47 Clever Plan (1/2)
When I arrived at the Captain's Manor the place was still bustling with activity despite the fairly late hour. Some of the guards were assisting the gardeners in bringing plants into the back and a couple of the maids could be seen arranging and organizing different parts of the manor.
Upon entering the central wing I saw Matilda in the common area giving orders to a maid. When she saw me she immediately stopped talking and walked over. She had a kind of purpose in her walk that only people who had been in a formal military possessed.
When she arrived in front of me she said, ”Good evening sir, the majority of your requests have been carried out or will be completed by the end of the day.”
My brow involuntarily scrunched up as I thought, if she completed most of my requests in one day with just the staff she had this morning they must be exhausted. Then I thought back to everyone I had seen so far. I hadn't really been paying attention before so I didn't notice. The guards seemed out of breath, the gardeners looked drained, and the maids looked tired and worried. It seems I underestimated Matilda's military mindset. She has been running the staff ragged.
I quickly said, ”Matilda tell everyone that work is done for the day and have the chef prepare a large meal for them.”
”But sir,” she tried to say.
”Matilda, this is not the military. This is just a house and you are just my staff. While I do expect my request to be completed, I thought it would take a week not a day. You can't exhaust the staff like this. These people are here for a paycheck, they will quit if you treat them like this everyday.”
I sighed, ”I know you have a military background and probably spent your entire life in that environment. However, not everything works that way. You must learn to adapt. I don't doubt your capabilities, but not everyone has the mindset of a soldier. You have to learn to see things from other people's point of view.”
Matilda seemed to understand what I was getting at, ”Yes sir, I will be.... more accommodating in the future.”
Even when saying that she maintained a professional bearing. I really hope she is able to adjust.
”Thank you, now go make sure everyone gets a good meal and rest.”
Matilda nodded and left the common area.
Honestly, I was impressed by her ability to motivate the staff to the point they would work so hard for her. However, it seemed as if they were motivated through fear. While that can be an effective method in a military environment, it would cause too many problems here.
It served as a reminder that even intelligent and capable people needed time to adjust to a new environment. Many people were placed in entirely new occupations that functioned on different social constructs. I made a mental note of this since my next couple days would be filled with designing plans for the new divisions, a selection exam, all while making my own plans. Just the though of it all gave me a headache. However, things would become smoother after I took care of these things. There won't be too much for me to take care of and I can get back to getting stronger.
This day had been mentally exhausting and I really wanted to just go to bed, However, I had one more thing to take care of before I could. I left the central wing and made my way over to the east wing. I had to check in on our guest.
After arriving I asked the guards, ”Have you had any problems?”
They promptly responded, ”No sir, she ate the food we provided and we retrieved the utensils as you requested. Her only requests were for new clothes, a book, and a chair.”
I nodded, good, everything should be fine since she doesn't have anything to attack me with.
”Oh yeah, she also asked for makeup, a comb, and a nail file. I guess even female assassins care about their appearance.”
Hmmm, I thought it over for a moment, but she is a girl that made sense.
I knocked, ”Sylvia, I'm coming in.”
”Ok, I'm away from the door,” her voice came from the far side of the room.
That's strange she sounds significantly less hostile, almost as if she wants me to come in.
I began to open the door. Wait....
Just as it swung open, I dropped straight to the ground. I could hear a click and a whistle of wind as something quickly shot at my head. I felt a sharp pain on the very top of my scalp. A moment later a thud came from the wall behind me. I rolled to the side just as Sylvia leapt out with a makeshift stake and stabbed into the floor where I was just laying. The guards were shocked, but they quickly grabbed and restrained before she could attack again.