The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Jealous of the Wind (Spm 6)

VI.

Madoka was off to her servant duties while the princess became the centerpiece of attention from the noblemen and ladies alike. She wished she could see the princess more, but she would only serve to hinder her glowing presence. In the small moments in between serving, she could observe Princess Fiara.

It was like she was a completely different person. Radiant and perfectly behaved, a true Royal Princess laughing with her guests. Madoka nearly tripped on her own cart when she saw the princess smiling directly at her.

"Ah, you, Madoka," came a familiar and powerful voice.

"Y-your Majesty!" Madoka seized up around the King who stood by the tables with treats on them. The main dishes were to be served soon. He smiled warmly at her.

"I commend your efforts in refining my daughter into who she is today, Madoka," His Majesty said, laughing. "You must be proud of this angel."

Madoka did not know what to say.

"I do not deserve your praise, Your Majesty," the maid nearly stammered as her heart beat against her chest. The King laughed even louder, resembling the princess's hearty laughter as well. "If I am honest, sir, I spend this hour worried that she might be up to something."

The King raised a wine glass and drank from it, eyeing a powerful look at Madoka.

"That makes two of us," he chuckled after taking a sip, before walking away.

It took a moment for Madoka's heart to stop pounding, while her servant friends consoled her from the terrifying encounter she was exposed to. Yet the lights lowered and music began, allowing Madoka to breathe and pick up dirty dishes for some much needed rest before the main dishes.

When she was setting plates down, she saw the crowd disperse into an opening. Madoka's heart sank when she saw who they were surrounding. It was the princess dancing with another man, using the same moves they spent months practicing. Madoka could not look away, instead clutching her chest above her heart. She felt ashamed for what she was feeling, but the feeling could not be shaken.

Jealousy?

How could Madoka, a lowly servant, feel jealousy towards a princess's dance partner? A man who was more powerful than she could ever be. She tore her eyes away, seeing the princess smiling and laughing in another's arms. The Head Maid saw this and sent her away, probably assuming Madoka was overwhelmed with pride for her dear princess. She retreated away before the hurt showed itself.

So she sat behind the walls of the Royal Kitchen and wept.

It must have been hours before anyone knew she was absent. She was just a servant after all. Madoka straightened her red hair out, the hair Princess Fiara always complimented and loved petting, and wiped the tears away the best she could. When she was about to sneak back into the ballroom, another cook stopped her.

"Don't go in there," he said. "The King's daughter has gone mad again!"

Pale terror shattered Madoka's broken heart. "Gone mad?"

"See for yourself," the cook cracked the door open just enough to see out to the commotion.

The princess was irate, more angrier than Madoka has ever seen before.

"He grabbed my ass, Father!" She screamed to her poor Father. His face was flushed with embarrassment. The nobleman was one of the more powerful ones and he was on the ground seeing stars after evidently crashing through a split table. "I demand... Justice!"

"Calm down, my Daughter," the King tried to control the situation, but fear struck his eyes. Madoka couldn't look away, but something was wrong with the princess. She looked pale and sick yet Madoka smelled something in the air.

Flames.

Flames burst through the table where the nobleman lay, but he quickly gained footing and fled in terror. The rest of the crowd was pandemonium. The King called for the guards who quickly subdued the screaming princess, with sorrow written over his face as they took her away.