From atop a long staircase, a slightly tall young man with neatly combed black hair, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, ascended to a long hallway. He began to gaze at the hanging paintings. After walking for a while, he reached a closed red-painted door and knocked twice before asking:
"Ms Sabrina, may I come in?"
"Come in," responded the person behind the door in a feminine voice.
He then opened the door and stepped into the room, closing it behind him. Standing upright, Laos spoke to the woman before him as she approached him with smooth, graceful steps. Yes, this was Sabrina—or as Laos referred to her, the witch.
"Alright, I will now teach you the proper hosting manners and how to welcome guests with the utmost politeness... Understood?" Sabrina said, closing the gap between herself and the shy Laos.
"Understood," he replied, shifting his gaze to the knight statue in the room's left corner.
"Excellent. The first thing you need to learn in hosting etiquette is to smile at the guests... Now, Laos, show me your smile," instructed the witch.
Laos looked at Sabrina's face and gave a faint smile.
"That's great. Now, smile and say, 'Welcome to Princess Tiana's palace. We're honored by your presence.' Don't forget the smile," Sabrina added.
At that moment, Laos felt a bit embarrassed and asked himself, What am I even doing here? Then, he remembered that the gods had assigned him the NPC class. Clenching his teeth with frustration, a wave of hatred surged from his heart. Suddenly, Sabrina's demeanor changed, and she stepped back.
"What is this aura, Laos?" she asked, staring at his ordinary figure, trying to detect anything unusual.
"What do you mean?" Laos questioned, confused.
"You emitted a slightly sinister aura. Was it not you? No, it must be! No one else is within my sensory range but you!" Sabrina exclaimed, bewildered by the teenager standing before her.
"I didn't emit anything!" Laos responded, equally puzzled.
"Never mind, let's continue," Sabrina concluded.
Laos straightened up, then donned his usual smile and said in his voice:
"Welcome to Princess Tiana's palace. We're honored by your presence."
"Very good. Now, it's time for postures," Sabrina said as she walked to her desk and pulled out a white handkerchief.
She returned to Laos and draped the handkerchief over his right forearm, then slightly bent his arm upward.
"Alright, these handkerchiefs are crucial in hosting etiquette. If you notice the guest is sweaty or dirty, say, 'Here you go, sir,' and hand them the handkerchief. If it's a lady, say, 'Here you go, lady.' Now, start from the beginning with the handkerchief," Sabrina instructed with a faint smile.
"Welcome to Princess Tiana's palace. We are honored by your presence… Here you go, sir," Laos recited, standing straight and smiling.
"Amazing! Carrying out the steps flawlessly is truly impressive, Laos," Sabrina replied, staring directly into his eyes.
"Alright, now there's just one last step. After completing all the previous ones, extend your left hand slightly, bow a little, and say, 'Please, come in, sir,'" the witch added.
Laos straightened up, raised his left hand with the handkerchief draped over it, smiled, and recited:
"Welcome to Princess Tiana's palace. We are honored by your presence… It seems you're sweaty from the long journey. Here you go, sir."
"And now, please, come in," he added, bowing slightly.
"It seems you're sweaty from the long journey? That was a brilliant addition, Laos. It seems you've mastered everything," Sabrina remarked with a smile.
"Why not teach me magic instead so we can overthrow the royal family quickly, instead of teaching me this stuff?" Laos said with a sarcastic grin.
Suddenly, a terrifying violet aura filled the room—a truly overwhelming presence. Sabrina's eyes changed from silver to dark violet, an utterly horrifying sight. Laos instinctively stepped back and fell to the ground.
"I was just joking... It was only a joke," he stammered, shocked by Sabrina's piercing gaze.
The witch raised her hand, conjuring a fire spell, and pointed it at Laos with murderous intent. She advanced slowly, flames blazing in her palm, her violet eyes terrifying. At that moment, she was the epitome of a wicked witch.
"Never speak of this again," Sabrina declared, approaching the trembling Laos sprawled on the floor.
"Never... I'll never say it again!!! I promise!!!!" Laos screamed, closing his eyes and trying to move away from the intense heat radiating from her hand.
Suddenly, the spell and the ominous aura vanished. Sabrina returned to her normal state, a faint smile gracing her lips as she gazed at the pitiful Laos.
"You must keep your promise," she said, extending her hand to help him up.
Laos took her hand, and she helped him to his feet. After this incident, Laos' demeanor shifted dramatically. He dusted off his clothes, glanced at Sabrina, and asked:
"May I leave now?"
"Yes, but first, you need to know that someone important will be visiting my room today. They'll definitely pass through the second floor, so make sure to greet them in the best way possible," Sabrina replied as she returned to her desk.
"Who?" Laos asked.
"Princess Tiana," the witch answered.
"Understood," Laos muttered softly, exiting the room after opening the door.
"Who could that aura belong to? A spy from Deryal? Or was it Laos' aura… No, it's impossible for it to be Laos," Sabrina speculated, pondering the source of the aura after Laos left the room.
◆ ◆ ◆
Damn, what's wrong with this fucking witch? Sometimes she incites me to rebel, and other times she tries to kill me for even mentioning the idea. What the hell is going on in this palace? My God, Sabrina seems incredibly powerful. What a world… But strangely, despite all these moments, I still love this world. At first glance, when I found myself here, I thought I'd consider returning to my world. But I've never thought about going back… Is life here truly beautiful? Have I found the right place for myself? Anyway, today my job as a reception servant in this palace begins.
I went down to the second floor and headed to the reception area. There was one person standing there, with a handkerchief draped over his left arm. He was short, with animal-like ears, which made it clear he was a demi-human. He had short blond hair and wore the same outfit as mine, in addition to being a bit chubby. He looked like a big stuffed bear with a cheerful face.
"Are you Laos?" he asked, smiling as he looked at me.
"Yes," I replied.
After my answer, he quickly moved to a place where several handkerchiefs were kept and brought one. Man, his run was so funny. He's adorable, like a little bear. How is this guy a reception servant? Hilarious.
"Here's your handkerchief," he said, raising it high to hand it to me. Man, he barely reached my stomach. What a little guy.
"Thank you," I replied as I took the handkerchief from him.
"By the way, I'm Damiel, the only reception servant in this floor before you arrived. Also, I'm a half pigfolk, which is why I'm so short," he said with a laugh. What a pleasant person.
"Nice to meet you, Damiel," I said with a smile.
"I heard we'll be welcoming the princess today?" I added.
"Yes. Unfortunately, your first task will be to greet the princess," Damiel answered, noticing my arm almost lowering, prompting me to raise it again.
"Why?" I asked.
"The princess is an evil girl… She treats us like puppets," he whispered, looking around to ensure no one was listening.
"Really?" I added, surprised.
Sabrina mentioned something about this. I remember her saying I'd hate the royal family once I met Tiana. Is she truly that wicked?
"You'll see for yourself," he concluded.
A long silence followed, making me a bit anxious. Damiel was focused on his work, standing straight with a sharp gaze. He seemed highly experienced in this job. We stood silently, waiting for that fucking princess to arrive. By the way, she had piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to see her at any moment… Just when will she arrive?
Suddenly, as I waited in silence, I remembered the moment I hugged Maris. Oh, my God, that was so embarrassing! Damn, how did I muster the courage to do that? It was unbelievable, especially coming from a fucking introvert like me. Was this character development? That's really amazing… Man, I need to be more social.
Wait... we heard footsteps on the stairs. It was the princess. Our posture straightened immediately—well, only mine. Damiel was already as straight as a pole. A wave of tension and fear hit me, and I forgot everything Sabrina had taught me! Relax!
Deep breath… Exhale. Don't be afraid. Stand straight, bend your left arm with the handkerchief, and welcome the guest with a smile. After that, the princess appeared… My… God…
She was of average height, with long blond hair and a dress in shades of red and orange, resembling a peach, embroidered with golden threads. She wore a silver necklace with a blue gemstone and another with an emerald piece dangling on her head.
Her face was incredibly beautiful, and given there's no makeup in this world, she deserves a 10 out of 10 in terms of beauty. Her fair skin and semi-bare legs made her steps down the stairs while holding her dress to keep it from touching the steps. Even though the stairs were spotlessly clean, it was a habit of royal families to be so pompous.
Finally, we arrived at the critical stage: the boobs. She carried enormous ones, and I'm not joking. Her boobs were so big that I was sure she struggled to walk due to their weight. I loved every part of her… But let's not judge by appearance and see her personality.
She finally reached the floor and gave me a terrifying look. Then, she turned to the left, where Damiel stood. Suddenly, she grabbed one of his ears tightly and tried to lift him up. But all she managed to do was make the poor guy cry out in pain. After that, she began laughing.
"Damiel, you pig, when will you grow taller so I don't have to lower my head to see you?" she said, holding his ear tightly.
What should I do? Maybe she's doing this because he didn't perform the reception etiquette. Suddenly, I bent slightly and said, nervously:
"Welcome, Your Highness, to your palace. Please, take this handkerchief."
She let go of Damiel's ear and walked toward me, taking the handkerchief. Did I succeed? Suddenly, she slapped me with her hand, along with the handkerchief, and stared into my eyes.
"Are you the failure summoned by the goddess Lunariss?" she asked as she came so close to me that if I lowered my gaze just a bit, I could see her delightful boobs!
"Y…Yes," I replied, in the most extreme state of embarrassment and tension.
"This is your first day, huh? Work well, or you won't get your daily meals," she said as she walked away from us, heading toward the stairs.
Honestly, it wasn't that bad… or maybe she just hasn't done anything to me because I'm a new servant? But poor Damiel suffered during this reception. She was like a beast… but she's prettier than Maris! At least in terms of appearance, for sure.
"Did you see that?" Damiel said, holding his ears in pain. Sorry, but that's really funny.
"Yes… she's really a beast," I replied.
"But that's strange…" Damiel muttered.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Usually, she does worse than this… but she seemed different when she saw you," Damiel answered.
"Really?"
Does this mean she's fallen for me… ooooh, that would be amazing. I just hope she's not like Princess Malty from the Rising of the Shield Hero light novel.