Chapter 4: And so it continues
"Hey Sorb!" Mattheo called me.
"I have a name you know. Mattheo." Calling us sorb instead of our own name actually offends me. It feels like an insult.
"How'd you know my name?" He asked sounding shocked that I actually felt my eyes rolling in a very fast manner.
"It's what the prince called you right. I mean, Prince Gregory the fourth."
"All right. What's your name?" He stopped from his tracks to face me.
"My name is James Porter Inkwell." I said my name with pride.
"Ok. James." He said but I don't know if that's a sarcasm or not. He has this serious aura that surrounds him. Well, that's a hundred times better than being a smug prince.
"What's your age? You look like you're too young to serve the sorb." He asked me.
"I'm turning 18 tomorrow. How about you? You look like you're too young to serve the royal army?" I responded.
"I'm 20. The King appointed me to lead the army." he answered simply.
"What do you mean lead the army? What's your position if you don't mind me asking?"
"Uhhhmm...The Chief Commander." He blushed lightly while stroking his neck. He immediately lowered his hand and returned to his serious self when he noticed that he didn't look tough.
"Wow. No way, really?" My respect further increased for this guy. How can he even be appointed to the highest rank in the army at a very young age?
"Yeah. They have been training me since I was sixteen." He seems embarrassed telling me this. Cool. Also, may I comment about how he looks cute when he's acting like an embarrassed child. He stopped walking and delved into his pocket until he took a key out.
"Here we are." He opened the door with a painted number 30 and motioned me to come inside.
"Thank you very much." I said in gratitude. "You're the only person who has been nice to me ever since I step foot here."
"Don't bother." He said then started to walk away. I closed the door and observed my new home.
The room was very small. The only thing that's in it is a bed and all my luggage. I quickly removed all my wet clothes and started to change. So much for my first day. I let out a sigh and laid myself on the bed. I hope tomorrow will be better than this day. I hope so...
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I heard a loud ringing of a bell first thing in the morning. Gah! What time is it? I looked at the window. It was just dawn. I groaned and covered my ears with my pillow and tried to return to dreamland but I was interrupted when someone furiously knocked on my door.
"All oversleeping servants will be given the necessary sanction. I repeat. All oversleeping servants will be given the necessary sanction." He keeps on badgering that I gave up and have no choice but to wake up.
"Ah! Fine!" I said and tossed my pillow away. "I'm awake for god's sake stop knocking!" The continuous tapping on the door triggered the beast in me. I need sleep so bad. I slept late last night and I was damn tired.
I changed on my working clothes and went out of my room. I spotted some workers who is also late in waking up. I followed them until we arrived at some place where the workers eat. The sight of food made me remember that I didn't eat lunch nor dinner yesterday. I just realized I am starving.
I immediately went in line and it feels like the longest line in history. When I finally reached the counter, I was hoping for a food extravaganza but instead, they gave me a pile of who-knows-what goo.
"What is this?" I asked the serving lady.
"What do you think?" She raised her eyebrows as she rolls her eyes.
"Is this even edible?" My expectations literally went out the drain. What about the delicious foods we cooked yesterday? They were much palatable than this.
"If you don't want it, I'll take it." She tried to retrieve the plate of goo but my hunger reflex is very much faster than anything.
"No. No. No. Is it bad to ask?" I returned the plate to my tray and carried on.
What's next? Rock soup? Fried twigs? Oh boy I'm so excited. Even leftovers from yesterday maybe better than the foods they serve here! Them cheap monarchs.
Oh good. A piece of bread. Something edible I can eat.
I carried my tray then went to find a seat at the long tables that are present on the servants' quarters.
I grabbed the spoon to have a sample of their 'specialty'. It's so ironic that we are cooking delicious foods while the ones we eat looks like shit. I'm not even kidding.
"Bweeeck" I removed the food from my mouth that I intended to swallow. That was horrible than I expected. It tastes like a bunch of vegetable squashed by a foot by someone with athlete's foot. I took the only edible food in my tray which is the bread.
The bread is not good but still okay for human consumption. It was very hard and tasteless but still better than the other one. I was still hungry that I have no choice but to eat the goo with my eyes closed. Hunger can make everything edible.
.
After the disappointing breakfast, the time has come to work our asses off. I wonder if Mr. Stone remembers my face after the scandal I made yesterday.
"Santisima echerisma! It's you!" he screamed at the sight of me. Welp. That answers my question.
"I'mo sorry but I don't accept clumsy people in my kitchen." He said with disgust.
"But the man from the-"
"Fine!" he surrendered in annoyance. "You'll be carrying the goods from the store room. Here, it is located outside." He handed me a key and signaled me to scoot away.
I went outside the castle and felt the cold morning air. I saw a small constructed house not far away and I decided to go there. This must be it. I inserted the key and to my gladness, it opened, revealing the supplies inside.
Oh come on!
Do people eat anything here besides potatoes? There were lots and lots of sacks of potatoes. Yeah, I'm aware that potatoes is the staple food here but it takes a lot of power to carry a sack of it.
I tried to lift a sack but it didn't budge. Fuck! This must weigh for a hundred kilograms. Why didn't they just store it in the kitchen? Efficiency must not be in their dictionary.
The only option for me to do is to drag the sack with all my might but exerting my full energy takes the sack to only move three inches per minute. When I finally arrived at the kitchen 20 minutes later, Mr Stone saw me and approached me.
"Good. You are legitimately slow. We'll be needing 20 sack more."
Darn it!
-_
It was probably near noon but I only transported 13 sacks of fucking potatoes. I stopped midway and sat on the potatoes. I'm already exhausted like hell. I wiped my sweaty forehead and tried to catch my breath. Welp. I'll probably carry sacks of potatoes for the rest of my life. Serving the sorb is so fun! Sarcasm included.
While I am resting, I heard some noises coming from the other side. My curiosity took over and I am now on my way to look at the source of the noise.
Oh la la. Stranger's Paradise.
Men were shirtless while battling with each other. This place looks like a training ground. Sweaty soldiers training with their sweaty abs. I shook my head to take me back to reality. My God! What the heck is wrong with me?
Then I saw Mattheo supervising their training. It's a bad thing he's still in his uniform. I'm curious if he also got them abs.
What the fuck James? Hhhrrhrhr. What the heck am I thinking? My mind suddenly interrupted. But more importantly, why am I even enjoying this sight.
Mattheo now shifted his sight from my direction and saw me. I smiled and started to approach him but his expression changed as soon as I started to go to him.
"Stop!" He warned and with that, I stopped from my tracks and looked sideways only to find the prince holding a bow and arrow aiming directly at me.
Then his fingers let go of the arrow which is now fastly coming to me. I guess early death is much better than carrying sacks of potatoes until I die.
Before I knew it, someone tackled me to the ground closely missing the arrow of death.
My heart was beating wildly from my near death experience. As soon as I recovered from the shock. I saw Mattheo lying on the ground with his muscular hands still on my hips.
"I missed you." he sarcastically remarked. The sly prince was now above us. Damn! His statement contains double meaning that I actually think it was perfect. A truth with a sarcasm on the side. I can't think of another comeback to his clever remark.
Mattheo and I stood up and I started to remove the grass from my clothes by wiping my clothes with my hands. I turned my gaze to the prince who is now removing the arrow that is pinned on the bull's eye.
"What brings you here sorb?" Prince Gregory asked once he returned to his aim. "Procrastinating? or you have been assigned to be my new target?"
Now I realized my mistake for this day is running again in the cunning prince's way.
"Just making sure how terrible you are. Sadly I'm not mistaken." I replied. Without a warning, he shifted his aim towards me. Panic started to run in my body. I knew he's not kidding. Instinct came in and I ran back to where I came from; but even though I ran in zigzags, I felt the arrow pass my face. It was very close threadlike.
"You're right sorb! I missed you for the second time!" I heard him shout as I ran towards the safe side. Never again will I be in the presence of that damned prince.