She stayed at the inn for two days, spending most of her time in the room. Food was delivered to her three times a day.
Occasionally, when she grew bored of staying inside, she would lock her room door and go out for a short walk — making sure to wander only around the vicinity of the inn and not venture too far, as she was not yet completely familiar with the place and was afraid of getting lost.
Two days had passed, and she was still not fully adjusted to the new environment. Everything here was different from her native village. Settling down wasn't as easy as she had initially believed.
Myra was getting ready in her room. It was time to check out and head to the employment cell. She was hoping to have a new job by the end of the day.
She was brushing her long brown hair when she heard someone knocking on the door. Wondering who it might be, she placed the comb on the mirror stand and tied her hair up loosely before opening the door.
The innkeeper lady was standing there.
"You have thirty minutes to vacate this room," she said, rather rudely. "If you wish to stay longer, pay more."
Myra didn't like her tone—it reminded her of Aunt Lyla. "I'll be checking out soon," she stated.
The woman glared at her for a moment and then nodded before walking away. Sighing, Myra shut the door.
She packed her bag and looked around the room one last time to check if she had left anything behind. Taking a moment, she silently prayed for the universe to give her a job by the end of the day. If she wasn't able to find one, she would probably become homeless and end up on the streets.
That very thought alone made her feel scared. She had come this far trying to be independent, and now she was mentally freaking out.
Dropping the bag on the floor, she sat on the bed. Placing a hand on her chest, she patted it thrice, saying, "Calm down, Myra. Everything will be fine."
Inhaling and exhaling a couple of times to calm herself, she stood up and pulled out a few belongings from her bag.
She had brought along the viol bottle that Beth had given her years ago. Pulling it out, she stared at it.
Her gut told her she needed to keep it close—maybe like a lucky charm. Instead of placing it back in the bag, she tucked it into the pocket of her dress, alongside her father's pocket watch.
She had only twenty-six silver coins left now. If her employer didn't provide accommodation, she would have to spend some of that on renting a nearby place. Her expenses had turned out to be far more than she had expected, and at this rate, survival would become difficult if she didn't find proper work by the end of the day.
She kept motivating herself that everything would be alright, even though her instincts hinted otherwise. Repacking her bag, she left the room.
After handing over the keys at the reception desk, she made her way to the employment cell, which was just a five-minute walk from the inn.
It was around ten in the morning and the employment office was not that crowded as it had been two days ago.
Finding the officer who had given her the application, she walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir."
"Yes?" said the ori-blooded vampire man who was seated behind his desk, verifying a document. He lifted his head to look at her. He had pale red eyes and a stern expression. The imperial mustache above his upper lip made him appear even stricter.
"I filled out an application for work two days ago, and you told me to come here today," she said.
The vampire nodded and motioned for her to sit in the chair next to his desk, and she did so.
Instead of responding, the vampire resumed the verification work he'd been doing earlier, acting as though no one was sitting in front of him.
Myra waited patiently, fidgeting with her hands and restraining herself from interrupting him with questions about the job. She sensed he wouldn't take it well if she did.
Finally, after what felt like ages to her, the vampire closed the file he had been reading and lifted his head to look at her again.
"You were saying?" he asked, focusing on her now. He placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward slightly.
"Sir, two days ago I filled out a job application here, and you told me to come by today," said Myra nervously.
"Your name?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and searching one of the desk drawers.
Pulling out a brown-colored file, he opened it as she answered, "Amyra Brooke."
He flipped through the pages, searching for her name.
"There is a vacancy for a maid's post at the Swanson household," he informed her. "And another vacancy for a saleswoman at Hutton's Shoe Store."
She nodded, and the officer continued, "You get to decide where you want to work. But first, you'll need to meet both the owners and discuss the details with them. If they approve of you and you agree to the terms, then you can start working for them right away."
"Sir, how can I meet the owners? And before I meet anyone, I'd like to have a little information about both families," she said. "You see, I'm completely new here, and it would be helpful to know what I'm getting into."
"The Swansons are a trueborn demon family— quite affluent. Mr. Swanson is a high-standing official in the Ministry of Public Welfare and is related to the Arcadian Lord," stated the officer. "The Huttons, on the other hand, are a pureblooded vampire family with a long chain of clothing and shoe businesses across the land of Arcadia."
Myra stayed silent, processing the information — mentally debating which family to choose to work for.
"I'll give you both their addresses so you can meet with them and then decide," said the vampire officer.
He wrote the information down on a sheet of paper and handed it to her. Thanking him, she stepped outside, deciding to visit the Huttons first and then meet the Swansons.