Aya didn't make it far down another empty hallway before she turned a corner and found herself facing another corridor, this one ending with a grand balustrade that seemed to look over a vast hall.
And she heard sounds.
Aya approached it slowly. It was a wide staircase with two sets of stairs on both sides leading down to the bright carpeted hall below.
The moment the view opened up beneath her, the system appeared again.
[Quest Update: Location Discovered!]
[Grand Staircase]
[Main access point between floors]
[Progress: 2/5]
The screen vanished, but Aya barely noticed. She was too busy staring at the massive open hall below.
It was enormous. The kind of entrance hall that belonged in palaces she had only seen in movies or history documentaries. For a wolf nation, the rooms and structure so far were pretty advanced. The floor was polished marble in alternating white and grey squares. More of those wolf-carved pillars lined the walls, supporting a vaulted ceiling painted with what looked like a night sky full of stars and a massive full moon.
And there were people.
Omega servants moved through the space below like worker ants, each one dressed in those same soft blue robes she had seen on the two girls earlier. They carried trays, linens, cleaning supplies. Some were polishing the already-gleaming floor.
None of them looked up at her.
But Aya could tell they knew she was there. The way their movements became just slightly more careful, along with how some of their conversations died mid-sentence as she appeared at the top of the stairs.
Some had even quickened their pace and disappeared into the multiple archways leading into other parts of the building.
She gripped the banister, watching them work. This wasn't just about two rude servants. This was an entire household that had lost respect for their ruler.
'Damn. Just how terrible was this woman?' she thought, bewildered.
She decided to walk downstairs, and the moment her foot touched the first step, every head in the hall turned.
The effect was instantaneous and unsettling. Many faces turned to watch her walk down. The polishing stopped, the dusting paused, and even the servants' carrying trays froze mid-step.
Aya tried her hardest not to roll her eyes at their shocked looks as she descended. Some of them looked wary and fidgety as if they didn't know what to expect from her and three servants near the base of the stairs actually took small steps backward as she finally got to the floor.
A handful fled the hall entirely, like they were escaping a natural disaster. Others avoided her gaze, not wanting to lock eyes with her. The ones who dared to side-eye her did not bother hiding their disdain.
Regardless, no one greeted or even acknowledged her presence at all.
Aya sighed and walked toward the nearest archway. The servants in her path parted for her like she was carrying a contagious disease, pressing themselves against the walls to avoid even brushing against her.
She briefly contemplated retreating back to her room, but her stomach had other ideas.
It growled. Loudly.
The wonderful smell of food hit her from somewhere down the corridor. There was also something sweet in the air that she couldn't identify but still desperately wanted.
[Host appears to be abandoning all strategic planning in favour of following her nose]
[Very wolf-like behaviour!]
[Perhaps there is hope for Host yet]
[ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ]
"Oh. Shut up. I haven't eaten anything since I died. I think I am allowed to be hungry," she grumbled at the screen.
She followed the smell through the thankfully empty corridor until she found herself standing at the entrance to what had to be the kitchen.
It was massive. Long stone counters lined the walls, covered with cutting boards, bowls, and cooking utensils. A huge fireplace dominated one wall, with iron pots hanging over open flames. There were also what appeared to be ovens built into the stone, and preparation stations where food was being assembled with surprising efficiency.
And to Aya's mild distraction, most of the kitchen staff were men.
Shirtless men.
Muscular, glistening-with-sweat-from-the-kitchen-heat, very much shirtless men chopping vegetables and kneading dough and stirring massive pots like they were auditioning for a cooking show Aya would absolutely watch.
Her mind went blank for a second.
'Well, damn… Is this a kitchen or a calendar photoshoot? Do werewolves just not believe in shirts? Is this normal here?'
She had already been in this world for less than half a day and having already been turned on by one husband, she was now ogling the kitchen staff. Her sudden excitement was immediately dampened.
At this rate, the system was going to pop up any minute now and upgrade her degeneracy level to whatever comes after maximum.
'It's not my fault I am seeing so many handsome faces and bodies left and right!'
Her stomach, however, chose this exact moment to produce the loudest, most aggressive growl she had ever heard come from a human body. It echoed off the stone walls like a small animal had died inside her.
Every single person in the kitchen stopped what they were doing.
Knives paused mid-chop. A ladle froze over a pot. One man holding a tray of bread actually flinched.
And they all stared at her.
An older woman who looked to be in her fifties stood near one of the counters, directing two servants who had been arranging dishes on a tray. She was the first to react, and to Aya's surprise, her reaction was nothing like what she had experienced so far.
The woman's eyes went wide, and genuine shock and fluster swept across her weathered face. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and stepped forward.
"L—Luna Aya… We… your breakfast was being prepared. We were about to bring it up to your room shortly." Her eyes swept to the wide tray and back to Aya. "We didn't expect you to be — that is, you have never come down here…"
Aya was quiet for a few seconds.
It was the first time since waking up in this world that anyone had addressed her somewhat at least. The older woman was clearly nervous and caught off guard, but there was no mockery in her words or any condescension.
She was wary.