Yunho stared at the silver tray of soup, bread, and milk before him. It had been three days since he'd woken up in this room or realm or whatever it was, but there hadn't been any odd happenings since. He hadn't gone back to the hospital, and everything felt too realistic to be a hallucination.
The plastic surgery-kidnapping option was still on the table, but it felt too far fetched. But then again, it was up against literal fantasy magic transmigration, so the bounds of known reality weren't really an issue.
Yunho picked up the spoon on the tray and sipped some of the soup. It had been his main meal these past few days. The maid from before probably had his meals made easier to eat since she seemed convinced that he was severely ill. Yunho didn't eat any of the meals the maid staff brought up the first day. Who knew what they had snuck in there? It could be poison especially with the kidnapping theory as a possibility.
But after enduring an entire day without food, Yunho realized that starving to death may be a more torturous death than poison. He had never been without a meal for that long before. His parents were apathetic towards him but not cold blooded enough to starve their child, and regular feedings were a must in the hospital, even if Yunho had to be coaxed into eating.
Yunho took another spoonful of soup and slowly poured it back in the bowl, watching the ripples of the liquid from the falling droplets. He was thinking. In a unreasonable, unscientific situation like this, all possibilities have to be exhausted, right? So if he really had become Iris de Evastine for real, what would the plan even be?
Yunho's thoughts had occasionally drifted to this question the past three days, but he'd always waved the thought away to focus on the other two options since that one felt too insane. But no matter how much of a marvel the human brain was, Yunho doubted he could muster up a hallucination this detailed and vivid as what he was currently experiencing. And the plastic surgeon-kidnapper possibility, someone would've had to sneak into the hospital, kidnap him, perform extensive surgery on him to even change his hair and eye color, then transport him to this fancy estate, all without getting caught? Plus, his eyes were working fine. Yunho didn't think there was any surgery that could alter someone's eye color like that and have them still see.
So maybe...transmigration was the most realistic answer. Technically, Yunho never knew for a fact if magic didn't exist, he just assumed he would've seen it before if it did. Yunho shook his head and focused on his meal. This train of thought was starting to hurt his head.
The door opened. In the doorway, stood a young woman wearing a maid uniform. Yunho had seen her once or twice before. She was one of the maidstaff in charge of tidying up his room.
The boy set down the spoon to watch her clean. It felt too awkward to eat while another was working, especially if they're cleaning after you. The maidstaff wiped the windows and dusted the carpet. She was about to get up when she paused and faced Yunho. The young woman cleared her throat.
"The doctor said you should be well enough now, so the Lord and Lady want you rejoin in the usual family dinners. It'll be in about five hours, but we'll remind you when it's time," the young woman said, fiddling with her skirts. She seemed to be anticipating something anxiously.
Yunho sighed and nodded, looking back at the tray in his custody. The maid looked surprised at his response and bowed before swiftly exiting the room.
"Young master...didn't get mad?"
***
Yunho paced around the room. The light coming from the windows was brilliant and golden, but it was also the cause of his stress. There was no timepiece in the room, and Yunho didn't to leave the room unless he had to, so he had to use the sun as his reference point for time.
It was bright outside, and from the window, he could see many workers bustling to and fro. The sun was a little past its noon point, and Yunho assumed it was 1 or so...which meant lunchtime was soon.
Yunho was incredibly stressed and picked at his wrist in an attempt to calm himself down. It ended up just hurting his wrist, but the pain was good for pulling him back down to reality. He had to think of a plan! No matter the circumstances of his arrival, he was here now. And he had to now deal with it.
Yunho stopped pacing and sat down on the bed with a small thump. He rubbed his fingers on his smooth chin. He had been avoiding thinking of the third possibility in depth, but now with the lunch coming up, it was time to face the music. If he had really transmigrated into "The Mistreated High Priestess Is Now a Princess", what would he do?
At the lunch, Yunho could be meeting the female lead, Irene! How would he act near her? He also didn't know how far in the plot he was in if he had transmigrated. Was this the beginning of the book where Irene hadn't met the prince yet or later? Because if it was later, his fate was pretty much sealed and set in stone. But if it was the beginning, he could still...
Yunho paused.
He had to change his fate right?! If be really did become Iris, he couldn't just resign himself to banishment and ruin! It would be another chance of life! He could finally live the life of his dreams, healthy and wanted...
Yunho was dragged out of his thoughts by a knock at the door.
"It's soon time for lunch, young master," the voice of an older man called out into the room, "you have 15 minutes to refresh yourself. Should I call some maidstaff?"
Yunho froze at these words. The youth wished he could buy more time, but he still he appreciated the 15 minute warning. He approached the mirror in the corner and stared at his reflection again.
The same silver haired boy from before stood in the clear mirror glass. His expression was one of anxiety and...hope.
Yunho hadn't ever been lucky, but maybe this time, he could be.
At the dinner, he'd make sure to finally get the answer his arrival here and ensure his survival...
He smoothed out his hair in the mirror and adjusted the clothes the maids had helped him into this morning. Yunho wasn't used to people helping him change clothes, but it felt worthless to fight the maids who seemed to just be doing their job.
He was wearing a white ruffled court shirt and dark blue bottoms. Placed on the collar, was a gem brooch with silver chains, giving the simple outfit a noble touch.
Yunho looked in the mirror again to check for any imperfections but had to look away after not long. He hadn't gotten used to not looking like himself anymore. Everytime he looked in the mirror, he was expecting to see his familiar black-haired, brown-eyed reflection from before, and not the silver-haired, blue-eyed one he was currently seeing.
Yunho sighed. It was likely he'd never see himself ever again. The thought stirred his stomach a bit and provoked a sudden sadness in him. For some reason, his situation just now dawned on him. No matter what possibility, chances were he was never going to be him again.
His thoughts were once again interrupted by a knock.
"Young master, it's time!" The same male voice called out.
Yunho sighed and turned around.
"I'm ready. I'll come out now," The youth made his way to the bedroom's tall white door and took one more look back at the mirror. He was too far away to see the reflection in full detail, but he did see the blurry outline, his silver hair still finding a way to shine in the afternoon light.
Yunho took one last deep breath and reached for the doorknob, turning it to the side until it finally clicked. A butler, presumably the voice from before, and two maids were outside. This was the moment of truth.
"So, young master, are you ready? The Lord and Lady are already down," the butler asked.
Yunho nodded after a few seconds of hesitation.
"Yes, I'm ready."
***
End of chapter 3