The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Bracing For A Storm (Spm 5)

V.

The evening of the next Royal Ball arrived. For Madoka, the past three weeks were spent scouring the place and keeping every speck of dust out of the ballroom. The Head Maid praised her prowess, though what kept her from truly relaxing was dreading the hours she would have to spend battling the princess into submission.

That girl - her dear Princess - absolutely despised gatherings, claiming endless excuses of why she did not consent to going to the party. Not that Madoka particularly knew what consent meant. Agency, one's own ability to deny things forced upon them, Madoka thought back to the words the strange Princess spoke of. She held a hand to her heart as sunlight covered her skin in the many colors split from the stained glass windows above.

She explained to the princess that she was given away by her parents as a servant since she was six one night and oddly Princess Fiara grew angrier and angrier the more Madoka elaborated. Was she mad for an agency Madoka knew she didn't have to begin with?

When asked what she would do if she was set free, Madoka had no idea that she was ever not free to begin with. Her maid duties were her life. She saw no other thing she could do in life. Princess Fiara told her that she was surprised by how well she acted but never judged her and said that Madoka had a hard life. She even tried to force Madoka to speak informally with her, since in her words they were "soulmates" but she refused.

Perhaps now, this is exactly why the Princess was strangely compliant to Madoka's every order.

Could it be that Princess Fiara softened up to Madoka? Madoka never felt like she was truly having a hard life. She was given food, shelter by the most powerful man in the nation's Palace. Could she even complain about that?

Princess Fiara uttered not a word when Madoka brushed her hair or fastened her dress. To say that Madoka wasn't exactly certain what the princess was planning on doing was an understatement. She checked the usually immature princess for anything she might hide and could potentially mess up. She heard a sigh pass from the princess as she tied the finishing touches on her dress.

"Are you feeling well, Your Highness?" Madoka asked, genuinely concerned.

"Heh," the Princess chuckled. "You must think I've been kidnapped by an imposter with how quiet I've been."

"I didn't say anything, Your Highness," Madoka smiled softly behind the Princess. She was looking at herself in the mirror, as she usually did after Madoka changed her, quite satisfied. "You have graced me with your accurate observations, Your Highness."

"Who taught you to speak like that? Certainly not me, for I, Princess Elise Fiara am quite civilized now," the Princess smiled. Madoka was about to protest, but the Princess's smile died quickly and she fell into her solemn state again. "It is that you say, I've simply accepted my fate."

Madoka could not help but guess that the fate Princess Fiara was talking about was not simply the ballroom. She, however, remained quiet and gently guided the princess down the hallway with the guards and her fellow servants. The very same one she chased her down many times, the one that she got sick in and nearly died from her curse. Princess Fiara's shoulders tightened in stress before the doors opened, but relaxed a small amount when she noticed Madoka by her side.

Was she bracing for a storm? Madoka could not help but wonder. Perhaps she was saving her tantrums for later?

"You will do just fine, Your Highness," Madoka bowed to her and rang the bell for the doors to open. A small reflection quivered in the Princess's eyes when Madoka said that to her. When she looked again, the reflection was gone and replaced with a determined stare.

"Now entering, Princess Elise Fiara!" An announcer shouted out. The nobility fell silent and bowed as Princess Fiara entered with a graceful smile and wave, just as Madoka taught her.