It’s only been the first day since I started working in the Main Palace. This time, I'm assigned to the kitchen, and actually, I really looking forward to it!

“Bianca, the herbs!”

“Bianca, the onions!”

“Bianca, the potatoes!”

“Bianca—”

“Anything else?” I turned around and dusted off my hands. Everyone around me just watches with their mouths agape.

Hm?

“Ahaha! The new kid is fast!” Someone, an older male, laughs. It’s the main chef.

“Thanks to her, we’re not panicking as usual,” a male servant sighs in relief as he looks at the full basket of peeled potatoes.

“You are strong, dear. Perhaps, are you, using mana?” The female pastry chef asks. I nod.

“Yes, it’d be a waste not to use my mana,” I reply, which is true. My mana easily overflows, and I would only waste it by summoning items that I don’t use anymore...

“Oh my, to have someone like you here is such a waste of talent. Did you not try to enter the knighthood or the army?” The pastry chef looks at me curiously.

“I…” I couldn’t answer. Suddenly, flashes of blood and dead bodies ran through my mind. I can feel my hands and feet go cold. I couldn't move.

How... can I ever explain it to them? 

“Why would you ask her a question like that, Maria?? Let the child be what she wants to be!!” The main chef suddenly defends me. I am so surprised that I don’t know how to react. He gives me a wink.

“There’s a pile of dishes that need to be washed, do you think you can do it?” He asks.

I reply with a smile. “Yes!”

*****************

The Head Maid of the Main Palace, Helen Nitani, a woman in her 40s, is seen walking, looking troubled. She decides to go to the kitchen for some refreshments, to lift her spirits.

“Ah, Helen.” Her friend, Maria, greets her after seeing her enter through the kitchen door.

“The usual,” she says as she walks over to the servant's table and seated herself. Other servants who are aware of her presence can only feel pressured, not because she is there, but because of how dark and gloomy the aura surrounding her is. Everyone wonders what other problem she's facing this time.

“Here. And this is a bonus.” Maria brings her the usual chocolate sundae with additional chocolate cookies, not the sandwich she have in usual.

“Hm?”

“Made by the new kid. She really can do anything. I finally took her under my wing after fighting with that stingy old man. And you know what? She chose me. She said she would love to learn to do pastry,” Maria says, smiling ear to ear. She seems so happy.

“New kid?” Helen asks, but she is actually asking herself.

She then remembers that this morning, a maid came to her, saying she’s from the West Palace. She showed her a file and a sealed letter from the West Palace. But instead of looking at her file because she was busy at that time, she told that maid to go to the kitchen because she knew the kitchen was understaffed, and she thought she’d review her file later. But now, she has totally forgotten about it. Now, where did she even put the file??

“The new kid, you sent her here, remember? Her name is Bianca.” Maria can’t believe she has forgotten about it.

Helen can only hum while closing her eyes. She doesn’t care. She is tired, tired of dealing with things that are out of her control.

“Also, she can use mana.”

That makes Helen open her eyes. “What?”

“What, you didn’t know?” Maria furrows her brows. “Seriously Helen, you ought to do your job right.”

“I know, I know. No need to remind me.” Helen replies, later drinking her chocolate sundae. She finishes it in one drink and takes only a cookie in her mouth and the other two in her hand. “I’m leaving, then.” She says in between eating the cookie, and went to the door.

“My goodness, Helen...” Maria shook her head.

Helen goes back to her office and finds the sealed letter and the file she put on her desk. She read the letter first, conforming that the girl is from The West Palace and then she reviews the file.

The girl's name is Bianca Monroe, 24 years old. She takes a bite of the cookie. Helen is slightly shocked by what’s written on the file. Despite not being from the empire, the girl is fluent, to the point where she can read and write the empire’s language…

That’s pretty rare. Many maids here can only speak the language but not read or write. She takes another bite of the cookie. The file mentioned she has mana, and also a sword aura user. She fought in the war before.

Helen hums. The girl, Bianca, later got a letter of recommendation from her supervisor, and she guess is that how she got to work here in the Imperial Palace.

But… what a waste. Someone like her to be a maid. Even though there are restrictions on using sword aura after the war, Bianca can still serve in any noble household as a knight if the Lord of the house acknowledges her. Or, she can still join the army. Basically, the restriction is not to use it publicly or without a supervisor. How did someone like her end up here?

She hums again, thinking something. Bianca is good; she wants to put Bianca in place of the injured servant who attends the Emperor’s study room, but Bianca is not originally from the empire, which unsettles her.

Then as she flips through different papers, to her surprise, there’s another letter of recommendation. And the name who recommends her is none other than Commander Aaron Xayne, the Head of the Red Knight and The Imperial Army.

She then smiles. If someone like the Commander even recommends her, then she has no fear putting Bianca to work under the Emperor. It’s settled then. Thank the Lord, the problem is finally solved. Helen eats the last remaining two cookies and sends a note to the kitchen through the mana stone, which mentions Bianca's name.

Later, a knock on the office can be heard, and the girl enters.

Bianca’s POV:

“Study room..?”

“Yes, the Emperor’s study room.”

“But, I-”

“It’s said on your file you can read, write, and speak the empire’s language fluently, is it not?” Helen, The Main Head Maid of the Imperial Palace asks.

“Yes, I can. But, I can work in the kitchen!” I offer myself.

The Head Maid sighs. “Dear, not a lot of maids here know how to read. Especially the empire’s language is, well... quite sophisticated." I do agree with her on this.

“You won’t see His Majesty,” she clears her throat, knowing what I actually worry about. “You will only be in the study room when he is away. You just need to clean the study room and make sure the books are in punctual order and—”

***********

I follow the head maid from behind, walking through the halls of the Main Palace. Clearly, the Main Palace is bigger than the West Palace I worked at before. Then as we walk, I see some maids and male servants going in and out of different halls. They seem to be in a hurry while carrying something.

“The ball is in three weeks. That’s why everyone is busy. And we were understaffed as well…” The Head Maid says. I can only feel bad for her and the servants. If it weren't for a certain someone... I sighed as I brush the thoughts away. We then went into a different hall.

“His Majesty study room is on the fifth floor,” she says as she touches a mana stone near the stairs and her ring glimmers in green. I quickly get near her as we both now warp into the fifth floor. The unfamiliar yet majestic walls of blue and white can be seen with decorations of expensive paintings and golden statues lining the hall.

"His Majesty’s bedroom is also on the fifth floor, near the study room. Access to this floor is restricted, as it serves as His Majesty's private sanctuary. He dislikes crowds, particularly in his personal space."

I nod, trying to push down the fear bubbling up inside.

“Usually, His Majesty is gone by morning for sword training. He would return for a quick shower and breakfast before heading to one of his meetings in the Main Hall. Later, if there are no other special events, he would return from his office room on the third floor and would later spend most of his time here, in the study room,” the Head Maid says as she stands in front of two-winged closed doors and opens them.

The study room is spacious, with its walls lined with towering bookshelves that stretch from floor to ceiling, with an impressive collection of leather-bound tomes and weathered manuscripts. The books on the shelves are meticulously organized, each book finding its place amidst the sea of knowledge that fills the room.

Sunlight filters through the windows, casting a warm glow upon the rich mahogany furniture that adorns the space — a sturdy oak desk, accompanied by a golden oak chair, invites majestic air in the room...

“So, before he returns in the evening, you shall clean and organize this room. You have to finish it before he returns. He dislikes it when he comes face to face with others on this floor, do you understand?”

“Yes, Head Maid,” I give a simple answer.

“Good. Now, here,” she handed me a ring.

“You have mana, don’t you?”

“Yes. Is this for the access on this floor?” It fits my thumb.

“Not only that, it’s a space ring. Try it.”

I then try to use my mana and all of a sudden, things come out. Mop, broom, wooden bucket, and feather sweepers.

“But it can only hold a few. And try not to lose it,” she says.

She then showed me the bathroom and other things that I needed to do in this floor, if I were to finish early. But I don't have to do much today because the Head Maid did some of them earlier this morning.

"Now dear, it's almost afternoon, I'm sure you can do the job. Don't disappoint me." She said.

I held my breath... and bowed. "I'll do my best."