Let's go our separate ways

Part 24

Goodbye, sanity. Welcome, insanity.

In the end, with a touch of compassion, Flos agrees on a trade with the King's aide. She will go to the King's office to send healthy meals or snacks she made in the agreed time to make sure the  King's aide can take a breather in his job. The duration of the trade is her time staying in the Capital. The payment is 5x the prize money she won from the competition held by Her Majesty that Rhythm participated in.

So much money belongs to Flos! Retirement fund, secured!

"You genuinely have a lot of money," Flos eyes the man up and down

"I still have more," the King's aide agrees wholeheartedly with a nod, "But what's the use of the money when today is my 1st day off?"

"Go out shopping then?" Flos suggests with a careless shrug, not caring what the King's aide does with his money

"I don't have anything to buy..." the King's aide hesitates, "Anything I need has been taken care of by my life assistant,"

Flos gives the man a pointed stare for this sudden revelation, "Life. Assistant,"

The King's aide nods, "I call him my life assistant, but he is just, you know, a butler of His Majesty that takes care of my daily life,"

Is that not good enough? "Do you pay him?"

"His Majesty pays him," the King's aide answers absentmindedly as he glances at Rhythm and the children working on the land to eliminate the pests

So. This guy here. He complains about his job a lot, which is well-deserved but still enjoys the special care given by the King. Huh. Although these benefits from the King are to keep this aide working for him. Huh.

"Can't you hire your life assistant to bring you food?" Flos looks at the King's aide oddly, not quite suspicious of his motive for hiring her, but thinks that he could have saved himself from stomachache long ago if he did that before her arrival in the Capital

The King's aide blinks at Flos blankly, as if such a thing has never occurred to him, "He cleans the house and takes care of what I need, not babysit me,"

Flos's eyebrows raise in surprise, "Are you saying- Do you mean- You hire me to babysit you???" Flos feels like she is losing intelligence talking to this man

"Of course not," the King's aide quickly assures Flos, "I hire you to be my doctor,"

"I am a herbalist," Flos does not have a headache, but she still can't help but hold her head

"I know," the King's aide laughs lightly at Flos's repeated rectification, "However... Well, okay. You will be my herbalist then,"

Seeing him grinning so happily, Flos thinks she should reconsider this trade.

"When do you want the money?" the King's aide cheerfully asks Flos, "Do you have a bank account?"

Bank account... "My Village doesn't have a bank, so it's pointless for me to have 1,"

"But you can't possibly carry so much money with you right?" the King's aide has doubts, "If you want, I can give you cash. Although I think it's too heavy to carry all that gold coins,"

This man does have a point. Rafflesia Village doesn't have a bank, and neither does the Town nearest to the village. But the Town next door does have a bank. Although it's far, maybe that's also a good thing? With no money on hand, the money spent won't be like running water.

"I will go register an account then," Flos decides so, "But I don't know when or how,"

"Your work is finished, right?" the King's aide grins, still cheerful, "Why don't we go to the bank now? I can transfer your payment by the way,"