

I was not a fan at all of the constant greetings towards us and her; they were all way too eccentric and hyper. Everyone just had to have her attention, and it was almost creepy. What truly struck me was that I knew whatever language they spoke was not English like I knew back home, but that I knew it just as well as English - if not better.

One thing I couldn't help but notice, though, was an alarming number of dirty looks shot in my direction. Nobody was trying to be obvious, but something about me didn't seem to sit well with some of these people.

I just did my best to look ahead and get through whatever errand this was, because either way I'm getting to see so many things I've never seen before and it's completely blowing my mind.

While I was completely spacing out and nearly drooling over my surroundings, I heard a gasp from Myu, and stopped dead in my tracks as a very large butcher stood in front of me, blocking me from Myu.

"Relax, my lady! I'll make sure this filth is no threat to you."

"This is exactly what I was worried about, my Lord," Ayami muttered to Lasory.

I was again panicked because he had a pretty big knife, and because it was causing a scene and causing everyone to look at me.

Lasory diffused the situation, but that didn't stop the rest of the walk from being awkward and quiet. I wasn't sure what it was that had so many people looking at me and acting around me the way they were.

I was a lot more attentive to my surroundings after that.

Or at least as attentive as I could be, since my eyes were still completely terrible, and anything past the first merchant or so beside us was a total mystery to my eyes. Our destination was on seemingly a less well-off part of this grand city in a building not directly connected to the road - we had to go around one building to reach this one.

I was completely mortified when we walked in, and almost wanted to cling on to Myu or Lasory like a child (I was short enough to play the part, too)

A bunch of very skinny people were here in this dark and musty room that seemed like it got no care and attention, and the atmosphere scared me.

Just a little bit of life seemed to enter their eyes when they saw us enter, as though we were expected. The doctor took off his backpack, and I looked around, seeing all kinds of strange people - the likes of which I hadn't seen walking around in the city.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Some bore thick scars on their faces or hands or legs, sort of like the one on that ghost's... or I guess now my face. Some of them had strange horns and red eyes - demons, I'd assume. Others had webbed ears, some even webbed hands or feet, with bluish or greenish skin, and if I had to guess, they were mermaids. Most of the mermaid-like people had their mouths taped shut, which seemed absolutely horrible.

I wanted to cry looking at them.

One had somewhat ashen skin with cat-like ears and even a tail, which would have been amazing and I'd have thrown away any and all of my social anxieties to run up to her and drool all over the place, except she had a chain to her ankle, just as the rest of the people in this room did.

Most of them didn't look any older than 15 or 16, with the majority of those being on the younger side of that - barely adolescent children.

The cat-girl (I hate that despite everything, that's still so awesome to say) looked at me directly, and gave me a smile. Have we met...?

Lasory took out some odd plants and powders from his bag, which I assumed were medicines, and treated those in the room that needed it. Myu and Ayami were looking down, and Myu's eyes glistened as though tears were forming in them, which is a look I'd never expect to see on her.

I just wanted to know why we were here... or even more importantly, why they were here? When we were done, I asked Lasory what it was for.

"Just had to give some medicine to some people," was all he said.

The way back to the mansion was less troublesome, and the mood lightened at least a little as Lasory talked and bought Myu and I a fruit that reminded me of mangos.

We had dinner that night at a large, very fancy table, with fancy glasses, and it set in a bit that this is where I'm staying. A freaking mansion. Why am I here? Why are they letting me stay here?

Most people around here don't seem to like me, so what's the difference with these 3? Well, 2 I guess, since Ayami doesn't care much for me.

Perhaps she agrees with me in a sense - that my being here is going to cause a lot of trouble. I mean they're noble, royal people, taking in what I'm assuming is a little homeless girl who wasn't in the best of health and hasn't lived the highest and mightiest of lives.

Ayami didn't eat with us, and instead tended to us while we did, which was definitely something to get used to.

Myu and Lasory talked, and he smiled and talked about how he helped build this mansion, bringing up specific details, especially pertaining to this room and its furnishings, that were nostalgic to him. Myu had apparently heard all too much of it, because some of the parts, she was finishing his sentences.

She didn't seem tired of hearing it, though. This was just normal for him, I suppose. And I can't judge. I'd be proud to build something like this too.

Right next to us was a lot of noise and clamoring. I guess there was a larger dining room there. That's the "stacked with people" Lasory was talking about. And it was then I thanked the heavens that he decided to have dinner here with just us.

When we went to bed that night, I stared out the window of the little attic and thought about the fact that I'm clearly in a new world. I'm in a new body.

In a way it feels like an opportunity. Scary, but an escape. My life on Earth was nothing but miserable and terrible, and I can take this chance I've been given in a good way and do something good with this new life I've been given.

And resist the urge to do something good with the body of a woman. You really can't blame me, can you?

That aside, I was tired and wanted to get answers tomorrow. I wanted to explore, to ask questions, to learn things. I took the blanket and pillow from the bed and pretty much threw myself on the wooden floor, immediately closing my eyes and trying to rest. That rest was interrupted by a certain purple haired individual coming up into my makeshift little bedroom holding a pillow and blanket of her own, along with a little stuffed bear.

She giggled when she saw me on the floor, but decided to join me.

It reminded me of Violet.

"Goodnight, Myu," I said quietly.

"Yay! You talked again." She seemed very mature in some ways, but in others like a child. Either way, she was well-behaved and gave me the impression that she would teach me a lot more than I could ever teach her - as a person, that is. "Goodnight, sister."

Sister, huh?

~

The next day, Myu took me to the tree in the courtyard and picked some of the nuts it grew. I thought they were the ones I had yesterday, but then realized that probably wasn't the case.

By now, it's been a whole day here, which was a big milestone for me. I've experienced so many wild things in just these 24 hours alone, and I'm dying to know what's in store for the years and years I (hopefully) have to come.

Not that thinking of the future has ever been my strong suit.

Neither is opening nuts, apparently. Myu says they're called rai nuts. They have shells like walnuts, the insides are shaped kind of like cashews, and they're pinched at the center like peanuts where two nuts grow inside each shell.

They ended up looking like little brown-gray crescent moons, especially the way they grew off the tree. It was kind of cute.

The princess cracked them open like it was second nature to her, but no matter how hard I tried and tried and tried to get one open, I just couldn't. It was frustrating, to say the least, and I gave up pretty quickly after Myu simply laughed when I gave her a look that begged her to show me how to do it.

So she opened a few for me, and we relaxed again. She was silent in a way that was expectant, like she wanted me to say something specific.

Not that I'm much good at mind games.

"You know, there's so many places to see outside of just this tree," the increasingly familiar voice of my ghost clone said. The last time I saw her, she was crying, but this time, she was back to being cheery and ever so demanding of me to do things I really didn't.

Not that I don't want to see new things, I just don't know how to explore, and the idea scares me overall.

I ignored her again, and she huffed and floated away, which was a little funny considering the cliche nature of her ghost qualities.

Later, Lasory was soon to leave to deliver letters. He's a Messenger for the King, which he says "is the greatest job anyone could have. I meet so many people and connect our kingdom with so many people and nobles and countries and businesses."

He says he's like a blood vessel, carrying vital nutrients and information to and from the heart.

I thought it was sweet how passionate he was about his job. I never thought much about a career in my past life, and never had that much of a passion for anything outside of art - not that I planned on making a life out of doing it.

Myu had lessons with Ayami and a private tutor of hers, so I was left to my own devices.

In a way I took some of Lydia's advice by exploring some of the estate. I checked out Lasory's library and some of its books. It struck me as odd that he had so many considering that without the technology of a printer or even printing press, books are extremely expensive.

Most of them were in practically a foreign language to me. I understood the words, but nothing of what they were talking about. I read a few pages of a few different tomes, and decided the material probably isn't for me, not unless I ask Lasory to show me something to start with. Though I wouldn't be surprised if none of these were novels to begin with.

I found the kitchen, an empty ballroom, and more than my fair share of hallways. After passing by a few fancily-dressed people who looked at me strangely, then one that kicked me in the shin and told me to get lost, shouting for a guard to escort me out, I bolted, and the lesson came to me pretty quickly that if I hear people, I should probably just hide.

Note to self: there is definitely something wrong with me and people do not like whatever it is here.

I found an art room, which intrigued me. There was someone in it, but before I could hide, the paint-covered man, more of a young adult with upward pointy ears like an elf, ushered me in, not seeming bothered by whatever it is that bothers everyone else.

He handed me a brush and a canvas, then gave me his seat and eagerly demanded that I paint something.

I decided to paint my favorite thing in my memory: a bench at the edge of a park full of trees. I didn't use this kind of medium much, so it was a little tricky to get used to, and I didn't spend super long on it, but I figured it was a way to pass the time, and this guy seemed to like me, so it can't have hurt that much.

Personally it didn't seem like the best painting in the world - I'm no Da Vinci - but this guy freaked out when he glanced over from his own and saw my finished work, immediately getting some nails and putting it up on the walls of the room that were covered with other paintings (all of which were much better than mine).

It felt special to me either way, and I thanked him before I left. "Come back and paint some more, young lady!" he cried out the door, and I smiled a little.

I went back to that room I met Myu in, the one with the giant tree in the middle of it, and climbed up the little rope ladder on it to get in one of the super high up hammocks. My brain was spazzing all over the place as I screamed and jumped inside over how cool and unique this was.

And there I took a nap.