Lord of Rot

The castle was hiring new manservants and maids. Word was they were selecting people in the small square, and soon, a crowd had gathered.

Working in the castle came with so many benefits.

Lady Sparrow, the castle’s laundry maid, only had to wash clothes each day. The work wasn’t tiring, and it came with food and pay.

Then there was Oak Pail. Although she wasn’t a maid, she was a helper for the castle cook. The work was a bit tiring, but the job still made people green with envy.

And the tall maid. She had left the castle after marrying the carpenter, and it was a good thing she did—otherwise, no one else would have had the chance to get in.

The tall maid had been a live-in servant who did odd jobs and swept the floors. And look at her now—she’d up and married the carpenter. True, her husband was a dwarf who barely came up to her waist, but the Lord valued him highly. The carpenter had more work than he could handle, and countless people were dying to send their children to be his apprentices, but not a single one had succeeded.

Now she didn’t have to work and never had to worry about her three meals a day. It was even better than working in the castle.

Simon still held his head high, looking down his nose at people. Behind his back, the servants said he had a nobleman’s airs without a nobleman’s birth. Simon had overheard this a few times, but he couldn’t care less. He preferred to maintain his elegance at all times.

But Simon wasn’t the only one in charge today. Leech had also ”entrusted great responsibility” to Wineglass, one of the castle maids. Wineglass, in turn, had roped in Oak Pail, who had just finished her work in the kitchen. She was likely afraid of being outnumbered and unable to stand up to the steward on her own.

Wineglass was subtly positioning herself to become the head housekeeper of Porcupine Castle; she was already learning how to form her own faction.

Oak Pail nervously clutched her skirt. In the back kitchen, she was used to being ordered around by Mr. Cask and had always considered herself the lowest-ranking servant in the castle. Yet today, she was one of the centers of attention, almost as if she were one of the castle’s noble ladies.

Just a few moments ago, several people had quietly come over to try and get on her good side, hoping Oak Pail could put in a good word for them.

”We finally get our chance! Look, isn’t that Oak Pail? Ever since she started working in the castle, she’s been eating so well. She’s gotten much prettier.”

And it wasn’t just idle talk. In the castle, anything the Lord didn’t eat or had leftover was never wasted; it was usually divided among the manservants and maids. Leech wasn’t afraid of his cooks sneaking food. On the contrary, if his cooks were thin, *that’s* when he would start to worry.

”My child is quick and nimble, and handsome too! They could definitely do a good job sweeping for the Lord in the castle!”

”How many people are they hiring this time?”

While some were happy, others were worried. Their own children were dull-witted and plain-looking. It would be much better if there were more openings; their chances would be higher.

There were two hundred people, but they represented only a few dozen households. Some families had four or five children and were hoping at least one of them could get a job in the castle.

With so many people, it was a chaotic scene. For instance, one person who’d heard the news noticed their daughter was missing. ”Where’s Small Eyes? Why isn’t she here?”

It’s unclear who it was, but someone yelled, ”I just saw Small Eyes sweeping at home!”

”Now of all times!” The person stomped their foot in frustration. They glanced at the castle steward in the center of the square, knowing it was impossible to ask him to save a spot, so they turned and ran for home, praying they wouldn’t be too late.

Leech paid no mind to ’Rabbit’ Simon’s selection process. He was either training, researching food, or reading—he had plenty to do, and none of it involved conducting job interviews.

The manservants and maids who served throughout the castle were different from the kitchen helpers. The latter needed decent cooking skills, whereas the former had to learn to be sharp and observant, and most importantly, not to anger the Lord.

The selection process was not quick. Simon was exceptionally strict when choosing people to enter the castle, and the interviewed boys and girls stood with sweaty palms, terrified of making a mistake.

Soon, the selection was over.

Those who weren’t chosen left dejectedly, filled with regret. They knew the castle likely wouldn’t be needing new servants again for some time.

The successful candidates followed him to the castle, but they didn’t go through the main gate.

”So this is the castle?” a youth with a mole at the corner of his mouth exclaimed, having just changed into a new set of clothes. He couldn’t help but marvel as they walked inside. The castle was so vast he had to crane his neck all the way back just to see the ceiling.

The precious furs, the rich aroma of milk tea wafting through the air, the Lord’s books... everything was just as he had imagined, and yet somehow, it surpassed all his expectations.

The two young men and two young women behind him nodded in agreement.

A castle built from stone was so much more beautiful than their mud-brick homes. The thought that they would be working in a place like this from now on made it difficult to contain their excitement.

Simon the steward stood to one side, smiling as he watched the five’s excitement. He believed that servants needed a sense of honor to work in the castle. ’Serving the nobility—what a glorious calling!’

”Alright,” Simon said, interrupting their awe-struck sighs. ”Duckfoot, you will be the castle’s first manservant. Red Nose and Gaga Bird will work with you. Your main duties will be odd jobs: carrying and chopping firewood, cleaning, and running errands.”

”Yes, sir!” Duckfoot, the youth with the mole, nodded excitedly.

He might be called the ”first manservant,” but the cook didn’t answer to him, and the Groom wouldn’t give him the time of day. The Lord’s personal valet, Pitchfork, held a status nearly equal to the steward’s. If the steward were to ever resign, the personal valet and the first manservant would be the top candidates to replace him.

The steward then turned to the two reserved girls. One was exceptionally beautiful, save for a small beauty mark between her eyebrows. The other had very small eyes and a perpetually listless expression.

”Arkke, Small Eyes, you two will follow Wineglass. She will be in charge of your duties.”

”Yes, sir,” the two girls nodded.

The steward took a second look at Arkke. She was the one whose slave status the Lord himself had annulled before arranging for her to come here. She was stunningly beautiful. ’I won’t speculate on the Lord’s intentions,’ he thought, ’but I will certainly not let this pretty little maid get too close to him. Even a man as rational as the Lord might lose his senses if he’s drunk. As his steward, it’s my job to remain sensible for him when he is not.’

The married couples of Lu Leiyi were famously faithful to one another, so unmarried nobles had an even greater responsibility to maintain their public image. That was precisely why there was a distinction between personal valets and lady’s maids, after all.

It was just like with ’Charming’ Becky Simon—no Baron with a title and a fief would ever take her as his wife, no matter how alluring she was.

”Alright,” Simon said. ”I’ll start by giving you a tour. Pay close attention. I will tell you which rooms are off-limits and go over the rules you must never break. After that, I will show you to your own quarters.”

”You may go home to see your families tonight, but from now on, you will be required to stay and work within the castle.”

The five nodded happily. They couldn’t wait to go home and share the joyous news with their families.

The sound of horse hooves came from outside.

”Hoofbeats. It seems the Lord has returned.”

The Lord didn’t go out often, but whenever he did, he made a beeline for his objective, as if he possessed a pair of eyes that could see the entirety of Porcupine Territory.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’look what happened to those wretched pirates who tried to sneak ashore, only to be wiped out to the last man. The Lord must have a powerful army hidden away somewhere, unknown to all.’

Leech strode quickly into the castle with his manservant, Pitchfork, close behind. He was lamenting, ”It’s a shame we didn’t build an icehouse. Looks like this summer is going to be rough.”

It was only spring, but the ride had already made the Lord uncomfortably hot. He could already imagine how miserable summer would be.

”My Lord!” Steward Simon led the greeting, and the five newcomers copied him. Their movements were clumsy, but their attitude was respectful. They would need more training.

”So these five are the new members of the household?” the Baron said with a nod. He gave Arkke a brief second glance before striding away. A lord couldn’t be bothered with a few new servants; he had more important things to do, like changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes.