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bloodlandsbook > The Princess of Comfort Castle > A New Career Path

A New Career Path

  "So, as you can clearly see," Maximilian said, "it's best if we sell off our share of OpenNet since the upcoming release of NewSilicon's chips will make their AI software obsolete, meaning that they'll quickly lose their overwhelming market share."

  The Board considered Maximilian's words carefully, but Max knew that he'd got them.

  No one at their firm did due diligence like Max did. He'd consider every angle, but never be so overly cautious that he couldn't make a move before the chaos of the market made his strategy obsolete. His trading strategies had brought in millions to the firm, and everyone in the room knew it.

  "All in favor of divesting our OpenNet shares?" A senior member of the Board asked. Of the thirteen members, eleven raised their hands.

  "Very well then." The senior member said. "We'll let our investors know and have them sold by closing bell. Meeting adjourned."

  With that, everyone got up and began to shuffle out the door. Max began to pack up his documents and making sure everything was in order on his personal ptop before disconnecting it from the smartboard and leaving the meeting room.

  He walked down the white halls of Millennium Capital towards his office, passing by rows of rookie traders facilitating transcations, jumping from phone to phone as they watched stock feeds on multiple monitors. Millennium was rising up the ranks in the investing world, and it was all thanks to the hard work of everyone involved.

  This was Max's whole world. No romance for him, he was strictly about the grind. He wasn't in this business for Lamborghini or yachts, though. He kept enough of his sary to live comfortably in a nice brownstone apartment, with a nice TV, some game consoles and books, and a rge bed, but the rest he donated to various charities. He was big into effective altruism; why dig a well in a vilge somewhere when you can make enough money to pay ten people to dig ten wells?

  he went back to his office to make sure that everything was organized before he left that day. Max kept his workstation meticulously well-kept, with a pce for everything and everything in its pce. His workstation was fine, as usual, and so he put his ptop in his backpack with a few other personal accoutrements and left the office.

  He thought about what he'd do when he got home as he rode the subway. Perhaps he'd py a video game or two before bed. He had an affinity for puzzle and strategy games; he often found that they help keep his brain sharp for the job, though the older employees at Millennium doubted his testimony. He might read a book too; most of his library consisted of well worn out paperbacks by financial gurus the world over. Or maybe he'd go on his computer and read some articles from Forbes or the Wall Street Journal.

  He was brought out of his contemption when he noticed a woman sitting on a bench with an open seat next to her. Max could have sworn that she wasn't sitting there before, because he would have noticed if she was. She had gorgeous wavy brown hair that stopped just a bit below her shoulders. She was wearing a knitted sweater with a long brown skirt, the perfect outfit for the autumn season. She was so pretty that max really couldn't help but stare, and then the woman noticed him. Max was about to die from embarrassment when the woman smiled and patted the open seat next to her. Max walked over and took the seat, smiling at the woman.

  "Thank you." Maximilian said. "My legs were starting to get tired."

  "Don't mention it." the woman said, her voice smooth and melodic. "I'm Cassie."

  "Maximilian."

  "That seems a bit--"

  "Old fashioned? Yeah, my dad picked it out. Said it came from 'maximus', so you know, he had high expectations."

  "Was he right?"

  "Well, if you call working on Wall Street being 'the greatest' then yeah, I suppose so."

  Cassie's eyes narrowed.

  "Hey, I swear I'm not a crook." Maximilian said. "I work at Millennium, and it seems like we're the only ones not doing shady stuff these days."

  "You invest in crypto?"

  "God no. Currency but you have to wait hours for a payment and it might be worth less when you get it? Stupidest idea I ever heard. Besides, imagine expining blockchain technology to a bunch of septuagenarian board members."

  Cassie giggled. "Alright, Mr. Super Banker, I didn't mean to offend."

  "None taken."

  They sat in silence for a bit after that.

  "Can I ask you something, Max?"

  "Hm?"

  "You ever wish your life turned out differently?"

  Max turned to look at the woman. "Awfully personal question for a subway acquaintance."

  "Humor me."

  Maximilian thought about the question for a moment.

  "I mean, I got pretty much anything that a...a guy could ask for."

  Cassie raised an eyebrow at Max's hesitance. "That doesn't really answer the question."

  "Well, my life is a bit 'work, work, work', you know, but it pays off. I got a great pce, plenty of money to give away...it's nice."

  "I'll ask again; do you ever wish anything was different?"

  Max took a second to consider the question seriously. Did he really have anything he wanted to change?

  Besides...well, that?

  "I...guess I'd like if I didn't have to work, you know?" Max eventually said. "Just have everything taken care of for me. I'd still want a way to help people, though. But if I had the chance I'd, I don't know, maybe catch up on some reading, py video games, maybe get new stuff for my wardrobe, stuff like that?"

  Cassie smiled.

  "Finally, I get an honest answer out of you." she said.

  "Hey, I've been nothing but honest since we met." Max said.

  The subway came to a stop and the doors opened. Cassie stood up and dusted herself off.

  "Well, this is my stop." She said. "See you around, Max."

  With that, she got off the train, leaving Max alone feeling some confusing emotions.

  ***

  The subway eventually came to his stop and he got off, joining the mass of people heading up the stairs and out into the chilly autumn air. Max hailed a taxi and rode a few blocks over to his apartment building. He tipped the cab drive and then took the elevator up to his floor.

  He stepped into his apartment and let out a deep contented sigh. Just like his office, his apartment was a well organized space with very minimal decoration. There was a couch facing his TV, under which was an entertainment center with his gaming consoles. to his immediate right was the kitchen and dining area, and over behind the couch was the door that lead to his bedroom.

  However, there was one thing out of pce.

  On the coffee table between the couch and the TV was an envelope. The envelope hadn't been there when he'd left, and Maximilian had neglected to check his mail when he came upstairs, so it couldn't have been in his mailbox.

  The envelope itself was square and purple in color, with a pink heart sticker sealing it. Maximilian could feel his curiosity growing; who could have gotten this envelope into his apartment and why? Was this some roundabout serial killer thing? Max thought about it for a moment and then decided that it'd be better to see what was inside the envelope and know what he was dealing with than to ignore it.

  He walked over to the table without taking off his backpack and picked up the envelope. It didn't seem special other than it's cutesy aesthetic. He popped off the heart sticker and opened it up. Inside was a folded pastel pink piece of paper. Max unfolded the paper to reveal a letter written in flowing cursive.

  Dear Future Princess,Hello! Apologies for the suddenness of this message, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm looking for someone to fill in for me now that my tenure as Princess of Comfort Castle has come to an end, and I think that you'd make the perfect candidate!The job is pretty low-effort, so think of this as a chance to grow into yourself a bit. Isabel will be able to give you anything you need, and I do mean anything. Don't worry about your job or anything, the magic will make sure everything is just as you want it when you come back. Enjoy your new job, Princess!

  Always yours, Princess Cassandra

  Max chuckled to himself. Seriously? Who was this meant for, a five year old?

  Just then, an electric hum began to fill the air. Max felt his skin break out into goosebumps as the air began to smell faintly of ozone. Then the letter itself began to glow. It's soft pastel pink turned neon, and then it became blindingly bright. Max tried to drop it to the ground but found that it seemed to be stuck to his hand. He began to shake his arm frantically, but it was no use. This was a very stubborn letter.

  Then Max felt an electric shock pass through him, his vision went white, and he passed out.

  ***

  When Max woke up, he could feel something soft brushing against his face, and he could hear rustling leaves nearby. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was ying on his side in a meadow. He was surrounded by tall pine trees, but there was a break in the treeline nearby that had a dirt road. Nearby was his backpack lying in the grass, seemingly unharmed.

  Max sat up and realized he was wearing something different. Instead of his business casual attire, he was wearing some sort of flowing white gown. The wind made it billow in a way that was very unfamiliar to Max.

  Feels kind of nice... He thought. Then he realized that he better check to make sure there was something under it.

  When Max was assured that his modesty was protected, he looked over at the path. There was a bend in it soon after it started, so Max couldn't see where it led. Max figured that someone had to have made the path, and that someone might be able to tell him where he is, so he grabbed his backpack and started to walk down it.

  The path twisted and turned through the trees, but there weren't any steep inclines so it was easy going. Max could hear birds singing overhead, and once a rabbit ran across the path in front of him. The scene had a very tranquil atmosphere, which made Max feel just a little bit better about his strange circumstances.

  Soon the path opened up onto a hill side. A rge valley stretched out below Max, filled with tall green grass and all sort of wildlife. Deer pranced through the fields, birds flew overhead, and an azure blue river ran through it all, glistening in the sun. Far to his left (or west, I guess Max thought) was some kind of vilge. It was a loose collection of cabins surrounding a town square.

  But the real centerpiece of this pastoral dispy was the castle.

  It stood at the edge of the valley, near the base of a tall snow capped mountain that acted as the other boundary of the pin. It was built out of some kind of pink stone. Max could see from his elevated perspective that the castle seemed to have a weird polygonal shape; it looked as if sections had been added on over time, resulting in a sprawling complex. Tall towers rose at it's corners, their roofs tiled with purple stone and each flying some kind of banner that Max couldn't make out from where he was standing. The path he'd been walking seemed to run through the valley and directly to the front door of the castle.

  "Well," Max said, "not like I got much else to do."

  With that, Max continued on his way, hoping someone at the castle would be able to expin all of this to him.

  The path was long, but Max didn't even feel tired. Even though he didn't know where he was, he could at least appreciate the natural beauty of the ndscape. Max tried to think back to the st time he'd been able to appreciate nature like this. Last time would have been that camping trip with his mother. He remembered it fondly. She'd saved up so much money just so they could spend a weekend in Upstate New York. It was a precious memory to him.

  Even though it had happened right before...

  Before...

  Max shook his head. No point in worrying about all that. Right now he needed to focus on figuring out where the heck he was.

  He kept walking until he came to the gates of the castle. The structure was surprisingly imposing up close; it wasn't exactly threatening, per se, but it was a lot bigger than he'd thought it be. A simple heart crest was engraved above the portcullis, but there weren't any other identifying features around.

  Max looked around.

  "Well, guess there isn't exactly a doorbell." He muttered to himself. He cleared his throat.

  "HELLOOOOOO!" he yelled. "ANYONE THEEEERRRRREEEEEE?"

  "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?" Came a voice from above.

  Max looked up and saw that someone was leaning over the top of the wall, but the sun was shining so brightly that Max couldn't make out anything other than a silhouette.

  "CAN YOU HELP ME? I'M LOST!" Max said!

  "WHO ARE YOU?" The figure said.

  "MAXIMILIAN WELLS!"

  "OH, YOU'RE THE NEW PRINCESS!" The figure said. "ONE MOMENT, I'LL OPEN THE GATE FOR YOU!"

  "HEY, I'M NOT--"

  But it was too te, because the figure had already disappeared from the top of the wall.

  The gate suddenly lurched, and the portcullis began to rise up. Behind it was a rge wooden door, which began to swing open. Max stepped forward.

  The door opened to a rge courtyard. Water sprouted from a nearby fountain. Flower beds full of wildflowers lined the path, which transitioned from dirt to cobblestone as Max entered the castle's walls.

  To his immediate left was a man in a set of tight leather armor. He seemed almost out of pce compared to the surroundings, his bulging muscles and sword hanging at his side contrasting heavily with the cozy atmosphere of the courtyard. He had a short crop of dirty blond hair, and a small beard on the very tip of his chin. He wiped his brow as he approached.

  "Sorry about that, didn't expect you so soon." The man said. "I'm Pierre, the castle guard."

  "Uh, Maximilian." Max said.

  "Yes, Cassandra has high hopes for you." Pierre said. "If you could follow me, Isabel will be able to expin everything."

  With that Pierre turned on the ball of his feet and walked off towards a rge building at the other end of the courtyard. Max sighed and followed, feeling that there wasn't much else he could do in this situation.

  They came to the door of a building that Max guessed was the castle's keep (or would it be a citadel? Max thought), and Pierre pushed the doors open all by himself. Inside was a grand hall. Large velvet curtains hung over the massive windows on the walls, and a long carpet id on the floor leading to a small stage with a chair. It was shaped like a throne, but it was made out of some sort of plush material that made it resemble a beanbag chair forced into a throne like shape. Sitting in the throne was a woman with long red hair wearing a long green gown. She perked up as Max walked in and rose from the throne.

  "Aw, welcome Maximilian." the woman said. "I am Isabel. We have been expecting you."

  "Uh, OK, then maybe you can expin some things." Max said, steepling his fingers. "Mainly, what the heck is going on?"

  Isabel chuckled, a melodic sound. "Of course, of course. Here, let me y out a little something. I'm sure you've come a long way."

  Isabel waved her hands, and a purple sparkly fog appeared in the middle of the hall. It evaporated away to reveal a small table with some chairs. A tea set sat on top of the table. Isabel took a seat and gestured for Max to take the seat opposite to her. Max left his backpack next to the table did so. Isabel took the teapot and poured some tea into Max's cup. Max took a small sip; Lady Grey, his favorite, and at the perfect temperature too. Isabel poured some for herself and picked up her cup.

  "Now then, allow me to answer a few common questions." Isabel said, sipping her tea. "You're currently at Comfort Castle, located in Paradis Valley. We operate a sort of...escape from wider society. Most people come to Paradis to find themselves as it were. There's a vilge to the west of here that's filled with those who are seeking care."

  "I, uh...OK." Max took a sip from his tea.

  "Your job as Princess is going to entail welcoming people to the valley and ensuring that their recovery is progressing." Isabel expined. "A lot of your time will also be spent here at the castle."

  "Doing...what, exactly?"

  Isabel shrugged. "Whatever you'd like. You're a Princess, after all."

  "OK, let's circle back to that." Max said. "You keep saying I'm a Princess, but I'm, well..." Max gestured at his whole body.

  Isabel tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

  "I'm...I'm a guy." Max said, hesitating a little. This whole thing was stirring some uncomfortable feelings in his chest.

  "Hmmmm." Isabel said. "Pierre, do you have the documents from Cassandra?"

  "Of course, m'dy." Pierre said. He pulled some folded out documents from a back pocket and presented them to Isabel. She looked over them carefully, her gaze flicking back and forth between Max and the paper. For the first time in a while, Max felt nervous. Usually he was the one in control of these sorts of situations, but now he felt like he'd fallen into Wondernd and everything was topsy turvy.

  Heck, for all he knew, he really had fallen into Wondernd.

  Max's thoughts about the possibility of using this experience to write a third unofficial Wondernd book when he got back to his apartment were interrupted when Isabel cleared her throat.

  "Well, it seems like everything is in order. Cassandra chose you to be the new Princess, so she must have seen something in you that made you qualified."

  "Any chance we could change the title?"

  Isabel shook her head.

  "Ok, what about getting back to my world?" Max said. "Any way we can arrange that?"

  "Well, Princesses usually serve for a minimum of one year--"

  "A YEAR?"

  "--but you can serve longer if you want."

  "I can't just leave my life behind for like, a year, I have a job, responsibilities--"

  "Oh, no need to worry about that." Isabel said. "Time passes very differently between our two realms. A year here is about an hour over there."

  "I-Ok, so, like, I'm just stuck here?"

  "For the time being, yes, but that's like saying your stuck in a spa, as Cass would say." Isabel expined.

  Max sighed. "Can I just...do you have a room I can stay in, or something? This is a lot to process."

  "Of course." Isabel said, setting her tea down and standing up from her chair. "If you could just follow me please."

  Max picked up his backpack and followed her as she walked out of the great hall. They walked through the courtyard and came to a door on the eastern wall.

  "There's a hallway past this door. Your room is at the very end." Isabel expined. "You'll want to leave your hand on the doorknob for a moment before you enter. The room is enchanted to change itself to appeal to each tenant."

  Isabel stood aside. Max opened the door and walked into the hall. Like everything else in Comfort Castle the walls were made of pink stone, and there was a long plush carpet leading to an ornate white-and-gold door at the end of the hall. When Max reached the door he let his hand rest on the doorknob as instructed, and he felt the doorknob buzz for a second before stopping. With that, Max opened the door, expecting a space much like his apartment.

  That is not what he got.

  The room inside looked as though it had been designed for a young girl. There was a massive canopy bed with curtain all around it. There was a bookshelf filled not with the business books he'd expected, but instead plenty of manga, fantasy, and what appeared to be arts and crafts books. There was a nearby TV with all the game consoles he'd had back home and his whole game library, along with a few new ones he didn't recognize. Max walked over to the closet and threw it open to find a wide variety of clothes, all of them far more colorful and stylish than what he'd typically wear.

  No, these aren't stylish! Max thought. This pce is just messing with me! I can't really want this...

  All of this was bringing back some memories Max though he'd move past a long time ago.

  ***

  Max was on a camping trip with his Mom high up in the Catskills, and he'd made of his mind.

  He was going to tell his mom that he wanted to be a girl.

  He didn't know if he'd call himself a girl yet, or if that's really how any of this worked, but he knew there were people out there who had made the change, so he at least wanted to try.

  The night he pnned to tell her they were sitting around a campfire, making s'mores and ughing. It was a great time. Then his mom had sighed and told him that she needed to tell him something.

  She expined how with her and Dad splitting up, they weren't going to be able to go on as many trips like this. Things were going to be tougher, she was going to be away from home more, and that they wouldn't be able to do as much together anymore. Max stayed silent. She asked if he understood. He nodded.

  There was no way he could throw a wrecking ball like this through her life. Not right now.

  So, he studied. He stopped talking to his friends as much, tried to stop staring at the girls who got to wear pretty clothes, tried to stay away from anything remotely girly so he could provide for his mother. That's what he was supposed to do, right?

  He got an MBA. He got hired at Millennium. He sent as much money to his mom as he could, and soon she was living comfortably again. No more paycheck to paycheck. But by then his whole life had become about earning money.

  He wasn't stupid. He saw how his female coworkers were treated. He stood up for them whenever he could, but he didn't know if he'd be able to handle that himself. He'd been Maximilian for twenty four years. He could deal with it. At least, that's what he told himself.

  ***

  Now he was here, staring at all the girl clothes he could ask for in the most feminine room imaginable, with no pressure, no need to clock in tomorrow, and with everyone around him calling him Princess and making him...feel things.

  He found something in the pile of clothes. A white camisole. It could almost pass for a guy's undershirt. He took a deep breath.

  Ok. Screw it. What did Isabel say? It's like being stuck in a spa?

  Max carefully took off his shirt, not looking down at his chest, and then slipped the camisole on. It fit perfectly. It was soft, far softer than anything he'd normally wear. It was like something a girl would wear.

  Max took off his pants and climbed into the bed in his cami and boxers. The sheets were soft, almost impossibly so. He closed his eyes and sighed.

  Ok. He could do this. He could be a princess. He could even deal with all the girlishness. He'd get back to his normal life, do his normal job, and do normal things.

  But...while he was here...he could maybe possibly probably try out a few things that he'd never tried before.