Getting to Avignon had been a pain and a half. Well, the most tedious parts had been sneaking on and then hopping off the cargo train that headed North. Sleeping on a pile of sand had not been the most pleasant experience either, but the thought of meeting Jeneviere Avignon kept me going.

The ride had taken just under a day, and I knew we’d gotten far north enough when the ground below the train abruptly vanished, and for replaced with steel and wooden scaffolding. The geography of the land in ‘Summer Flowers’ was simple enough.

Four dukedoms were governed by a single king, whose successor had to come from a different fief. In the South-East lay the land of Lady Fiona Volgrad. Its people lived off the land, exporting produce, and more recently wood, to other lands. Sir Fandlijn Genkh ruled the North-West, with his lands being rich in both ore and sharp minds. That was where the Tri-unity University stood proudly and had so for the past 600 years.

The North-Western lands, known for their beautiful landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and the manufacturing of most magic equipment had been ruled by Sir Valefor Harvard. He was assassinated by his own son, who quickly made do with the queen, Maple Barclays, in much the same way, taking over all three dukedoms.

Now king, Basil Harvard didn’t actually become a tyrant. He played it smart, not changing anything about the existing structures, laws, or trade routes. He was described as someone who could think ahead, and who always had the best interests of the three lands in mind. That was why that stupid hypocrite Rose Pinkstar fell in love with him and betrayed the true heir to the kingdom, Cedar Barclays.

I remembered feeling some level of pity for the man. He was naïf beyond belief and suffered from the worst case of second male lead syndrome I’d ever read about. Perhaps he wasn’t much of a worthy ruler, but at least he’d never murdered his family. And he definitely hadn’t deserved the death he’d gotten.

He was executed by exile to the Chasm, the bottomless valley over which the train I was strowing away on was passing. Despite its name and appearance, the landform did have an end, a rock-solid bottom overgrown with giant mushrooms, and trees the likes of which had never been seen before. It was also inhabited by demons, who’d forsaken the Tri-Unity or abused their magic in some way.

I allowed myself a quick glance overboard.

Grey clouds, briefly illuminated by lighting of unnatural pink and blue, hid the land below. Wooden pillars and old remains of scaffolding rose from them, as a testament to all the failed attempts to conquer the Chasm.

Once the train reached solid land again, I knew I didn’t have much longer of a ride. The dukedom of Avignon lay in the centre between its three siblings. Although it still answered to the king, due to its importance in terms of commerce and trade, it held more independence than most. Or so had been the case before King Basil rose to power. He automated most of the transit points and crossings, causing most if not all of the local population to immigrate. This included Lady June’s father, who bought himself a lovely manor in Genkh’s territory and send his daughter to uphold a paper-thin title in an empty manor on a deserted fief.

But I was going to change that! I had no means of knowing when I had transmigrated, but I had spent most of my ride praying to the isekai gods that it’d been somewhere within reasonable bounds of the ‘Summer Flowers’ timeline.

The train passed under a white arch. Then another. Then another. There were 26 in total, each decorated slightly differently to represent each of the Lords and Ladies of Avignon. Once we passed the last one, I readied myself to jump.

The train didn’t come to a full stop, but it kept progressing at a crawling pace once it arrived at the interchange. I hopped over, and scaled down the same ladder I had used to sneak in, and then quickly ran across the few dozen tracks that separated me from my destination. Once safely perched atop the sky bridge that led to the station itself, I took a moment to take in the sight.

I’ve never seen as many train tracks, and cargo trains in my life. They carried grain, wood, ore, and mana oil (as depicted by bright warning labels on some of the larger cisterns). Most were waiting their turn to pass to the fief of their choosing, all slowly creeping along the tracks. Further down, a few lucky ones rushed past, no doubt carrying more essential goods. I did even recognise the blue and black colouring of a passenger train. But what took my breath away the most was the manor that overlooked these tracks.

It stood white and proud, despite the trains, and their dusty cargo, passing under it hourly. Three stories high, with marble columns supporting ornate balconies, and a single ivy-covered facade creeping up to the open windows of an empty bedroom.

I caught myself thinking that I could climb up there if my desire to meet June grew too dire. But, I quickly pushed those thoughts away and carried on walking towards the manor.

I could not believe my luck when I saw a group of workers unloading boxes from one of the many stationed trains, and bringing them towards the manor. This meant that June was just moving in. The timing could not have been more perfect.

“Oh thank you, thank you, isekai gods,” I whispered as I made my way towards a figure towering over the workers by a good head.

He was tall, and dressed in his idea of a formal attire. Which, to give credit where it was due, was a formal two-piece working suit, just ever so slightly worn down from the ‘working’ part. Two streaks of white highlighted through his dark-blue hair, and I could have sworn, although it could have been my book knowledge speaking, that his eyes shimmered red when he turned towards me.

“You seem lost.” He spoke.

“Ludwig Silverton, I am here to apply for a working position at the service of Lady June – Lady Jeneviere Avignon.” I stated, locking eyes with him.

My boost of whatever that’d been had been short-lived, as I quickly realised my words had made little to no sense. Ludwig’s smirk further confirmed that.

“Yes?” he asked, his tone shifting into amusement. “And what kind of position would that be? I am not sure June requires anyone with your… skillset.”

I couldn’t help but feel like some critter a cat was toying with. Yet, I had prepared for this situation. I knew Ludwick was very protective of his childhood best friend. And I knew of a trope that always worked in other isekais.

“I would like to work as a maid.” I proudly stated.