>>38698536
>[x] Friendly manner

>>38698536
>[ ] Professional manner
Professionalism is key.

So what are we anyway, a spy or something?

>>38698536
>>[ ] Professional manner

Be polite, be armed, be awesome

>>38698536
>[ ] Professional manner
We are on business

>>38698536
>[x] Friendly manner

>>38698536
>friendly manner
The cynical view the friendly as fools, and fools are underestimated.

>[x] Professional manner

>writing

“Good day gentlemen.” You say, tipping your hat and bowing ‘just’ enough to be polite. “I’m Giles, Gillette’s replacement. I believe you’ve been expecting me.”

The guards eye you over before responding. “Gillette’s recommendation, huh?” The left one says.

“From what he had to say in his letter, we were expecting… more.” The right one says.

Of course they were expecting more. You read Gillette’s letter before it was sent, and he made you sound like the reincarnation of Lady Selena in butler form. Perhaps he might’ve played you up a bit too much. But then, you get what you pay for, and you paid for at least that much.

“Though I may not look it, I assure you I am every bit the man he wrote to you about.” You say.

“Alright, well you couldn’t be worse than some of the other new hires. At least you’ve got a recommendation” The left guard says, before turning and nodding to the right guard.

“Alright, let’s get you up to see Bartholomew. He’ll get you into your uniform and show you the ropes.” The right guard says. And then he leads you through the gate.

You smile contentedly as you pass under the archway. After all every great journey begins with a first step, and this right here is yours. Well… literally, you suppose. The actual ‘first step’ happened months ago when you first started planning this. And while there are still many more steps to be taken, it’s all pretty simple from this point on. Keep your cool, remember your cover, be professional.

It’s a longer walk than you expected from the front gate into the palace proper, and you choose to pass it in silence. But silence, like many things, is boring.

And you do so hate being bored.

>[ ] Endure it

>[ ] See if you can weasel some gossip out of Mr. Right Guard

>>38699122
>>[ ] Endure it

>>38699122
>get weaseling.

>>38699122
>[ ] See if you can weasel some gossip out of Mr. Right Guard

>writing

Why not? It couldn’t hurt to learn a bit about your workplace. Though you’re certain that Bartholomew will take you through everything you need to know, it’ll probably take a bit of prying to find out what you want to know.

So you quicken your pace until you’re walking next to Right Guard as opposed to following behind him. “So…” You begin, getting his attention. “Getting a lot of new hires, huh? I didn’t think a place like this would have such a high turnover rate.” You say.

“It doesn’t. The King and Queen had a bunch of newbies come in on contract for the Lady Laura’s big ‘welcome home’ party. People from all over are going to be showing up, and the regular staff wouldn’t be enough to handle it all.” He says.

“Thus the new hires.” You say.

“Yup. And it all falls on us to keep track of the servants AND the incoming guests.” The guard says. “It’s gonna be a long week…” His shoulders slump. A break in his professional exterior, and a chance you won’t be missing.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too much to handle for Lausts finest. And who knows…” You lean in close and continue in a hushed tone. “Perhaps a nice young lady will take notice of your valiant efforts and you’ll never have to stand guard again.” You smile deviously at him.

Cedric looks shocked for a moment, but the shock quickly recedes into laughter. “Oh man, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine.” He stops walking and extends his hand. “Cedric is my name, by the way. Chances are we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so I might as well get that out of the way.” He says.

You grip his hand firmly and give it a shake. “Giles.” You reply, introducing yourself once more.

You seem to have made a friend already.

>[ ] Ask him about the party.

>[ ] Ask him about the guard.

>[ ] Ask him about himself.

>>38699655
>>[ ] Ask him about the party.

>>38699655
>the party

>writing

“So this party seems to be a big deal.” You say.

“Yep. Like I said, nobles from all over. A few are already here, the rest will arrive in the next few days. Lady- err… I mean Princess Laura should be here the day after tomorrow, along with her company.” Cedric says.

“I assume things will start to pick up a bit more after that?” You say.

“Well, yeah. This is a pretty big deal.” Cedric takes a dramatic pose. “The heroic Princess Laura and her merry band returning victorious from their battle with the ravaging dragon Belgir!” He drops the pose and smiles. “Not to mention that she pretty much sealed the deal on our allegiance with Honoue. There’s no way they’d turn us away after our people got rid of that dragon for them.”

“I still can’t believe that the king and queen let her go and do that.” You say.

Cedric makes a cutting gesture across his throat. “Hey hey, we don’t talk about that around here. You weren’t around so you don’t know but…” He looks around to make sure the coast is clear, then puts an arm around your shoulder and pulls you in close. “They act like they were okay with it in public, but the truth is that they did very much NOT let her go. If you catch my drift.” He releases you, and the two of your continue walking like nothing happened.

“Sensitive subject, got it.” You say. “Anything else I should know?”

“Keep your head down, and don’t say anything you think might get you in trouble. Keep to those, and by this time next week you’ll be walking out of here with a nice big paycheck.” He says, slapping you on the back.

Walking for another few minutes, the two of you stop in front of a door. “And here we are. I’d stay and chat, but if I take too long Derry’s gonna think I up and deserted.”

>[1/?]

>>38700142

With that Cedric takes off down the hall, leaving you standing in front of the plain wooden door.

So the Princess just up and left, huh? Here you thought you knew all you needed to about those events…

When Belgir laid claim to the northern half of Honoue, they immediately sent emissaries out to every neighbouring country urging them to take action. One of the twin princes: Zen Kokutou himself came to petition King Mercutius. The prevailing story is that the king sent Laura as an envoy, along with her guardian: Sir Marcellus and another knight: Sir Dalen. This bit of info adds an interesting light to that story… You may have to dig deeper into that.

Later, right now it is time for business.

Without further ado, you give the door in front of you a good knock.

“Come in.” A voice comes from inside.

As you enter the room, you see that it’s an office of sorts. A razzled looking old man in a butler’s uniform sits at the desk in the centre of the room looking over some papers.

“Ah, good you’re here Eleanor. I need you to-“ The old man stops in his tracks when he looks up and sees you. “You aren’t Eleanor.”

“No, I’m Giles. The replacement that Gillette Manion recommended.” You say, bowing to the old man.

“Ah yes! Sorry, your skin colour threw me off a bit. I wasn’t expecting you to be Alka-Habran with a name like Giles.” He says, quickly getting up from his desk and walking over to you.

“Few do.” You say extending your hand to him.

“Bartholomew Manion.” He says, shaking your hand.

“Giles.” You reply.

>[ ] Ask him about the position

>[ ] Ask him who Eleanor is

>[ ] Ask him about his name

>>38700460
>[ ] Ask him who Eleanor is

>>38700460

>[ ] Ask him who Eleanor is

>>38700460
>[ ] Ask him who Eleanor is
We're a spy?

>>38700586

My bet is: some kind of powerful devil.

>writing

>>38700616
Devil is in the title
I hope we can rule lawyer a pact. Or act like a devil on a guys shoulder

So we're causing havoc and misfortune for our amusement?

I'm assuming it's a classic heist that will go sour when the demon in the royal vaults gets out thanks to us. It'll be like black butler but less gay.

“So, who’s Eleanor?” You ask, releasing Bartholomew’s hand from your grip.

“Ah, yes. Sorry about that, Eleanor is one of the maids. I had asked her to take care of something for me, she should be returning any second now.” Bartholomew says, clearly embarrassed about his mistake earlier. “Ah, speak of a devil.” He says, looking over your shoulder.

“I’m back, and-… Who’s this?” A young girl with brown eyes and long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Judging by the maid outfit, this must be Eleanor.

“Eleanor, this is Giles. The man Gillette wrote to us about.”

“Oh, hello! I’m Eleanor.” She says, extending her hand.

“Giles.” You say, accepting her handshake. You get the feeling that you’ll be VERY tired of introductions by the time this is all over.

“Excellent! With that out of the way, I’m going to need you to show Giles here what his capacities will be while he’s here. Also, he’ll be needing a uniform.” Bartholomew says, patting you both on the shoulder and pushing you out the door. As soon as you’re out, the door slams and you’re left in the hallway with Eleanor.

“Eh-heh-heh, don’t worry about him. He’s just stressed because of all the extra work he’s had to put in.” Eleanor says, smiling nervously.

“Well, I certainly hope I won’t have to work as hard as him.” You say, glancing back at the door.

Eleanor giggles. “Not unless you mess it up. And after the glowing recommendation you got from Gillette, I wouldn’t expect that.” She says. “So, what do you want to do first.

>[ ] Get the uniform out of the way.

>[ ] Duties first.

>>38701155
>>[ ] Get the uniform out of the way.

>>38701155
>uniform

Also
>speak of the devil
I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW THAT RIGHT?

>>38701155
>[ ] Get the uniform out of the way.

>>38701155

>butler suit up

>>38701224
>speak of a devil

Saw it. Maybe there's more than one?

>>38701224
>>38701295
Could be a typo?

>writing

>>38701131
>It'll be like black butler but less gay.
kek, I hope so.

“Well, I guess the uniform comes first.” You say, giving what you’re wearing a once over.

“Okay~ let’s get you out of those rags and looking like a pro!” She says, turning on her heel and walking down the hallway. Rags, really? Sure you aren’t dressed up like you usually are, but that’s stretching it a bit.

Not wanting to be left behind, you take a few long strides to catch up to Eleanor before getting into step with her.

“So, Giles huh? Odd name for an Alka-Habran.” She says.

Yes, your dark skin and black hair do give you away there. “Yes, I was born there. But the man who Named me was Laustian.” You say. You don’t even have to lie about that, as that’s one bit of your cover that’s true.

“Ah, that explains it. Have you been in Laust long?” She asks.

“For the most part, though I do travel around a lot on contracts like this one.” You say.

“Oh? Sounds nice. I’d love to go travelling one day.” She says.

“Yes the travels are pleasant most times. It’s the constant search for new work that gets to me.” You say.

Eleanor giggles. She seems to do that a lot. “Who knows? If you’re as good as Gillette seems to think, maybe Bartholomew will want to keep you on.” She says, stopping in front of a door. “Alright, changing rooms are here, we’ll just find one that fi-“ She freezes when she opens the door, then lets out a long sigh.

You peer into the room over her head (she is a little short) and see that it’s an absolute disaster.

“I’ll be so glad when the newcomers are gone…” She says, walking into the room. “Come on, we’ll clean this place up while we look for something that fits.”

>Talk about ________ while you clean

>[ ] Her job

>[ ] The party

>[ ] Your duties

>>38701831
>Talk about ________ while you clean
>Herself

>>38701831
>[ ] The party

>>38701900
This

>writing

“So” you say, moving to tackle a pile of butler’s uniforms “how’d you land this job?” You ask her.

“Me? Oh, yes. The king brought my family under his service to honour my father. Myself, my brother and my mother all work in the castle.” She says, taking sorted uniforms from you and hanging them up.

Ah yes, common practice among Laustian nobility. If someone dies in service to you, you ensure that their family is cared for. Best not to touch that subject then… “So I know what you do, what about your mother and brother.”

“My mother Debra works in the kitchens, so you’ll probably meet her eventually. And my brother Cedric works in the guard, I think he was supposed to be at the front gates today so you may have seen him already.” She says.

“Ah, Cedric. Yes, we’ve met. In fact you just missed him earlier.” You say, finishing off the pile you were working on.

“Really? Crap, I haven’t seen him in a couple days.” Eleanor says.

“You don’t live together?”

“Usually we both stay in the servants and guard lodgings in the basement, but because the servants quarters have gotten so full all of the regular servants –like myself- have been staying in an apartment out in the city.” She says.

“Oh…”

>[ ] Why’s that?

>[ ] Talk about something else.

>>38702309
Talk about the party

>>38702309
>[ ] Why’s that?
You'd think they would want the trusted ones in house and the newbies away from important people

>>38702309
>[ ] Why’s that?

>writing

“That’s weird. You’d think they would want the regulars in house.” You say.

“The guards know all of the regular staff, so we can come and go more easily. If the newcomers were housed out there, they’d be waiting for hours just to get in because they’d need to check everyone.” She says matter-of-factly.

“I see. So I’ll be living down there as well?” You say, finishing off another pile of uniforms.

“Mmhmm. Once I’ve finished showing you around, I’ll take you down there and you can claim a bed.” She says.

You’d rather not have to sleep in a room full of other people, but for some things sacrifices must be made. A little discomfort and maybe some lost sleep is a small price to pay for the prize that awaits you at the end of all this.

The two of you finish off the rest of the room in silence, and once it’s all clean Eleanor hands you a neatly folded bundle of clothes.
“These should fit you, the changing area is in there-“ She points to a small group of doors. “You can put what you’re wearing now in this” She hands you a bag. “I’ll be waiting outside.” She says with a smile and promptly leaves the room.

You take the little room in the center and give the uniform a once over before undressing. Not too many places to hide weapons, but you shouldn’t need much while you’re here. You make quick work of putting it all on and hiding a few knives in places that are easily accessed and easily hidden, and head out.

“Wow, you make that look good.” Eleanor says when you come out. “Come on, time to show you around. Anything in particular you wanna see first?”

>[ ] Not really

>[ ] Where do they keep the crown?

>[ ] Where do I go to eat?

>[ ] What places should I avoid?

>>38702837
Is the crown what we're here for?
If so then let's go see it.

>>38702837
>[ ] What places should I avoid?
Aka the places we should visit.

>writing

“Any places I should avoid?” You ask.

Eleanor’s face scrunches up as she thinks. “Hmm… none that I can think of. Except maybe the suites at night, or just about anywhere other than your bed at night. There’s also the vaults and the dungeons, but those are below the servants and guards quarters, so you should have no trouble there.”

“Just try not to go anywhere you haven’t been told to, since you probably won’t have too much free time. And if you get lost, ask someone in uniform for directions.” She says

“Got it. So, where to first?” You ask

>[1/?]

Eleanor takes you through all the different rooms, pulling out a small notepad every now and then and letting you know which ones are your responsibility. It takes a few hours to go through all of them, especially since she has to explain who’ll be staying where, when the best time to do what is and so on.

Eventually, the tour ends at the doors to the servants quarters in the basement.

“And here is where you’ll be staying!” Eleanor says enthusiastically. You’re amazed by how chipper this girl is, and baffled by the fact that she can keep it up for so long. “Anything else before I leave you?” She asks.

“Nothing that I can think of, though I’ll be sure to ask if I need help.” You say.

“Great! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to see Bartholomew about something.” She says, before taking off in a manner similar to her brother.

Once you see her round a corner, you turn back to the door and enter. There are a few other people milling about in here, it seems that the servants do more than just sleep here. There are a few table and chairs, as well as doors indicating the women’s and men’s sleeping areas.

>[ ] Go talk to someone

>[ ] Go claim a bed

>>38703289
Did he died?

>>38703751
>[ ] Go talk to someone

>>38703751
>go talk to someone
Get more contacts. People we can use to get closer to our prize.

>>38703751
>[ ] Go talk to someone

>>38703751
>[ ] Go talk to someone
Sleep for the weak.

>writing

Might as well ‘get friendly with the locals’. It’s likely you’ll be spending a good amount of time here, so you should find a few people that you can tolerate talking to.

Scanning the room for someone who doesn’t look too unpleasant, you spot a familiar face seated at one of the tables. Shrugging, you walk over to him.

“Hello Cedric.” You say.

Cedric turns around. “Oh, hey Giles. Bartholomew done showing you the ropes already?”

“Yes, well… no. Bartholomew was busy.” You say, taking a seat next to him. “So your sister showed me around instead.”

Cedric’s head perks up and he looks around. “Wha-? Ellie did? Is she still here?” He asks.

“No, she had something else to deal with.” You say.

“Damn, I haven’t seen her in days.” He groans as he puts his head down at the table.

“Funny, she said the same thing…” You say.

“It’ll be nice once this is all over. I’m starting to miss seeing her in here everyday.” He says, lifting his head from the table.

>[ ] Is that why you’re here now?

>[ ] So what do you do for fun around here?

>>38704324
>[ ] So what do you do for fun around here?

>>38704324
>fun

>>38704324
Maybe we can mix the two; we can ask him the first question, then, whatever depressing answer he gives us, can be answered with "Well, there must be something we can do to get you're mind off things, eh?"

>>38704415 Here
Backing >>38704463 If i can!

>writing

“Is that why you’re here now?” You ask.

“Well, yeah. Usually she’d be done by now, but I guess the prep work for the party’s got her running almost as hard as Bartholomew.” He says, looking a little downcast.

You feel kind of bad, considering that she probably would be done with her regular duties if she didn’t take the time to show you around. You might not be the nicest guy, but you aren’t an asshole.

“So what do you do for fun around here?” You ask.

“Well, I’d usually be hanging around with Ellie and some of the other servants, but they’ve all been moved into the apartments out in the city.” He says.

So much for taking his mind off things… “Alright then, what were you planning on doing when Eleanor got here?” You ask.

“I was gonna head up to the kitchens and grab something to eat, I guess you could join me if you want.” He says.

“That sounds good.” You say, dragging the downcast young guard to his feet and leading the way out the door. If you remember correctly and didn’t get turned around somewhere along the way, the kitchens are a bit of a trek from the quarters.

>Talk to Cedric about-
>[ ] His family

>[ ] His job

>[ ] Yourself

>>38704947
Maybe tell him a bit about our ambiguous self. Building a rapport with someone is important... it brings trust.

>>38704947
>yourself

>>38704947
>[ ] Yourself
Getting his mind off the topic after all.

>writing

“So, what about you, got any family?” Cedric asks.

“Not really. There are a few people who I consider to be my siblings and a man who I consider to be my father, but no blood relatives to speak of.” You say.

“Oh, sorry… I didn’t-“

“Don’t worry about it, you’re not the first to ask and you probably won’t be the last.” You say. Again, that was all true. Though you never thought too highly of his disciplinary methods, Father Pitre still raised you. And although it has been a long time since you last spoke, you still think of Melissa as a sister.

“But all that traveling, man you must have some good stories.” Cedric says in a valiant attempt to avoid an awkward silence.

“I guess. Seeing all these different places is nice, though constantly moving about for work is… less so.” You say, before breaking off into a (true) story about a time when you pissed off an Honouen nobleman and he tried to decapitate you. You leave out the minor, incriminating details of the story of course.

You’re about halfway through the tale when you get an odd, yet familiar feeling…

Someone is following you.

>[ ] Leave it be, it’s probably nothing

>[ ] Go check it out.

>>38705699
>[ ] Go check it out.

>>38705699
>[ ] Go check it out.
finally some action

>writing

“Hang on, I think I heard something.” You say to Cedric.

Looking back, you just barely catch it. A head ducking back behind a corner a little ways back.

“Oh damn it, not again.” Cedric says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can I leave this to you, if I go back there she’ll probably start crying about how she failed again…”

“Uhh… sure?” You say, eyeing him warily.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous.” He says.

Slowly turning your attention back to the corner, you break away from Cedric and quietly make your way back to the corner. It’s not like you can’t handle dangerous, at the moment you’ve got 5 daggers if a fight breaks out. And if need be, you happen to be an expert at legging it when things go south.

When you reach the corner you quickly step around, ready for whatever awaits.

“WAH!” You hear someone shout, it comes from… below you? You look down just in time to see a little girl with big blue eyes and long blonde hair stumble backwards and fall over. For a moment she looks ready to burst into tears, but instead she picks herself up and fixes you with a determined stare. “Y-you snuck up on me!” She exclaims in a whisper.

You laugh nervously. This must be Princess Selene, the king and queen’s younger daughter. But, what the hell is she doing sneaking around like this?

“Teach me to be sneaky!” She says.

>[ ] Humor her

>[ ] Take her to Cedric

>>38706486
>[ ] Take her to Cedric
Don't humor her, poor thing. She is just a kid.
>the king and queen’s younger daughter
Not the only one, shipping noble x servant since the beginning, alright!

>>38706486
Combine the two, maybe. Show her to sneak up on Cedric, as a way of bringing her to him.

>writing

>>38706772
Combo this

You crouch down to her height to address her. “All right, we’ll begin with the simple stuff.” You say. If she wanted a teacher in the art of being sneaky, did she ever just ask the right person. You won’t say you’re the best…

But yeah, you’re the best.

The kid’s face lights up and she nods.

“First off, you need to be silent…” You go into the basics of how to put ones foot down on even the noisiest surfaces so as to make no sound, and she follows along intently. Once she’s got the gist of it, you (quietly) clap your hands. “Right then, time to put all this to work…”

You come out from around the corner and see Cedric waiting with his back turned where you left him. As you walk, you make no attempt to disguise your own footsteps. Selene walks silently behind you, ready to jump out and do… something once you reach Cedric.

“All dealt with, let’s go eat.” You say to Cedric, patting him on the shoulder.

“Selene’s not with you?” He asks, then he looks worried “You didn’t like… chase her off or something did you? She is the prin- GWAH!” Cedric exclaims as Selene hops onto his back.

>[1/2]

Selene giggles uproariously and clings on for dear life as the surprised Cedric tried to shake her off. It takes a moment for him to process what just happened. Then he turns to you, hunched over with a look of betrayal on his face. “What did you DO? I just figured out how she used to get the jump on me.”

“He showed me how to be REAL sneaky! You should’ve seen your face!” Selene says, clinging onto Cedric with her legs as she throws her arms up in triumph. “I’m Selene!” Selene says, reaching out and grabbing one of your hands. You knew who she was already, but universal custom dictates that she must still introduce herself.

“Giles” You say.

“Come on you.” Cedric says, reaching back and lifting the little girl off his back. “We need to get you back to your mother.”

Selene pouts. “But she’s sooooooo boring!”

>[ ] Agree with Cedric

>[ ] Let Selene hang around for a while

>>38707561
>[ ] Agree with Cedric
Fear the princess, but fear the queen MORE.

>>38707561
>[ ] Agree with Cedric
Then we can meet THE QUEEN

>writing

“As much as I’d love to keep the little lady around, Cedric is right.” You say.

“See? Even Giles agrees with me.” Cedric says, putting the kid back down.

Selene crosses her arms and turns up her nose. “Humph!” She says, planting her feet.

Cedric sighs in defeat. “If I give you a piggyback ride will you come with me?” He says.

Selene’s mood does a complete 180, from ‘I’m not leaving this spot’ to ‘Oh gods yes’. It’s really quite astounding. But nonetheless, Cedric bends down and lifts her up onto his back. “So, where is the Queen?” He asks.

Selene thinks for a moment, before shrugging. “Dunno. She was in the big hall when I left.”

“Well, it’s as good a place to start as any.” You say.

With that, the 3 of you make your way down to the ‘big hall’. It certainly does live up to its name. At the moment some of the other servants are busy decorating the place for the big party. The Queen, however, is nowhere to be seen. According to one of the decorators, she left a while ago…

Just how long was Selene following you guys?

“So what do we do now?” Cedric asks.

>[ ] Split up and search

>[ ] Stick together and search

>[ ] Give up and let the kid hang around

>>38708330
Split up. This is our chance to sneak around without anyone getting suspicious

>>38708330
Adventuring rule #1: NEVER split the party, lest one of you runs into some horrifying goat-headed centipede.

#2: NEVER leave children to their own devices.

>>38708330
>[] Offer Cedric to help the princess find his mother by himself while he gets some rest.
We can befriend the naive princess for future purposes if needed.

>>38708455
This

>>38708501
Backing.

>writing

“I guess we could split up and look for her.” You say.

Cedric glares at you. “I’m not searching the entire castle with Se-… Lady Selene on my back.” He says, changing his familiar tone due to all the people around.

“I could always take over.” You say. You’re not exactly one might call ‘high endurance’, but you’ve given your fair share of piggyback rides to little kids. Being one of the older, friendlier kids in an orphanage will do that.

“How does that sound?” Cedric asks Selene, who looks you over reluctantly before climbing off of Cedric’s back.

“I’m fine…” She says, looking very disappointed.

“Y’know, you can come with me if you aren’t going to be clinging to my back the whole time…” Cedric says.

“Humph” She turns her back on Cedric, and walks over to you.

Cedric sighs. You’re not really sure what their relation is, but the two of them seem a bit more familiar than what you’d expect from a princess and a palace guard.

After agreeing to meet back at the central stairway if either of you finds the Queen, the two of you part ways. With the little princess in tow, it’s time to find the queen.

>roll 1d20
>taking first 3 rolls

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>38709139
Teach her how to be sneaky while looking for her. you know so she can grab things for us if need be.

>>38709139
dice+1d20

>>38709308 here
Still didn't catch the dices thing, sorry.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>38709139

>>38709345
You have to type it on your "Options" anon.

>>38709436
Thanks, dude.

>>38709483

>writing

You figure that if the queen left to talk to anyone, it’d probably be Bartholomew. So you head to his office, with Selene moping along behind you.

“Y’know, you can at least try to make it seem like you’re not disappointed you didn’t get to go with Cedric.” You say.

“Not disspointed… just lonely.... Mama always drags me everywhere, Papa never wants to see me, Ellie is always busy, Cedric doesn’t like playing with me…” She says, looking sadder and sadder with each word. “I miss Laura…”

“You know she’s coming back soon, right?”

“Yeah, but she’ll be all busy cause of all the other people who want to see her…” Selene says.

You crouch down to her level and ruffle her hair. “But I’m sure she’ll find the time for her little sister, and you can hear all about her adventures out east.” You say, smiling warmly.

The prospect of cool stories seems to brighten her mood. “Do you think she’ll tell me how she slayed the dragon?” She asks.

You laugh and stand back up. “I wouldn’t doubt it.” You say.

The rest of the walk up to Bartholomew’s office passes with little but idle chatter, mostly just Selene telling you about how cool her sister is. Apparently she is quite the mage archer, though where she learned that art around here you couldn’t say. You reach Bartholomew’s and find that your hunch was correct, though you are a bit late. She left the old butler a few minutes back and decided to go to the crown chamber in the high tower.

Well, if there was ever a destination…

>[1/2]

After assuring Bartholomew that you know what your duties for tomorrow are, you take Selene and head for the central stair. Selene seems to know her way around here pretty well, she tells you that the central stair goes all the way up to the crown chamber and all the way down through the vaults and the dungeons.

Good to know…

Following her lead, the two of you head up the spiral staircase…

And up…
And up…
Does this staircase ever end?

It feels like forever, but you finally reach the top. You aren’t out of breathe, but you did break a sweat. The thought of making this climb a second time doesn’t appeal to you, but like many other things it will be a small price to pay.

The staircase leads directly into the crown chamber: a simple, small room with nothing but a pedestal, and on the pedestal is a velvet pillow, and on the pillow…

The Crown. It’s a simple, almost utilitarian thing. Solid gold with 6 gold peaks, each one bearing a gem for one of the prime elements. But it is beautiful.

“Oh goodness! Selene, did you come all this way looking for me?” A female voice says. Oh shit, you were so focused that you didn’t even notice her…

“Hi mama” Selene says. “Miss me?”

“Yes, at first. But then I figured that you’d gone off to bother Cedric or… I’m sorry, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” The queen says.

“Giles, I’m Gillette’s replacement.” You say, extending your hand.

“Frederica Laustright.” The queen replies. “I hope Selene didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all, your majesty. She’s a delight.” You say, patting Selene on the head. “Hanging out with her beats regular servant’s duties at any rate.” You say.

“Oh? Perhaps I’ll talk Bartholomew into letting you out of said duties then. I’ve been in need of someone to keep watch over her while I’m busy.”

>[2/3]

>>38710983
Woops, that was supposed to be a vote...

>[ ] I'd be more than happy.

>[ ] Perhaps there is someone more fitting...

>>38711023
>[ ] I'd be more than happy.
''She is such a good girl, it will be a pleasure!''

>>38711023
>[ ] I'd be more than happy.
"It'll be my pleasure, what could go wrong?"

>>38711118
Now you've said it...

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28 KB JPG

>>38711138
I meant to say it.

>>38710983
Description of the Queen?
>Back to task, it would be a pleasure

>writing

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>>38711176

You’re pretty sure she’s messing with you, though she doesn’t really seem like the type. Still, you search her face for some sign of what she might’ve meant there…

Damn she’s beautiful… That was something you’d heard about but never seen in person. You can see where Selene gets her big blue eyes from, though the Queens hair is black instead of blonde, and currently tied back into a bun. Also- wait, are you staring?

Fuck, you’re staring.

Better say something quickly-

“I’d be more than happy to, if it’s alright with her.” You blurt out,

“Excellent!” She says, clapping her hands together. “I’ll leave the details with Bartholomew in the morning, so you can go and see him when you start your day.” She then makes her way to the stairs and begins to descend. “Come along dear, it’s almost time for bed.”

That’s probably your cue to leave too, wouldn’t want to look suspicious. Taking one last look at the Golden Crown of Laust, you follow the Princess and the queen back down the way you came.

You simply listen as Selene tells the queen how excited she is for Laura to come home. Her attitude is quite endearing, though the queen seems oddly dismissive. You’d heard rumours to this effect, but seeing it first hand is sort of odd.

Even Father Pitre, the old lug that he was had time to listen to the myriad of children as they regaled him with their nonsense. Seeing the queen act… what’s the word… coldly? Yeah, coldly is as close as you’re going to get to describing this… Seeing her act coldly to her own child puts you off a bit…

>[1/2]

>>38711932
“Well, this is where we get off.” The Queen says as you reach the first door on the staircase. “It was a pleasure to meet you Giles.”

“The pleasure was all mine, your Majesty.” You say, bowing deeply.

“Bye Giles!” Selene says, waving at you enthusiastically. “See you tomorrow!”

You wave goodbye to the two of them and make your way further down the stairs to where you agreed to meet Cedric.

“Royal babysitter, huh?” You say to the empty staircase. “It definitely does beat cleaning rooms and serving lords…”

But there is one thing that it doesn’t beat.

You flick a playing card out of your sleeve and hold it up in front of you. On its face is the king of diamonds, the last card in your deck. When you started leaving these as calling cards for ‘The Gambler’ you never imagined that you’d live to see the end of the deck, but here you are. And what better place for a king like this one than the seat of a crown?

Your lips curl upwards in a wicked smile as you flip the card back up your sleeve. Perhaps you’ll get another deck after this and start anew? Maybe you’ll follow Melissa’s lead and buy a merchant fleet, or some land to settle on. But that can be decided after the crown is yours.

You drop the smile as you approach the floor where you agreed to meet Cedric. Good thing too, as he’s waiting there for you.

“Oh, hey.” Cedric says when he sees you coming. “Selene’s gone, did you find the queen?”

>[ ] Yep

>[ ] I think I got promoted

>[ ] Other

>>38712318
>>[ ] Yep
>>[ ] I think I got promoted

>>38712318
>[ ] I think I got promoted

>writing

“Yeah and, uhh… I may have gotten promoted?” You say, scratching the back of your head.

“Queen make you Selene’s babysitter?” Cedric says with a knowing grin.

“What? Well… yeah.” You say.

“That’s normal, she passes that job onto a new person every week. Last one was me, which is why she bugs me so damn much.” Cedric says. Then he starts walking away, motioning for you to follow. “Oh, and chances are it won’t mean ‘take care of the kid and nothing else’, it’s usually more of a ‘make sure she doesn’t get into trouble on top of your other work’.”

You knew it sounded too good to be true, though it can’t be THAT bad. Maybe you could-

“Also, good luck getting her to help you out. That is a one way trip to tantrum town.” Cedric says.

“Damn…”

“I knew you were thinking it. Come on, if we hurry we can still get some grub before the kitchens close.” Cedric says.

>[ ] Go with him

>[ ] Head to bed, you’ll eat in the morning

>>38712858
>>[ ] Go with him
We can get a good layout of the castle this way too.

>>38712858
>[ ] Head to bed, you’ll eat in the morning

>>38712858
>[ ] Go with him

>>38712858
>[ ] Go with him
What this anon said>>38712896

>>38712858
>Go with gusto

>writing

“I’ll come along, I guess.” You say. It’s not like you have anything better to do at the moment, and you are kind of hungry. Though, you’ve certainly been hungrier and you could definitely last until morning.

“Hurry up then, I don’t want to go to bed hungry tonight because of your dawdling!” He says, and the two of you pick up the pace.

And you make it to the kitchens just in time!

Just in time to see a middle aged woman who looks disturbingly similar to Eleanor locking up the doors…

“Aww man!” Cedric exclaims. “Already? We should still have like… five minutes!”

“Sorry kiddo, you know the rules. Kitchens close at 9, no exceptions.” The woman says.

“Not even your own son?” Cedric asks.

“Especially for my own son, who knows the rules and should be keeping to his schedule.” The woman says with a smile, letting Cedric stew in his misery. Then she pulls his head in and kisses him on the forehead. “Just kidding, I left some in the dining area for you-“ she looks past Cedric to you “-and your friend. I’m Debra by the way.” She says, offering you her hand.

“Giles” You reply. These introductions are starting to get to you…

“Thanks mom!” Cedric says, giving his mother a big hug as soon as you release her hand. “Oh! Has Eleanor been by today?”

“You just missed her, actually. She was headed for the apartments and I was about to follow.” Debra says.

>[1/2]

>>38713598
“Man, that’s like… the third time today.” Cedric says, notably downcast about missing his sister again.

Until Debra pinches his cheeks and stretches them. “Now I’ll have no frowning from you young man. You’ll get to see your sister all the time again once all this business with the party is done with.” She says.

“I bwow…” Cedric replies through his pinched cheeks

“So smiiiiiiiile~” Debra pulls his cheeks upwards and then releases them before kissing him on the forehead again. “I’ll see you tomorrow sweetheart.”

“Bye mom.”

“It was nice meeting you Giles. Try not to let Cedric rope you into too much trouble.” Debra says to you as she makes her exit. “And try not to rope him into any trouble either~”

The two of you stand in silence for a moment before either of you speak.

“So now you’ve met the whole family.”

“Yeah, your mom seems…-

>[ ] Interesting

>[ ] Nice

>[ ] Nothing, let’s eat.

>>38713818
>[ ] Nice

>>38713818
>>[ ] Nice
I'm just surprised the guy didn't act embarassed. Guessing he's used to that by now.

>writing

“… Nice.” You say.

“I know that wasn’t your first choice of words, but thanks anyway.” Cedric says.

He’s right, but none of the other words you thought of described her quite as well. “Come to think of it, I’m surprised you didn’t get all embarrassed there.” You say.

“That stopped bugging me a long time ago. Stuff like that runs in the family, so I get it from all sides.” He says.

A wicked smile forms on your face. “It gets worse when you act embarrassed doesn’t it?” You say.

“Damn it, yes. It gets worse when I get embarrassed. Now come on, let’s eat already I’m friggin’ starving!” He says, stomping off in what you assume is the direction of the dining hall.

You laugh deviously as you follow him, and continue to laugh deviously as you enter the dining room and sit down in front of a bowl of what you assume is a stew of some sort.

>[ ] Continue laughing deviously

>[ ] Talk to Cedric about something

>[ ] Fill your face

>>38714378
>[ ] Fill your face

>>38714378
>>[ ] Continue laughing deviously
While
>>[ ] Fill your face
We're obviously way too skilled at laughing deviously to choke on our food.

>>38714378
>[ ] Talk to Cedric about something
Ask him if there's any interesting stories about the castle, such places often acquire ghost stories and interesting rumors

>>38714413 here
>>38714558
Backing it.

>writing

>>38714378
>[ ] Continue laughing deviously
For a little more then
this>>38714558

You continue to laugh deviously as you pick up a spoonful of stew, put it into your mouth and attempt to swallow it…

And promptly start choking…

You cough it out and hammer your chest with one hand as your other reaches for the glass of water that was left by the bowl of stew.

Despite the fact that it’s currently doing its damnedest to kill you, the stew is pretty good. Not the best thing you’ve ever tasted, but it ranks pretty high up there.

“Sherfesh you right for raughing ah me.” Cedric says through a mouthful of food.

Downing your glass of water in one go, you finally clear your throat of the killer stew. Only to immediately fill your face with 3 more spoonfuls, all of which go down quickly and thankfully without issue.

“So!” You exclaim, pointing at Cedric with your spoon. “You’ve been a guard for a while, there must be some interesting bits about castle life that you’re privy to.”

“Wow, right to the point. I figured you’d at least try to build up to that one.” He says.

“Build up is boring, gossip is not.” You say.

Cedric laughs at that and thinks for a moment about what might be interesting. Needless to say, it is an enlightening dinner.

Turns out that the palace, like any place where people live and work, is home to a rather tasty rumour mill. Talk about how both Princesses are bastard children of one parent or the other, secret affairs with the royalty of other countries, secret affairs between just about everyone, an underground betting pool about whether or not Lady Laura will come back pregnant, and if so; with whose child. All sort of things.

>[1/2]

>>38715097
Wow, that's... Tough, and... Hot as hell. I already imagined the queen as some sort of lusty vixen, now it's official.

>>38715171
“Oh, and last but not least. There’s talk that this whole party is a setup so the king and queen can marry Princess Laura off to Sir Roderick.” Cedric finishes his tirade and kills his water.

“Sir Roderick… Fate’s champ?” You ask.

“The same. Word is that guy wants the crown, bad. Being Fate’s chosen chances are he’ll get it too. It’d take a devil to get in his way.” Cedric says, gathering up his dishes

Yes… Yes it would…

“You okay?” Cedric asks.

“Huh? Oh, uhh… yeah. Why do you ask.” You say, gathering up your stuff as well.

“You looked like you were…” Cedric eyes you strangely. “Never mind, come on. You can leave your plates for the morning crew to clean up. Those dicks have been slacking lately anyways.” He says.

The two of you leave the dining hall and make your way down to the basement where the servants quarters are.

“Alright, this is where we part ways.” Cedric says.

>Anything you guys wanna say?

>>38715171
Turns out she's celibate and her daughters are secretly adopted cause she was actually born infertile but not really cause she's just really bad at sex to the point that no one wants to do it but actually she is a nun who only gives herself to god but in reality she is a man.

Thus is the way of the gossip.

>>38715263
That is my kind of gossip anyway.

>>38715220
Thank him for the company and say good night.

>>38715310
Backing this

>writing

“Good night then, and thanks for helping me out.” You say.

“Don’t thank me, if you hadn’t been there I’d have had to drag Selene back to the queen myself. Then I’d be back on babysitting duty. Good luck with that by the way.” He says, punching you in the arm before making his way off to the guard’s quarters. “And good night.”

“Good night to you too.” You say as you quietly enter the servant’s quarters. The ‘common room’ you guess it would be called, is not as busy as it was when you met Cedric in here earlier. But there are still people milling about. While you’d love to make some new friends, between the job you’re supposed to do, the job you’re stuck with, and the job you want to do, tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

So you saunter over to the ‘men’s’ sleeping area (marked by a little man in a butler uniform) and get to ‘claiming a bed’, only to find that one has already been claimed for you.

On a bed in the far corner, you see the luggage that you had sent up to the castle via courier because you couldn’t be arsed to carry it.

>[ ] Make sure no one touched your stuff

>[ ] Sleep time

>>38715561
>[ ] Make sure no one touched your stuff

>>38715561
>[ ] Make sure no one touched your stuff

>writing

Well, it’s been sitting here all day. It’s probably a safe bet to assume it’s been touched.

You get to laying out the objects in your bag out on your bed one by one. A few changes of clothes, a book or two and various other things that one would expect to find in a traveller’s bag. All of this is mostly junk, though you can’t help but notice that the pouch with the silver coins is gone. You’re disappointed not by its loss but by the predictability of these people, stealing only what has immediate value.

Ah well, you wouldn’t have put it out in the open if you weren’t prepared to lose it. Besides, silver is chump change.

In the side of the bag under a false seam you find your cape. It’s shorter than a normal cape, coming down no lower than your hips. It’s made of a richer fabric than most of what you wear, but the real value lies within. You feel around the inside of the cape until you find another false seam like the one in your bag, after feeling out the opening a bit you reach your hand in.

Your true prize is here, a bag that you stole from an old sorcerer’s atelier. Inside you keep all of your treasures, enough gold to buy a small to medium sized country, several dozen hats of varying size and fanciness, all of your calling cards, and more knives than you feel comfortable admitting.

Satisfied that this hasn’t been tampered with, and that no one was watching you, you pack your things back up and keep them close as you lay down.

The bed is comfortable. Not the most comfortable thing you’ve ever slept in, but it ranks pretty high.

Sleep comes as quickly as it must. After all, tomorrow is will be a busy day.
But it will be a good day.

>END

>>38716000
Begin day 2?

That's it for tonight, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed running it.

I'll be on for a little while longer, so feel free to ask questions. I'll answer them if they aren't too spoilery.

Next thread will be tomorrow if all goes well. If not, I'll post something on my SHINY NEW TWITTER ACCOUNT (link: https://twitter.com/SmileytheQM)

>>38716058
Thank's for running! I'm liking this quest already.