Light.
Too bright. It stabbed through my eyelids before I could even fully wake up. My body felt like it had been dragged through a blender and left behind. For a moment, I didn't move. Didn't think. Just breathed.
Slow. Shallow.
Then the pain came. Not sharp, not overwhelming, just a dull, persistent ache running through my arms, legs, and chest. My body's way of filing a formal complaint about the river trip.
"…I'm alive?" I murmured, my voice dry as a desert.
My eyes opened slowly. Yellow. Bright, warm walls, soft light bouncing off polished surfaces. Flowers were arranged with obvious care, their scent expensive and precise. Not wild like the forest. Controlled. Calm.
This wasn't the forest. Definitely not my dorm. I blinked, trying to sit up, but my muscles stiffened in warning. I winced and slumped back. "Okay… yeah. Not doing that again."
I looked down. Different clothes. Loose, light fabric—definitely not my hoodie. "…That's not concerning at all," I whispered.
A soft sound drew my eyes up. The door slid open quietly, and a nurse stepped in. Calm. Composed. Intimidatingly perfect, like someone had downloaded a medical model.
"You're awake," she said, checking a tablet beside my bed. "You were found near the river, not far from the hospital. Unconscious and injured, but stable."
"Near… the hospital?" I croaked. Right. Because rivers obviously have a habit of dropping people off at the front door. Perfectly normal.
"Yes," she nodded. "The current must have carried you close."
"…Lucky me," I muttered. Surviving the river wasn't luck. It was suspiciously convenient.
I thought back to the fall—the cold, the dark, those strange threads brushing past me. Still. Watching.
The nurse didn't flinch, but the calm vibe of the room was about to be broken. The sliding doors hissed again. This time, two rows of maids marched in, movements so synchronized it sounded like one very precise person walking.
Hands folded, backs straight as arrows, eyes scanning with a cold, professional edge. Not here to dust—here to dominate. They lined up perfectly, bowing as one.
Then she appeared.
If the nurse was a medical model, this woman was why humans invented the word Goddess. Draped in yellow silks that probably cost more than my entire tuition, crown jagged like a golden hornet's nest. Her eyes weren't on me—they were evaluating me.
I felt like a piece of fruit about to be inspected.
Behind her, a man in a tuxedo shadowed her every move. Classic head butler vibes: black morning coat, charcoal vest, spotless white gloves. He carried a silver tray with my Shattered Coin and my dead phone.
"It's awake," she said. Voice like cold honey—sweet, but linger too long and it freezes you solid.
"Uh… hi?" I managed, sitting up as much as my aching back would allow. "I'm BJ. Thanks for the… you know, not letting me drown thing. Great hospital. Five stars on Yelp, definitely."
She didn't smile. Just turned to the man behind her.
"Sebastian. Is this really the best we could do?"
Sebastian bowed at a perfect forty-five degrees. "The medical maids have done their utmost, My Queen. But as you observed, the starting material was… historically neglected."
"My Queen?" I whispered. "Wait… like, real one? With a throne?"
He didn't miss a beat. Stepped forward with the tray. "You are in the presence of Hymeno Ran, Queen of Ishabana. Remember that, Master… 'BJ.'" He pronounced it like it might have a hint of spoil.
"Benjamin, actually. But BJ works."
Sebastian adjusted his spectacles. "Master Benjamin, then. Statistically speaking, your survival is a minor miracle. I suggest you listen closely to Her Majesty."
Hymeno picked up the cracked coin. "You brought 'Ugly' into my kingdom," she said. "The water was filthy. My maids spent three hours cleaning the 'mediocrity' off you. And yet… this hums. Old, broken, fascinating."
"Look, Your Majesty," I said, voice cracking, "I'm just a student. I don't have gold for a room like this."
She dropped the coin sharply onto the tray.
"I don't care for gold," she whispered. "But you are now in my debt. Sebastian, see that he is made useful. Cleaned, dressed in something that doesn't offend my retinas, and put to work."
"As you wish, My Queen," Sebastian replied.
Hymeno turned, yellow silks swishing like blades. The maids followed perfectly. Sebastian stayed behind, with a faint, almost invisible hint of pity.
"Master Benjamin," he said, "cooperate. I shall return in ten minutes with a suit. The maids will assist with your grooming. Do not resist; their training in 'tidying' is… aggressive."
The door hissed shut.
I stared at my cracked coin. "Great. From university student to Queen's personal project." My fingers brushed the gold. A faint emerald spark flickered in the crack. Just for a second.
Give and take. She gave me life. Now I was about to be the best-dressed servant in history.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Alive. In a hospital. In a place I didn't understand. And somehow… that felt more dangerous than the forest. Out there, I knew everything wanted me dead. Here? I had no idea what anyone wanted.
But deep down… the river hadn't been the end. Just the beginning.