It was evening and ra had retired to her quarters. She bounced up and down after she plopped down on the soft and smooth bed, her face burying into the pillows. A loud sigh ca forth from her lips before turning around facing the ceiling.
Sohow, it was more tiring than before. No, actually, it had been more tiring for a couple of days, and a bit more stressful. There were a lot of things on her mind.
She had been terribly careful not to stand out, but why? Why were the princess and Vernon acting that way? It was what she feared.
If what I’m thinking is right then…
She was anxious that everything she had worked on would beco worthless. She thought hard on what she should do. However, it was easier said than done. It felt like she could do nothing about it.
Grabbing a pillow from the back of her head, she placed it upon her forehead covering her eyes. The softness of the pillow brought so relief within her.
“Hey ra, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting as though no one else is here.”
She heard the voice of her fellow maid.
ra put away the pillow from her forehead and turned her body to face the other maid sitting nonchalantly on the side of her own bed. The maid was still wearing her maid outfit, her curly pale golden hair was let loose, her blue eyes looked towards ra with a bit of curiosity.
“Nothing.”
“Heh? If you say so, don’t co crying to when things get worse, okay?” The maid grabbed a fruit from atop the drawer and offered it to ra. “Here, pear, you’re favorite.”
ra pouted.
“You know I don’t like pear, it’s dull.”
“Wow, ra, you’re actually so stressed out that you resorted to calling a pear dull!” she looked genuinely surprised.
I suppose I don’t usually call sothing that...
“If you don’t want it, then give it to .”
Another voice chid in, it was from another maid in the room. She had short black hair and brown eyes, she bore a beautiful appearance which surpassed even ra.
“Woah, Macey, I’m offering it to ra, so don’t go stealing it from her now.”
“ra called it dull, Ellie, do not force her to eat what she doesn’t like and instead offer it to soone who actually fancy it.”
“It’s fine, Ellie, give it to her.”
Ellie gave the fruit to Macey with a sowhat displeased expression.
“You better eat it whole. I don’t like it anyway, so go ahead and also have the others.”
“Very well. I'll have the others tomorrow,” Macey said as she took a bite from the fruit in her hand. “And for goodness sake Ellie, you are a noble, please speak as a noble should.”
Ellie lacked that elegant manner of speaking as should nobles have, and that was what bothered her.
“Eat my ass, Macey.”
“Kuh!” Macey choked the mont she heard such a vulgar phrase. “E-Ellie!”
“Yeah yeah. No need to suck on traditions when we’re alone in private, so relax.”
“Even so, if you keep doing this, you might beco more versed to this than the proper way of speaking.”
“I’m fine, Maceeey.”
Macey directed an annoyed glare towards Ellie. ra sensed the air was getting intense so she decided to change the subject.
“Where are the others?”
“They went to the baths first,” Ellie said.
“You didn’t co with them?”
“We waited for you,” Macey replied as she took another bite at her fruit.
“I see. Thanks…”
“It gets crowded anyway, so it’s good to wait, no rush,” Ellie lied down on the bed as she faced ra. “You still sound so… uninspired, what’s bothering you?”
“... I said it’s nothing.”
“Can you not share your trouble with us?”
Macey said as she sat down at the edge of ra’s bed.
ra debated whether she should tell them, but imdiately decided not to. Her guess was too big of an issue to tell others. However, it could also be wrong. Even so, telling her friends how the princess and Vernon were treating her, she was not too keen on the idea. Nothing good would co out of it but would only make it worse for her.
“It is not that big of a problem.”
“Is it a love problem?”
Ellie asked that out of the blue which incited a surprised reaction from ra. Her question was just too far from the truth that it almost sounded absurd.
“No it’s not!”
“Oh? Doesn’t sound like it.”
Ellie’s lips lifted into a teasing grin.
“ra? Love? Really? Who?”
Then Macey leaned forward, her intense questioning gaze stared directly at ra’s eyes. Which was honestly disturbing.
“No, it’s not!” ra said in defense.
“You’re lying, ra. Why didn’t you tell anything? You could have at least ntioned it.”
ra was getting uncomfortable that she recoiled away from Macey. This friend of hers was starting to act weird.
“Hey, Macey, calm down. That was just a throwaway question, damn.”
Upon Ellie’s words, Macey backed away but still had a pair of doubtful eyes.
“But she sounded so surprised though.”
“Yeah, she really did...”
“That’s because it's so far from the truth!”
“Hahahaha!” Ellie rose from her bed in laughter. “You’re sotis funny, ra. Anyways, why are you so serious Macey?”
“Well, I’m interested.”
“Interested? Interested because one of your friends is starting to have a love life and you’re not?”
“It’s not like that!
“It’s not about love life!”
Ellie covered her ears.
“Ladies, quiet down, it’s evening, you’ll disturb everyone.”
Macey chowed down at her fruit before speaking in an annoyed tone.
“As I said, it’s not like that. But just so you know, I’m finally getting a spark...”
“Oh?”
“And he’s a knight.”
“Aaah, he’s definitely just playing with you.”
“How negative can you get, Ellie?!”
“Hey, I’m just stating a possibility.”
Macey crossed her arms and took a bite from the fruit in her hand.
“Nothing like that is happening.”
“I see, I see. But I wanna know, is it also a spark for the other party, I an the knight. Or you’re just assuming that there is a spark?”
“Why are you so dummy dumb dumb, Ellie?!”
“Dummy dumb dumb…?”
Ellie had a flabbergasted expression on her face as she repeated the comical words that erged from the elegant maid’s mouth. ra too was taken aback by those words, it sounded sowhat childish.
“.... Sorry…” Macey imdiately apologized, her cheeks flushed in embarrassnt. “I… I don’t think it’s like that at all.”
“Oh, really?”
Slightly, ra’s lips curled up. Because of her friends’ company, she had sowhat lost so anxiety. But only a little.
“I an, he is pretty nice to and all. And… we have been friends since we were children.”
Ellie grinned widely at the revelation.
“A childhood friend? Oh holy lord and lady, ain’t that sothing! Hey ra, are you hearing this?”
“Yes…”
ra was getting more interested in the story.
“This isn’t a story for you two just to enjoy!”
“Yeah yeah, so who's the guy?”
“Um, Alan from the Welford household.”
“Alan, huh. Don’t know the guy,” Ellie said.
ra on the other hand recognized the na. If mory serves, it was the young man she saw with the princess during the training of the knights. The young man they were checking out. She had only heard his na and never interacted, so she didn’t have much of an impression towards him.
Recalling that small bonding with the princess brought so elation in her heart.
Wait, now that I’m thinking about it.
ra rembered quietly well the interaction between the princess and this knight nad Alan. To be precise, she recalled the actions of Alan. The embarrassed way he acted that ti implied one thing, and his expressions.
Oh no….
ra felt a bit bad upon realizing that.
Well, she couldn’t bla anyone. The princess’s charm was just that great, even with just her casual presence. That was how great she was. So, there was no one to bla if a man fell in love at first sight, and ultimately no one can bla the princess herself.
It would be unfair to bla her, she didn’t do anything bad after all.
Now, would Macey have a chance just in case of… no no no, I shouldn’t think like this.
Imagining that scenario stung her heart a little.
“ra, have you heard of the guy?” Ellie asked her.
“Um, I think I saw him once.”
“Saw him... and you know who he is?” Ellie leaned forward with interest.
“...ra?”
Macey stared at her weirdly. Thinking that this was going in a weird way, ra frantically shook her hands.
“Whatever you’re thinking of, it’s not that! Seriously, why did you two suddenly leap to that way of thought?!”
“It’s not?” Macey asked in assurance.
“Yes, it was the ti when I went with the princess outside the palace halls.”
“Oh, I see.”
Macey instantly beca relaxed. ra decided that it would be best not to ntion that Alan and the princess interacted.
Still, is Macey not aware of the effects the princess brings to young n by her presence alone?
Now that she thought about it, Macey was never assigned to assist the princess, nor was Ellie. These two were assigned to clean most of the ti, and not to assist royalty. Therefore, they didn’t know the princess that much.
Now what made ra different from these two that she was given the chance to assist the princess in rotation? ra’s guess was that she had a high rating given by her superiors.
In fact, she could guess so flaws of these two. Macey was too elegant and gentle, almost a perfect maiden like, and that brought worries to how much she could do. As for Ellie, her nature was too vulgar for service to the princess.
It was then that the door opened and a few maids who were now wearing night gowns entered.
“Looks like they’re done, alright let’s go.”
Ellie suggested, and the three of them went for the baths carrying their clothes for changing and bathing towels.
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