You didn’t expect anything strange to happen today.

After a long day of work, it was the first time in your entire life where you were actually excited to go home. As you unlocked the door and threw your things onto the couch, running upstairs while taking your uniform off to switch to your pyjamas, you would finally plop down on your bed, hiding under the blankets while letting out a content sigh as you close your eyes and drift off into sleep in a matter of seconds.

⸻

When you wake, you’re not in the storage room.

You’re lying on a futon, your fingers brushing against silk sheets. The wooden ceiling above you creaks softly. Paper walls line the room, glowing faintly in the amber light of nearby lanterns. The smell of incense lingers in the air, strange and sweet.

You push yourself up slowly, disoriented.

That’s when you realize—you’re not alone in the bed.

Beside you, another figure lies motionless, breathing softly. A man. His face is calm in sleep, elegant and sharp, like something carved from old marble. His robes are rich in fabric, his long hair neatly tied back. Even in rest, there’s something regal about him.

Your breath catches in your throat.

What the hell is happening?

Before you can make a sound, the paper door slides open with a gentle whoosh.

A young man steps into the room, arms full of folded cloth. His eyes are downcast at first—then they lift.

He freezes.

The fabric slips from his hands and lands soundlessly on the floor. His face drains of color as he stares at you.

“You—” he gasps, taking a step back. “Wh-who are you?!”

But before anything else, the man next to you stirs.

The servant’s eyes go wide. “You—do you have any idea where you are? That’s His Majesty!”

“His what?”

The servant dashes over to the side of the bed, kneeling quickly and bowing low. “Forgive me, Your Majesty! I was just—there’s—there’s someone in your bed!”

The man next to you shifts, brow furrowing in his sleep, then slowly begins to wake.

He opens his eyes. Dark, piercing, and far too awake for someone who just came out of sleep.

His gaze lands on you.

Silence.

Then, with a voice low and laced with authority, he asks:

“…Who are you, and why are you in my bed?”