Moving InIt had been about a week since
Val had been offered the job at the Marble Palace, she'd spent most of it on tenterhooks waiting to know if her background check had cleared, well in truth it had been more a question of when would it clear? As expected Jenny had been a little off put about Val moving out but she soon understood why, even if it had meant Val swearing her to secrecy, and now here Val was her bags packed and loaded into her car, her bike mounted to the rack on the back of the vehicle driving the little electric hatchback through Valtheim to the Marble Palace, stopping at the gate she went through the protocols and followed the directions parking up in what was regarded as the staff car park. Following that she unloaded her things, not being entirely sure what to do with them she started piling them up in the Palace's entrance hall, it was a fairly sizable amount of stuff, then
Peter arrived "Ms Kirby?" the Emperor
"Yes?" Val asked from behind a rather substantive pile of shoe boxes before going bright red with embarrassment when she caught sight of who it was "Your Majesty I'm sorry... I erm..."
"It's fine." Peter said "Would you like the guided tour?"
"Thanks." Val said
"First rule around here is quite simple." Peter said as he showed Val around the first few areas on the ground floor "Everyone who lives under this roof is family as far as I'm concerned so we operate on a first name basis, when we've got Government Ministers, ambassadors and guests they'll be some formality but for the most part there are no titles you're Val, I'm Peter and so on." he opened a door "This is my personal favorite room the library."
"Wow." Val said "Quite the collection."
"Serenity collects cars I collect books." Peter said "There's a ledger over there where you can log books out."
"I may just take advantage of that." Val said
"The Palace is a home there's very little office space." Peter said continuing the tour "As much as being in a Royal Family may be being in a family business this isn't an office space we don't work that way, most of my day to day meetings are in my study, if it's a nice day I may have them in the garden - if the Morelanders are coming then it's definitely outside because we'll be using the barbecue. If it's a crisis situation the meeting will be in the Round Table Room, I do need to point out that you do now have a security clearance."
"So I get to know stuff?" Val asked
"Yes." Peter said
A few moments later they were touring the upstairs the tour just about done "And this." Peter said opening a door "Is your room." he stood aside and let Val step inside, it was beyond anything Val was used to, a double bed, windows giving loads of light, a balcony, walk in wardrobe, en suite, wall length mirror to one side, desk, television and shelves.
"This is mine?" Val asked
"Sure is." Peter said "Astrid's room is next door, Lisa's opposite her, you've got Kitty that's Serenity's bodyguard across from you, and Serenity's room is at the end."
"Thank you." Val said
"Oh and if you want to use the ballroom for dance practice feel free to do so." Peter said "I'll let you settle in."
