BELLRAM V01 - Ambivalence of Light and Shadow I

BP001-P18 - Pralines 03

~So her name is Rujell. Then Lijeux must be the other maid? Lijeux and Rujell. Hm, Rujell...~ Meia was not as knowledgeable in this regard, but if she remembered correctly, Rujell was a type of praline. ~Rujell. The bittersweet praline whose alcoholic filling warms your soul on cold days, or something like that? Rujell. An irresistible temptation.~ On the other hand, Lijeux also reminded her of chocolates. ~Lijeux. The light praline that melts in your mouth and leaves a hint of fruit. Lijeux. The only thing I always buy. Somehow this works with everything. Meia. Simple chocolate from simple mountain cows. "Buy Mee-a~" ~Now I want something sweet.~

While Meia was thinking, she noticed the maid cast an inconspicuous glance over her shoulder to her.

It was not the first time she had done that and each time it had seemed like a snide look. Meia, however, was no longer intimidated by it. To some extent, she had already been able to decipher her aura. It was either the shape of her eyes or the way she positioned her head. Maybe she lifted her chin too much? In any case, it had nothing to do with her personality. In reality, she was probably a nice person. After all, so far she had done nothing to contradict that. So the backward glance was probably out of concern that she was walking too fast.

Afraid that the maid would say something, Meia immediately increased her own pace to catch up with her, causing the maid to glance back again.

She seemed truly mischievous. The contrast with her cute uniform almost made it look as if she had been forced to wear it.

~'You disgusting pig, forcing me to wear something like that!' - 'Oh, still so rebellious, what little girl, then from now on you'll also wear this headband.' - 'Huh, A headband? Why a headband?' - 'It's got cat ears.' - 'Noooooo!'~

"Hehehe."

"Huh?"

"No-nothing."

Meia wondered if it was not a problem how the maid appeared? But who was she to judge? Maybe it was even an advantage for her. Especially as a maid, with the swing of her hips and the skimpy skirt, she was in danger of being groped, yet certainly no one would dare to touch her. Then again, that probably did not happen in such high circles anyway. At least, Meia could not imagine that someone like Mr Monet would do such a thing.

Meanwhile, the maid suddenly slowed down, so that she quickly fell back to Meia's height. Taken aback by this, Meia dared to take a quick look at her face.

It remained at that one look.

Meia had been mistaken. She had not got used to it. The snide look was not an innate flaw, but an expression of her inner hatred for all life.

"How-how far is it to the reading room?"

"We have to go up one more floor, then it is right at the stairs."

~Another floor?~

"We-We were already at a staircase?"

"Yes, unfortunately, due to alterations, only the middle staircase of the house currently leads to the upper floors, hence this diversions."

~The other staircase looked accessible though?~

"But the staircase was clear?"

"Only the upper part of the stairs is affected by the alterations. The railings were taken down for painting and have not all been reattached yet. The long walk will be worth it, however. Normally, guests are not allowed to enter the reading room. That you are allowed in is an exception and I can assure you, you will be surprised by what you find there."

~A torture chamber! A secret room that only I am allowed to enter. Maids assigned only to me. They're so that I can't escape! That's why I was invited in the first place - because no one would miss me. And there's also only one person who could save me, if it's not too much of a chore for him.