First Day At Work

Freya woke up when the first rays of the sun appeared. She yawned countless times, preparing herself for her new position.

"Ma'am, look at your dress. The rope is messed up. It's your first time working. You had to be representable in the king's eyes," Joe said worriedly.

Freya yawned and said, "I really do not care how that twisted king sees me."

"Ma'am, you should not talk about the king like that in the work. You had to be obedient and not brazen-"

She strode away, ignoring her maid's shouting. The head servant, Lucas, stated that she had to come in advance the next few days, so she had to nod and hide her discomfort. He ordered her to take the tray's food to his majesty's chamber.

Freya gently knocked on the door before entering. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by an unfamiliar scent. The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles scattered on the bedside table. The thick, dark red velvet curtains prevented any sunlight from filtering in.

"You are late." A deep voice startled her. He stood beside a slightly opened window, buttoning his white and golden suit jacket.

Freya pursed her lips. Not knowing why they made a small topic like being late a huge thing. Most of the nobles were sleeping at this time.

"I bought your breakfast, Your Highness," she said, putting the plates on the table in the corner.

Lucas told her that the king preferred having his breakfast alone. He hated being distributed in the morning the most.

King Fraser sat down, unrolled the napkin, and tucked it into his collar. Freya's mouth watered as she looked at the appetizing food; she hadn't eaten since waking up.

"Take this," he said, handing her a plate with a small amount of food. Freya hurried and accepted it without thinking.

He chuckled and said, "If someone saw you staring at the food like a greedy cat, he would think you were starving for days. Or did the queen punish you by cutting your meals?"

Freya felt her cheeks burned up. She swallowed the last bite slowly. "I didn't eat this morning," she whispered. The food's taste and scent differed from what she ate usually, so she did not control herself flavouring delicious food.

From childhood, she had a weak spot for food. Her mother's cooking was classed the first.

"Seeing you standing well means there is no problem with the food," he said, then began to eat.

Freya opened her mouth to talk, but no sounds came out. 'Is he using me as a test subject to poison?' she thought, pinching her robe. Having been poisoned once, the torture she felt still haunted her in her dreams sometimes.

'Is it too late to quit?'

"After tidying the room, follow me to the working room," he remarked, wiping his mouth clean. Then he stood up and walked away.

Freya hurriedly opened the three windows. Sunlight caressed her cheeks, sending warmness inside her body. She looked at the scenery outside. An oak tree stood tall and big. Its branches reached the window. The chirping birds tweeted like a symphony.

'How can someone hide this sunny scenery and bury himself in a room-like-coffin!'

She cleaned the table and brought the tray back to the royal kitchen.

'Is she his Highness's new maid?'

'I didn't see her before.'

'She came with the queen.'

'The vase?'

'Who knows? Maybe she sent her maid to curry favour with the king,'

Freya heard the gibberish the other maids talked unbothered. After listening to the same words for years, she became immune to it. She went back to the king's chamber and organized the bed. Gazing at her creation, she stroked her hair. 'It is... passable,' she esteemed.

Cleaning the room took Freya a bit longer than usual as it was larger compared to her own room and garden.

Heading feebly to the king's working room. Going in, she scrutinized her surroundings, feeling like her body was about to collapse.

"What are you waiting for? Start working," A deep ordering voice echoed in the room.

Holding a cleaning towel, she groaned. As she was halfway, she went back, crashing into a table stand, and the vase on it dropped, making a loud noise.

Freya gulped and looked at the king, seeing him focused on writing. She sighed.

'What if I annoy him till he fires me?' a thought popped into her mind. Cheering for herself in her mind, she began to execute her plan.

She gazed at the flower pot resting on the wooden shelf and nodded, then proceeded to set her sights on the next target. Swiftly, she wiped away any imaginary specks of dust and made her way towards her aim. Upon reaching it, she grasped the pot and intentionally dropped it to the ground.

She screamed and crouched to clean the mess. "Break something else, and I will deduct three months' salary," he said as its cold tone made her shiver.

"Your majesty, Marquis Veron is waiting for you at the meeting room," Trent said as he entered.

"Clean my desk," the king ordered, standing and walking away. "Is the contract ready? I…" their voices went further.

Marquis Veron? Isn't he the previous crown prince's father-in-law? She heard that a lot of nobles followed him. He opposed her marriage with the king a lot. He was one of the accountable nobles after the emancipation of the Journal, toying with people's opinions as he pleased.

Freya cleaned the desk and organized the king's credentials. She took notice of a small piece of paper on it. 'The Kalp's report? Isn't the Kalp a wasteland between the Duchy of Estalbion and the Marquis' territory? it boarded the Valian Kingdom too!'

She wondered about the content, flipping the paper. 'As per the king's order, the Kalp's discovery had great news. The land in the mountains hid a cave full of treasures. We exploit only a small space and found gold and—'

The door was opened, and Trent, his highness' right-hand man went in. Freya put the notice on the table and stepped back.

"Did you finish?" he asked.

"Y-yes I just finished," she stuttered, grabbing her cleaning outputs and going out.

Meanwhile, Trent observed the maid who ran like a thief. He noticed her paled expression when she saw him. His brown eyes darkened. 'Maybe his majesty was right.'