A desperate mother, needing $100,000 for her child Leo, arrives at a castle to apply for a night bartender job offering an advance salary. She is immediately met with contempt by a castle staff member who calls her a 'lowly rat' and demands she kneel and lick a carpet to enter. When she asserts her right to a clear labor contract as a worker, not a beggar, the staff member orders guards to throw her out. As they move to eject her, an imposing, authoritative voice interrupts, demanding to know who is negotiating terms in his territory.