The Princess Seeking Employment

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Princess Eileen Rodney of the Aldor Kingdom had been living a very comfortable life recently.

She and her lady-in-waiting, Lydia, had bought a two-story house with a yard in Alden Town. Free from the nagging of teaching court ladies, the intricate court protocols, and the tumultuous escapes on the road, life suddenly became so wonderful.

The environment in Alden Town was pleasant, unlike the dirty and disorderly towns they had passed through on their journey.

According to the locals, Alden Town hadn't always been this nice. It was only after the new lord took office and vigorously cleaned up the streets that the town began to change. Periodically, public garbage bins were placed on the main streets, and hefty fines discouraged littering, resulting in the neat appearance it had now.

Once the residents got used to this comfortable environment, they became increasingly conscientious about maintaining its cleanliness.

Eileen couldn't help but marvel inwardly, "What an extraordinary lord."

Compared to the towns they had passed through on their escape, where not only household waste but even human waste littered the streets, the smell alone could knock one unconscious.

Coming from such an environment, Eileen and Lydia had initially thought they had entered a fairyland upon arriving in Alden Town. This was one of the main reasons Eileen had decided to stay here instead of moving on.

Here, Eileen discovered something remarkable: extremely, extremely cheap paper. The money for buying one piece of parchment could buy fifty sheets of this kind of paper.

Identifying more as a scholar than as a princess, Eileen understood the significance of inexpensive and abundant paper to scholars. Now she could write and draw without any reservations, unlike before, when every stroke of the pen required careful consideration.

Apart from paper, there were many other fascinating things, such as containers called "porcelain." Exquisite, glossy, and smooth to the touch, each piece of porcelain seemed like a work of art.

Unfortunately, these items were quite pricey. Eileen had her eye on a small vase in a shop, but after inquiring about the price, she suppressed her desire to buy it. After purchasing the house, their cash reserves were limited, and they needed to be frugal.

Recently, several significant events had occurred in Alden Town.

First was the conflict between Alden and neighboring Earl Byerldine, which delighted the common folk: several vassals of Byerldine conspired to assassinate their former lord and usurped the new lord. As the blood-brother of Byerldine's new lord, Earl Grayman naturally sought justice for him.

Conspiracy, betrayal, revenge—what elements could be more suitable for gossip than these? This added plenty of post-dinner conversation topics for the townsfolk of Alden Town. Furthermore, word had it that Alden's army had overwhelmed Byerldine's people, greatly boosting the people's pride.

Next was the agricultural machinery demonstration, where major landowners from both Alden and Byerldine gathered in Alden Town to witness the demonstration of the "harvester" invented by the machinery factory.

Many residents of Alden Town also went to see it, though it was mainly out of curiosity. Alden Town had developed from the Grayman family's estate on the shore of Wes River. Most of the nearby estates belonged either to tenants of the Grayman family or were worked by Grayman family serfs.

Out of scholarly curiosity, Eileen also dragged Lydia to join the fun. She admired the intricate and efficient structure of the harvester, but her appreciation was more for the mechanical itself. As someone who had grown up in the palace, Eileen Princess was virtually insulated from agricultural work and thus couldn't fully grasp the profound significance of such machinery for agricultural production.

Then there was the upcoming "exam" at Weis Academy. To Eileen, participating in such an exam would be an insult to her. However, considering that the exam mainly targeted the lower classes and their level of knowledge, she accepted it.

On another note, if she hadn't run away from home this time, she wouldn't have known that most people in Aldor Kingdom's territory couldn't read.

Today, as usual, Eileen was engrossed in writing and drawing on paper. Recently, she had been obsessed with studying ancient texts. Unexpectedly, she heard footsteps of her lady-in-waiting approaching.

Oddly, at this time of day, shouldn't Lydia be practicing swordplay in the courtyard? Eileen looked up and asked, "What's going on, Lydia?"

Lydia hesitated and said, "My lady, I suddenly remembered that we don't have much cash left. This can't go on. So, I thought of finding a job in town."

Indeed, it was a problem. Normally, Lydia took care of household expenses. Besides controlling her own desires, Eileen had never considered the issue of income.

After thinking for a while, she decided, "It's not fair for you to bear this alone. I'll also look for a job."

Shaking her head, Lydia said, "How can this be? You are a lady... a princess!"

Eileen smiled, "Aren't you also a lady in your own home? You've been through so much with me. How can I be comfortable living as a parasite?"

As someone who also grew up in a noble family, Lydia's decision to find work for herself was undoubtedly a significant mental hurdle to overcome.

Seeing her lady-in-waiting about to argue, Eileen quickly interjected, "Alright, I've made up my mind. Don't try to persuade me anymore. Finding a job shouldn't be rushed. We'll take our time and find something that suits us."

"Okay, thank you, Miss."

The lady-in-waiting was deeply moved, then excused herself to continue her sword practice.

"Sigh..." Watching Lydia leave, Eileen fell into deep self-reproach. For so long, she had neglected financial matters. She felt she had let down her lady-in-waiting.

"There might not be suitable jobs here; I need to prepare early."

The young princess opened her wardrobe and pulled out a box from the back. Upon opening it, she found a dazzling array of jewelry.

She decided to pick out a few items to exchange for money.

"No, this pair of bracelets was a gift from my sister."

"Oh, this necklace is my favorite; I can't part with it either."

Eileen hesitated as she picked and chose. Each time she picked up a piece of jewelry, it felt like cutting a piece of her heart out if she were to exchange it.

"Let's go with this one!"

She picked up a pair of exquisite earrings. These were a gift from King Rodney XVI on her last birthday. Remembering her father now only made her angry. It was most appropriate to exchange these earrings for money.

However, as Eileen was about to find something to wrap the earrings in, she sighed and placed them back in the box.

After searching for a while longer, she finally picked out several pieces of jewelry. Eileen carefully wrapped them in a piece of cloth, reluctant to part with them.

After bidding farewell to her lady-in-waiting Lydia and casually making up an excuse, Eileen left home and walked to the main street.

Through inquiries with the townsfolk, she arrived at the only pawnshop in Alden Town. After hesitating for a moment, she pushed open the door.

"Welcome, may I help you with something, miss?"

The clerk greeted her warmly.

Approaching the counter, Eileen removed the hood of her cloak and took out a small bundle, saying, "Hello, I would like to pawn these pieces of jewelry. Please appraise their value."

The young clerk was momentarily dazed upon seeing Eileen's face—a girl so beautiful and elegant, he had never seen anyone like her before.

But his professionalism quickly kicked in, and he blushed as he went to inspect the jewelry Eileen had presented. However, upon closer inspection, he was not just momentarily dazed.

The clerk was visibly stunned, prompting Eileen to cover the jewelry with her hand. Only then did the clerk regain his senses.

"I'm sorry, this is far beyond my appraisal skills. Let me fetch our boss right away."

The clerk hurriedly ran to the back room in a panic, shouting, "Boss, we have a big customer here!"

Soon, the boss of the pawnshop hurried over. He picked up one piece of jewelry, took out a magnifying glass, and carefully examined it, making exclamations of surprise and admiration.

After inspecting each piece, the boss frowned and said to Eileen with a mournful expression, "Esteemed miss, your jewelry is far too precious. Our small shop dares not accept them."

The boss's expression was akin to discovering a gold mine but lacking the capital to exploit it.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Eileen asked, "Where else can I exchange these for money?"

The boss thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the pawnshops in Buteya City might have the capability to accept your jewelry, but the likelihood is slim."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble."

Eileen collected the jewelry and turned to leave the pawnshop immediately.

The clerk looked reluctant as he said to the boss, "Are those jewels really that valuable that you dare not accept them?"

The boss stared solemnly into the clerk's eyes and said, "With my thirty years of experience, I assure you, if that young lady were to exchange those jewels for money, she would be the second wealthiest person in Alden, second only to Earl Grayman."

The clerk's jaw dropped in disbelief.

...

"Sigh, what should I do? Should I make another trip to Buteya?"

Disappointed, Eileen walked slowly down the street and eventually strolled to the square in the town center.

Passing by a notice board, she casually glanced at it and was immediately drawn to one particular notice.

"The Lord's Manor is recruiting talents proficient in linguistics. Excellent benefits, salary negotiable. Interested parties please apply directly at the castle gates."

(End of the Chapter)