Christoph confusedly watched Ambrosia walk toward the door and asked, "Excuse me, Miss Silvermoon, you hadn't told me where the clothes were."
Ambrosia did not turn around and said, "You wish to learn more about your new reality. Take this short exploration as a practice. After you are dressed, come and find me."
That said, the lady twisted the door knob and left Christoph on his own. The young man was confused and could not understand the behavior displayed by this lady. Sighing, he got up from the bed and looked around.
The room was considerably big. A king-size bed, a set of chairs on the side, and a door opposite the entrance. Christoph shook his head and walked to the door behind the chairs. He grabbed the doorknob and felt like he had grasped a cotton ball.
Raising his brow, Christoph opened his grip, and his eyes widened. He was holding on to a mangled doorknob. He let go of the knob and reeled back in shock. The young man was surprised and gulped a mouthful of saliva.
He raised his hand and stared at his palm in disbelief as he mumbled, "What the hell happened to me?"
After the shock settled, he realized it was all because of his transformation. Getting a grip of himself, Christoph tried to twist the knob again, but with the lightest of touches. However, he was overestimating himself. The doorknob did not budge, so the door opened after some trial and error.
On the other side lay a bathroom. Christoph did feel an urge to take a shower, and a shower he took. The supplies were present inside. After drying himself, he stood in front of a big mirror. Christoph was surprised to see himself.
Unknowingly his right hand moved to glide over his face. His face had changed entirely. None of his features were similar to his past. Probably only his eyes had some resemblance to his past.
…
While Christoph was dwelling over his transformation, Ambrosia sat under a garden pavilion, swiveling on a rocking chair. Vincent stood behind her, with his eyes moving back and forth.
The lady said, "What do you have in mind, Vincent? Say it already. Your aura is annoying me."
The butler bowed and said, "My lady, how did his face change? The..is, this has never happened before."
Ambrosia shook her head and said, "This transformation spell had never worked in the past. So, there may be a few things that we do not know. But, do not fret so much."
The butler shook his head and said, "My heart cannot take all this excitement in this old age."
Ambrosia could not help but chuckle at his remark as she said, "You know age is not something people like us have to worry about?"
Vincent sighed and said, "Where did this guy vanish? Why is he not here yet?"
Ambrosia replied, "He must be figuring out his new self. After all, everything about him has either changed or will change. Give him some time to figure things out."
…
Christoph finished wrapping his head around the changes he faced and found a cloaking room. This place was much bigger than the room he was resting in. Christoph looked around in fascination and took a new pair of undergarments from the cupboard before picking up a black shirt and pants. He also wore black shoes and a belt before leaving the place.
As he was walking through the corridors, he folded his cuff and unknowingly radiated a charm like none before. The maids in the mansion could not take their eyes off of him.
However, the object of all this adoration had no interest in them and wondered where he could find Miss Silvermoon in this giant mansion. Looking at the staff, he stopped and asked, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find Miss Silvermoon?"
His voice was calm and charismatic, as if a magnet was pulling the strings of their hearts. The maid closest to Christoph said, "The mistress must be in the garden. She often goes there when she is busy thinking."
Christoph smiled and said, "Thank you."
Then he left the place. His charm was making all these women dazed and pink-eyed. They kept looking at his back until he vanished around the corner.
…
After a few minutes, Christoph found his way to the pavilion. Ambrosia was leaning against her rocking chair, and her eyes were closed. She seemed sleeping, and Vincent stood gazing at Christoph behind her.
The young man did not fall in a daze this time, his gaze lingered on the exquisite face for a bit, and then he turned his head to Vincent and opened his mouth when the butler cut him short, "Have a seat."
Christoph looked around, but he did not find any chair. Vincent said, "Sit on the ground."
This statement made Christoph furrow his brows. Then, finally, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Vincent raised his brows and asked, "What do I mean? Isn't that obvious? You should surrender to the one who saved your life. After all, without her help, you would have been dead."
Christoph was angry but kept his temper in check and said, "I do not remember asking for a rescue."
Vincent raised his brow. Indeed, Christoph did not ask for them to rescue him. However, the old man did not budge and said, "Hmmm, I see, you are an ungrateful one."
Christoph clenched his fists and said, "Whether I am ungrateful or not. That is not something for you, a mere servant, to judge. The one who saved me is your mistress. I will do it pridefully if she asks me to display my gratitude. However, I will never bend my knee to worship someone else."
Vincent chuckled as he stepped forward and said, "You were half an inch away from the gates of hell when we saved you. As for your pride, it does not mean shit. I will make your knees bend. Would you like to see me try?"
Christoph glared at the old man for a moment before he looked around and said, "This place is quite small, and our actions will also disturb the lady."
Vincent sneered at the young man and said, "It will not take me much effort to bring you down. As long as you give me your consent."
Christoph narrowed his eyes. This old man was looking down on him. The blatant disrespect in the other party's eyes vexed him. After thinking, Christoph said, "Fine, come at me."
He thought this person was not a human, and he would like to use this opportunity to see the gap between himself and the rest of these people. So, as soon as he approved, Vincent moved.
Christoph was surprised to see that the person in front of him vanished. He was baffled, but when he could even move his eyes, a shallow impact from his stomach made him double over.
The punch was so strong that it hurt Christoph's chest cavity and disrupted his breathing. The young man felt as if his lungs are on fire. His entire body seemed to be going through the pain. His legs shivered, and he leaned forward but did not fall.
Vincent clicked his tongue and said, "I held back too much, thinking you are a human. I had forgotten the fact about your transformation."
Christoph had his plate full and could not spare any energy to make a comeback pun at the guy. When a set of feet appeared in his vision, he was trying to get his body enough air. Christoph was bent over and caught a slight shadow in his vision. Then he did not think much but rolled over to the side to avoid a kick.
The old butler was surprised, but he did not stop attacking. Christoph also kept rolling in random directions to avoid the kicks after two kicks. Then, the young man suddenly met a faint blur from the corner of his eye and stepped back.
Then he touched the corner of his eye and found a drop of blood sliding down his cheek. His pupil enlarged as he looked at the old man. However, Vincent was not going to give him any chance.
The old man closed in again, but this time, instead of running away, Christoph clenched his jaw and rushed at the faint blur in his sight. But, of course, the old butler was surprised to find out about this.
Usually, a person would not charge but hide from the blow heading their way. However, Christoph's actions were the opposite of what instinct would tell one to do. Christoph did this to cancel the impact and force of the blow he would receive by standing in the same place.
He was not a fool to understand the severity of the kick earlier. It was not the let of the old man that grazed him but the wind around his leg. Christoph finally realized he was not worth much in front of this person or the ones he faced on the bridge.
Yet, this did not make him feel broken but stoked the fire in his heart to burn even profusely. When the two people collided, Christoph used his arms to coil around the waist of the old man, and then in a quick action, he lifted the person off the ground.
He twisted his body and tried to smash the old man against the floor when suddenly Vincent said, "You lose."
Christoph looked down and was surprised.
**If you all have any suggestions regarding the plot, please feel free to reach out on discord, THE WORDSMITH#7490.**