Some time passed after that when Elias noticed a new change in him which he had not before.
Elias had always been sensitive to the smallest changes in his body—his chronic condition had trained him to be acutely aware of every ache and twitch. But lately, something was undeniably wrong. His body temperature fluctuated wildly, spiking at random moments.
One moment he would feel unbearably hot, sweat pooling under his clothes despite the coolness of the servant quarters; the next, a bone-deep chill would creep over him, leaving him shivering even in the midday sun.
It was unsettling, but Elias tried to ignore it. The palace was always bustling with activity, and his duties for Prince Aedric left him little time to dwell on personal discomfort. However, the more he pushed himself, the more bizarre things became.
The first time it happened, he'd been on his way to deliver tea to Lady Selene. Walking down the long corridor, he caught sight of a figure ahead—a young maid he didn't recognize. She was standing silently, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes. Elias assumed she was new and approached her, asking for directions to the receiving room.
She didn't answer.
Elias frowned, repeating his question, but she only tilted her head slightly, her expression blank. Something about her felt off—her posture was too rigid, her skin unnaturally pale. Before Elias could say anything else, she disappeared. Vanished, as though she'd never been there.
Elias stumbled back, his heart racing. Had he imagined her? No, he was sure he'd seen someone. But when he glanced around, the corridor was empty.
From then on, the hallucinations became more frequent. He would see shadowy figures darting at the edge of his vision, or hear whispers that vanished the moment he turned his head. Once, he saw a soldier in old, tarnished armor standing at the end of the hallway, only for the figure to dissolve into thin air when Elias approached.
The other servants noticed.
"Talking to yourself now, are you?" one of the older footmen sneered as Elias stopped mid-task to glance behind him.
"I… I thought someone called my name," Elias mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"No one called you," the footman said sharply. "Get back to work."
The ridicule didn't stop there. When Elias mistook one of his hallucinations for a real servant and asked for directions to the kitchens, the maid he was working with burst into laughter.
"You're losing it, Elias," she said between giggles. "Maybe the prince should get himself a new attendant—one who's not seeing ghosts."
Elias clenched his fists, his face burning with shame. He wanted to defend himself, to tell them he wasn't crazy, but what could he say? He wasn't even sure of the truth anymore.
The worst part was that the hallucinations weren't the only thing troubling him. His limbs ached as though he'd run miles, and his heart would race for no reason. At night, he often woke drenched in sweat, his body trembling as if he were feverish. And yet, whenever he went to bed, he felt cold and restless, as if something unseen was watching him.
The system wasn't any help either. Every time he asked it what was happening to him, it gave the same response:
"Host lacks sufficient authority to access this information."
The cryptic message frustrated Elias to no end. "What's the point of you, then?" he hissed under his breath one evening after yet another hallucination of a shadowy figure vanished before his eyes.
"Assist the host in completing the mission," the system replied flatly.
"Useless," Elias muttered.
Despite everything, Elias tried to keep up with his duties. He didn't want to give anyone—especially Head Maid Sasha—an excuse to question his capabilities. But the strange changes in his body made it harder and harder to focus.
One afternoon, while serving tea to Prince Aedric, his hands trembled so badly that he spilled hot tea onto the tablecloth.
"Elias!" Aedric snapped, glaring at him. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Elias stammered, quickly grabbing a cloth to mop up the mess. "I—it won't happen again."
Aedric frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing. "You're shaking."
Elias forced himself to stand still, clasping his hands behind his back. "It's nothing, Your Highness. Just tired, that's all."
Aedric didn't look convinced, but he didn't press further.
The other servants, however, weren't as forgiving.
"Maybe you should take a break," one sneered as Elias struggled to carry a tray of dishes without dropping them. "Oh wait, you can't—Prince Aedric would never allow his precious attendant to slack off."
"Leave him alone," another servant muttered, though not out of kindness. "If he keeps messing up, Sasha will deal with him soon enough."
Elias ignored them, but their words stung. He couldn't afford to make mistakes, not with the growing scrutiny around him.
One evening, as he trudged back to his quarters, exhausted and still feeling the aftereffects of a hallucination that had startled him earlier, he noticed a faint glow emanating from his skin. It was subtle, barely noticeable in the dim light, but it was there.
"What is happening to me?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
The system remained silent this time, and Elias didn't bother pressing it further.
He sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. Something was wrong—something far beyond his understanding. And the worst part was that he couldn't talk to anyone about it. Not Prince Aedric, not Lady Selene, not even the system that was supposed to guide him.
For the first time since arriving at the palace, Elias felt completely alone.
______
Elias had grown accustomed to concealing his strange ability. Though he couldn't explain it, he had learned to mask the moments when he saw or spoke to the ghostly figures that seemed to haunt the palace.
At first, it had been a challenge to distinguish the living from the dead, but over time, he developed tricks: avoid prolonged eye contact, keep conversations brief, and always seem busy. So far, no one had caught on.
At least, not until Lady Selene stumbled upon him one quiet afternoon.
Elias had been carrying a tray of tea toward the sitting room when he saw a figure in the hallway. It was an older man dressed in a faded uniform that resembled one of the palace guards, though the style was outdated by at least a century.
The man was standing stiffly, his eyes fixed on the floor as though waiting for something.
"Excuse me," Elias said softly, instinctively falling into his role as a polite servant. "Could you step aside, please?"
The figure didn't move.
Elias frowned. This often happened with the ghosts—they seemed to linger in their own world, unaware of the living around them. "I said, could you—"
"Elias?"
The voice startled him. He turned to see Lady Selene standing a few feet away, her head tilted curiously. Her soft curls framed her face, and her bright eyes were fixed on him. Elias hadn't even heard her approach.
"I-I…" he stammered, trying to think of an explanation. The ghostly figure behind him flickered, then vanished entirely. "I was just… talking to myself."
Lady Selene's curiosity only deepened. "Talking to yourself? Why?" She stepped closer, her small hands clasped behind her back. "Were you lonely?"
Elias hesitated. Lying to a noble—especially one as observant as Lady Selene—felt risky. "No, my lady. I was… rehearsing. Sometimes I practice what I'm going to say so I don't make mistakes."
"Oh," she said, looking thoughtful. "That's strange, but I don't mind. I practice talking to myself too sometimes."
Elias exhaled in relief, grateful she didn't press further. But before he could excuse himself, Lady Selene clasped her hands together and said, "Will you play with me, Elias?"
"Play?" Elias blinked, caught off guard. "My lady, I don't think—"
"Please?" she interrupted, her tone earnest. "Prince Aedric won't play with me anymore. He's always busy with lessons, and it's boring being alone."
Elias hesitated. He knew Prince Aedric's temperament well enough to predict trouble if the young prince found out. But refusing Lady Selene was unthinkable. "Alright," he said finally. "But only for a little while."
Lady Selene beamed, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the garden. "You can't take it back now!" she chirped, her earlier disappointment forgotten.
From his office, Prince Aedric sat with his arms crossed, glaring at the papers in front of him. His tutor, a nervous man named Master Horace, was droning on about the history of the empire, but Aedric wasn't listening. His attention was elsewhere.
Through the window, he could see the garden below, where Lady Selene and Elias were playing. Or rather, Lady Selene was playfully bossing Elias around, and Elias was dutifully following her lead. She laughed as she instructed him to pretend to be her knight, holding up an imaginary sword to defend her honor.
Aedric's grip on his quill tightened. He couldn't hear their words, but he didn't need to. Seeing Elias give someone else his attention—especially Lady Selene—was enough to ignite a spark of jealousy in his chest.