Aremflaris was one of the families of the heroes. Like the Destenebres family, they held the same high rank among the nobility. The difference lay in their specialisation, for while the Destenebres were known for their mastery of the darkness affinity, the Aremflaris were renowned for their mastery of the flame affinity.
The head of the Aremflaris family was wearing a long red coat with white side panels and gold embroidery along the edges. A red belt with a gold clasp held the coat at the waist. His shoulders carried gold epaulettes, and across his chest lay braided cords of gold. The sleeves ended in white cuffs, and his hands were covered with white gloves. His long red hair framed his face, and his golden eyes gave him a steady and composed look.
The man was Aiden Aremflaris, the current head of the Aremflaris family.
"It has been a while, Caedros," Aiden said with a smile as he extended his hand to Caedros for a handshake.
"It has indeed been a while," Caedros said with a serious expression as he extended his hand to accept Aiden's handshake.
"I heard that your son has awakened. Congratulations," Aiden said with a smile as he congratulated Caedros.
"My daughter has also awakened," Caedros said coldly as he accepted Aiden's words.
"As expected of the Destenebres family. Your children have awakened at a young age. They are very talented," Aiden said happily.
"Not all of them," Caedros mumbled to himself, his voice still cold.
"What?" Aiden asked, unable to hear him clearly.
"It is nothing," Caedros answered in the same cold tone.
They continued talking about their lives and what they had been doing lately. While they did, the Aremflaris members also chatted with the Destenebres members.
"Young Lady Lyraena, you look stunning and beautiful." A young man with long red hair and deep golden eyes spoke joyfully as he greeted Lyraena with a kiss on her hand.
"Thank you, Young Master Zyvaris. You also look handsome. I like your skincare," Lyraena said calmly while holding back her disgust.
"Thank you, Young Lady Lyraena. I am happy that you noticed. I have been trying many kinds of skincare to make my skin look good so I can look younger and more handsome," Zyvaris said with great joy.
After that, he continued to brag about his looks and all the things he did to maintain them. Lyraena found it boring and tiring, yet she endured it with a calm smile.
'Please let this end soon,' she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, the wife of the family head was speaking with two women.
She was wearing a crimson lace gown, the fabric rich with detailed floral patterns that caught the light. The bodice was tight and structured, lifting her chest and holding it firmly in place. Her breasts were very large, full and heavy, pressing against the fitted lace so that the deep line of her cleavage was clearly shown. The neckline sat just off her shoulders, leaving the upper swell of her chest exposed. Her waist was narrow and drawn in by the cut of the gown, which made the size of her bust stand out even more. Below, the dress widened to cover her hips, which were broad and rounded, giving her body a strong and balanced shape. The skirt fell in long folds that followed the line of her figure when she moved.
Her hair was bright red and fell in long waves down her back, its colour vivid against her pale skin. Her eyes were unusual, scarlet with a touch of green, the two colours blending so that they seemed to shift in the light. The gown displayed her figure with clarity, from the proud weight of her chest to the curve of her hips, leaving her presence impossible to overlook. She seemed to be around twenty-nine years of age.
"It has been a while, Thalindra Destenebres," the woman said coldly.
"You seem to be in a bad mood, Cassandra Aremflaris," Thalindra said calmly, hiding her reaction to Cassandra's tone.
"It is nothing. And who are you?" Cassandra said as she turned her eyes to Cesline.
"Greetings, Madam Cassandra Aremflaris. I am Cesline Destenebres, a mistress of Lord Destenebres," Cesline said nervously as she introduced herself.
"A mistress. I see," Cassandra replied, even colder and sharper than before, giving her a cold look.
Cesline felt that Cassandra looked at her with disgust.
'Did I do something wrong?' she wondered weakly.
"You are beautiful as always, Cassandra," Thalindra said with a friendly smile, trying to compliment her.
"Too bad my husband does not think so," Cassandra said, her voice still cold.
"I see," Thalindra replied quietly, unsure how to continue.
"Anyway, how have you been living so far?" Cassandra asked coldly.
Thalindra explained her life while they chatted. Cesline was left out of the conversation. When she tried to speak, Thalindra ignored her, and Cassandra ignored her as well. It was as if Cassandra did not see her or care about her presence at all.
While they were talking, a young noble girl with deep golden eyes and bright red hair walked by. Her long, wavy hair was tied into high pigtails that swayed gently with each step. A few loose strands framed her face, and a small ornament held part of her hair in place. The bright colour and neat style made her look both elegant and charming.
She wore a red dress that matched her mother's gown, although smaller in size.
She walked past them and headed toward Lysander Destenebres.
"Greetings, Young Master Lysander," the girl said calmly, lifting her dress slightly and lowering her head in a noble greeting.
"Greetings to you as well, Young Lady Elara," Lysander replied with a small bow.
Once they finished greeting each other, they returned to a normal stance and began talking.
"I have heard rumours, but after seeing you in person, I think the rumours did not praise you enough," Elara said gently.
"Thank you for your compliment," Lysander said coldly, trying to imitate his father.
"It is my pleasure. I wish my father and brother were like your father and you," Elara said with a weak smile, as if she truly hoped for it.
"Why is that?" Lysander asked, still copying his father's tone.
"My father has many young women as his lovers. My mother feels nothing but hate for him and them. My brother also wishes to live like my father," Elara said quietly, still smiling weakly.
"I am sorry that you brought up such a topic," Lysander said calmly.
"No, it is not your fault. I am the one who mentioned it. Thank you for listening," Elara answered with a gentle smile.
They continued chatting for a while before they were called to leave.
"I will go to my room now," Aiden said as he said goodbye to Caedros and guided his family toward the guest rooms.
"I will see you later at the party," Caedros replied coldly.
"Young Lady Lyraena, if you wish, you can visit my home someday. Maybe on my birthday next year," Zyvaris said happily.
"It would be a pleasure," Lyraena answered calmly, hiding her disgust once again.
"Thank you for the talk. See you at the party," Cassandra said coldly as she left with her husband.
"Goodbye," Thalindra said with a polite smile, hiding her true feelings.
"Goodbye..." Cesline said weakly, since she had not spoken much at all.
"It was nice talking with you. Thank you for listening," Elara said to Lysander with a gentle smile.
"Thank you for sharing," Lysander said, still trying to sound like his father.
"One small tip. It is better to be yourself instead of trying to act like someone else. It does not suit you," Elara said softly.
"I will remember that. Thank you for the advice," Lysander replied calmly.
Soon, the Aremflaris family walked away, their servants carrying the luggage to the guest rooms.
Once they entered their guest room, Cassandra unpacked the luggage that the servants had carried for them. The servants did offer to help unpack, but Cassandra refused their service and insisted she could do it herself, so the servants left. Elara also went to help her mother. The head of the family and the son had already left the room and gone to one of the halls to chat with other nobles, their main purpose being to chat with the ladies, leaving both Cassandra and Elara in the guest room.
Though Cassandra and Elara's purpose proved a bit difficult, as when they unpacked their luggage, they had trouble sorting their items and even the dresses they had brought.
"If I had known this, I would have accepted one of the servants to help us," Cassandra said coldly. She was not used to unpacking like this, since their servants would always help them at home, and it turned into a mess.
"Should I call for one of the servants to help?" Elara asked calmly, finding it difficult as well.
"I would appreciate it, sweetie. I am sorry that you have to do this. I was afraid that your father would seduce one of the female servants. That is why I rejected their service, and we ended up like this," Cassandra said coldly, though there was a hint of guilt for being too prideful.
"It is okay, mum. I understand your intention," Elara said with a gentle smile as she walked toward the door.
Before Elara could open the door, a knock was heard from behind it.
"Room service," a voice outside the door said.
Hearing the voice, Cassandra and Elara were happy that room service came, able to save time instead of having to find one.
Elara opened the door with a smile, but the smile soon faded as she saw the person in front of her.
"Hello, this is room service. What can I get you?" a boy with pale black hair and pale golden eyes, wearing a servant outfit, said calmly with a smile.
The boy in front of Elara was Ragnar Destenebres, doing his room service.
"Room service?" Elara asked in confusion, not understanding why there was a boy around her age doing room service.
"Yes, room service," I said calmly.
Elara observed the boy once more. She was reminded of Lysander. Lysander was far more handsome than the boy in front of her, but the hair and eyes seemed similar to the Destenebres' children she had met not long ago, although his features were much lighter.
"Are you a Destenebres' member?" Elara asked curiously.
"No, I am just a humble servant boy doing his job as room service. So do you need anything, or should I just be away until you call me?" I said calmly with a calm smile.
"Umm…" Elara was confused, not knowing how to respond.
I peeked inside the room to see what was going on, thinking something must have happened, only to see a huge mess inside and a beautiful woman with a cold expression looking at me.
…
Everyone was silent until I broke the silence.
"Do you need help with that?" I asked calmly.
"You can help with that?" Elara asked in surprise.
"Yes, I have experience with it," I said calmly.
"Please do!" Elara said joyfully with a smile.
Cassandra looked at me suspiciously, thinking whether a child around her daughter's and son's age could help with something she could not do.
I observed the mess. Judging by it, they had just arrived and were unpacking their luggage, but somehow it had led to this.
After observing, I helped sort out the clothes and folded some very important clothing for both men and women with a calm expression and in a calm and fast manner. I also sorted out the items lying around neatly to where they were supposed to be. After a while, the empty luggage was put neatly in the wardrobe so it would not occupy space lying around the room. The clothes for both men and women were folded neatly, and the dresses were hung neatly. Practically everything that they had brought in their luggage was neatly sorted and unpacked.
After the task was completed, Cassandra and Elara stared at me, amazed that a child around Elara's and her brother's age was able to do this well.
"Alright, that would be—" I said calmly, intending to charge them as I took out my pouch, but before I could state my amount:
"Here are fifty gold coins. Thank you for your service. Keep the change as a tip," Cassandra said coldly, but with a mature smile, as she took a pouch filled with gold coins and handed it to me.
…They are overpaying for this, but I will just take it.
"Thank you for your generosity. Now then, aside from that, do you need anything else, like example, food?" I said calmly as I thanked them, then returned to my actual role and took out my notepad and pencil.
"I do not know… do you have anything to suggest?" Cassandra said coldly, thinking about what to get.
"Bellwark fish fillet. It is a popular choice among the guests staying here," I said calmly.
"I do not like fish," Cassandra said coldly.
Oh…
"What about a Petribos' steak?" I suggested calmly.
"I would have that," Cassandra said coldly in a calm manner.
"What about you?" I asked calmly to Elara calmly.
"I also would like the Petribos' steak too," Elara said happily.
"Alright then," I said calmly.
"I am guessing there would be no need for anything for the father and son?" I asked calmly.
"No need," Cassandra answered, already expecting the question.
"Alright, I shall be off then," I said calmly as I said my goodbyes.
"Wait… what is your name?" Elara asked calmly.
I looked toward her as I was exiting the room.
"I am Ragnar," I said with a smile before moving away.
"My name is Elara, Elara Aremflaris. I hope we get to meet again," Elara introduced happily as I left.
"I will remember it," I said calmly without turning back as I continued my job.
I did not ask nor care.
"A girl giving you her name means a good thing," Lust said angrily, still holding a grudge for my actions.
Why would I care about a kid?
"You are no fun… though the woman with that cold expression is so irresistible. I can feel your desire. You kept glancing at her," Lust said playfully.
It is the fault of the body mentality.
"I can even give you her measurements," Lust said playfully.
No, thank you.
Wait, she said her name was Elara Aremflaris. Which means the Aremflaris family is here, huh…
"Oh? Are you interested in her? You know you should not—" Lust said playfully, but was interrupted.
Do not misunderstand. It is just that one of the five protagonists is from that family. His name is Zyvaris Aremflaris. That means I will see the other three soon.
"His name sounds like a loser," Wraith said boredly.
"Yeah, what type of character is he?" Lust asked playfully.
He is like you, Lust. He chases after females, and his father does that as well. The Aremflaris family is a family that pursues polygamy and polyamory, which means he is a bastard son.
"So he is like you, too," Lust said calmly.
…I am ignoring you.
I walked back to the kitchen, as my pouch was too heavy, and it was better to give the orders fast rather than slow.
"Hello, Young Master Ragnar, you are back," Marik said happily as he was on break.
"You know you can just call me Ragnar, right?" I said calmly.
"It would feel too rude to call you too casually," Marik replied calmly.
"I am not even a young master, though," I replied calmly.
"By the way, Young Master Ragnar, Chef Seraphina told me to tell you to change into your chef outfit. It is regarding your new role. After changing, go meet her," Marik said calmly.
"Alright, thanks," I said calmly as I walked to find the room where I changed.
After finding it, I changed back into that cute chef outfit again and went to the kitchen to see Chef Seraphina.
After entering, I looked around to find Chef Seraphina, only to see her talking to Petro seriously.
"Remember, you need to be careful with the cake," Seraphina said calmly.
"I understand, Chef Seraphina. I can assure you that there will be no problem with the cake," Petro said calmly with a smile.
"Am I intruding at a bad time?" I asked calmly, unconcerned that I interrupted their talk.
"Hm? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be doing room service?" Petro said angrily.
"He is here by my order," Seraphina said calmly.
"Oh… I did not know," Petro said weakly, feeling embarrassed.
"Petro, you may proceed with your duty," Seraphina ordered calmly.
"Yes, Chef Seraphina," Petro said happily as he walked away in my direction.
"You better not disturb or do anything bad that could harm Chef Seraphina," Petro said angrily to me as he walked away.
Once he was gone, I turned my head toward Chef Seraphina.
"So, you were looking for me?" I asked calmly.
"Yes, I was looking for you. Since the party will start later, we will be busy soon, as there might be some orders going through if the guests did not have their fill or wish to try something else," Chef Seraphina explained calmly, regarding what would happen soon.
"So, you want me to get to my station and peel more vegetables? Considering I am wearing this?" I asked calmly, curious about my role.
"No. You will not be peeling vegetables anymore. Even if you were to help peel, there are none left, as the batch you peeled was the last of the ingredients not yet prepared for the party. Instead, you will be doing dishwashing. Congratulations, Young Miss. You have been promoted," Chef Seraphina explained calmly and joked with a mature smile.
Hearing her words, I reacted with the same energy.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Yeaa… I have been promoted to a dishwasher, which means my workload is going to increase. Will I get a pay increase as well?" I joked as I clapped my hands to match her energy.
"Maybe, depending on your performance. Also, please give me the orders that you received, as well as the money that you took. You can keep your tip pouch," Seraphina said calmly with a smile.
"Obviously, I am going to keep my tip pouch. I earned it with hard work. Here are the orders that the guests wanted for their room service," I said calmly as I gave her the pouch for the payment and the notepad where I wrote the guests' requests.
"Alright, you did a good job. You may proceed to your station now," Seraphina said calmly as she smiled.
"Alright," I said calmly as I walked to my station.
After walking to my station, I stood in front of a sink. There were no dirty plates yet, although I already knew there would be soon.
Since there were no dirty plates, I simply looked around at everyone, who had shifted from being slightly busy to fully busy as they started cooking.
Then Kilpi, the dishwasher, came to my side.
"Greeting, Ragnar," Kilpi greeted me happily with a smile.
"Greeting. I am placed here as an assistant," I said calmly.
"That's great, events like this would get a bit–" Kilpi said calmly, but was interrupted.
"Chaotic?" I replied calmly.
"Indeed. By the way, do you know how to wash dishes?" Kilpi asked, since he had never seen me wash dishes and only peel vegetables.
"With my current size, I do, so no worries about that," I said calmly with a fake smile.
"That's good. Let's take it easy till the actual hell comes," Kilpi joked with a calm smile.
"Alright," I agreed with him as I rested with him. I knew this was the calm before the storm, and it was best to rest my mind and body before it actually started.
I felt like my body was already sore from all the peeling and walking around today, and dishwashing was coming soon. I was not paid enough for this.
"That's the thing, you are not," Wraith mocked, sounding bored.
"Room service was a profitable job," Greedy said, bored as well.
Yeah, I am going to miss all those fun tips.
"THOSE WERE NOT TIPS, THOSE WERE MONEY THAT CAME FROM BLACKMAIL," Lust scolded angrily.
Is it blackmail if they are the ones bribing me to keep silent before I even threaten them? Exactly. It is not blackmail, it is just bribery.
"DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU," Lust screamed angrily in my mind.
As I was having a mental chat with the devils, a staff member brought a dirty plate to the sink.
"Sorry, here is a dirty plate," the staff member said apologetically as he moved to get another plate.
Sadly, that plate was not the only one.
"Here's one more."
"Here's another."
"Here's another again..."
The dirty plates started piling up, and there were not only dirty plates but cooking pots and pans being dropped into the sink as well. Seeing that our work had now started, Kilpi and I began washing the plates, pots, and pans.
Oh, come on. It has not even been half an hour yet. This is going to be a long day.
I thought to myself as I scrubbed each plate alongside Kilpi.