The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

The Closet (Spm bonus part 1.3)

Madoka had to attend to Princess Fiara early today. She had barely gotten used to the girl's strange behaviors, but has made a few mental notes on the quirks of Her Highness. Firstly, she was quite prone to tantrums, but for the oddest things. Madoka could not list all the things that she became troublesome over, but they were not like the other Nobles' demands. Second, the girl simply said things that she had never heard any other person say. The princess had queer thoughts, but more terrifying to Madoka was the fact that she was not afraid to tell the maid them. She was not allowed to be near most Nobles and Royals anyways, but for some reason the Princess did not seem to recognize this important rule of etiquette. Fiara approached her without restraint or disdain. She also no longer had any daily panic attacks at least, nor did she seem afraid of everyone.

Her Highness began to carry herself as a true Royal should, but that was not exactly what made the maid sense her uniqueness. She was breathtakingly normal. Child-like. Still, there was another important thing that made her feel like the princess was different. It was exactly... Madoka realized her hand was already knocking on her door. She could not describe what this odd feeling about the princess was anyways.

"Forgive my intrusion, Your Highness," she called to the princess. Upon entering, she noticed Fiara was standing in front of the mirror on a stool. Immediately, alarms rang in her head, since the princess never got up before she arrived unless she was up to something. She had to say something to quell her impending tantrum. "Y-You are quite lovely today, You're Highness."

Princess Fiara did not respond, instead Madoka realized Her Highness's beautiful blue eyes glanced at the maid before returning to her own reflection. She still stood in front of the mirror in silence.

"You're lovely," the girl retorted. She still remained silent afterwards. That was the oddest compliment she had ever received from her, though it sounded like an insult. "I hate it. I hate here."

A heavy silence filled the air as the princess ruminated.

"You don't mean that," Madoka sighed. She had to get this girl dressed and the worse her mood got, the harder it would be to accomplish the task. Princess Fiara snorted, but suddenly became animated. Her arms flailed, but Madoka immediately buried her head on the ground before her. The maid realized she involuntarily and instinctively did this, since she had been hit a lot before by Nobles. How much worse would a Royal do to her? Madoka begged and could not stop herself. "F-Forgive me!"

Fiara stopped, while the carpeted floor became blurry in Madoka's vision. She was sure her heart was in her throat, since the damn thing was pounding loudly in her head and it was hard to breathe. Had she been too comfortable with the princess? She was a Royal, after all, and her whims could spell the end for Madoka in an instant. A sigh chilled all of her anxiety to a halt.

"I hate this," she repeated herself. "What cruel prankster put me here with all this power? All this because I had a bad life before? As if this is all some kind of... Compensation? Why? I don't even think any of this is real, just a slipping nightmare before I die for real. You're trembling as if I could take your life away and I hate this. You're not even real. That's what I tell myself. Because I actually can kill you in an instant if I say it."

"F-Forgive me," Madoka sobbed, but hiccupped for a moment in her sputters. She was just a simple servant. She barely knew what Fiara was talking about. She saw a pair of small feet in the edge of her vision and too her horror, she realized the princess sat down before her. A tear trickled down her cheek, but why? She took back her previous thoughts and assumptions on Her Highness from before. She could not understand her at all. "W-Why are you sitting? The floor is dirty."

A chuckle caught her off guard, then a sudden giggle emitted from the princess. Madoka heard disbelief and actual joy in Her Highness's voice. For whatever reason, it eased her own tension.