Chapter 54
“I can clean, cook, and sew well. I would prefer a household position.”
“That’s exactly a maid’s job. But you see, being a maid requires a guarantor…”
The woman furrowed her brow, seemingly troubled. Roel was considering whether to simply accept any job when the woman looked up from her papers.
“Oh, there’s a job available at an inn.”
“An inn job?”
“Yes. They need a woman to clean rooms, do laundry, assist in the kitchen… various tasks. They prefer someone young.”
It sounded like a lot of work, but Roel wasn’t in a position to be choosy. She nodded eagerly.
“Does it include room and board?”
“You’d need to ask about that during the interview.”
Still, it was an inn, so maybe they would offer a room if she asked. Roel was hopeful.
The office worker looked closely at Roel’s face and then reviewed the documents again. After a second look, she narrowed her eyes and asked in a worried tone.
“It’s an inn frequented by mercenaries… is that okay?”
Roel was about to say yes, but remembering the advice to be cautious, she asked,
“Is there a problem with that…?”
“Hmm.”
The woman thought, then explained what she needed to pay attention to.
“You know mercenaries can be rough. They might ask you to change their bedding or assist with bathing…”
The woman curled her hands and moved them up and down.
“Like this, asking you to do this.”
“This what?”
“This.”
As Roel looked puzzled, the woman moved her hand suggestively between her legs. Two middle-aged men nearby saw and burst into laughter.
“Hand j-b, they mean a hand j-b!”
“For 10 coppers, they try to get a quick service!”
Roel’s face darkened. If such duties were expected at the inn, it might be too challenging.
“I, I think that would be difficult for me…”
Seeing Roel’s disheartened expression, the woman sighed deeply.
“Still, do you want to interview? It’s not mandatory. If you want extra income, you can do it. If not, you don’t have to. Though the mercenaries can be a bit messy…”
Though hesitant, Roel decided to go for the interview. The woman at the employment office provided her with the location of the ‘Double Axe Inn’ and handed her an introduction letter from the Blue Salt Employment Office.
“Tell them you were referred to by us. If you get the job, we’ll split 30% of your salary for the first six months.”
It was a form of commission for the job introduction. While not insignificant, having a potentially safe job in the capital without any connections was worth it to Roel.
When Roel left the employment office, the sky was turning red with sunset—it was already evening.
‘I haven’t eaten anything all day…’
She had arrived in the capital early in the morning and spent half the day finding the employment office, barely securing a job lead.
Debating whether to eat first or go straight to the Double Axe Inn for the interview, she decided to head to the outskirts of the capital where the inn was located.
‘I’ll look for a place to stay after the interview.’
Hugging her bundle tightly, she sighed. The walking had aggravated her recovering ankle. Just when it seemed to be getting better, overexertion brought the pain back.
‘I hope it’s a decent place.’
But she knew the odds were low; the job posting’s preference for young women was telling.
* * *
At the Double Axe Inn.
“Hmm. Hmm.”
“…”
“Alright, everything sounds good, but you look a bit weak.”
“I can clean, do laundry, and I’m also good at cooking.”
“Hmm, okay. We’ll see how you work.”
The innkeeper of Double Axe Inn seemed pleased. After receiving the introduction letter from the employment office, he scrutinized Roel’s face and his eyes sparkled.
With a belly like a mountain and a bushy beard, he fit the name ‘Double Axe Inn’ perfectly.
Roel felt conflicted about the innkeeper who immediately took a liking to her.
“Do you provide room and board? I need a place to stay…”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. We have plenty of rooms available.”
“And about working at the inn… I’ve heard that sometimes there are strange requests. I don’t want to do anything unusual. Is it okay to refuse those?”
“Well, that’s on your will! If you like the guy, you can accept, or kick their a-s if they’re ugly.”
“Um, okay…”
The innkeeper clapped his hands loudly as if he had made the decision. The slapping sound was so loud it startled Roel and made her shoulders shake.
“Great! When can you start? The guests are gonna love you.”
His hearty but suspicious words made Roel’s eyes waver.
Should she look elsewhere? She was seriously considering it.
Discussion
1 CommentBessy
Thanks