'Why do they need to live in different castles? It's not like they need that much space.'
Technically, they did. With each member needing their own servants, staff, and private space, it was just easier to keep everyone separated. But this was still excessive.
Reis had stepped out of the room five minutes ago and was still walking, but the main door still hadn't shown itself. He told the staff to wait at the gate because he wanted to explore a bit, but it seemed like exploring the whole place would take a whole day.
|The prince and princesses live in the same castle up to the age of 14. They are separated afterward to avoid conflict.|
I wasn't talking to you.
Reis was still pissed at the system for interrupting his plans with ridiculous missions. The fact that he couldn't tie the strings properly, even after trying for an hour, just made it worse.
And conflict? Yeah, right. As if people needed to be in a shared house to get into a fight. If this world still functioned anything like the game, space, distance, those were secondary factors in every case.
But so far, Reis' game knowledge hadn't given him any boost. He had instinctively reached for controls three times in the last hour only, with no gain.
Oh, how he missed the fast travel option. More so, the log-out option.
Reis didn't have the time to stop and observe, but things caught his eye naturally. His footsteps echoed through the long and wide hallway. Each time a servant greeted him, he had to try extra hard not to flinch.
Paintings adorned every wall, the people in them staring ahead as if they were observing everything. Every single one of them looked like they'd judged three generations for fun.
And this absurd, over-decorated castle was his new home, apparently.
Door after door. Twists and turns that confused him, even with the help of the original's memory. Royal Residence? It's more like a maze with furniture.
|Would you like to name your residence 'Maze with furniture' in the system listings?|
Reis looked at the screen disapprovingly. "Do you listen in on everything? Where's your sense of privacy?"
|I need information to assist.
Should I proceed with changing the name?|
Reis thought for a beat. Well, there was no harm in it. "Go ahead."
After a few more minutes of walking, he finally found a door that could fit an industrial excavator. 'That must be the exit.'
Anxious servants were already waiting outside, some sighing in relief after seeing him. Reis noticed the odd behavior, but decided to ignore it. Without the original's memory, trying anything could backfire.
The carriage was already prepared, as were the attendants. He held back a sigh and climbed onto the seat silently. "Oh..."
Money could literally make even car seats soft as beds, huh?
The main palace was barely a five-minute distance by horse, so it was a short journey. Another huge castle came into view soon enough.
'…It's not like they're giants.'
'Why do they need their houses to be this big?'
'And this much formality to meet with family?'
'No wonder rich people get estranged.'
|Do not make your disdain so obvious. Your expressions are too bitter.|
That was cause he was bitter.
Reis was escorted directly to the dining room as soon as he got down. Keith stood outside with the rest of the staff without a word. So he figured it was a family-only meeting.
|Entering task zone.|
Some were already inside and seated. But the king and queen hadn't arrived yet. Reis contemplated greeting them, but didn't in the end because that felt unlike this character.
|Memory Synchronization: 62%|
Guess I was right.
Memory synchronization was a convenient process, at least when it wasn't being force-fed into his mind. It was like a systematic mixing. He wasn't learning the memories of this person. They didn't play in his mind when needed like a tutorial, which he originally expected.
Instead, everything was already embedded in his mind. When something triggered a particular memory, or he needed specific info, it would come to him. It he knew half of it, it would spike it up to a hundred.
Because the synchronization was still incomplete and somewhat low, he didn't really feel like the original or even close to it. Other than that, every act came to him naturally.
Would it be like two people sharing a body once the synchronization is complete, or will I lose some of my previous memories?
Losing his identity, Reis didn't want that. He didn't want to live as someone else either.
|Your existing qualities will remain. You will retain your individuality. In addition, you'll gain the character's traits. It would then be easier for you to adjust.|
'Can't you talk normally?'
|...I will look into it.|
The long table had many empty seats, but it wasn't an option to take any one of them, like the one in the furthest corner from the king. Who chose trouble intentionally?
Reis looked around and found his two older siblings sitting opposite each other, adjacent to the king's and queen's seats. The seats beside them were both empty. By seniority, he was meant to sit beside one of them.
Do I go to this side or that side?
|Either is fine.|
The seat next to the first prince was closer to the king, so he chose the other option. "Greetings, Elder Sister."
He sat down next to Avena, the first princess and second eldest.
She narrowed her eyes instantly.
Did I choose wrong? Is there some kind of dynamic I missed? Goddamnit!
He didn't sense any animosity, so he thought it was fine. But what if he misread the situation?
"You're being awfully polite. Should I be worried?" Avena asked instead of greeting him back.
Reis blinked. SYSTEM?
|The memory isn't fully synced, so I cannot tell how he acted around his siblings.|
"You even wore those pins you detest. Are you alright, Brother Ann?" Adonis, the youngest, questioned.
Reis wore whatever the servants handed him. They would know this person's preferences, right? But that didn't seem to be the case.
"I woke up late, so I didn't pay attention," he answered.
"But still, you—"
"His Majesty has arrived!" The guard by the door announced. Reis had never felt so happy to hear such a rough, drill-inspector-like voice.
Thank goodness.
As King Aldric entered, he finally found a familiar face.
Well, technically, he hadn't met the king before, nor was he an old friend, but Reis had seen him from afar. The queen also looked familiar, but that was from the prince's memory.
Reis silently thanked the memory sync. Everything else aside, he could never have memorized all their names. He couldn't even remember his own official name!
The door closed again once they were seated. The king's gaze surveyed, landing on the empty seat. "Is he late again?"
The prince and princesses turned to him, followed by the king and queen. "Oh, you're here on time," the queen said with an oddly relieved smile.
The king hummed. "Then Lunive is late."
"She wandered off after getting here. She's probably somewhere on the second floor."
The queen called forth a servant and sent him to bring her over.
Reis silently watched everything. All of it happened smoothly, as if this was a regular thing. They definitely didn't gather for meals every day; then it won't be a scheduled event.
Is it just me…or is the royal family of Vidalia a bit odd?
|I do not have any information on this matter.|
Yeah, the only information you have is 'you need to tie strings right'.
|...|
|This mission is solely for the purpose of familiarizing―|
'Say it normally or don't say it!'
The blue screen disappeared without another world.
Soon enough, the fourth princess, Lunive, was brought over.
"Am I late?"
Everyone looked at her with different expressions. "Sit down now, so we can start," The queen instructed.
Ok, this was for sure a regular thing.