Can I Try Again?

Perhaps I could've had better luck than this.

Usually when one thinks of transmigration stories, it is in the perspective of a wealthy side character, or a powerful villainess, or if the main character is fortunate enough, in the perspective of the original story's main female lead, the beauty that the story's world and characters revolve around.

I'm none of those three, unfortunately. In fact, I am but a measley palace maid. I believe I don't even have a name in this world. None of the other maids seem to refer to me with a name, too occupied with more important tasks. None of my superiors call me by name too. Not that I expect them to. The nobles I occasionally run into usually don't even acknowledge my existence, the other maids already rushing to fulfill their needs. Before I can even blink twice, the nobles already have satisfied smiles on their faces while their worn-out, underpaid servants pant for their life.

I admire the eager and hard-working souls of palace servants. In fact, I've only learned to appreciate them this much when I transmigrated into one. I mean, the books always portrayed them to have lax lives, just standing around the palace and bowing their heads to major characters, but perhaps I'm just stupid to assume it's the same in reality.

Since the moment I woke up, I've been pushed to do chores already. For the past few days, I've been mopping unnecessarily large corridors, carrying heavy trays around, and washing stacks and stacks of fabric and clothing. It doesn't help that I take twice as much as the other maids because I don't.. usually do these things that much or at all.

To be perfectly honest with you, I've never been much of a hard-worker in my previous life. Sure, I had cooking as an occasional hobby, but I've never really been forced to do such heavy labor. I was lucky enough to be born to an extremely wealthy family with an extremely loving father that never let me exhaust myself throughout my whole life.

Perhaps this is the universe's way of punishing my lazy bum which is fair enough. But isn't transmigration supposed to have the opposite effect?!

This morning is a bit different from the usual inside the royal palace, per say. Perhaps it's the frantic rushing around the palace halls that seems more frantic than usual. Or perhaps it's because none of the head maids have told me what to do yet. I stand around in the hallway, trying to figure out what's happening when I bump into another palace servant, one that so rudely yelps "What the hell are you doing?!" before leaving my sight. Hmph. What an asshole.

I'm about to leave, about to pick up a random task to fit in when I spot a familiar figure amongst the chaos.

"Hey, Eissen! Airhead! Mind telling me what's going on?" I manage to catch the attention of said figure as they turn around to my direction, looking a bit startled.

"Oh, hey... I'm sorry, but what's your name again?" I grimace almost immediately, filled with disappointment.

"Hey! How rude can you be!! Haven't we been friends for a couple of days now?!" If only we weren't inside the royal palace as lowly servants, I would've been chasing him around the country with the deathly intent to hunt him down by now.

He shrinks almost immediately when he sees my rage-filled glare, fearful of what he had just caused, "We have been! We have been! It's just.. I really don't remember you giving me your name."

"Pssh, don't think I'm forgiving you so easily because you're a clutz, it's—" I pause, unable to finish my sentence.

"It's?" Eissen looks at me intently, anticipating a proper response. Unfortunately, I couldn't give him one. Because I actually hadn't given him my name. In fact, I don't have one at the moment. Ah, must've forgotten, silly me.

"..It's Sunny." I reply, sounding very unsure of myself which is already a bad sign in itself. I'm just hoping the red-head is too much of an idiot to suspect anything. I don't want to be accused of being a spy and get executed or even worse, tortured for information I don't have until I finally give up on living.

A bright name would be associated with a bright person, which I obviously am with my innocent and feminine charms. It's why Sunny was the first contender in my mind.

"Sunny? Like the weather?"

"No! Not the weather, idiot. Just, I'm obviously very infectious and radiant, so it's a very fitting name, don't you think?" I stand pridefully, my stance just as confident as my smile. I couldn't agree more with myself, but I'm usually always right, so I probably could.

"..Did your parents tell you that?"

"Hey! What does that mean?!"

Eissen is an assistant cook I met while tasked to clean up the kitchen before the other cooks could start, well, cooking. He was already there before I was, working on a dish with focus and drive second to none. At that moment, I wasn't sure if I should've been intimidated or impressed.

Regardless, being the sleep-deprived idiot I was, I approached him, and asked him to explain what he was doing. Eissen looked surprised to see me and I could only profusely apologize for pulling him out of "the zone" as others from my previous life called it. Being the kind man he was, he told me it was fine.

I learned a lot that day, Eissen was able to teach me a lot about the herbs and foods of this world. I tried not to act ignorant to lessen the suspicion of being a mole, which is surprisingly common in these kind of books, but I couldn't help but fawn and gasp everytime I was introduced to a new ingredient. I mean, it's very hard to hold in your surprise when you're shown fruits like the "Owlmeat" or magical spices like the "Bitterin."

Sure, I had my ass handed to me afterwards by my fellow maids for neglecting my duties, but it was worth the excitement of learning.

I learned a lot about Eissen that day as well. His passion for cooking was inspiring, something you don't see in the modern world anymore. He was easy to be around as well, very easygoing, had good humor, and an undeniably charming smile, one fit for a prince. It didn't take long before I was comfortably rambling around him. Eissen is the kind of person people actively want to be around, his hard work and dedication to his craft is truly moving. He's a dear friend I look up to which is why I was so offended when I thought he had forgotten my name. He just makes fighting him way too fun.

But anyway, that's enough reminiscing for one day.

"Care to explain what's going on before I start beating you to a pulp?" I ask Eissen, referring to the ongoing frenzy with the palace staff.

"With those delicate arms? I doubt it." I gasp for a long time, absolutely flabbergasted by his guts. Pulling him to me with a deathly grip, I lose all restraint and release all my frustrations into beating him up.

"You're really asking for it, you little sh—"

"What are the two of you doing?" A proper woman looks down on the two of us, mature in both age and atmosphere. Almost immediately, I release Eissen from my arms as I gulp in fear of what's to happen next. I've never met a person so intimidating, not even the devil could match this woman's dominating aura.

"Don't you know some very important guests are coming to the royal palace this very day? You can lolligag all you want outside of the establishment, but as long as you are under my command and under my management, I will not allow some unruly children to embarrass the royal staff."

I gulp. Had I not dragged Eissen into this, I would've been lashing out in anger and humiliation, but my body freezes in its place, overcome with guilt. I could've gotten Eissen fired! I really am an idiot.

"I apologize. It was all me, ma'am. It was my incompetence and recklessness that brought along all the chaos. My friend has nothing to do with this. Please, punish me. I will take the blame."

"Wh—"

Luckily enough, the old woman, who I assume is the head maid seems to buy it, silencing Eissen with a hand before he could oppose. "Very well, you are lucky we were instructed not to cause much of a commotion today. Your punishment will be to clean the horse stalls East to the palace. Do your job well, little maid. You have already tested much of my patience."

I smile in gratitude, "Thank you, ma'am! Thank you! Thank you!"

She says nothing as she leaves to tend to speak to other servants. And I wave goodbye to Eissen before he can even think of scolding me.