Crème de la Crème

Chapter 4-Lessons

After 3 days of reading the history books she brought from her home, aimlessly walking around the city, and shopping for new dresses in the local boutiques, Sakiya was bored out of her mind. 

It was finally Wednesday.

Since Daisuke was assigning duties for everyone this week, he agreed to teach her the basics of her role in the palace.

As the clock rang for three thirty, Sakiya hurriedly put on a pair of flats and grabbed her bag. She wanted to be there early.

Due to her days of boredom, she had memorized the layout of the palace and had no trouble finding Daisuke's office.

Quickly, she had checked her watch. It was three forty-five. She knocked the door.

A moment later, it opened and she was greeted with a smiling face.

"Hello. How were your three days of break?" he asked.

"It was pretty boring," Sakiya answered honestly.

Daisuke laughed and ushered her to an office table. 

"Okay, I want you to get used to our lovely group. This is Adelina," he announced.

A girl walked out from the other room. Sakiya gasped.

The girl had golden blond hair and jade green eyes. She also was much shorter than Sakiya had expected. She also dressed elegantly, with a long white dress and a silver crown.

Why is she wearing a crown? She isn't a princess or a queen. 

"Hello! Yes, I'm Adelina. I'm the sixth chair. The  Impératrice sent me to give you the documents and to assign you an office. Please come with me," she declared. She spoke in a soft voice and had a bit of an accent.

Sakiya got out of the chair and followed the short girl down the hallway. There was silence until Adelina questioned, "your name is Sakiya right?"

She nodded and Adelina continued, " That's nice. Remember, fulfill your duties. We cannot have more useless members of the Perfect Elite. They'll just bring our country down."

Sakiya was confused. Who was the sixth chair talking about? She thought everyone in the Perfect Elite was hardworking and diligent.

Before she could ask, Adelina handed her the key and replied, " here's your office. Keep your door locked." With those words, she abruptly rushed off down the hallway.

Sakiya frowned at the girl's behavior and unlocked the door. The room was very plain, only having a desk and a chair. She would need to buy more furniture later.

She decided to head back to Daisuke to finish the rest of her tutoring lesson.

After sitting down at the table, Daisuke began to tell her how the Perfect Elite operated.

"After the older Perfect Elites retire, their children or other members of the Elites become the new leaders. During every year in August at our Evaluation Meeting, the incompetent members are replaced and the best ones get to move up spots. Every Saturday of every month, the  Impératrice holds a meeting to discuss current issues in the country. The more you contribute with helpful ideas during these meetings, the more likely you are to move up."

Sakiya nodded. Now she knew how to leave the last chair behind."Can you tell me more about the members?" she requested.

"Sure, here's a list of the all the Perfect Elites," he answered, handing her a piece of paper. Sakiya read over it briefly, having already learned almost the names of the Elites.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked.

"Is Ichiro that kid that came in late during the meeting?" she questioned.

Daisuke sighed and nodded. "Yes, he's always late."

"Why is he one of the Elites? He doesn't look like he's sixteen or older."

"His family is one of the Fifteen Grand Families. Even though their daughter is already of the Elites, they demanded that their son also became one of the Elites."

Sakiya frowned. "That's not fair. He should wait his turn like everyone else."

Daisuke grimly agreed. "You're right. Since they are the top family, they can do whatever they want. Do you have any more questions?"

Sakiya shook her head, feeling more confident and determined. I'll do my best, and soon I'll move up. Since my family is fourth, I'm bound to not stay the last chair for long.

"That's good, Daisuke said, "Now, I need to hand you your duties. This week, you are in charge of monitoring the walls near the palace. This month, we spotted people climbing over the wall and trespassing our property. They either try to steal money or try selling illegal products in our shopping district."

Sakiya confusedly inquired," how will I know which people climbed over the wall?"

He clarified, " all workers and Elites have a gold star pinned to their shirt. Beware of fake pins. Ours are made of real gold and have an insignia in the middle.Speaking of..." Daisuke stuck the pin on her dress.

"I better get to work now!" Sakiya grinned and grabbed the documents on the table.

Daisuke quickly warned, " be very careful. There are thieves and violent people out there. Take two of the guards outside.  We should have also guards monitoring the town.  Don't forget to call for assistance if you need it. Good luck. Don't worry, you'll do fine."

Sakiya smiled, grateful for his words of encouragement. "Thank you! I'll see you later!" she replied before heading out of the office.

A/N- sorry for the extremely boring chapter. I needed to explain the Perfect Elite system a little better first. I think the next chapter is more interesting and slightly more exciting.