68 Maids and Princesses (1/2)
A pair of muffled voices conversed about outside, but from the sound of it, one voice seemed to be doing most the talking. Reed pressed his head against his room door and heard a rough, one-sided conversation in progression — not of the pleasant kind.
He knew that cold, strict tone… After all, he'd grown up listening indifferent, condemning tone all his life. It was the sound of someone oppressing another person. It disgusted Reed to the core…
His former employer, Mr. Santo, loved talking to him as if were an incompetent, useless miscreant...
”Are ya' done copying those scrolls, brat?! If don't finish by midday, you can forget about getting paid!”
The fat bastard, Legatos, who owned the local bakery considered it beneath him to even sell him loaves of bread, even if he had the money... Instead, he would only sell him half-eaten loaves.
”What are you lookin' at you ungrateful little shit?! You gave me three bronze coins, so this is all you're gettin'! Take the half loaf or take your dirty fuckin' coins back. See if I give a shit.”
He remembered the first and last time he ever visited his city's hall of knowledge. The moment he stepped in a old, haughty woman took a single glance at him and decided that he was unworthy of even entering the building…
”This place isn't meant for the likes of you. This a sacred place meant for the educated. Begone. Get out before I call the guards, you little sewer rat.”
Reed fondly remembered that disgusting feeling of being treated as if was nothing. The crushing despair of not being able to do anything. Emotions that were buried within the dark, murky recesses of his heart threatened to come out, but he held himself back.
Kindness, huh. I wish I could have the same optimism you have about people, gramps. I really, really do...…
Two bickering figures stood outside as Reed walked out, a young woman and a small girl — both Avunian and angry at one another.
The woman, who he had identified as the maid that Velvund had informed him about, Rivia, suddenly went rigid when she realized that Reed had left his room.
The young girl, on the other hand, quickly rushed behind Reed like a stray cat seeking shelter and said, ”Help me, big bro! This evil hag with big breasts is trying to punish me, even though I've done nothing wrong!”
Oh, so it wasn't what I thought it was...… that's great. It was just a normal scolding, of course…
Reed felt like a massive idiot for assuming the worst, even though he should have known better. Why would someone like gramps, who was essentially a genuine saint, have a messed up home environment like the one he'd grown up in?
He put on a convincing grin and said, ”My, my, that sounds problematic, doesn't it? But I'm getting the feeling that you're not telling me the whole truth, right?”
Reed chuckled heartily and said, ”Prince? Who? Me? You jest, beauty. I'm just a very fortunate idiot, that's all. There's no need me to call anything other than my name.”
Secretly though, his heart started beating much faster when he heard what the maid had referred to him as. He suddenly felt like he'd royally messed up.
It was his belief that the old man was probably a high-ranking noble of some kind, but the 'prince' title he'd just been given had shattered that delusion into pieces.
Ohhhhhh, shit. No, no, no. This was NOT what I had planned. I was supposed to have become a spy. I was going to exploit the East's intel to find Astrid and Sebastian!
1. Join the East's intelligence branch
2. Get info on Astrid and Sebastian
3. ??????