Chapter 56
“Is that so? Yeah, there’s a lot to do here, so it’s good to learn quickly.”
“Yes, should I start with the dishes?”
“That’d be great.”
How will she do those? Roel wondered, tying her hair back and rolling up her sleeves.
After a brief sigh, she began tackling the piled-up dishes. As she was busy washing, Hawk, having finished cooking, called her over.
“Leave the rest of the dishes; can you help serve this?”
“Sure.”
Roel got up, wiping her wet hands on her apron. The table she approached seated four patrons who appeared to be hearty eaters given the large amount of food ordered.
Unable to carry everything at once, Roel first brought over the bread and soup.
“Your meal is served.”
“Why is it so late, we’re starving…!”
The bustling table fell silent as Roel set down the soup. Even the man who was about to complain closed his mouth abruptly.
An awkward silence followed. Roel, though flustered, quickly apologized.
“Sorry for the delay. I’ll bring the rest of your food shortly.”
“Hmm. Take your time.”
“Are you new here?”
“Ah, yes. I started working today…”
Roel responded nervously. As she served the remaining dishes, she felt eyes on her back. Every time she set down food, unnecessary jokes followed.
“Ah, we were thinking of switching inns because the service here is so bad.”
“We would have regretted moving. Hahaha.”
“Hey, don’t scare our lady! Keep your stinky mouth shut!”
“Who says she’s your lady? Crazy dude, haha.”
Their laughter seemed anything but benign. Startled by the rough language, Roel quickly bowed her head and fled to the kitchen.
Back in the kitchen, she asked Hawk.
“The guests said they decided not to move to another place and then they just laughed. What was that about? Did I do something wrong?”
“Uh, it’s just how they talk. They do that to me too.”
“Ah.”
Unable to afford losing a diligent employee on her first day, Hawk reassured her with a white lie.
Roel naively believed him and nodded.
“I’ll go clean up the dining area then.”
“No, I’ll take care of the dining area. Have you eaten yet? You said you haven’t, right? Here, eat some of this leftover food. You’ve been a great help already.”
“Thank you, but I must work hard.”
Hawk, worried about what nonsensical things the guests might say next, had Roel sit in the kitchen.
Only then could Roel have her belated meal, chewing on stale bread while sitting on a small chair in the corner of the kitchen.
‘I didn’t expect to find a job on my first day.’
She felt numb, her sense of reality dulled. Not only had she managed to find a job shortly after arriving in the city, but she had also started working at the inn on the same day. It had been a long day indeed.
After helping clean the kitchen and dining area, it was nearly midnight by the time Roel returned to her room and collapsed from exhaustion.
* * *
The Double Axe Inn had a total of ten rooms; one on the ground floor was used by Hawk and his wife, and the adjacent room became Roel’s.
Four rooms were occupied by long-term guests who only required cleaning upon request. The remaining rooms were for short-term guests, needing cleaning whenever vacated.
The rooms varied in size from singles to quadruples.
A month into her job at the inn.
The condition of Hawk’s wife, who had been bedridden due to complications from childbirth, hadn’t improved. The child, too, wasn’t healthy, causing Hawk’s attention to be more on his family than the inn.
As a result, Roel couldn’t learn much about the hospitality trade but managed on her own. She tidied up vacant rooms, served in the dining area, and helped in the kitchen.
With Hawk increasingly confined to his room, worried about his child, Roel often had to greet guests herself. She would check them in, take their payments, and hand over the keys before informing Hawk of their arrival.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m so distracted, I can’t really help much. Thanks for that.”
“It’s okay. But there are guests in the dining area, they might want to order something.”
“Oh, it’s not even dinner time yet.”
Hawk grumbled as he headed back to the kitchen.
Though the staff was short-handed, the number of guests steadily increased. The long-term guests consistently sought opportunities to tease Roel, and one of the short-term guests even became long-term guests.
Non-guests coming to eat at the Double Axe Inn was on the rise, even though it wasn’t particularly known for its cuisine.
Roel was busy, but that was somewhat of a relief. The busyness provided her with a ready excuse to decline the strange and often uncomfortable requests from guests.
Whether it was preparing bathwater, hanging out in their rooms, holding hands while sleeping, delivering alcohol to rooms, sharing meals in their quarters, or massaging them because they felt stiff—all could be refused under the guise of being too busy.
Initially, she found it awkward and embarrassing to say no, but after nearly a month, she had become somewhat proficient at it.
Roel was manning the counter.
“Welcome!”
A large man entered the Double Axe Inn
His bright yellow eyes sparkled as he walked in and spotted Roel, who had unwittingly become the mascot of the inn.
It was Kyden, who was gripped by anger.
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