Swiftly, Bei Tan shut the cupboard and remained silent. His new name – Lady Ina, appeared to indicate he was now someone of importance and other's respect.
"Lady Ina? Servant Lucas informed me you had awoken from your sleep."
"Lucas?" Bei Tan's expression contorted uncomfortably as he mumbled under his breath. Weirdly enough, this name had belonged to a female suitor who had courted him for some time. However, after uncovering she had stalked him home before, he immediately considered it an invasion of privacy and escorted her safely into the hands of the police. Bei Tan could unpleasantly recall many other equally creepy instances.
This was different though. After all, he was no longer Bei Tan.
"Lady Ina?" The voice repeated in a curious tone.
Thinking back, unless this body had previously woken up before the awakening he had experienced, it was obvious whom the name 'Lucas' belonged to – that creepy hand-caressing man. Somethings don't change, different life or not. Creepy. Just the memory of both Lucas' satisfied faces disgusted Bei Tan.
"Did she go back to sleep?" The dart of light under the door gap flickered whilst the single figure's shadow became a pair.
"It's this late and she woke up?" A new voice asked.
"Lucas said she had awoken."
"Him? He is always around Lady Ina, isn't he? Do they…"
"Wait, you think that have a thing?"
"I mean… she's rising to the throne soon, so maybe he… I mean he did pay her a visit at night"
Bei Tan eavesdropped attentively. He needed to know the most he could about this body to have a possibility of surviving here normally. However, he had no desire to live life as a woman, especially not after retaining his memories as a man. Not only did it feel unnatural… how was he meant to even go to the bathroom?
The pair of women giggled mockingly before scattering, leaving behind a cold silence. Bei Tan considered a couple of things: Lady Ina was taking over the throne, and it seemed like people wanted to judge her cause of it.
Opening the cupboard again, Bei Tan resumed observing the blade, this time in his bare hands.
The sheath, cold to the touch, was a smooth, firm and leathery case with careful embroidery decorating the hard edges. Unsheathing the blade, Bei Tan was surprised to see a familiar sight. The knife glistened quite brightly under the candlelight and despite the major difference in quality; this was no doubt the 'Aquatic Sword'.
The sword he had admired for hours at the museum. It was supposedly found buried at the shore of a large inland sea and that sword was currently within his hands. He shivered at the thought of pressing its smooth edge against his skin. Where was he? Could this be not a separate world but rather the past? Bei Tan considered it but reached no conclusion.
Thinking he might need it. Bei Tan strapped the weapon against this thigh. Although it was attached quite low, the length of the dress prevents anyone from seeing it. If he had gone any higher, he might have gone crazy. Mentally, he was still a full-grown male. This height was sufficed.
Other than this mirror table and the bed, the room appeared empty. Did Lady Ina have no personal possessions?
Cautiously Bei Tan made his way outside. Like a large diamond ring, the moon reflected a dazzling light and along with starry specks, adorned the sky. Maybe now that he was no longer whom he used to be, he actually had time to enjoy these small things. The peace Bei Tan rarely got he received all in a few minutes of silence. Maybe it was better for him now, he's uncontrollably busy life had ended and a new one had begun.
The building was quite open. After leaving the red-themed bedroom, Bei Tan had stepped out onto a wooden porch. One could describe it as a large traditional Japanese castle with individual touches here and there, it was the kind often presented in Japanese films or anime. The porch swerved around in a circle, which encompassed a small garden.
Afar, Bei Tan could see this castle's torso. The main building had jade-blue roofs which reflected the light of the moon. The walls were a metallic white, and across it was a long azure phoenix – a symbol of this region?
Bei Tan admired it, before turning to the sudden waft of lavender. The smell had come from the room where he had awoken. Despite already inspecting the room, Bei Tan curiously made his way back inside.
"Where is it coming from?" He sniffed attentively. Other than when he woke up, there was no moment when the scent was especially strong. Like a dog, Bei Tan continuously breathed intensely.
It was coming from the bed.
He could have brushed it off but Bei Tan was a detective, and anything might one day come to be crucial evidence. Even without his detective instincts, anyone with a normal nose could probably tell the scent was abnormally strong. It was as if someone had drowned the bed in perfume.
He rummaged through the bed carefully. No lavender. Although something more mind-bobbling appeared. Under the bed sheet, there was a deep cut in the edge of the mattress. He pried the tear open with his hands and peeked inside.
"Wow. This place sure is full of mysterious things." Bei Tan laughed.
It was like it was made for him.