Chapter 27: Special Day [3]
I followed Hans everywhere—from the knight’s sparring field, where steel clashed like thunder, to the horse barracks, where the smell of hay, sweat, and manure blended into something I’d rather forget.
We didn’t stop there.
Next was the armory, then the laundry quarters, then the kitchen—each place bustling with people who gave me curious or pitying looks. Some whispered when they thought I couldn’t hear. Others just smirked like they knew what kind of hell I was about to step into.
Hans didn’t slow down once.
"Servants are expected to know the entire estate. Not just the rooms the nobles use, but the paths, the routines, even the moods of the staff. If you’re sharp, you’ll learn faster. If you’re not—well, you’ll learn harder."
I wanted to respond with something witty, but all my brain could manage was nodding. My legs were sore, and I wasn’t even sure what half the places we passed were for. At one point, we walked past a low stone shed, and Hans casually pointed toward it.
"Don’t open that door unless you’re told to."
"Why?" I asked, glancing back.
"The last guy who did didn’t sleep for three days."
"...Noted."
Meanwhile, I kept pestering Hans about this so-called "special day," but he ignored every single question like I was just background noise. All I got were vague grunts and the same line: "Just follow me."