At Least One
The next morning, Brigitte and Dianne arrived, hurried us along, and pushed Floria and me into the carriage.
"Nobody told me we were going out today."
"We wanted to move before Reinhardt had a chance to change his mind."
We arrived at the plaza.
"The smell of curry is incredible."
"It really is. It’s like every stall is selling curry with how strong the scent is."
In reality, when we walked around, there were only about two stalls selling skewered meat coated in curry powder.
Since the price was nearly twice as high as the others, it was likely meant for people with extra money or for treating oneself.
They also sold things like thinly sliced stir-fried meat in bread, stir-fried vegetables, soups, and drinks.
"We’re not eating yet, right?"
"No. On the opposite side of the fountain, they’re doing street performances. Since the new district is supposed to become a tourist area, I wanted you to see it for reference."
Street performances, huh…
I hadn’t even considered that. If people stay for more than three days, hot springs and food alone might get boring.
Juggling?
They were using homemade colorful cloth balls or wooden clubs, tossing five or six at once without dropping any.
Others were dancing to flute music, or playing violins—there was quite a variety.
Among them, there was a spot with a particularly large crowd, so we approached.
A performer was drawing a dog with water magic, and the watery dog ran around on the ground. Then he drew a bird, and the watery bird spread its wings and flew into the air. It was fun to watch.
At the end, a rainbow appeared and slowly faded away, marking the finale.
A fountain show in the new district could be interesting too.
"We can eat lunch in the plaza, or if you want to sit and relax, we can take you to a shop."
Since we were with three women, even with guards present, we decided to eat at a shop.
Lunch was at a place that served sandwiches and pancakes.
It seemed to offer takeout as well.
Everyone ordered sandwiches.
"The shop is pretty close to the palace, so why did you choose it?"
"There are a lot of places with good light meals near the palace."
"Why’s that?"
"They target palace employees."
If their customers included nobles or financially stable palace workers, then they’d be strict about taste.
So any shop that isn’t delicious would go out of business immediately.
Looking around, the customers definitely looked like palace staff.
"A lot of people are eating alone."
"They’re busy, so they probably come alone when they have time, eat quickly, and head back."
"They don’t have something like a set one-hour lunch break?"
"I don’t know that much."
Is working at the palace a black company?
Our estate uses a three-shift system and provides a full hour for lunch.
We even have a company cafeteria.
"Well, well. The elite have plenty of leisure time to enjoy lunch, I see."
"We’re so busy we have to take our meals to go, you know."
Three men walked into the shop just to throw insults.
And they said all that without caring that we were sitting right there. What’s wrong with you three?
If they’re moving around as a trio, then they’re clearly not working either.
"We’ve got a meeting this afternoon, so we were eating outside to clear our heads."
Basically telling them to not bother him.
But their next words hit a nerve.
"Must be nice being chosen as one of the exhibition supervisors. Wow, look at how important you’ve become."
"But once the exhibition ends, will you still have a position? Someone else is already doing your old job."
"I wonder which department you’ll be dumped into next."
They laughed loudly and left.
So… they were pretty much saying “once the exhibition ends, you’re out” and “can’t wait to see where they throw you.”
Those three were useless nobles, but maybe their families were from powerful houses.
He must have noticed me staring, because he looked our way.
"Sorry about that. Please pretend you didn’t see anything."
"If you ever feel like quitting palace work, would you consider coming to Westland?"
"What?"
"I haven’t introduced myself. I am Reinhardt Westland."
"You’re the one who made the Westland exhibition a success…"
"It was thanks to everyone’s cooperation. I couldn’t have done it alone. May I ask your name?"
"Forgive me. I’m Thomas Mekkel."
"If people are interfering with your work that much, you should deal with it early or you’ll be held responsible. I’m sure you already understand that."
"Thank you for the warning."
Thomas bowed lightly and left the shop.
"Reinhardt, are you seriously headhunting people in a place like this?"
"He seemed competent, and our household is short on staff. One person from the palace shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?"
What do you think about this chapter?
