Chapter 4: Jackpot

A week had passed. Ryder continued his daily routine of serving customers and dealing with admirers, while also doing the occasional matchmaking. Now, a line has formed outside the Sea Conch Inn. The boss was foaming at the mouth seeing this. To think that a southern refugee could change a rundown inn filled with troublemakers to a spot where even nobles stop by to have a chat was unheard of, yet here Aries was: doing the impossible.

Ryder found his pay permanently increased to six gold coins per week and was also promoted as manager as the inn began to grow. After all, to keep up with the demand, the boss had to hire more chefs to support his wife, hire more servers to entertain the guests and hire more bartenders to charge Aries’ services a premium. Ryder was the one who gave that last idea.

If you have the chance to charge a premium, do it. Money is bliss. Money is happiness. Give him more money. Of course, with the increase in popularity among nobles and commoners, it was bound to cause some societal conflicts. The owner was forced to shell out some money to expand the inn to separate the nobles and the commoners while also having a common room for them to mingle if they wished. Until then, Ryder was in charge of ensuring the nobles and commoners didn't wreck the place in their scuffle.

It was exhausting. With more customers, Ryder got to witness stupidity beyond what could be considered human. There would also be the occasional troublemaker here and there, whether they be attempting to scam them by dining and dashing, harassing others, or just being a**holes. It was Ryder’s job to put their head on straight, escort them out, or punish them with some caning.

Despite this all, it was fun. Ryder had almost forgotten about his wish to ascend.

‘So this was the normal life…

It felt melancholic.

‘I wish everyone could be here.’

Xushan would hoard the ale all for himself. Gabriel would most likely be trying to stop Xushan, only to find himself drunk as well. William and Quetz would cause a mess, prompting Ornica to scold them both. Fenrir, that poor mutt, would sit outside in a stable because he was too big to fit in. Shanaya and Merial would help Ryder with the chores. Meanwhile, Ryder would just laugh while cleaning up the wine glasses. Once he was done, he would-!

A tinkling of the doorbell snapped Ryder out of his daydream. Right, he was alone. He continued to wipe the glasses clean. For some reason, it was very quiet. Too quiet. Ryder could hear curious whispers, but that was it.

“Uhm, excuse me,” a soft voice called out to him.

He turned towards the voice. The owner’s beauty was stunning. Her lips were a soft pink, her hair was white with a bluish tint. Her eyes were a stark blue that seemed to pierce Ryder with her gaze. Her white skin was clean of any blemishes or unsightly impurities. Ryder noticed that she was wearing a light blue blouse and a blue fedora with a white dove feather sticking out. There was no doubt in Ryder’s mind that she was a noble.

Most would see a gorgeous young woman in front of them and be enamored. Ryder was not like those pitiful men: he saw a walking pile of gold coins. Fortunately, Ryder was wearing his suit and tie today so he was well-dressed for the occasion.

“Good morning, miss. How may I serve you today?”

The woman seemed surprised for some reason. Ryder was sure he greeted her appropriately. The woman lightly cleared her throat before smiling, “Just a drink. Something cold and refreshing.”

“Alcohol?”

“None, please.”

“Understood, miss. Please wait a moment.”

Ryder spun his carving knife around, his usual routine before carving ice. Since the gold coins, ahem, noble woman wanted something cold and refreshing, there was nothing better than a small glass of one of the Sea Conch Inn’s specialty drinks: Gentle Ocean Breeze. It was the perfect drink for a hot day. It was cold enough to sooth your body, but not enough to cause your brain to ache.

Alpine berries from Nordheim for sweetness, a local Kayentra flower to add a flowery taste and looks, some lemon, some honey, and carbonated water as the base. He placed the glass in front of the noble woman.

She carefully drank the cup as if she was drinking tea. From the noble woman’s sigh of satisfaction, Ryder felt giddy. He looked at the boss who was, for some reason, very nervous while looking at Ryder.

‘We’ve just hit the jackpot, boss. We are going to be rich.’

The woman smiled.

“Thank you for the drink. It was splendid.”

“Thank you for your kind words, miss. I am glad that you liked it.”

With a smile, she gazed at Ryder up and down.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask for your name?”

“Of course not. The name’s Aries.”

The woman stood up and with a slight curtsy, she said, “Thank you for the service, Aries. I shall see you soon.”

See you soon. That meant…

‘A returning customer! And a noble woman at that!’

Ryder tried to push back his excitement from his smile as he escorted the woman out. He breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the boss with a wide smile. However, the boss did not smile back. He continued to stare at Ryder. In fact, Ryder was feeling a lot of stares on him.

“Is there a problem?”

The boss walked over to Ryder and placed twelve gold coins on his hand while putting his right hand on Ryder’s shoulder. He seemed to be almost crying.

‘What is going on?’

It was only later that he learnt that the noble woman he was serving was the Princess of the Empire of Gerechtigkeit herself.

***

Ryder was no stranger to royalty. After all, he himself was a personal attendant before. The Twilight Squadron itself was filled with some of the most important figures in the world: Xushan was the fiancé of a general’s daughter, William was a summoned Hero, Ornica was formerly a Duke’s daughter, Quetz was an heir of a Draconian Chieftain, Merial was the daughter of her enclave’s Elder, Shanaya was formerly a princess of the merfolk, and Gabriel was a well-renowned priest. Of course, those were former titles. As part of the Twilight Squadron, they were practically forced to serve in the Republic’s military for their freedoms.

Even so, Ryder was used to learning the ways of nobility of various cultures from his former companions. Therefore, he was in no way nervous about escorting the princess of the largest country in the world around the city.

Most people would overdress for the occasion, wearing extravagant clothes and suits. Ryder instead chose to go for a white cotton tunic with a dark brown linen shirt on top. He also wore a pair of light brown denim riveted pants which were a bit tight on the waist. Those pants were usually for hard laborers, but Ryder found them quite comfortable. Who cared if it was meant to symbolize the poor? He’d rather feel comfortable than be cooked under the sun in a dress shirt and woolen suit.

He also brought his cane, although that was more for self-defense than style. If only he had thought of buying one of those locket watches, he could truly look astounding.

“Aries, I see that you’re early.”

The soft voice of the Princess called out to Ryder. She wore a white linen summer dress with a wide-brimmed hat made of hemp fiber. Her skin glistened under the sunlight and her hair fluttered in the wind. All the eyes nearby stared at the duo as Ryder offered his left arm.

“Shall we, Your Highness?”

“Let’s. And please, call me by my name.”

“Alright, Arulia.”

Why was he here escorting the princess? Well, that was not because Ryder had caught the woman’s fancy…

“I wanted to ask you: should I continue with Aries or do you prefer Ryder?”