When the servant boy left, I undressed, intending to bathe. Just as I had taken my shirt off, there was another knock at my door, and I couldn't believe that boy hadn't gotten the message to leave me alone. "I thought I told you to leave me be!" I growled at the closed door. Then, I heard a soft giggle come from the other side. 

What the hell?

"Stop scaring our servants, Noct. We won't have any left for the celebration at this rate!" I heard a female voice joke, and I opened the door. 

"Vanessa? What are you doing here?" I asked, forgetting that I was shirtless. 

As soon as the door opened, the young noble was about to say something before noticing my shirt's absence but stopped, flustered.

"H-hey, are you going to put a shirt on or what? They're required, you know!" she squeaked in shock. 

"I'm very aware of that," I told her, deadpan. As dumb as it was, I found her reaction amusing.

"S-shut up! Gods, get a shirt on!!" she countered, slamming my door in my face. 

Now that's dramatic.

"Okay, okay, I'm putting it on, damnit," I muttered as I reached for my shirt, which I had placed on the desk only a moment ago. Pulling it back on, I adjusted it before opening the door again.

"Better? Am I that horrible to look at?" I asked, and she shook her head, sheepish. 

"Y-yes, that's better, thank you. And no, it's… Not that you're bad to look at or anything. I'm just not used to seeing men in a state of undress. My parents have taught me it's improper for an unmarried woman to look at men who aren't fully clothed. You startled me. Plus, I had no idea you had a tattoo..." she explained, fidgeting with her dress as she had a couple of days ago while in the temple of Death's ruins.

"I didn't know I had one either."

Yes, it had only been about two days since we met, but it felt like longer than that. 

Is it normal to become… Familiar with someone so quickly? It seems unnatural to me, but what would I know? I can't remember a damn thing about any of my past relationships.

Familiar was the most accurate word because I trusted her, but not completely. I liked her, but hopefully not to the point of emotional bonding — I didn't need that in my life, anyway. 

Ignoring Vanessa's reasoning, I repeated my initial question, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! I was just… Um… Wondering how you were doing this morning because you seemed so distressed last night. I wanted to make sure you were okay." she muttered.

Not wanting to remember the prior evening, I snapped, "I'm fine. Shouldn't you be off doing something else, 'Lady Vanessa'?" 

Maybe I'm being too cold, but it doesn't matter. I need her out of my hair right now. These walls make me feel anxious, like I'm in a cage.

"Is… That so?" she asked, the cheerfulness in her eyes dissipating with my answer, "You're right. I… have other things to do. Sorry for wasting your time, Noct." 

"Sure. I'll see you at the party." I said before closing the door on her. 

Yeah, I may feel a little guilty about how that interaction went, but I have more important things on my mind — like figuring out who I am. 

Annoyed, I grabbed her older brother's old clothes and crossed the hallway into the bathing room, stripping to enter the warm water. The sensation of washing away the dirt and grime of the last few weeks was better than I expected, and I wondered how long it had been since I had bathed. Washing my hair with their special hair soap proved to be an unexpected bonus, because when I stepped out of the tub, it was silky to the touch and smelled like a combination of foreign spices.

Hastily, I dried off and pulled on her brother's old clothes, which fit my toned body well. I approved of the style and color of clothing he wore. 

Her brother had a style like my own.

For a moment, I wondered what he would've been like when he was alive, but I didn't think about him for very long. No purpose in speculating about a dead man.

I crossed the hall and pulled on my boots. At first, I left the room with my blades at my waist, but two guards stopped me, unarmed me, and placed them back in my room. 

Damn, I feel naked without them...

A servant passed by, and I asked them what time it was. I had 15 minutes to spare, giving me time to wander around the castle before the celebration. I couldn't help my curiosity about what would be in a place like this. For all I knew, it could be my first time.