Side Story 3 This Family’s Evening
“I think the mum cat asked Jediel to take care of the kittens because she thought they would be in a lot of pain if she left he alone.”
“Oh…”
Jediel looked up at Veronia, wiping his tears with his sleeve.
“For now, let’s take the cat and heal him.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. It’s just as important to heal sick animals as it is to heal sick people.”
“Yes!”
Jediel wiped the tears from his eyes and his face finally began to brighten.
“Let’s take him to Mum’s office, not where the patients are, and give him water and food and check him over. Then we’ll have to get the veterinarian.”
“Can I carry the cat?”
“Yes, of course. It’s mum’s cat, she left it with Jediel.”
“Okay.”
Jediel nodded and carefully lifted the cat with both hands. Instead of tears, Jediel’s eyes filled with a hard sense of responsibility for the frail cat.
***
“It’s done, Your Majesty.”
The maid stepped back, her necklace and earrings finished. Clarissa’s brow narrowed slightly, still unfamiliar with the title of Empress Dowager.
She had spent half her life as the Duchess of Drea, or the Duchess Godmother. She had expected to remain so for the rest of her life, but life had brought her to the palace.
“Thank you. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, then rest.”
As the maid bowed politely and left, Clarissa flipped open the newspaper and glanced at the wall clock.
‘It’s almost time to come.’
She looked like she was waiting for someone. She tried to read the paper for a few moments while she waited, but she couldn’t concentrate easily. Her gaze kept darting back and forth between the clock and the door.
‘Me too.’
Clarissa finally put the paper down and buried herself deeper into the sofa. As she closed her eyes, she heard light footsteps coming down the corridor.
A knock sounded and the door opened, revealing an adorable face peeking through the peephole. It was Jediel.
“Grandma, it’s time to eat!”
“Welcome, my Prince. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Jediel came running, his short limbs moving quickly, and he threw himself into Clarissa’s arms.
Clarissa hugged her grandson tightly, kissing him lightly on the forehead where it wouldn’t hurt to put his eyes. It was the time of day she looked forward to the most.
“Grandma, I went to the clinic with Mum this afternoon, but do you know what happened there?”
“What happened?”
Jediel rattled off the story of how a mother cat they met on the street had left her kittens behind, so they took them in and healed them.
The little boy’s excited voice echoed down the corridor as grandmother and grandson walked side by side, hand in hand.
***
It’s dinner time, and the whole family is gathered around the table. Veronia, Jediel, and Clarissa were sitting at the table, waiting for Killion. The chamberlain of the imperial palace came and ruffled their hair.
“His Majesty the Emperor has been delayed in his work and will not be able to attend dinner. He was very sorry he couldn’t join.”
“Oh, well. I’ll see to it that you don’t skip a meal, even if it’s a simple one.”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t surprising, as it often was, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, especially Veronia.
“The Emperor must be very busy, taking a seventh of what I should have done.”
“Did the Emperor only take 70%? I think he take 90%.”
Veronia looked apologetic, and Clarissa shook her head. In response, Veronia pouted her lips and said.
“I appreciate his concern for my health, but the truth is, I don’t want to burden my husband with too much work.”
“Well, I’m sure the Empress wouldn’t deprive her husband of anyone or anything.”
Having said her piece, an expressionless Clarissa picked up her spoon and scooped up some mushroom soup. Inhaling, a pleasant smile formed on Veronia’s lips.
“If it’s anything like my mother’s, it must be.”
“…”
Veronia and Clarissa locked eyes and smirked at each other.
“By the way, I think we’ll have a list of the best brides ready sometime next week, and I look forward to mother’s valuable input.”
“I’m afraid we’ve added one more job to an already busy Empress.”
“Not at all, Mother. On the contrary, I’m thrilled to have a tradition to carry on.”
“Ho, ho, ho, how our Empress speaks so sweetly.”
Just then, Jediel exclaimed in a giddy voice.
“Oh, Grandma, that’s because my mum takes after me! You know what she said, I speak so pretty too.”
“Well, if you say that… then maybe the Prince looks like the Empress?”
Clarissa said teasingly, holding back the laughter that was about to burst out. But Jediel seemed unwilling to be deterred. The child shook his head and spoke again.
“Yes. It’s true that my mum looks like me, and I look like my grandmother!”
“… Oh my God, I see!”
In the end, it was Clarissa who gave in. Maybe it was a foregone conclusion from the beginning of the conversation. Clarissa could only be so weak in front of her adorable grandson, Jediel.
***
It was getting late, but the Emperor’s office was still well lit, with thick filing cabinets piled high on his wide desk and a sandwich left over from a meal.
Killion’s eyes were fierce as he pored over the papers. His concentration was at its peak, not missing a single number or letter.
“The Hinch has also been fitted with fire suppressors, so that means all the major facilities in the five western regions have them.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“… Good. Schedule a tour of the western regions for sometime next month. It’s early days in the business, and I think it would be beneficial for me to see it with my own eyes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Windler, the aide, wrote down Killion’s instructions, his fingers moving swiftly.
“And the East will be next, then. Where are the installation plans? Are they ready?”
“Oh, that… is currently being finalised. I’ll have it finalised and posted sometime next week.”
“Great. Looking forward to it.”
Windler’s hands fidgeted busily over his notebook. Windler succeeded in swallowing a sigh, but failed to keep his expression straight. Seeing Windler’s furrowed brow, Killion said bluntly.
“You whined about having too much work, so I gave you an extra assistant, and you still look pained. Take care of your conscience.”
Windler opened his mouth to say something, as if Killion’s point had made him want to say something.
“You’re right, Your Majesty. I have five more assistants under me, for which I am very grateful, but…”
Windler paused and cleared his throat. It was for dramatic effect.
“Since then, my workload has increased tenfold.”
“…”
Once he’d finished, Windler glanced at Killion, who remained tight-lipped and unmoved.
Sometimes silence is scarier than a shout. Windler swallowed hard, tense in the silence that followed. After a moment’s hesitation, Killion finally spoke slowly.
“So, how many people do we need?”
“What?”
“Your assistant, I was wondering if you could add a few more.”
For a moment, the corners of Windler’s mouth curled upwards in a pleasing way. He was thrilled that his heartfelt plea had touched Killion’s heart. Windler picked a number carefully.
“About… ten?”
“Okay. Let’s make it twelve. Get the job advertised quickly and start getting resumes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He was generous and said ten, in case he got laid off, but then he added two more to the number, and it was twelve! The Lord he serve is a man of great distribution, after all! Windler’s mouth dropped open.
“If we put out an announcement this week and receive resumes for a week… Hmph, let’s see… After fifteen days, I will be able to select the resume and report it to you, right?”
“Yes? Fifteen days later… What do you mean?”
It was a very tight timetable. All traces of the smile on Windler’s face vanished in an instant, a cold sweat sliding down his spine. Killion narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in Windler’s expression and asked again.
“Why? Do you think it’s going to be hard, and can we do it with fewer starters?”
“Ah…”
It’s a shame, isn’t it, to give and then take away! Windler wanted to shout, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. If he got it wrong, he might end up sucking his fingers for nothing.
Windler rolled his eyes, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only say yes.
“Oh, no, I can do it.”
“You can?”
“Yes. I’ll have 36 resumes, three times the number of 12, for me to look at and post in fifteen days.”
“Good.”
Killion’s gaze, which had been on Windler the entire time, finally returned to the papers as if he was satisfied with Windler’s answer. Windler stifled a sigh of relief.
‘Good. Fifteen more days of hard work, and after that we’ll have twelve extra assistance! Just fifteen days!’
Windler tried to calm himself.
He decided not to worry yet about having to carve out time from his busy schedule to send out resumes and interview again. The training of the new hires that were finally selected was an afterthought.
‘I’ll be working overtime for a fortnight from today, or at least for a month, but he’s a big man, and I’m sure he’ll pay me well if I collapse from overwork.’
Windler’s face turned an earthy colour. For a moment, he felt like crying, but Windler blinked back the tears with a deftness honed by years of experience.
