Newbie

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…

Jasmine was just a normal maid in the Count's house. Actually, she was lower than a normal maid due to her being relatively new to the house. All the maids tended to throw their hard work onto the newbies, and Jasmine was one of them.

Thus, why she was currently washing the dishes in the servants quarters. Alone.

Her knuckles were white and cold to the touch from washing the plates and cups for an extended period of time. Her fingers were pruning and wrinkly. Sometimes, soap would find a way into one of her many hangnails and give her a shock.

'Damn, why does this terrible luck always fall on me? Gods… my arms are going to fall off at this point! My back feels like it has aged to the point where I might be an old lady. Ouch!'

During her inner monologue, a few bubbles of soap found another hangnail to invade. This time, it was one of the deeper cuts on her fingers. Leaving her eyes glossy and her lips red as she bit down on them to try and ignore the pain.

-RIIINNG- -TING- -RIINNNGG-

She looked up to the board where all the bells were listed.

'Damn, is it the knights quarters? I really don't want to go back there…'

That was when she read the words | Young Master |. Slowly, a grin appeared on her face. Finally! She would be able to make an appearance to the people who mattered in this house.

She stopped doing the dishes, found a hand towel, dried her hands, and ran to the young masters room. Even while running, Jasmine retained a certain grace that only could have come from hours of practice.

Eventually, she reached the door to the young masters room. Taking a few deep breaths, she straightened her back and knocked on the door twice.

…

"Come in."

Cole gave no warmth in his voice, only a stern and cold tone was used.

As soon as the maid entered his room, Cole was instantly struck by the look in her light green eyes. Yes, he knew this look very well. The gaze of someone who was at the bottom and was willing to do anything to climb the ladder.

'Perfect. She will be perfect.'

A slight grin had appeared on the corner of his face, disrupting his normally passive expression.

"Why is it only you who answered to my summons?"

"Forgive me young master, my co-workers decided to blatantly ignore your summons. Please make use of me, however."

Of course Colden knew this was utter bullshit. He could see the glossy film that covered her hands, how her fingertips were pruned, and the wet spots on her uniform. She seemed to have rushed over.

'She must be new, considering how she called me "young master". The other maids would never do that. A newbie would most certainly have all work push onto them, hence why her fingers are so pruned. But why would she rush? Does she wish to gain my favor?'

The last part was slightly confusing to him, but he just ignored it. That wasn't important right now.

"Clean this mess of a room, I am a noble not a pig. Bring more maids if you wish."

"I would not dare to bother my coworkers! I will handle the cleaning of your room, young master."

"What is your name?"

"Jasmine."

Commoners of this world, apparently, had no last name. This was a privilege reserved specifically for the nobles, a way to keep the nobles status over the commoners.

"Very well done Jasmine."

He squinted his eyes and fully examined this new maid.

She was of average height, about 165cm. (5'5) She had dark, musty brown hair and freckles scattered randomly on her face. She wasn't an exceptional beauty, but she wasn't ugly either. Her light green eyes gave her a unique charm, allowing Cole to memorize a key trait about her. He didn't hate the new maid, and she seemed competent. So, inside his head, he gave her a nod of approval.

Without continuing the conversation, he turned around and opened the door to the bathroom connected to his room.

It was a pretty nice room. It had an even lighter shade of blue than his bedroom, with beautiful marble accents here and there. Inside the room was a large tub, a counter with a water basin, and a very primitive version of a toilet. He didn't mind the lack of technological advancements in this world, sure they were bothersome and lacked any kind of charming aesthetic, but they got the job done. And, frankly, that was all that mattered to Cole.

'Dinner should be in 30 minutes or so. Mariam should be here soon. I doubt William will come, even if it was an order by the Countess…'

He undressed himself, folding and putting the day clothes on a chair next to the tub.

One interesting thing that the people of this world did to make up for their lack of technology was their use of mana stones. Each stone was different based on the quality of the crystal, how bright the color and opacity was, and how much mana it could hold. More mana meant the larger amount of spells could be stored or used via the stone. While the color depicted the element the stone was connected to. Opacity, or how foggy / clear the crystal was, determined the value of the stone. A clearer stone equaled a more rare stone.

Almost every noble had these mana stones inserted throughout their manor. A red stone about the size of a pebble could power a very primitive version of a stove, a blue stone the same size could produce water, a green stone the size of a fingernail could act as fertilizer or medicine, and a grey stone could produce a wave of air to dry hair or ventilate a room. Really, the people of this world were good at finding ways to fix the minor inconveniences of life.

However, only nobles used larger stones. Commoners only had access to stones the size of pebbles and fingernails. Stones larger than a finger were uncommon and cost a pretty penny. A stone larger than the palm of a hand was rare and was typically a family heirloom. Anything larger would belong to the royal family, a dukal household, a high ranking person of the church, or a master Mage.

Even Cole's family only used finger sized stones when necessary. For Cole's bathtub he had a fire stone and a water stone, one for heating water and one for producing water. Both were placed at the front of the bathtub, to be easily accessed.

With a slight touch, Cole poked the water stone. Soon, a decent amount of water flowed out and filled the bathtub in a matter of minutes.

Letting out a sigh, Cole dipped his feet into the tub and sat down. The water was relatively cold, but he didn't mind. A cold bath always helped Cole regain his thoughts and composure.

He enjoyed the cold bath. The cold water brushed his skin and gave him a sense of clarity. A feeling of innate calmness spread through him, and he relished the moment of serenity.

"Soon, I will meet the one who dares to disrupt my peace."

He mumbled to himself as he stared at the water. Watching the ripples appear and disappear.

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