𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

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    "You will be assigned a room which you will share with one other person, and all necessities will be provided for you, including uniform, sleep garments, hygiene equipment, etcetera," Basile informed the small group he stood in front of. "Each morning, you will be expected to wake up by 0700 and have exactly thirty minutes to get dressed and thirty minutes to eat breakfast. A list of assignments will be posted on your doors with tasks assigned to each person that should be started by 0800. I expect them to be done efficiently and on time. Ah, the layout of the castle will be quite difficult to memorize, so if you have the chance, ask the older members to guide and help, but not so much as to hinder their own work. That is all."

With that, Basile swiftly left the room, leaving (Y/N) and the rest to the guards.

"Follow me," one of the knights stated as he turned sharply on his heel to walk back into the servants quarters.

Assigning rooms to several men, (Y/N) was then assigned one, her roommate being a sickly looking man with pale skin and long raven hair. He didn't speak to her, nor she to him, meaning neither knew the other's name. This was fine with both of them, as again, neither were much too talkative.

After unpacking what little she had brought, (Y/N) wandered the servants' quested before finding her destination: the kitchen. Within, the cooks were still toiling away, beads of sweat peppering their brows from the steam that occasionally arose to hit them right in the face. A room was connected to the bustling canteen where servants would eat, the space filled to the brim with familiar faces from the testing room and unfamiliar ones that gave welcoming smiles as they chatted with the newcomers. Giving a smile of her own, (Y/N) grabbed a small loaf of bread to quiet her rumbling stomach before slipping out the room.

Taking a large bite, she wandered the halls, looking for the bath house.

If I can find the right times, I'll be able to bathe without detection. I've had to go through much worse than this, so I know I'll be fine.

Finishing her food, (Y/N) was thankful to then stumble across the bath house, the room huge and spacious with tiled floors, small stalls containing a wooden bin large enough for a human, and small pails to fetch water beside each bin. Conveniently, there was a well outside where (Y/N) could draw the water from, shivering when the cold liquid first hit her skin. Scrubbing the dirt off her from her journey to reach the palace, having to walk in some instances and having dirt flung on her from oncoming carriages, the water slowly turned a light shade of brown.

Exiting the tub and drying herself off with a rather crude looking towel, she huffed as she then picked up her binder, wrapping it carefully around her breasts until they were flattened. Just as she was slipping on the rest of her clothing, a group of men burst in, laughing and chattering loudly, effectively startling her. Immediately diverting her eyes when they began to undress, she set to work on emptying the wooden tub she had used.

Thankfully, none of them seemed too interested in what she was doing, so she left uninterrupted.

But, it was close.

Too close, in her opinion.

Deciding she would have to work on her timing better, (Y/N) returned to her room and slipped under the sheets of her bed. Thankfully, since her roommate was still at dinner and the lights were off, (Y/N) was able to remove her binder and slip it under her pillow as it was unhealthy to wear it to sleep. Soon enough, she fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep. This in turn led her to waking up early that next morning slightly, finding that no matter how hard she tried to go back to sleep, she couldn't.

Silently, she removed herself from the bed so she could open the chest at the foot of said bed to grab her uniform: a white dress shirt and black slacks. Carefully binding her chest again before sliding on her uniform, she then exited the room quietly before closing the door behind her. And there, pinned to the wood, was a piece of paper with job postings just as Basile had clarified.

Scanning the information, she frowned.

I'll be cleaning the ballroom... sweeping the courtyard... trimming the bushes... have a break at one... and then spend the rest of the day helping the stablemen.

I guess they like to keep us busy.

Letting out a breath, her lips thinning slightly, (Y/N) strode out of the servants' quarters into one of the main hallways. After asking one of the passing maids for directions to the ballroom and the supply closet, she entered said room with a mop and a bucket full of soapy water in hand. The space was indeed gorgeous with glittering floor to ceiling windows, three shining chandeliers in the middle, and ornate, golden accents that trimmed the walls and ceiling in glamorous designs.

It was large, too.

And that was the problem for (Y/N).

Though she was used to working hard after training with a sword for years and doing backbreaking labor as a man would, she found her muscles straining in the first hour due to how often she had to bend over and scrub, and scrub, and scrub. Not only that, but she was only a quarters way done at most.

God, this is going to take forever...

Closing her eyes in disbelief, both hands on the mop which she rested her chin against, she blew a strand of her hair out of her eyes.

Man...

Now I'm tired.

Why did my body decide to make me start this shit show earlier than it needed to be?

Clicking her tongue, she began working once more, not stopping until her muscles were tired and sore, until her forehead was slightly slicked with sweat, and until she was out of breath. Yet, everything was clean. The floor glistened, the paintings chandeliers were free from dust, and the windows were clear and shining.

(Y/N) smiled in accomplishment.

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