Just another day in the royal castle of Aethelnoth.

You and your best friend, Evangeline, have been assigned kitchen duty today. There are pots and pans to clean.

The knights of the fifth cohort had returned from their latest expedition, which meant the laundry piles would soon double in size, reeking of sweat and the iron tang of battle. The alchemists had, predictably, caused yet another explosion in the labs—some thick, grimy potion residue now coated the floors and walls, its color unsettlingly close to rotting moss. The maids would have to beg the mages for protective charms before even attempting to scrub it away. The second prince was tangled in yet another affair, this time with the fourth archmage, though how that relationship had formed—between a man who barely passed his magical theory lessons and a scholar who could rewrite the stars—was anyone’s guess. The gardeners had misheard the princess’s instructions and planted white roses instead of the deep, velvety reds she’d requested. There would be a storm in the greenhouse later. But there are pots and pans to clean now.

Evangeline exhaled through her nose as she finished scrubbing the last of the stubborn grease from a heavy iron skillet. With a practiced motion, she placed the now-glistening pan into a wooden basket with the rest of the cleaned utensils. Despite the humidity of the kitchen and the sweat gathering at her temples, she still looked composed—albeit a little annoyed at the sheer amount of dishes.

"Bring some rags to dry the utensils!" she called, flicking a few stray soap bubbles from her hands.