Sleeping in a new bed was always awful, but in another world? Twice as difficult. As a homebody, Lucian was picky and had just gotten used to his new bed before he died. He also felt a bit dirty, so he decided to search for a bathroom.
Maybe I can just think about it as staying in a hotel. I like those… Lucian thought as he looked at the bathroom. "Oh. I get a bathtub? …maybe this won't be so bad after all." Granted, it was one of those claw-foot bathtubs.
Considering everyone is a corpse or a skeleton, it could be worse. I could've ended up in a place where everyone just puts on perfume and goes about their day. Uh…or formaldehyde, in this instance. The bathroom was large enough to have a kettle, even. Thankfully the previous mortician enjoyed hot water. And there were a few black robes still hung up, even.
Yup. I can just think about it like a hotel. He had only seen a few parts of the castle, but Lucian was glad that this world wasn't completely medieval. There was a bathtub and a toilet, and a servant had been nice enough to put a small vase full of flowers on the counter.
Lucian spent the better part of the evening in the bathtub, letting the hot water soothe his nerves. The bathroom was a lot brighter now, since he'd brought at least five candles inside. He replayed the day's events in his mind, and was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of rustling pages.
Instead of the Death Grimoire, it was a battered leather journal with the words "To New Morticians" etched in silver. "Thank you," he said mostly out of habit. Lucian flipped to the first page and saw a short letter written in beautiful calligraphy:
1333, Oct. 29
Don't forget: you are not here to enjoy yourself. This is a job. You serve Queen Marguerite because there is no other option, and you've already embalmed the previous master mortician. Take care, and do not think about Him.
- Elwynne, Master Mortician
Elwynne. He remembered her portrait from the mausoleum. "Huh. I better take notes on this for later." Lucian said as he closed the book and thought about it returning to wherever it came from. He was mildly surprised when the book followed his instructions, and wondered if this was magic.
Probably. What else could it be? With Lucian's mind musing over Elwynne's note and what it could possibly mean, he got ready for bed feeling…oddly, more relaxed.
So relaxed, in fact, he never noticed the chandelier blinking as he slept. It swayed gently, and within each ruby crystal was an eye. As night bled into early dawn, each eye closed for the last time, until the chandelier was perfectly still, and a dark trail of smoke disappeared beneath his door.
In the morning, the chandelier's crystals were completely translucent.
+
"Sir Lucian?" Rosa's voice called from the other side of the door. "The Queen wants to meet you at breakfast." Lucian rolled over and looked at the window. The sun was high in the sky and it was a brilliant blue, dotted with clouds, like it was staged.
"What time is it, Rosa?" he called as he grabbed a black robe. She held a tray with a shallow bowl of water and a scrap of cloth. "Oh! Uhm…we use candle segments here. It's an hour before breakfast time. If you wait another twenty minutes, Kingsley will fetch you himself."
It sounded like a threat.
Lucian used the bowl to wash his face and made his way to the Queen's breakfast hall. The room had a ceiling so high you had to stack three dragons to reach it, and a massive table enough to seat at least sixty people. Today, however, only three were there: Queen Marguerite, Kingsley, and Rosa.
The Queen greeted him with a slight nod. "You look well-rested, mortician." Lucian sat across from her. "The bath helped," Lucian admitted. "After a long day, a soak in some hot water feels great."
She seemed slightly more animated. "Ah yes! That is one of life's greatest pleasures." Her face visibly broke out into a happy smile—for a moment she looked like a regular person instead of a queen. "It's my favorite way to unwind. I'm so glad I told the royal architect it must be made."
Lucian nodded enthusiastically. "I appreciate the variety of bath salts as well, your majesty. The bed was a little stiffer than I'm used to, but I think I like it better. My back doesn't hurt as much as it used to."
That made Rosa sit up a bit straighter, almost dropping the plain bread roll she had been eating. "Around three hundred years ago, one of the morticians I served requested it. Apparently their back felt better when they lay on stone. That was how Queen Marguerite compromised."
Three hundred…I wonder how old the Queen actually is. The half of her face that wasn't obscured looked very youthful. In his world, she would have been around twenty-nine or so. He looked at his plate and was pleasantly surprised.
There was a bowl of hot cereal with some small rainbow-colored fruits, hard-boiled eggs, and two slices of plain bread with some cooked meat. It was simple but elegantly plated, and looked appetizing, even for him.
Truly laughable...Lucian thought as he started eating. Yesterday I ate steak with Niko and Mei...and now, here I am...eating food fit for the nearly-dead.
He glanced at what the Queen, Rosa, and Kingsley were eating. His was the most colorful plate. The Queen had hard-boiled eggs, bread, and a jar of dark-colored jam. Rosa was having a bread roll, butter, and a mug full of water.
Kingsley…had nothing at all.
Before he could say anything, the skeleton shrugged. "No digestive system. Over time, food becomes less im—" His jaw let out a small click and dropped onto his empty plate with a loud clatter, which made Lucian yelp.
He recovered quickly and reached across the table. "I think I can help with that!"
As his fingertips brushed over the jaw, a faint shimmer appeared, and his Grimoire appeared and opened to a blank page.
[SYSTEM NOTICE - NEW SKILL UNLOCKED]
Death Balm (Lvl. 1)
You can now reattach bones and joints of the undead using necromantic sealant.
More effective with focus, compassion, and time.
Duration: Permanent
Lucian carefully aligned Kingsley's jawbone and gently cemented it back in place. Rosa gasped as the butler tried opening and closing his mouth. The balm made Kingsley's jaw shine, and Lucian smiled in apology.
"It still has to dry, but once it does, it won't fall off anymore."
"Thank you," the butler mumbled, and Lucian heard 'Fanks you,' as he tried to talk around the drying balm. "It feels better already."
A blue flame flickered behind the Queen's veil as she tried to hide how impressed she was. He noticed one of her hands was practically shaking as Marguerite spread more black jam on her toast. "Perhaps we did not sacrifice the apprentice in vain."
Sacrifice? Lucian's gray eyes widened and sweat dripped down his black hair. "What…?"