Chapter 736: New Jobs

By the time that the meal was finished, the notification had been sent out, and posted on the jobs board by Dave.

That was enough to draw curious jobseekers, and gossip minded individuals to the board to see what had come available. And what they found was precisely what the city had been hoping for.

Jobs that weren’t listing trade skills as a requirement.

Many of the refugees were shop workers or domestic help before the disaster. They didn’t know carpentry, magitech or any of the other skills that the factories wanted. But they did know cooking and cleaning in a Noble house.

“Well, that is interesting. Full-time domestic help, part-time cleaners, even a listing for an inheritable position as head maid of a family.

Now that is impressive. But do we have anyone who qualifies?”

“I think that we do. There are a few aunties with the experience, if they’re willing to come out of retirement instead of living off the hard work of their children,” one of the women taunted.

She had a good job at the auto factory, she could afford to tease the others her age who hadn’t found work yet.

Finding work for one person in the family was generally enough to keep the bills paid in Wistover. But having work for more than one, especially from different generations of the family, was so much better.

“It says that we can gather at dinner, and they’ll have the Nobles ready. Does that mean we can get dinner at the Manor? That alone is worth applying.

If it’s the new people, there are only going to be a dozen jobs for all of us. But who knows if they’re all someone you would want to work for. Now that we’re in Wistover, we’ve got some options, and we’re not bound to follow the only Nobleman in the region.”

The others laughed quietly at the optimistic boy. He had come from somewhere in Dagos, going by his accent.

In Dagos, the commoners working for the Nobles were only one step better than living in slavery, so his enthusiasm for finding a decent Noble that wasn’t going to claim his entire life in return for work.

But more importantly, they might actually get to meet the new Princess earlier than anyone else if they went for the hiring event.

There was no guarantee that Princess Alexis would bring the baby out to see them, but it was possible.

And possible was enough.

Princess Katerina seemed happy to oblige, and when everyone started to gather in the back garden to meet the prospective employers, she was very vocally demanding to join in on whatever it was that she could hear.

Her eyesight wasn’t yet good enough to see from her nursery to the garden, but the window was open for fresh air, and she knew that they were doing something interesting.

Being alone was simply not acceptable.

Dominic laughed as he saw a veiled maid bouncing the little one on her hip, standing on the balcony overlooking the garden. The guests hadn’t noticed yet, but it was only a matter of a few more seconds before the noise of a baby, an uncommon one in a Ducal Manor, would attract their attention.

The first looks came from a few of the wives, when Alexis turned up to look at the balcony, smiling at the loud little bundle in the veiled maid’s arms.

The one holding the baby was Wendy, the carpenter’s wife. She had four daughters that were also among the veiled maid force, so she certainly had enough experience to know how to calm a screaming baby.

But Princess Katerina was a different beast altogether than her own children.

She didn’t just make noise to bring attention to things she needed. She made noise to see what happened, or simply to make someone pick her up. Even when the bassinet was rocking, there was a chance that she simply wanted a person to make the exact same motion for her.

Not a similar one, that would bring a complaint.

The exact same motion, except with her held in a person’s arms. The only one who was apparently allowed to just bounce her however he pleased was Dominic. They had their own game going at this point, and nobody else understood the rules.

Dominic gestured for the baby to be brought down, so he could use her as a shield against people who wanted to ask annoying questions.

If you were holding a baby, all questions became about the baby.

Easy win.

Unfortunately for him, Alexis also knew this trick, and intercepted Wendy before she made it across the garden, claiming the young Princess for herself. People would be less boisterous with their congratulations if she was holding the little one, who looked so peaceful and happy in her cocoon of blankets.

Not that the weather was bad, and she needed warmth.

They just didn’t want everyone to know that she had both horns and wings just yet.

If someone did come to try to swap out the Princess, they would have to do it soon, before the familial resemblance became too clear to easily fake. But if they didn’t know about the wings, it would be caught immediately.

“Will there be more Noble Household jobs available in the near future?” An older woman asked, clearly not impressed with the options that were here.

Or perhaps it was the fact that she was much older than the young women who were getting most of the attention. The expression on her face could go either way.

“There might be some at the Baronies and Knights’ homes, but I can’t say for certain. They might pick someone from their territory instead of looking in the city.

However, there is one couple that might be a good fit.

The husband’s family is known for their wandering eye, and the wife is a jealous sort. If you’d like to go over there and chase off the hussies, I’m certain that she would hire you just for the favour.”

The older woman chuckled as Dominic looked in the right direction.

It was obvious who she meant, as the wife was grilling all the young women who came to apply, scaring them away, much to her husband’s increasing frustration.

He just wanted domestic help, not a mistress. But his father and brother had a bad enough reputation that his own wife didn’t trust him around young women.

“Thank you, Your Grace. I had assumed that she was simply an insufferable person to work for. Any noblewoman who makes a servant cry before even hiring them is not usually a good option.”

“Go and see. She might actually be a miserable person. But I suspect it’s not the case.”

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