Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

CHAPTER 45

"Where am I?"

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar room.

I was lying on a bed in a very luxurious room that I had never seen before.

No. Luxury may not be the perfect word. It was extravagant.

The place was extravagant to the extreme. The furniture had gold platings, the scenic paintings were beautiful, and even the curtains looked like they cost a lot. Every inch of the room was shining as if to prove a point.

I got up confused thinking about how I got there.

'Maybe this is one of my weird dreams?'

I remember drinking tea with Clive. Then we started chatting. The memories from after that are fuzzy.

Suddenly my head started throbbing. It felt like someone was playing drum rolls inside my head. 

"Ughh" I grunted, grabbing my head.

I laid back on the bed and started rolling around trying to distract my mind from the pain. It was not working.

Are dreams supposed to hurt?

I stopped rolling and spread my arms on the soft bed. 

"Haah..." sighing, I looked at the ceiling. There was a beautiful chandelier hanging from it.

I could swear that my brain was not capable enough to create such a fascinating piece of artwork. But I do not remember seeing it before either.

Right then the door opened, and a young man in his twenties walked in. He was wearing a neatly styled butler's outfit.

"Oh!" He exclaimed when our gazes met as if he was not expecting me to be up.

'Isn't our butler... like sixty years old?' I rubbed my eyes to check if my eyes were playing games on me. Yet, nothing changed.

'No way did our butler get young? Damn... this dream is nuts!'

The bulter became stiff for a moment but then regained his composure.

"You're awake madam" He bowed.

I got up and sat upright. I decided to just play along with the dream so that I could wake up when it ended.

Although he was a little taller than I remember, the butler had the same quirkiness. The brown hair on his light complexion looked nice.

Analysis conclusion: Handsome.

'Our butler was a hot babe in his younger days' I giggled just from the thought of it.

*cough* *cough*

The butler coughed awkwardly to get my attention. There was a tint of red on his cheeks.

"You must be tired from traveling"

When the butler clapped his hands an army of maids walked in. Soap, sponge, perfumes,... each had a different weapon in their hands as if they were ready to go to war.

"The bath has been arranged. You may choose a dress from this collection"

Now that I think about it, I was wearing a white nightgown that only reached my knees. It was a bit airy and awkward at the same time.

'Hmmm. I don't usually wear nightgowns though' I picked at the fabric of my dress with a frown.

Something sounded fishy. But it was just a dream. It would not make sense to make sense.

"If they are not to your satisfaction more are on the way" The butler smiled and continued,

"Meanwhile I will have your meal prepared"

I just stared at him spaced out when he finished talking. He fell silent as if he was waiting for my reply.

"Sure" I answered in a confused voice.

Suddenly there was a sharp sting in my head.

"Ughh" I grabbed my head as it started hurting again.

"Does your head hurt?" He asked worried and then added,

"It must be due to the warping. I will send a nourishment tea"

With that, the butler bowed and walked out of the room. 

As soon as he disappeared, the army of maids started moving towards me.

"The bath is this way madam" A middle-aged maid guided me towards the bath.

Or should I say bathhouse?

The maids did not talk much on our way there. She kept eye contact to a minimum and kept herself busy by pouring all kinds of stuff on my body.

'It smells good' I closed my eyes and gave in to the moment.

The gentle massage and the calming atmosphere were making me a bit sleepy.

"You're nourishment tea madam" A young maid's voice startled me awake.

I recalled hearing somewhere that if the mind falls asleep in a dream, it will wake up in real life. But this was a dream I did not want to wake up from.

I took a sip of the tea. While it was bitter, I could feel the immediate effect of the herbs on my headache. So I closed my eyes and drank it in one go.

"Erkk" My face cringed up from the taste.

Throughout the course of the bath, the maids refrained from speaking unnecessarily, not uttering a single word other than the bare minimum. They dried me off and started arranging my hair. 

When I stepped out I was greeted by the sight of an expensive apparrel. They had brought over rows of clothes, that reached till the end of the room.

I was taken aback by looking at the collection. They were full of dresses, ranging from modest to extravagant.

I was muddled about what to pick. Everything looked good.

"Hmm"

After a long thinking process, I picked out a light blue dress that looked neither too extravagant nor too modest.

It had a single bow added to the waist with embroidery along the neckline. It will look good with my loosely braided hair.

"You look beautiful madam" Commented the middle-aged maid.

"Thank you. Everyone" I said, smiling at them. 

She looked a little flustered at my words. The other maids exchanged glances and grew restless.

They bought a full-length mirror in front of me.

"Woah" I could not stop myself exclaiming.

Was that too much?

I closed my mouth with my hand and took in the reflection in front of me. The blue wavy dress went well with my golden necklace. My hair draped in front was decorated with tiny flower accessories. I looked like I came out of a painting.

Right then there was a knock on the door. With a nod of my head, the young maid who brought my tea opened the door and the butler walked in.

He froze on his step when he saw me.

"Ahem" The middle-aged maid glared at him with a questioning gaze.

'I know right? I'm so gorgeous' I chuckled, understanding the meaning behind her action.

The butler had a darker shade of red in his cheeks than when he first saw me. He quickly came to his senses hearing the maid's voice and changed back to his polite smile.

'Aww... He's so cute. I like him'

Seeing the usually calm bulter flustered was fun in its own way.

"Your meal has been prepared Madam" He spoke in a polite tone and guided me towards the dining hall.

"Holy cow"

My brain stopped working when I saw the platters of food in front of me.

Food that can walk, talk, crawl, fly and swim...... everything was here.

An entire ecosystem... My god!

'This dream just keeps getting better and better!' I internally screamed before diving into action.