Shen Yuan reported back to Harper that he had finished his task. Understandably, she didn't believe him until she saw the storage for herself. Matthew vouched for him as well.
Needless to say, she was impressed.
Since it was his first day and he completed his task way ahead of schedule, she hadn't prepared the next task for him yet and allowed him to rest. She suggested he use the time to memorize the palace layout so he would be prepared for his next task.
He took the suggestion and strolled the palace in leisure after dinner. There were no security cameras or any kind of sensors across the place. The only security measures were locks on doors, latches on windows, and the palace guards patrolling around with some stationed in important areas.
But, there was one thing that he was suspicious of.
He stopped in front of a silver armor and scrutinized it. These things were placed at every corner of the palace, too excessive to only serve as decorations. They were full-body armors with some holding a spear and some holding a sword.
With the technology in reality, many rich households bought androids for security measures instead of employing real people. It was more cost-effective in the long term, not liable to human error, and had more useful functions. They could also request any type of form of android aside from humanoids like animals and plants.
Once, he infiltrated the mansion belonging to the founder of androids where bamboos were placed at every corner of every floor and in almost every room. If it wasn't for his intel, he wouldn't have realized those were androids with military-grade security systems.
These armors reminded him of it.
But there weren't any electronics in this world. How would it work? Was he thinking too much?
A door opened down the hallway and a familiar figure stepped out of the library. It only took a second for the other to notice him and catch his gaze. Shen Yuan only smiled and lowered his head at him before returning his focus to the armor.
First Prince of Everlight, Zain Clementine. Despite being first-born, his presence and contribution to the royal family were almost non-existent. It wasn't that he was incapable, but according to Matthew, he was lacking in every aspect compared to Vesper, making the king rely more on the younger brother.
He could already guess who the vulture was.
Zain didn't seem to remember who he was from their shared experience in the previous world. He wondered if the vulture would remember him. If it didn't…well, it would be a pity. He enjoyed its accompaniment, but the last thing he would do was chasing after someone. Or something.
Receiving the same greeting, Zain felt an inexplicable itch in his chest and once again, couldn't stop his feet from approaching the young man.
"What are you looking at?" He eyed the armor. "Is it damaged?"
"No. I am only wondering why they are placed in every corner of the palace."
"They're golems."
"Golems?" Shen Yuan looked at Zain in askance, a part of him genuinely curious. He never heard of that word before.
Zain nodded. "They're inanimate objects imbued with magic. Normally, they're controlled by their creator, but our armors are given a core for autonomy. They'll activate when the criteria are met."
Magic.
Shen Yuan understood what kind of world he was in now. Many online media passed along into the post-apocalyptic time, and he once watched a fantasy movie with magic as its power system. He had to say, after the development of neural chips, it wasn't much of a fantasy anymore since people could actually fly and throw fireballs in reality.
"I see." He bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your insight, Your Highness."
Zain studied Shen Yuan's expression. "It seems that you've done your research."
"Yes. Please pardon my impudence earlier."
"…You're pardoned."
Only then Shen Yuan straightened back up. He could see the hidden suspicion and doubt in Zain's face, but also a flicker of light in his eyes. It must've been a very long time since someone last showed him respect or even conversed normally with him.
Loneliness. A very dangerous sickness indeed.
"Did you tell anyone you saw me there?" Zain asked.
"I inquired about the woods to Sir Matthew, and I had to tell him that I encountered Your Highness there. Forgive me if I caused Your Highness an inconvenience."
"It's fine." Zain finally looked away from Shen Yuan. "There is no use being overly polite with me. I will not bring you any benefit."
"Your Highness is a prince, and I am a lowly servant. It is only right for me to regard you with respect." Shen Yuan gave a wry smile. "Please don't say such a heartbreaking thing."
The words sent ripples into Zain's heart, and the smile gripped his chest tight. It wasn't pity nor self-righteous sympathy. It was sadness.
"When it feels like the world is against us, how can we survive if we are against ourselves as well?" Shen Yuan shook his head. "At the very least, spare yourself from your own hurtful words, Your Highness."
Zain's gaze trembled.
"It may be conceited of me to say this," Shen Yuan said with a careful tone. "There is nothing much I can do as a servant with no power or position, but if Your Highness ever needs a listening ear, I would be honored to lend mine. Just…please have mercy towards yourself."
"…"
"…I have overstepped my boundaries. Please forgive me." Shen Yuan lowered his head once again and took a step back. "Have a pleasant rest, Your Highness."
He turned and left at a hurried pace, making it seem like he was running away. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he slowed down and curled a smile.
Let's wait for the result.
***
After Shen Yuan's accomplishment with the weapon storage, Harper didn't hesitate to work him like a horse. All tasks that required above-average strength were assigned to him, especially when it involved moving stuff around.
Thanks to that, he became acquainted with many other servants and gained a lot of information about the world, the country, scandals among nobles, and idle gossip. He was also well-known among the guards and knights with Matthew referring to him if they ever needed any assistance.
Within the past few days, he was dragged around from one place to another. Despite the hundreds of servants in the palace, the tasks never seemed to end. Just how bad were they at doing their job?
He didn't even have the time to look for Zain nor get the luck to pass by him. Being too good was also a problem…
After another too-productive morning, he had his lunch in the servants' dining hall. Although it didn't serve any purpose, he wouldn't miss the chance to taste proper food. Maybe he should flex this to Gao Lang next time.
As he was putting his tray away, a maid came up to him and informed him Harper was waiting for him by the stairway. He promptly answered her summon.
"You were looking for me, Miss Harper?" He lightly jogged to her side. He was already used to her stern expression, but today, her eyes seemed particularly more somber than usual.
"Yes. What work do you have left for today?"
"The kitchen's monthly supply is coming in an hour and they asked me to help move and store them. If I have time after that, I will be cleaning the knights' head office. Captain Gordon has been asking me since 2 days ago."
"They could at least clean their own office." Harper sighed in displeasure. "I will arrange a replacement. You have another job to do."
"That is?"
"Prince Zain requests your service," Harper solemnly answered. "You are to attend him in his afternoon meal until you are dismissed."
"Prince Zain?" Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows, inwardly hiding his smile. His load of work bore fruit after all.
"He requested your name specifically." Harper narrowed her eyes. "Did something happen between the two of you?"
"As far as I remember, I only saw him passing by a couple of times. If it wasn't for the others' descriptions of him, I wouldn't know he was a prince. He doesn't wear a laurel ornament on his head, does he?" Shen Yuan feigned innocence. "Is this a bad thing, Miss Harper?"
"It's difficult to say. This is the first time Prince Zain has ever requested a servant. Anybody at all." Harper couldn't begin to speculate what Zain wanted. "It doesn't matter. Do your job as usual and don't offend him. Whatever his situation is, he's still a prince. If he wants you gone, you're out."
"I understand."
"His lunch is already prepared in the kitchen. Bring it to his room on the third floor. You can ask the other servants there which one it is."