Unbeknownst to the events that followed his collapse at the town's gate, Haruki flailed around on a king-size bed, sleeping soundly as he recovered from severe loss of blood. Watching over him was a demi-human maid seated on a stool at the edge of the bed. Alone with him in the moonlit room, she gets up from her seat to periodically check on his condition.
"Lord Atlas, please make him well again," With long fluffy fox ears laying downcast, she gives out a prayer to hasten his recovery.
Drawing the netted curtains around the beds, she starts making her way out of the expansive bedroom. However, just as her fingers wrapped around the door's handle, her heart fiddled in a melancholic rhythm. Gazing back at him, a hopeless longing lingers in her eyes. Clenching her hands over her heaving breasts, she makes her way back to him with hushed steps.
"I'll be back soon, Master Snow," She mumbles, leaning over and planting a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Not long after as she left the room, a warm blush had taken over her lush cheeks. Soon after the exchange, Haruki woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar bed. The last thing he saw before fainting was a beam of blinding light that dazzled his senses. Thus when he noticed the sudden change in scenery he felt more than a bit addled. And yet, with little to no strength left in him, he simply lazed about in bed, wondering if he was still dreaming.
'Is this an illusion again?' He pondered, curiously.
After what he's been through the line between reality and illusion felt near to non-existent. Trying not to strain his head, he decided to assess the situation with caution. Pulling himself up, he sat down looking at the open windows. Curtains of silk were bound together, revealing a clear view of a distant valley of mountains.
"Where the hell is this place?" Slipping out of bed, he took a quick look out the window.
As far as the eyes could see, he was surrounded by a tundra of mountains. Glancing under his nose, he realized how high up he was. The mere scale of the structure let him know that it was some sort of castle. Scanning a bit higher he also noticed flourishing villages brimming with greenery and commerce.
'What town is this? And why the hell am I in this place?'
Moving away from the windows, he paced about restlessly as his mind strained itself for an answer. While making his way through that arduous forest, he could feel mild pain seeping through him at first, but the more time went on the worse his condition had gotten. That is until he heard rampant chatter bustling in a certain direction. Feeling thrilled to finally meet someone who can help, he charged headfirst through the bushes in that direction. However, as soon as he passed through the last bush in front, he fell victim to an untimely slumber. The exhaustion from losing considerable amounts of blood had finally taken a severe toll on his body.
Holding his hand to his eyes, he took a brief look at his pale hands. Once again, he was reminded of what happened in the forest and how he was forced to possess the wounded boy. Standing in front of the dressing table he took a thoughtful look at his new body.
'I really took over him, didn't I?'
Pinching his cheeks, he hoped to wake up from the nightmare. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work. Huffing out a tired sigh, he started unbuttoning the shirt to get a better look at the wound. To his surprise, the deep wound passing through his body was now completely gone. Not even a scar had been left behind, leaving him baffled as to what really happened while he was unconscious.
"I'm not even going to question this stuff anymore," He mumbled before putting the shirt back on.
'I should probably look around to find out where I am.'
Concluding that someone might have intentionally brought him into the castle, he decided to explore the place and potentially find someone who can answer his questions. Looking back at it, from the way Asmodia spoke of the boy it was quite clear that he was someone important. The only thing left for Haruki to find out was what exactly was his role in whatever plan Asmodia had for them.
"Is anyone there?" Exiting into the desolate passage, he called out to anyone present.
But the only reply he got was his own voice echoing down the path. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he was awestruck by the adornment on the walls. Drawn towards the oil paintings, his heart ached for a touch. Even the pillars that seemed to be made from clear ice, had deep gold carvings crawling spiralling upwards. Despite the apparent glacial theme of the whole place, somehow Haruki had missed it entirely so far.
'It feels so cold out here, does a frost dragon live here? No wonder they gave me those thick blankets.'
Moving along the path, he ran into a maid just exiting one of the rooms. He tried calling out to her, but as soon as their eyes met, her whole body shuddered in shock. Unsure what it meant, Haruki decided not to rush towards her like he had done while interacting with Snow.
"I need to tell the others!" She announced before rushing off in the opposite direction.
"What? Wait!" Even before those words left his mouth, it was already too late to stop her. "Did I scare her?"
Making his way forward again, he came by a flight of stairs spiralling downwards. Descending down on them, he noticed many extravagant display pieces showcased over the walls of each floor. One such piece especially caught his attention. It was a massive dragon-shaped crest looming over one of the many gigantic doors in the castle.
'I wonder what's there.'
Although curious, he decided to chase his curiosity some other time. Instead, as he reached the ground floor, he headed straight toward the main entrance. Even as he made his way there, he often found himself infatuated by the illustrious beauty of the mansion. The castle of ice held not only luster but was also adorned with the brief history of its generational owners.
"Finally, some fresh air," Walking into the open garden, Haruki took a deep breath.
The air, although chilly, felt rejuvenating. It made him forget the incidents that have led him to this place. Strolling along the stone paths, he admired the lush green bushes. Taking a swift whiff of the tulips he tried to keep his mind off the tension building up inside his head.
"Master Snow!" A worried voice as sweet as honey called out to him.
'It's never so simple, is it? As for the name 'Snow'? Is that the guy whose body I'm in?' He gave it a quick thought before turning to address the person calling for Snow.
Before he could even see who was calling for Snow, a demi-human girl wraps him up in a hug. Her hands squeezed him so tightly, that he could feel her heart pounding through her bosom. Beating right beside hers, Haruki could feel his own heart beginning to match her soothing rhythm. Somehow, even without seeing her face, he knew she was the one taking care of him while he slept.
"I was so worried,' She whimpered as her tears flowed down his shoulder.
"I-I…" Having calmed down a little, his manly instincts began to kick in.
With each huff of her breath, he could feel her breasts pressing against him. Not to mention, her fluffy tail flopping about happily made her laced underwear quite clearly visible. The worst part of it all was Snow's body seemed extremely entranced by it. Even though Haruki tried to push her off, he couldn't lift a single finger.
"We thought you died," Peering up at him with puppy eyes, Asuka got to her toes and kissed Haruki on the cheek. "I'm glad you're back master…wait no, I'm glad you're back, young duke of Laria."
Like many times in the past few days, Haruki felt shocked, uncertain, and even somewhat afraid.
'Duke of Laria? This kid is a duke?!'
Taking a step back, Asuka's eyes shied away from Haruki. And taking a single look at her gave him some idea why. Dressed in the attire of a maid, if this kid was truly a duke then whoever this girl was had made a grave mistake kissing him in such an abrupt fashion.
"I'm sorry, I…I just got excited seeing the young master after so long," With her hands folded over her skirt, her body nervously swayed side by side. "But, I hope you'd still allow me to work as your personal maid."
Haruki tried not to be taken by her womanly features, but that attempt was doomed to fail. However, reminding himself that he wasn't who she thought he was, he guilted himself into surrendering those perverse feelings.
'I hope it was him standing in front of you, but revealing the truth would only make me seem insane. For now, I just want to look for some answers.'
"Sure, I'll be in your care," With that reply, he knew there was no going back.