Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
As per protocol (should I actually be queen), they waited until I took food before they took their own. And they waited until I bit into mine before they did the same with their own. Therefore, I didn’t waste time taking that bite.
And I began.
“King Tanyn has explained to me he’s sent word I’m to be treated as a being in a certain position while I’m here. Correct?”
They both nodded.
“That was a lovely thing for him to do,” I continued then gave them another smile. “Jumping ahead a bit, but lovely.”
Neither said anything.
But watching them, I saw, in fact, I’d been wrong.
They weren’t giving off the vibe that they were wary of me.
They were openly terrified of me.
“Did Tanyn hire either of you?” I asked curiously.
“I’ve been employed at the castle for thirty-two years,” Barret said stiffly.
“I’ve been here ten,” Camaryn added.
And now their fear was explained.
“Okay then, I sense Tanyn is not fired up to dive deep into the running of the castle. Instead, I think he wants you just to do your jobs. And I can share I do too.”
Barret blinked in shock.
Camaryn’s lips parted.
“With only one change,” I added.
Both instantly went back to being suspicious.
“I am not queen. I am not royalty or aristocracy of any kind. That might come about, but for now, I’d appreciate it if staff didn’t curtsy to me.” Another smile, this warmer, because of the subject matter. “If Tanyn and I get to that point, well…then things will be different. But for now, what I’d like is to meet each member of staff. I’d like to learn their names so I can address them appropriately. And I do believe both of you understand who’s who in all who come to the castle. Therefore, I can trust you to instruct the staff fittingly as to how they’re treated. For instance, when my friends come, outside of Laura, it’d make them uncomfortable to be formally announced, for they’re like me. Not aristocrats or royalty. This is the king’s castle, I know. It’s also Tanyn’s home, and I hope we can work together to make his guests comfortable here.”
Neither of them had a reply, and it was clear to see they didn’t because I’d shocked the hells out of them.
“I’ll also need to rely on you,” I continued. “For you’ll know who’s who, and in many cases, I won’t. Though I suppose I don’t have to request that. The relying-on-you part.”
“No, of course,” Barret pushed out.
“Excellent,” I said and took a sip of coffee before finishing, “Then I think this will work very well.”
“You want to meet the staff?” Camaryn asked.
“It doesn’t have to happen today, obviously, since it’s the weekend. When you can fit it in. Though, when I see them from now on, I’ll be chatting with them so we can get to know one another.”
They shared another glance.
“If that’s okay with you,” I carried on.
They both looked at me and openly gawked.
“I mean, strictly speaking, if I’m queen, I’ll be the boss. But I’m not strict. You two have been doing your jobs for some time. I can only assume you do them well. We’ll only have an issue if you don’t. But from what I’ve seen so far, you don’t do them well. You do them very well.”
Color stained Barret’s cheeks, so much so, it gave me the impression she’d never been complimented on her work.
Not in thirty-two years.
It wouldn’t do at this juncture for me to get angry, so I tamped it down.
“I believe…we were under the impression…” Camaryn stammered. He cleared his throat and tried again. “It was our understanding you considered the castle overstaffed.”
Since he faced it head on—and good on him that he did—I had to make a decision.
So I did.
“We all know I’ve never had the run of a castle,” I said.
They didn’t confirm they knew, but they knew.
“As such, this is part of what I’ll be relying on you to do. I would hope, if we’re overstaffed, you’d report that to me. And if you need my assistance in sorting it out, I’ll make myself available to you. That said, although I mentioned it to King Tanyn, he had absolutely no issue with the staffing of the castle.”
Then again, he’d never had the running of one either.
I didn’t voice that part.
“I believe…I think…” Now it was Barret who was stammering, but she didn’t continue.
I just regarded her over the rim of my coffee cup and smiled to urge her to go on.
“The…your, um…predecessor could have very…strained patience and could be quite…abrasive with staff so we…” She looked helplessly at Camaryn.
He caught her look, turned to me, and I noted he’d shaken off his shock and was now taking my measure.
He then stated, “Queen Tatra was abusive to the staff. Because of this, it was like sending beings into battle. Those who were injured hung back, and those who were fresh went in. Barret would prefer to organize duties in a much different way, rather than everyone being on call to take turns to face what might befall them. However, we used to go through servants like water. We’d hire. They’d quit. A never-ending cycle that was a waste of Barret’s and my time. So we did what we could to alleviate that.”