The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Along the Flowers (Spm bonus 1.1)

Madoka was absentminded this day. What day? She had no idea. Telling the time was someone else's duty, while her days blended together in a swirl of dusting, cleaning hallways and laundry. Her head was in her duties, a trait that the other maids talked to each other about. The Princess did not know how to speak Commoner, did she? They spoke about the girl's odd behavior, but she did not blame them. It was hard to see the princess as a Royal, especially after what strange nonsense she told Madoka several nights ago.

A ray of sunlight scratched her eye through the crack of an uneven curtain and snapped her out of her blank routine. Has this curtain always been like this? Madoka inspected it. She noticed that all the others were uniform and tidy.

Who could have done such a thing?

She quickly dusted the dratted thing, and parted it like petals on a wet Cyclamen, matching it with the other perfect curtains. The thought of such a beautiful pink flower becoming drenched in the rain once again disturbed her, though outside it still remained sunny. Each speck of dust intertwined with the sunlight, never to be collected individually. Not that it would stop Madoka from trying. The arrangement was perfect, yet the dust was still there even if it was left unseen. A knock on the glass startled her.

Breath from the outside fogged the glass windows and Madoka could only watch the horror unfold from the inside as a finger smeared the condensation in a transparent drawing. She knew what the drawing was: Two dots and a curve - a smiley face. Worse, she knew who taught her that. The Princess smirked on the other side of the window.

Kind gods, she would be responsible for all the messes, Madoka groaned and glanced at the statuettes on the ornate shelving above the Palace room doors for solace. For a moment, the princess looked serene outside amongst the flowers and the stone pathway.

"You, there, maid," a bell rang and a voice called for her in Noble, startling her. She nearly bumped into the Noble summoning her. Instead, she bumped into a table, creating a racket. "You clumsy, good for nothing oaf!"

Madoka bowed her head, witnessing the fallen vase rolling on the floor and prepared for a swift punishment. Whoever's hand may come was a Noble, and she deserved it for her carelessness. If it was not for the Princess, she would never have made such a mistake!

A strong hand gripped the back of her head, pulling at her hair. She yelped as the pain quickly spread across her back, while she heard more phrases in Noble that she could not understand. The tone was quite clear— the hair on her head was to be removed.

"These are the treasures of the Snow King! How dare you ruin His Majesty's home!" The Noble was younger, but still one nonetheless. His servant was gripping her hair, and she could not stifle her yelp from the excruciating pain. "Oh, I know what to do!"

The Noble laughed as he instructed the servant to pull her head up to see him eye to eye. A horrid, powdery face stared at her, with a distractingly large nose. Madoka could barely see his Noble aura, and figured it must have been gathered within his ugly nostrils.

"I'll take you to my room after I have Ruujee beat you bloody! Oh, perhaps, later tonight," Huge Nose grinned with a sinister smile. "Maybe if you're as ruined as this table is you'll learn!"

Madoka, through the pain of being tugged by her hair, noticed that the princess was no longer outside. Did she see her make a horrible mess? She could only hope as she let out another yelp as the big servant yanked her hair again. This was her punishment and the Noble gloated as Ruujee backhanded her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A voice stormed from behind her, and immediately Ruujee released her hair. Madoka collapsed on the ground, clutching her cheek. She felt the chunks of torn strands were damp with blood and she was sure her uniform was an affront to the Palace now.