Miku hadn't realized that her mouth was hanging open until a passing kitchen boy called out to her "Better close your trap before you start catching flies!" She closed her mouth and glared at the boy. He decided to start walking away quickly. Smart boy, Miku thought to herself. She decided to find the man in charge of assigning the jobs. Let's see, his office is around here somewhere. Miku looked around and saw a long hallway to her right that led to the offices of the main executives regarding the various jobs that Gumi had earlier mentioned overhearing talk about inviting the palace servants to the ball. She started to wonder, if all the servants were attending, then who would serve? Shaking her head to focus on the task at hand, she walked into the hallway. Lining the walls were doors, at least thirty on either side. Miku would have gotten lost if not for the plaques next to the doors that said the name of the person whose office it was. After walking past maybe ten doors, she came across one that read:
Dr. Hanketsu – Servant Assignment Coordinator
I guess this is it, Miku thought to herself. She took a breath and knocked. After about five minutes, a tall intimidating man came out of the office. When he saw Miku, surprise flitted across his face before he blinked it away and scowled down at her. His height and demeanor made Miku feel small. She had always thought of herself as willowy, but this man made her feel downright childish. After a moment the man spoke in a brusque, slightly irritated tone.
"Yes?" Clearing her throat, Miku gulped and then replied.
"Um, my name is Hatsune Miku, and I think that my job position may not be correct." She squeaked out the words at first and then tried to sound more confident. After a beat, the man did the last thing she expected. He smiled.
"Ah yes, Miku. Please come in and allow me to explain," he said turning to the side and holding the door open with one hand while gesturing with the other for her to walk in. The office was small and cozy, with classy furnishings, and comfortable padded chairs at the desk for her to sit on. He waved at the chairs.
"Please feel free to take a seat. Now allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Hanketsu, and as you most likely already know because of the lovely sign outside my door, I am in charge of the servant assignments. I also look over the work done by the servants, and using my observations plus recommendations from others I place you in a certain position based on your abilities." At this point he paused in his speech and held up a finger, then reached into one of his drawers and pulled out a manila folder. Opening it up, he showed her that the papers inside were progress reports. On her. Miku stared at the crisp pieces of paper and then at him questioningly.
"Excuse me sir, but I came because I was wondering if you may have assigned me to the wrong job. I know that people have been watching me closer lately, and I have often heard praise about my work, but I do not think that I am the most qualified to serve the prince directly and I think that there was not so much praise that someone would purposefully give me such an honorable position." He looked at her like she was crazy for a moment and then started to chuckle. He folded his hands on the table and smiled.
"My dear young Miku, you are becoming quite the talked about servant. All of your executors are raving about your work, your progress report has no discipline entries and you have an impressive track record regarding the quality of your work that is unmatched. To put it bluntly, you are currently the top servant in the castle. So it was not a mistake to assign the top worker to the top job was it? I could always assign you to the laundry room- that is if you would prefer it."
She stared at him, and after a beat she realized he was asking her for an answer. She quickly shook her head no.
"No, I am truly honored that I have received such a prestigious work position, and would not prefer laundry work to it. I was just unaware that I was so highly recommended." She sat fidgeting for a minute until he interrupted the silence the room had been engulfed in after she had finished talking.
"Well you better hurry. Wouldn't want to keep the prince waiting," Dr. Hanketsu said to her standing up and opening the door for her to depart. As she walked out he called her name. She turned around to face him.
"I do not think I have to remind you that the information I have disclosed regarding your servant status is not to be repeated. It is of the upmost confidence, and should be treated as such." She nodded once, stiffly, and then walked quickly down the hallway to find the prince's quarters. Dr. Hanketsu's words echoed in her ears all the way there. The information I have disclosed regarding your servant status is not to be repeated. It is of the upmost confidence, and should be treated as such. Why was her position as the top servant so secret? What bad could come of telling someone about it? His words were strange and she was not quite sure what to make of them. But even so, she decided to keep the information secret. At least for now.
Arriving at the Prince's chambers, she stopped- gathering the courage to knock. As she lifted her left hand and made it into a fist to rap on the door, her only thoughts were maybe I am not as good at blending in as I thought. Then her knuckles connected with the cool ebony wood of the elaborate door.
