>>>~~~~<<<
“Serena, if you don’t mind me asking,” Orion stopped his friend in the hall right outside their bedrooms. The servant’s quarters of the palace were dead quiet at night. Not a soul but the two lingered in the area. “Why are you so hostile to Lady Aphros?”
“I was afraid you’d ask that,” Serena sighed. The maid glanced to her left and right before beckoning Orion into her room and shutting the door. “Orion, I know you have a lot of reverence for her, and for a good reason. I know she practically raised you and made you into the man you are today, but I can’t stand her. I have no respect for that woman.”
“Is this because of your training with Lady Aré?” The blonde butler inquired. “She’s not rubbing off on you, is she?”
“No, this started long before then,” the raven-haired maid shook her head. ‘Although, Aré is probably reinforcing the idea,’ she admitted to herself.
“Then, why?” Orion scratched his head.
“Well, besides manipulating me and putting Irene and me in the firing line during the assassination attempts last year,” Serena reminded. “And getting us stranded hundreds of kilometers outside the city, and taking us on vacation to that island of dinosaurs, and the pantyhose incident.”
“I get it,” Orion visibly flinched at the mention of the last one.
“But really, it’s none of those by themselves,” Serena admitted. “I can partially forgive those instances (except the pantyhose incident) because of circumstance and intention. She didn’t want to strand us outside the city (even if she made the situation worse to save her own hide). She didn’t think the dinosaurs had escaped their pens (although she really should have). And she did come through when it mattered (even if she was being a manipulative bitch).” The maid explained.
“Wait, if it’s none of those,” Orion realized, sidestepping Serena’s loudly broadcasted inner thoughts. “Then what did she do that was so terrible? What could possibly be worse than the pantyhose incident?”
“Okay, it’s not that bad, but it’s pretty close,” Serena explained. “It happened in the middle of winter last year, right in the middle of the holidays…”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
I had waited for two, maybe three, hours in the freezing cold to acquire something for Princess Irene. Something special, something only sold on that day. I got there at four in the morning to ensure I was first in line, and I still got stuck behind a dozen people. But it was all worth it because I got two Ultra-Deluxe Winter Midnight Puddings. The finest dessert in all of New Celene, as decided by the Queen herself.
I snuck back into the palace with my acquired treats. Labeled one for the princess and the other for me and hid them in Irene’s personal fridge. I knew that interior of that thing better than even the princess, and I’ve hidden countless treats from Irene in there, right under her nose. The pudding would be my present to the princess for actually behaving for a couple weeks straight for once.
So, imagine my shock when I brought the princess to her room that night, ready to surprise her with dessert, only to find a certain blonde polishing off one of the puddings.
To say I was angry was an understatement. To say I was furious when I realized Aphros was eating the one I labeled for Irene would be apt, but I could have managed. I had sacrificed many things for this job, and a cup of pudding would have been the least of them. But then…
“You know what, it’s fine. I hid a second one just in case,” I told Irene, who was on the verge of tears. I had spent quite a bit of time building up her excitement for a special dessert.
“Ooh,” Aphros suddenly started acting suspiciously.
“Lady Aphros, what is it?” A part of me already knew what she was going to say, but I held out hope she wasn’t that bad.
“I actually ate that earlier, around lunch,” Aphros admitted. “It was so good I came back for seconds.” I couldn’t hide my anger anymore at this point. My head jerked like I was the killer in a horror movie. Irene burst into tears; she demanded her pudding right now. Aphros shrank in her seat, which was too small for her as it was Irene’s table and sized for a nine-year-old.
“It’s fine. I’ll get more,” Aphros assured.
“There is no more, Lady Aphros,” I fumed, “it’s only available one day a year, and it sold out before breakfast.”
“Ooh, whoops, hehe,” Aphros tried to play it off. “There’s no need to be mad, Serena. It’s just a little mistake.”
“I’m not mad, Lady Aphros,” I told her, “I’m far beyond such feeble emotions right now.” I took a deep breath and leveled my gaze. “You have five minutes.”
“For what?” She asked.
“The princess wants her pudding right now, and there’s only one place it exists,” I glanced at the noble’s stomach.
“Serena, that’s an awfully literal interpretation of her wishes,” Aphros sweated.
“Sorry, Lady Aphros, princess’s orders,” I replied. Aphros bolted out of that room like a bat out of hell. I, meanwhile, went and nicked some desserts out of Aphros’s own private fridge.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Wait, you lost respect for her over pudding?” Orion asked.
“It’s not the pudding, Orion. It’s the principle of it,” Serena yelled. “She stole pudding not only from me but from the princess. She snooped around Irene’s room twice that day, and Lord knows how many others. I had waited almost three hours in the freezing cold for that dessert, all so she could snatch it right from under us.” The maid nearly stamped her feet. “If that’s how she acts with other people’s property, especially a child’s, I can’t respect her, period.”
“It’s not what I expected, is all,” Orion admitted. “I thought she had done something…more direct?”
“Yeah, I know it’s petty,” Serena grimaced. “But she made Irene cry. And despite popular belief, I don’t hate the princess. In fact, I love the little brat like she was my own sister, and no one makes her cry!”
“I got it,” Orion jumped back. “I just wonder…”
“What?” Serena raised an eyebrow.
“What was Aphros doing in Irene’s room in the first place?” Orion pondered.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“…I followed that delightful scent to Irene’s room and found the most delicious pudding in the fridge,” Aphros explained. “Before I could even realize it, I was halfway through.”
“No wonder Irene has been annoyed with you forever,” Aré facepalmed. “You know how long the princesses will hold a grudge, right?”
“But it was delicious and came in this fancy cup,” Aphros twiddled her fingers.
“I can’t believe you. That’s the stupidest, most petty thing you’ve ever done,” Aré declared.
“Nah, that would be when I returned that night and had the second cup for dessert,” Aphros admitted. “Oh boy, was Serena mad.”
“I retract my previous remark,” Aré sighed. “You’ll always find a way to top yourself.”
“It was just pudding,” Aphros pouted.
“If it had been the Queen’s pudding, you would be dead right now,” Aré said stone-faced. “And that’s if you were lucky.”
“I…mhm,” Aphros searched for a rebuttal but couldn’t find the words. “She wouldn’t…not over pudding…”
“No, you’re right,” Aré smiled. “Death would be too good for you. The punishment would be far worse.” The noble laughed, and Aphros stewed.
>>>~~~~<<<
Maintaining the respect of your employees is one of the most important aspects of a managerial position, but remember, respect is a two-way street.
That Maid in Fantasy Rewrite is still coming, I promise. At the time of writing (a little over a week before this is posted), Chapter 1 is being edited and 2 is being written. Hopefully, you'll see Chapter 1 next week or the week after.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
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