57: Working at the Palace as Ann

The reflection in the mirror was that of a woman wearing an eggplant coloured long dress that the woman secretaries wore while working at the Royal Palace. She had shoulder length black hair and almond-ish brown eyes. The dress wasn’t that puffy and her hands were covered by white gloves. This complexion might be a little good for a lady who works at the Royal Palace… My background is that of a bumpkin so it should be fine.

I spun around and saw my whole reflection in the mirror.

Hmm, my background is of someone who doesn’t socialise much, but I don’t socialise much either myself.

Serious, plain and straight-laced. I looked very reserved.

If I give off the feeling of being in the background instead of equal standing with His Highness and the upper ranked nobles then I will receive less animosity from the ladies.

The words that I’ve heard before somewhere floated into my mind, 【Cherish your life】.

――― *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

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A quiet knock resounded from the door 5 times. Roberto-sama was here.

I softly opened the door and Roberto-sama suddenly entered the room.

He squinted his eyes and looked at me from head to toe, then he nodded, “Okay.” He beckoned at me. Then, he took me to the opposite side of the door he’d entered where the dark red curtains where. He pulled the curtains and a door appeared.

I raised my eyes at Roberto-sama.

He opened the door silently.

“Er, it’s dark…”

Roberto-sama grabbed my left arm soon after I lost my bearings. Both of us walked through this narrow and dark pathway.

“Remember the route.”

I couldn’t reply to Roberto-sama’s threatening voice in the darkness and used my right hand to feel the walls as I walked. We walked from left to right for a while. The cool and stagnated air stuck to my body. I felt like I shouldn’t talk in this place.

(Woah, is this the secret passageway of the Royal Palace?)

Another door was opened and there white curtains appeared before my eyes.

We listened carefully to make sure that no one was in the room before coming out from behind the curtain.

“Phew.”

I breathed hard. Woah, I was so nervous. I’m back in the bright world.

Roberto-sama finally let go off my arm.

“You’re going to return the same way you came. Can you do it?”

“I don’t think I remember the way well since I was so surprised.”

“Then, I’ll send you back to the room you were in once again. So, remember it. Don’t write it down. You understand that you can’t say a word to anyone, don’t you?”

I felt a chill and I couldn’t refute because he was glaring at me with such scary eyes. His face showed that he was thinking, ‘Why do I have to look after this kind of girl?’

Nobles were forced to memorize a lot of things and I forgot that this was normal.

Memorise it, me.

Roberto-sama locked the door that we just came out from.

He gave me two keys; the smaller one was for the door we’d just came out from and the other one was for the door at the place where I changed.

In other words, the place where I enter and exit are different. That way, no one would be able to tell that I was playing a double role.

… This was the result of them taking my wishes into consideration.

I trotted as I followed Roberto-sama and we proceeded up, down, left and right through the middle building. We would sometimes pass some maids and knights.

(I have to remember this way too, don’t I?)

And the room we’d arrived at was a room that I’ve been to before on the 2^nd floor of the middle building. There was a knight guarding the front door.

I was reunited with His Highness Ludens.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

“Hello. You seem well Lady Ann.”

Well, I am Ann right now.

His Highness Ludens sat on a big desk with his hands crossed as he gave me a top-rate smile… It’s scary. I don’t what to know the feelings of people who fall in love with this smile.

I cheered myself up and looked at His Highness Ludens. I wasn’t being disrespectful or anything. I felt like if I didn’t do this, then I would lose in a lot of ways.

“You too, Your Highness. It is a great honour to work under you, Your Highness. I don’t know how much use I would be, but I will do my best.”

I held the hem of my dress, gave my best noble curtsy and returned his smile with a forced smile.

I’d decided to do this. If I can protect His Highness well, then I will produce results and then I should get something out of it.

“Good, good. You’re probably not used to high society. You should have conversation practice with the people in this room so that you can get an idea of how nobles think. Well, either way, the people in here speak their minds often. You can also tell me how you really feel. I won’t say that it’s profanity or anything.”

“You can only do so in this room, even though His Highness Ludens has said that.”

“I understand.”

After that, His Highness Ludens and Roberto-sama explained what my job would entitle.

The King ran most of the government affairs in this empire. The first Imperial Prince, His Highness Ixbarreto, helped out with the government affairs and the second Imperial Prince, His Highness Orlane, took care of foreign policies.

The Third Imperial Prince, His Highness Ludens who was standing in front of me, was responsible for the public order of the empire. Well, royals also had other jobs to do too.

The room I was in now was a place where His Highness Ludens and his companions, (Roberto-sama, Lancel-sama and Leyard-sama), consulted about the public order of the empire.

They each had their own respective offices, and they brought the things that they want to discuss with the others to this room, so that all four can talk and come up with solutions.

My workplace was here. My job was to sort the documents in their respective categories.

But first, I was to get used to the Royal Palace and they would observe how I work.

Then, they will decide whether or not I would be useful to them. It was a trial period. The salary for this trial period was 25,000 G. This was more than the amount that father had given me when I left the house.

… I’m happy that I’m receiving a lot of money, but I feel like they would get rid of me if they concluded that I wasn’t useful.

I wonder if my fear would disappear when I become useful.

When the important explanations were done, Roberto-sama took me to the first room again and left for his office. I changed clothes and returned to my normal self. Then Roberto-sama’s servant, Cafule, picked me up and took me to the government residence.

A 3 storey high square brick building at the East side of the Royal Palace was the government residence. A room on the third floor of the outermost part was allotted as my room.

“Right now, you are Ayesha-marie-sama. I will pick you up at 8 tomorrow.”

Cafule-san left when we got to the entrance of the government residence.

And my stormy day had yet to finish.