Chapter : 643

A tall man stood on the small wooden porch. The man did not look like a normal resident of the Iron Rose District. He wore a very neat, crisp black uniform. A small silver badge rested on his lapel. The badge displayed a crossed fork and knife. He carried a leather clipboard in his hand.

"Good afternoon," the man greeted professionally. His voice was brisk and efficient. "I am the hiring manager for the Imperial Culinary Guild. I am looking for a young woman named Jasmin Eliot."

Jasmin heard her name. She stood up from the kitchen table. She walked into the narrow hallway. She looked at the man in surprise.

"I am Jasmin," she said slowly. "How can I help you?"

The manager stepped inside the doorway. He clicked a pen and looked at his clipboard.

"Your culinary instructor at the local academy gave me your name," the manager explained quickly. "He said you are extremely hardworking. He said you learn very fast and you follow instructions perfectly."

Jasmin blinked. She felt very confused. "Yes, I take culinary classes as an elective. But why are you here?"

"We have a massive emergency," the manager stated. He looked directly at her. He did not smile. He looked stressed. "The 1st Prince is hosting a grand Royal Gala tonight in the Inner City. It is the largest diplomatic event of the year. We are catering the entire banquet."

Khadija gasped softly from the kitchen doorway. She brought a hand to her mouth. "The Royal Gala? That is a huge event."

"It is a monumental event," the manager agreed. He tapped his pen against the clipboard. "And we are severely understaffed. Three of our kitchen helpers fell sick this morning. We need reliable, fast workers to replace them immediately. The pay is exceptional. We are offering triple the standard hourly rate for one night of work."

Jasmin’s eyes widened. Her jaw dropped open just a tiny bit. Triple the standard rate? One night of work at that pay scale would easily cover her next semester of university textbooks. It was a massive sum of money.

"You came all the way to the outer district to find helpers?" Brandon asked quietly. He looked slightly suspicious.

"We need people who know how to chop vegetables and wash dishes without complaining," the manager answered bluntly. "The Inner City applicants are too slow. Your instructor promised me Jasmin is not afraid of hard work. The shift starts in two hours. You will assist the head chefs in the back kitchens. You will not interact with the royal guests. Are you available?"

Jasmin did not hesitate for a single millisecond.

"Yes!" Jasmin answered enthusiastically. She nodded her head rapidly. "I am available! I can chop vegetables very fast! I will take the job!"

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The manager finally smiled a small, relieved smile. He handed her a piece of paper. "Excellent. Take this transit pass. It will grant you access to the service entrance at the palace. Wear comfortable shoes. It will be a very long night."

The manager bowed quickly. He turned around and walked back down the dirt path. He climbed into a waiting carriage and rode away.

Jasmin stared at the transit pass in her hand. She felt a massive surge of excitement. This was an incredible opportunity. She spun around and hugged her mother tightly.

"Did you hear that, Mom?!" Jasmin cheered happily. "Triple the pay! I can buy all my math books! I do not have to worry about the tuition fees this month!"

"I am so proud of you, sweetheart," Khadija beamed. She kissed Jasmin’s forehead. "You always work so hard. You truly deserve this chance."

Brandon smiled a very warm, gentle smile. He patted his daughter's shoulder. "Just be careful in the Inner City, Jasmin. The nobles can be very demanding. Keep your head down and do your job."

"I will, Dad," Jasmin promised. She ran up the wooden stairs to her bedroom. She needed to find her plain black work shoes.

As she grabbed her shoes from the closet, a sudden, very funny thought popped into her mind.

"Wait a minute," Jasmin thought to herself. She paused. She held a black shoe in her hand. "The manager said this is the grand Royal Gala. All the top Royal units will be attending. That means the 13th Unit will definitely be there."

Jasmin started to laugh. It was a bright, amused laugh.

"Ken is going to be there," Jasmin realized. She shook her head in sheer disbelief. "My lazy, sloppy brother is going to a fancy royal party. He is going to be surrounded by kings and princes."

She pictured Ken in her mind. She imagined him wearing an oversized suit. She imagined his shirt hanging untucked. She imagined him loudly complaining about the food and slouching against a marble pillar.

"He is going to cause a massive scene," Jasmin decided instantly. She tied her shoelaces. "He probably spilled sauce on his clothes before he even left the estate. He is going to embarrass himself in front of the entire capital city."

Jasmin grabbed a clean white apron from her drawer. She folded it neatly. She felt a strong sense of sibling rivalry. She was going to the palace to do actual, hard manual labor. She was going to chop vegetables and scrub massive cooking pots for hours. Meanwhile, her slacker brother was going to stand in a beautiful ballroom and eat free food.

It was unfair. But it was also typical.

"If I see him sneaking into the kitchen to steal extra snacks, I am going to pinch his arm," Jasmin promised herself. She smiled a confident smile.

She ran back down the stairs. She waved goodbye to her parents. She walked out of the small white stone house. She hurried down the dirt path toward the transit station.

The sun began to set over the capital city. The sky turned a beautiful, warm shade of orange and purple. The massive event was rapidly approaching.

Miles away in the Inner City, Ken Eliot sat in a bumpy, dark carriage. He scratched at his itchy white collar. He complained loudly about the lack of comfortable cushions. Naomi smiled and patted his shoulder, telling him to survive just one more hour.

In the outer district, Jasmin rode a fast transit train. She tapped her foot nervously. She reviewed chopping techniques in her head. She was ready to work hard.

The lazy brother and the hardworking sister were both heading to the exact same spectacular event. They approached the Royal Gala from two different worlds. The grand palace doors were about to open, and the long, exhausting night of fake smiles and boring nobles was officially ready to begin.

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The grand ballroom buzzed with polite conversation. Crystal chandeliers sparkled brightly near the painted ceiling. Wealthy nobles stood in small circles. They held tall glasses of sparkling juice. They laughed at polite jokes. The music played softly from a string quartet in the corner.