Story Hub: [link]
\\~~~\\ 0 //~~~//
Previously on Maid in Fantasy: Serena learned that while the Diane family treats her warmly, they treat Orion coldly. This spurred her to seek the reason from Lady Aphros, who revealed Orion’s origin as a child between a man from the Diane family and a woman from their rivals, the Regas family. This mixed heritage led to Orion being ostracized by both families, even though he was technically welcomed in by the Diane. This injustice has convinced Serena that she must help her best friend become more accepted by their family, but how could she pierce decades of prejudice?
\\~~~\\
I //~~~//
Antherós 19th 758
Serena entered the odd side room; it was a drastic shift from the stone and marble halls of the palace to hardwood floors and rugs. The maid once again found herself questioning the sanity of the architect as she observed a room straight out of the Victorian era. A mahogany desk, oak chairs, walnut drawers, and cabinets set an undeniable theme. And sitting at the desk was none other than the head maid, Penth.
“Welcome, Serena,” Penth brushed a lock of silver-blue hair out of her face as she greeted the younger girl. “How goes your assigned work for the day?”
“All done,” Serena curtsied. “Dusa’s handled Irene’s care for the day so I could focus on my other duties.”
“Already done?” Penth raised an eyebrow and a smile. “The rafters?”
“Dusted,” the raven-haired girl assured.
“That mass of sudden deliveries?” Penth inquired.
“All opened, organized, and placed in their designated areas,” Serena smiled.
“That big hole in the walls Irene made yesterday?” The head maid laughed.
“Cleaned, filled, and set,” the maid beamed.
“Excellent work, Serena,” Penth nodded. “I know this is far outside your normal duties, but you complete them with nothing short of excellence anyway.”
“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Serena admitted.
“Oh?” Penth tilted her head to the side.
“Orion did most of the work. In fact, he insisted,” Serena revealed. “Save your praise for him.”
“Ah, I see,” Penth’s tone deflated. “Well, good job anyway. Um, what do you think of my office? It was a gift from the Queen herself. Well, it was more of an old side room they converted, but still impressive, no?”
“Yeah,” Serena pinched her lips.
“Serena, I know what you’re trying to do, and please stop,” Penth shook her head. “I know Orion trained alongside you, but there’s a reason we must remain distant.”
“Come on,” Serena sighed. “This is ridiculous. He’s done nothing wrong.”
“I know, Serena,” Penth breathed in deeply. “It’s not that we want to treat him coldly, but we must. If we showed him anything resembling favoritism, it would worsen his already terrible relationship with Regas.”
‘You mean it’d worsen your relationship with them,’ Serena swallowed her real thoughts.
“If they believed we invited him fully over to our camp, they’d take it as confirmation they could target him as a traitor. Do you want that?” Penth asked.
“No,” Serena groaned. ‘Not that they don’t already do that.’
“Is there anything else,” the head maid asked.
“No, ma’am,” Serena curtsied and left the room.
“What did I say about being so-” Penth started to say, but Serena shut the door before she could finish. “-formal?” The head maid sighed, “She’s mad now, but she’ll learn to accept it one day.”
\\~~~\\ II //~~~//
Serena threw her head into her hands as she sat alongside Orion in the palace’s hall. Her quest to warm the Diane family’s opinion of Orion had been fruitless and ripe only with failure. It was looking to be nothing more than a fool’s errand.
“I don’t get it. I just don’t get it,” Serena muttered. “They praise me to high heavens, but they clam up the second I reveal your involvement. Even catching them in their hypocrisy doesn’t even phase them.”
“It’s alright, Serena,” Orion assured.
“I tried. I really did,” the maid explained. “Penth rebuffed my attempts, Orpheo just tried to ignore me, and Dusa gave me this conflicted look.”
“Don’t worry, Serena. I gave up on trying to impress them years ago,” the butler explained. “It’s honestly kind of pointless. They set their standards so high I could never hope to match their expectations.”
‘How can you be so aware and naïve in the same breath?’ The raven-haired girl looked up to her friend with a mixed expression.
“No need to dwell on it. Lady Aphros taught me that long ago,” the blonde smiled.
‘Oh, Aphros, what have you done to this poor boy?’ Serena shook her head.
“Why don’t we face forward? There’s some new work to be done,” Orion presented a poster. It was an extravagant display depicting Lady Aré in an ornate, formal robe. While it ostensibly announced a “Fire Moon Festival,” a brief description indicating it was a sacred religious event, the graphic appeared to Serena as something more like a concert poster.
Perhaps it was Aré’s visage front and center. Maybe it was the fact that the noble’s name was printed larger than the festival’s. Or could it have been the bold text declaring the festival as the site of Aré’s debut single, dwarfing the brief description of the event itself?
“I’ve never even heard of the Fire Moon Festival,” Serena admitted. “What’s it like?”
“Ummm,” Orion thought for a moment. “I don’t really know that well. I think we had one last year, but it was a rather small affair.”
“Oh really? I was afraid Lady Aré had abused her authority as the head of faith to invent a religious festival as a thinly veiled vehicle for her singing career,” the maid explained. “I mean, it’s not like she’d use this event just to boost the numbers for her-” Serena squinted at the poster, noticing a minor detail that eluded her before, “-12th debut single? How do you have 12 debuts?” The maid pointed at the tiny, faintly printed number 12 hidden beside the giant letters announcing Aré’s song.
“I don’t know,” Orion mumbled.
‘These nobles are starting to test my patience,’ Serena thought. ‘Oh, who am I kidding? They’ve been doing that since day one. If it’s not manipulating me to achieve some goal, they’re flexing their power to boost their ego. Oh Lord, how do I put up with these people? Shit, I’m starting to sound like Caenia.’ The maid pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Are you okay?” Orion asked.
“Just peachy,” the maid lied.
\\~~~\\
III //~~~//
Antherós 20th 758
In a secluded corner of the palace, people gathered. They were not politicians, nobles, or schemers. In fact, their presence was usually welcome or at least expected. They were not prominent, important, or special, but they were always there. These people were the Regas family, whose duty was to serve the nobility but never the royalty. A fact that was their most frequent point of frustration.
The Regas filed into their modest meeting room. It was not fancy and did not contain much more than a borrowed wooden table and a mismatched assortment of chairs. The room’s concrete floors were covered in dust and dirt, while its white brick walls were coated in decades-old graffiti. The whole location lacked a welcoming air and was lit only by a few bare lightbulbs overhead and a couple of lamps. In fact, the room was no more than a long-forgotten storage room commandeered for the Regas’s needs, but it would have to do.
As the workers finished gathering in the room, one woman stood at the front of the table. All random discussion was hushed as she prepared to speak. Her hair was medium length and golden blonde, while her eyes were a bright blue. She was dressed in a maid uniform slightly fancier than all the others in the room, indicating her modicum of authority.
“Maids and butlers of the Regas family, how goes our plans?” The woman asked.
“Well, Mrs. Alcim,” the young maid, Medy, stepped forward, “I’d say the Diane are as good as ruined.” The brunette-haired young girl looked quite a bit more toned and muscular since she attacked Orion during the gravity incident a few months ago. “The smoke bombs are ready, and we will soon know every little flaw in Aré’s stage lights.”
“Excellent,” Alcim grinned. “Jace, have you reviewed the Fire Moon Festival’s schedule and practiced your role as I asked?”
“Of course, Mother,” Jace stood up and puffed out his chest. “That fool Orion won’t know what hit him. Now he’ll be on the receiving end of Aré’s wrath.” The blonde butler beamed with so much pride the other servants were almost blinded by it.
“Don’t get too cocky, Jacey. You know what happened last time?” Alcim warned.
“I-I know,” Jace went beat red. “Mom, you remember I told you not to call me that anymore, right?” The other servants snickered at the display.
“What’s wrong with calling you Jacey? I think it’s cute. It fits you,” Alcim admitted.
“Please stop,” Jace begged as the snickers turned to muffled laughter.
“It’s finally all going to plan,” Alcim grinned evilly. “Soon, the Diane will be humiliated, especially that bastard Orion. Then Jacey will stand where he rightly belongs at Princess Atlanta’s side. And I will stand at the Queen’s, where I belong. No longer will I watch my bitch of a sister succeeding despite adversity, where I have failed even with help. Today, we rot in the dark bowels of the palace. Tomorrow, we stand atop it as the true servants to the Queen.” Alcim burst into maniacal laughter.
“Mother, you’re monologuing again,” Jace tried to alert her, but the woman did not respond. “And she’s not listening.”
“Whatever, she’ll tire herself out eventually,” Medy shrugged while the rest of the family nodded in agreement. While the Regas’s secret meeting devolved into typical family chatter, they all failed to notice an odd length of hair in an air vent above them. They equally failed to see the microphone wrapped in its strands or even the hair slowly slithering away back where it came.
\\~~~\\ IV //~~~//
Penth led Serena by her hand. The younger maid was more confused than concerned by the situation. She at least recognized the hall they were in. It was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Penth’s office. The real question was why Penth suddenly grabbed her and refused to answer why.
“Ms. Penth, seriously, what’s wrong?” Serena asked for what must have been the fifth or sixth time.
“You’re not in trouble, I assure you,” Penth replied with an encouraging smile. The head maid directed Serena into her office and quickly shut the door. After glancing around, Penth moved to a bookcase at the side of the room.
“Ma’am, what are you-?” The young maid tried to ask.
“Shhh,” Penth gently shushed her before grabbing a nearby wall-mounted light and pulling it like a lever. An adjacent bookcase swung open, revealing a secret door to a neighboring room.
‘Oh Lord,’ Serena’s eyes went wide. ‘Here comes the sneaky and sinister shit. Wouldn’t be the first time I got invited to one of these against my will.’
“Come along,” Penth beckoned Serena, and the two entered the door. Inside was a dark, foggy room dominated by a long wooden table with gold trim. Surrounding it were numerous comfortable chairs, each sat in by a maid or butler. Serena instantly recognized Orpheo as one of the occupants by his red uniform and the rest as servants she’d seen here and there while working at the castle. All of them were connected by a single common thread. Each was a member of the Diane family.
“Have a seat, Serena,” Penth directed her to an empty chair at one end of the table, where several other young workers sat. The young maid obliged as the head maid took her own position at the far end of the table.
‘What could this possibly be about?’ Serena wondered. ‘Dare I even consider what they’re scheming?’ The raven-haired girl braced herself to hear many things she’d rather not.
“Maids and butlers of the Diane family,” Penth began, “the Fire Moon Festival approaches in a mere three days. I hope I don’t have to remind most of you what that means?” Serena observed as all the other servants tensed up.
“It’s so obvious. It need not be said,” Orpheo chimed in as he cooly whipped his sandy brown hair. “It’s only natural what must be done.”
“Nothing could be more obvious.” “Do we even bother to prepare?” “I’d say it’s as good as done.” Several other members exclaimed.
‘They do this on purpose, don’t they?’ Serena mused. ‘Or they don’t. I can’t tell which is worse.’
“I know it is obvious,” Penth nodded, “but for the sake of our younger members, I feel it needs to be said.”
‘Do not look at me, do not look at me,’ Serena chanted internally. ‘And she’s looking at me, and now so is everyone else,’ the maid fumed.
“We shall do as we always do,” Penth smiled. “Let’s show up those Regas fools and remind them why the Queen favors us above all others.”
“To the Diane!” “Suck it, you Regas losers!” “The Diane do what the Regas can’t!” The servants chanted.
‘Oh Lord,’ Serena slammed her head into the table. ‘This isn’t even politics. It’s just petty nonsense. So yeah, business as usual.’ The room was at first alight with chanting and cheers, then suddenly Dusa arrived, panic and concern drawn all over her face. The room went dead silent as all the servants observed this sight.
“Penth deary, we may have a problem,” the nanny gestured to the microphone clasped in her living hair. Dusa’s sea-green hair snaked across the room before depositing the microphone and an attached recording device on the table. The hair strands nimbly set up the device and clicked playback.
“Soon, the Diane will be rightfully humiliated, especially that bastard Orion,” Alcim’s voice came from the device. “Then Jacey will stand where he rightly belongs at Princess Atlanta’s side. And I will stand at the Queen’s, where I belong. No longer will I watch my bitch of a sister succeeding despite adversity, where I have failed even with help. Today, we rot in the dark bowels of the palace. Tomorrow, we stand atop it as the true servants to the Queen.”
“Those fiends!” “I knew they were insidious, but this?” “Jacey?” “I knew Alcim was up to no good!” “Seriously, Jacey?” The Diane murmured frantically.
‘Oh no,’ Serena felt her heart sink. ‘I can take a guess who that was. Whatever they have planned, I don’t like how they named dropped Orion.’ The maid could tell that something horrible was in store for her best friend. ‘But seriously, Jacey?’
“Calm down, all of you,” Penth’s voice boomed through the room like a shout from a megaphone. “Dusa, tell me everything you’ve learned about this.”
“I recorded the whole thing, but allow me to go over the fine details first, deary,” Dusa nodded. The nanny explained everything she had heard, from the Regas’s plot to Alcim’s monologuing, all of it centering on the Fire Moon Festival.
“This is beyond an outrage,” Penth seethed. Serena noted with some concern that Penth had taken an iron grip on the table and that several large cracks were beginning to form on it. “If they think they can humiliate us so easily, we’ll just have to hit them right back.” This declaration was met with a near-universal cheer from the rest of the family. Except for, of course…
“What?” Serena blurted out amid the cheers.
“Orpheo, I want you developing countermeasures,” Penth ordered. “Dusa, keep up your spying. I want to know everything that they’re plotting. The rest of you steel yourselves for our biggest clash with those maniacs yet.”
“Uh,” Serena was left stunned.
“Serena,” Penth made her way across the table, “this an excellent chance for you. It’s time you learned the finer art of dealing with troublesome rivals. An excellent skill for when Aphros puts you on real missions.”
“Wait, wait,” Serena held up her hands. “I’m a little lost here. I understand we need to brace ourselves for an attack, but what about Orion?”
“What about him?” Penth asked curiously.
“He’s obviously their main target. Shouldn’t we do something about that?” The young maid inquired.
“We have neither the time nor the resources,” Penth shook her head. “We will not lay blame at his feet for whatever scheme they concoct. However, we cannot offer him protection. Besides…”
“Besides, what?” Serena didn’t like where this was going.
“If we protected or even warned him, the Regas would know we’re on to them,” Penth admitted. “This is an excellent chance to beat them at their own game.”
“So, you’re using Orion as bait?” Serena yelled.
“Yes,” Penth replied solemnly. “I know it is upsetting, but these are the sacrifices you may be expected to make in your position, Serena.”
“The only person making a sacrifice is the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on,” Serena pointed out. “Besides, wouldn’t it be smarter to bring this to the attention of the nobles or even nip their whole plot in the bud instead of letting it play out?”
“No,” Penth shook her head. “The Regas have grown too bold lately. You and Orion are victims of that, are you not?”
“Well,” Serena bit her lip. ‘Jace and Medy did jump us during the gravity incident, but they were acting on their own, right? Jace was an idiot, and Medy was just crazy.’
“Simply stopping this plot may only embolden them or, worse, bottle up this tension so it may fester,” Penth explained. “If we allow them to carry through but trump them anyway, they will be the ones left demoralized and humiliated. It will serve as a powerful lesson to never cross us again.”
‘Does she listen to herself talk?’ Serena genuinely wondered.
“Come on, Serena, we have a job to do,” Penth held out her hand. “Let us show those fools what happens when you mess with the Diane.”
“This isn’t my job,” Serena blew her lid at the head maid, catching the entire room’s attention. “I’m sick and tired of all this manipulation, and I’m sure as hell not taking part in it. If you won’t do the right thing, I’ll tell Lady Aphros myself!” The raven-haired girl turned and ran out of the room at record speed.
“Serena, wait,” Penth reached out for her, but the young girl was long gone. “The curse of youth,” the head maid sighed.
“Did nobody tell her?” Orpheo chimed in.
“She’ll find out soon enough,” Penth pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’s going to feel really silly in a minute.”
\\~~~\\ V //~~~//
“What do you mean Lady Aphros isn’t here?” Serena yelled, scaring off all the birds in the palace garden. Orion took her scream right in the face with nothing more than mild confusion at how frantic the maid was.
“She was sent away on urgent work,” Orion explained. “She said Lady Aré had arranged it. Something about ‘cleaning up her mistakes’ and Aphros left confident that she would return by this evening, but…”
“Let me guess,” Serena clutched her forehead.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Well, I’ve done got myself in a pickle, huh?” Aphros observed the damaged hovercraft before her. The same one she had abandoned nearly a month ago. The same one that had gotten her back on Aré’s shitlist. The same one that she had smashed the console on so no one could use the built-in phone and expose her error.
“Nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix,” Aphros assured herself before glancing back towards the New Celene, far in the distance. “On second thought, where’s that farmer from last time?”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Lady Aphros told me she’s not allowed to return until the hovercraft is brought back under her own power,” Orion explained.
“We won’t be seeing her for a while,” Serena sighed. “Makes sense, Aré probably doesn’t want Aphros ruining her big day, but that leaves us in a really awkward situation.”
“What’s the problem?” Orion asked curiously.
“Well,” Serena took a deep breath. She explained the whole situation, from the Regas plot to the Diane family’s planned counterattack to Orion being the fall guy.
“That’s…” Orion paused. Serena watched as the gears slowly turned in his head, as though he fully grasped the situation but struggled to accept it. “…Not as surprising as I wish it was,” he said solemnly.
“Well, we have to do something or warn someone because I just made an ass of myself at the Diane family meeting,” Serena declared.
“They have meetings?” The butler scratched his head.
“Oh, you poor boy,” the maid muttered. “What about Lady Ze? The captain of the guard should be able to put a stop to this.”
“Well, about that,” Orion looked away.
“Please, don’t tell me she’s gone too,” the raven-haired girl held back tears of frustration.
“I went to speak to her this morning, and all I found was this note,” Orion handed her a slip of paper.
“Went on a journey to find myself,” Serena read the note, “be back three Tuesdays from now at 4:00 am.” The maid bit her lip, “The Fire Moon Festival is this Saturday, so she’s out.”
“We could inform the other guards,” Orion pointed out.
“And would they believe us? The smartass new girl, and you, the outcast?” Serena countered.
“How about as the saviors of Princess Irene?” Orion reminded. “We should possess a certain amount of clout.”
“Oh no, the butlers and maids are preparing an elaborate plot to humiliate each other,” Serena said in a faux damsel voice. “Please believe us, two rookies with inflated egos from our recent successes, not the head maid or the King’s most trusted servant.”
“Well, that could happen,” Orion commented, “but I think it’s still worth trying.”
“Forget it. Why don’t we just tell Princess Atlanta?” Serena proposed.
“She’s locked herself in her room this morning and has refused to come out until the Fire Moon Festival is over,” the blonde revealed. “Something about not wanting to hear her auntie’s singing. She’s not responded to me since.”
“You know what, let’s just inform the guards,” Serena affirmed.
“Wait, you forgot someone,” Orion remembered, “What about Lady Aré?”
“What about Lady Aré?” Serena vetoed the idea immediately. Her relationship with the noble had remained one of cold and dispassionate avoidance since that disastrous baking competition, and she was in no hurry to test her luck with the fiery woman.
“Alright, let’s alert the guards,” Orion read the room.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
Serena and Orion sat outside the guard barracks. The former tapped her finger on the bench in annoyance, while the latter was huddled up in embarrassment. Muffled laughter could be heard from inside the barracks, alongside the occasional banging on a table. The two workers sat in silence as they contemplated the last several minutes.
“Told you they wouldn’t listen to us,” Serena muttered.
“On the bright side, your guess was accurate,” Orion tried to be positive.
“Yeah, wonderful,” the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes.
“I’ve never heard someone laugh that hard before,” the blonde commented.
“Maybe one day he’ll stop,” the maid glanced away.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?” the butler asked, rubbing his thumbs together.
“He hit his head on the table pretty hard,” Serena recalled, “but I’d be more worried about his lack of air. It’s hard to breathe when you’re laughing so hard.”
“Yeah,” Orion looked down at the ground. “Maybe we can talk down the Diane family. Perhaps now that they’ve had time to think about it, they’ll be willing to listen to reason.”
“They whipped themselves into quite the frenzy,” Serena argued, “and it might have only gotten worse.”
“That was probably just in the heat of the moment,” the blonde countered, “I’m sure they’ll see reason.”
\\~~~\\ VI //~~~//
“Not going to happen,” Penth shook her head while sharpening a dangerous-looking set of clawed knuckles. “They need to learn their lesson, and we’ll teach them thoroughly.” The head maid held up her weapon, which sparkled dramatically.
“Ma’am, please see reason,” Orion pleaded.
“There’s no reason about it,” Penth shook her head. “If you two are so concerned, just leave the palace before the festival. Problem solved.”
“But that won’t do anything to prevent the ensuing chaos,” Serena pointed out, “and that’s literally abandoning our stations despite knowing of impending disaster. We could get in serious trouble for that.” The maid made her case. ‘Besides, it’s doubtful I could even talk Orion into leaving anyway.’
“Well then, there’s nothing we can do. Our hands are tied,” Penth lied.
“Ms. Penth,” Serena raised her finger, but the head maid glared back. “Never mind.”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Why do I even bother?” Serena put her head in her hands. At least Orion’s room provided a sanctuary to all the madness building up in the palace.
“I assume talking to the Regas is out of the question?” Orion stated the obvious.
“Does it even need to be said?” Serena unconsciously repeated a familiar line. “Forget this peaceful and reasonable approach. This palace is anything but anyway. We need to take extreme measures if we want to stop them.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” the butler recoiled at Serena’s proclamation.
“Neither do I, but I don’t see any better choices,” the maid admitted, sounding more like Penth than she intended.
“What did you have in mind?” Orion asked hesitantly.
“I’ll disguise myself in some ridiculous getup and, ahem, ‘incapacitate’ anyone I know is involved. Like Jace and Penth,” Serena explained.
“That is a very bad idea,” Orion warned.
“Well, I’m fresh out of good ideas,” Serena shrugged. “What’s the worst that could…you know what, never mind. Just help me find a costume.”
\\~~~\\ VII //~~~//
“Serena, are you sure about this?” Orion asked for the twentieth time. The two workers had situated themselves on the roof of a large gazebo in the palace courtyard. The sun had long since set, and it was deep into the night.
“No, but I’m in too deep,” Serena admitted. ‘So, this is how the rest of the family feels right now. Aside from the embarrassment of wearing this abomination.’ With Orion’s help, Serena had successfully assembled her disguise. A couple of black scarves were wrapped around her head and face, which left only her blue eyes exposed. Scavenged pieces of butler uniforms and discarded noble clothing gave her a vague homemade gentleman thief vibe. One with mismatched colors and styles of clothing, but still.
“Do you think the disguise will work?” Orion inquired.
“Well, hopefully, they’ll just think I’m a really short guy,” Serena suggested as she put on a pair of black gloves. “Do you see our target yet?”
“No, I…Oh wait, there he is,” the butler pointed. “Jace is walking, er, strutting right over in the side garden.”
“Is he by himself?” Serena looked in that direction. As Orion said, Jace was there, walking around like he was on top of the world. However, he also appeared to be completely alone. Not even Medy was there with him.
“I don’t see anybody,” Orion answered, “I don’t know. This feels fishy.”
“Whatever, I just need to knock his ass out,” Serena stated. “A mild concussion should keep him down for at least several days.” The disguised maid leaped from her position. “When I’m done, I’ll meet you by that shed over there.” Serena pointed to a small structure in the corner of the side garden.
“Just be careful,” Orion warned one last time as Serena disappeared into the night.
‘Alright, this shouldn’t take long,’ Serena recalled her last encounter with Jace, which ended with the butler soundly humiliated. The raven-haired girl silently approached the blonde, hiding among the hedges as she closed the distance.
“Ah, what a beautiful night,” Jace stopped to smell the roses. “It will be even more beautiful when I have the princess at my side,” he muttered. “Just a few more days now.”
‘Idiot, talking to himself,’ Serena rolled her eyes as she picked up a weighty stick off the ground. Likely fallen from one of the many giant trees in the garden. ‘Technically, this is assault, but I’d prefer to think of it as preemptive self-defense. Oh Lord, I sound like Aphros now.’ The maid waited for Jace to turn his back and then jumped him.
“Ah, the night is young. I bet I could-Ack!” Jace bit his tongue as a heavy piece of wood bashed the back of his head. The stick broke over his thick skull, and the butler was left clutching his bruised head. “Who’s the wise guy?” Jace flipped around to see the disguised Serena, “Who are you?”
Serena did not reply and swiftly moved to punch Jace in the stomach. The butler blocked the initial blow, only to receive a headbutt for his trouble, sending him back. Serena followed up with a full-power kick to the young man’s chest, sending him flying into a nearby wall. ‘Done and done,’ Serena turned to leave but quickly noticed she never heard Jace hit the wall.
“I didn’t think the Diane would be so bold as to send assassins after my dear boy,” a voice echoed from behind Serena.
‘Fuck,’ Serena’s eyes went wide as she turned to see a woman holding the still-conscious but very loopy Jace. The woman’s long golden blonde hair fluttered in the breeze as her blue eyes stared daggers at Serena.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” The woman asked, her voice low and hissing.
“I’m sorry, Mommy, I didn’t know that was yours,” Jace mumbled.
“Not you, Jacey,” the woman shook her head.
‘Ha,’ Serena suppressed a snort, ‘that must be Jace’s mother, Alcim, was it? Seems a bit more together than her son.’
“Do you not have anything to say, silent assailant? Are you not here to thwart our plans and ruin my…I mean, my Jacey’s rise to prominence?” Alcim exclaimed. “I don’t know how you Diane fools discovered our plans, but you will not stop us. Your humiliation is predetermined, and your fall from grace is inevitable.” The woman broke out into a maniacal cackle.
‘Never mind, the apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree,’ Serena could feel a comically large sweat drop form on her head. ‘I’ll just book it while she’s… monologuing.’ As the maid stepped away to flee, she realized she had been surrounded. Servants who weren’t visible before now filled the garden. All of their vicious gazes centered on the disguised maid. ‘Oh Lord.’
“Ahem,” Alcim finished her laugh and set Jace on the ground, “now face me, assassin.” She entered a combat stance.
‘Well, I don’t see an easy escape route,’ Serena gulped, ‘but maybe if I take out the boss, the rest of them will be too scared to fight me. I mean, she’s only Jace’s mom. How tough could she be?’
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Serena sure is taking a long time,” Orion commented from behind the shed. “I hope she hasn’t bitten off more than she can chew. No, I should have more faith in her.” The butler resolved. Suddenly, a figure crashed through the shed and landed right in front of him.
“Hi, Orion,” Serena groaned. “Your aunt hits like a truck.”
“Serena, are you okay?” Orion jumped to her aid.
“No, I’m fine. I totally haven’t broken anything,” Serena quipped through a punch-drunk haze. “But seriously, I can’t move, and the entire Regas family is incoming. Hide me, please. Preferably as far away as possible.”
“Oh no,” Orion picked up Serena, carefully avoiding the numerous splinters she received from crashing through the shed.
“I saw him land over there!” One of the Regas announced nearby.
“Escaping with due haste,” Orion exclaimed and bolted with Serena in tow. The two disappeared into a nearby building, not noticing a figure watching them from a nearby window.
\\~~~\\
VIII //~~~//
Antherós 21st 758
“The first one was a wash, but I have a good feeling about this one,” Serena assured. She had spent the previous night in a mixture of pain and soreness. Still, after a good sleep, she miraculously shrugged off most of her injuries (at least, that’s what she convinced herself). Now, it was the next afternoon, and the two workers found themselves in the palace halls, not far from Penth’s office.
“Serena, are you sure you’re okay? You hit the shed pretty hard,” Orion commented. “Also, you’re acting uncharacteristically fo…fearless,” the butler replaced his intended word at the last second.
“I’m fine. You worry too much,” Serena bobbed her head. “Just a little dizzy, but it’ll pass.” Despite the circumstances, the maid was surprisingly chipper, practically bouncing in place.
“There’s Ms. Penth,” Orion pointed to the opening door. Penth casually walked out and locked the door behind her. Then she began down the hall with her head low and hands held together in front of her waist. It didn’t get more stereotypically maid-like than that. “Um, Serena?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, sneak attack,” Serena shook her head. “I’ll be right back.” The maid, still in her patchwork disguise, bolted down the hall. Without even a modicum of stealth, she jumped Penth with a flying kick. After a solid impact, Serena found herself on the ground, with Penth standing over her in a fighting stance.
“Thought you could put one over on ol’ Penth, huh?” The head maid crossed her arms. “Nice disguise, but you can do better, Serena.”
“Huh?” The fog in Serena’s mind had begun to clear.
“Here,” Penth grabbed Serena’s hand and pulled her up. “It’s been too long since my last ambush.”
“What?” Serena was no longer loopy but instead thoroughly stunned.
“You young ones with your practical jokes,” Penth chuckled, “you keep me on my toes.”
“Wha?” The disguised maid continued to be speechless.
“Nice outfit choice, too,” the head maid patted Serena on the back. “The Queen loves that look. But next time, try to find one in matching colors. The mismatch makes you look silly.”
“S-sure?” Serena blurted out.
“Good on you,” Penth ruffled Serena’s hair before continuing on her way.
“Well, that happened,” Serena stated and walked away in a daze. Oblivious to the figure that spied on her from the other end of the hall.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“That was a waste. What was I even thinking? Or was I even thinking?” Serena tossed her disguise on her bed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?” Orion checked Serena’s forehead.
“I’m fine,” Serena brushed him off. “This stupid outfit was pointless. I couldn’t even take out Jace.”
“Well, now what?” Orion asked.
“Penth was right. I should probably get one in matching colors,” Serena said to herself. “It’s also loose around my center, but I guess it is a size too big.”
“Serena, the Regas plot?” Orion reminded.
“Oh, right, sorry,” Serena slapped herself. “Rather than taking out a specific person, maybe it would be easier and smarter to undermine their actual operation.”
“Well, you did say something about smoke bombs,” Orion recalled.
“Right,” Serena nodded. She remembered in Dusa’s briefing that the Regas had gathered smoke bombs. “Don’t know where those are exactly, but if we follow them around enough, we might be able to find them. And if we’re fortunate, any other crazy thing they’re hoarding for this event.”
“I know you’re confident in your stealth, Serena,” Orion replied, “but are you sure you want to go through with this? Your last ideas weren’t exactly winners.”
“I’m doing this for your sake, you know,” Serena snapped at him. “I’m not just going to sit around and let them throw you under the hovercraft.”
“If you say so,” Orion twiddled his thumbs nervously.
“Come on, we can’t go in expecting the worst,” Serena placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We need to have faith this will work out,” the maid declared, ‘otherwise…no wait, I don’t want to think about it. Let’s just be positive. Being positive is good. This will all work out.’
\\~~~\\
VIII //~~~//
Antherós 22nd 758
‘Why do I say things?’ Serena thought to herself as she and Orion were cornered in the palace’s underground warehouse. The plan to follow the Regas around failed on the first day. However, as the second day turned to night, they finally thought the other servants were leading them somewhere, but it turned out to be a simple trap. Now, well over a dozen Regas circled them.
“Well, well, well,” Medy emerged from the pack of Regas servants that surrounded the duo. “I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams it would be you two behind last night’s little event,” the brunette giggled menacingly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Serena looked away.
“Aha, guilt, it’s her she did it, no take-backs,” Medy declared. The rest of the Regas gave her a wary look. Somewhere between “reign it in” and “yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”
‘Good to see she hasn’t learned her lesson at all,’ Serena rolled her eyes.
“Serena, what do we do?” Orion was shaking. The numbers were not in their favor. While the Regas servants did not have quite the superhuman reputation the Diane had, they were still tough enough, especially with Medy’s presence. The two servants simply didn’t have the stamina or strength to overcome a 5-to-1 disadvantage.
“Any last words before we beat you and the bastard black and blue?” Medy threatened.
“Yeah, your hair looks stupid, and you have a big nose,” Serena retorted.
“No, I don’t!” Medy fumed. “It’s not that big, right?” She looked to her fellow Regas for affirmation, but none of the other servants dared to engage. “Wait, don’t try to distract me!”
“Eh, it was worth a shot,” Serena shrugged. “See you in the infirmary, Orion.” The Regas closed in on the two, who went back-to-back, ready for the fight/beating of their lives, when suddenly…
“Enough,” a voice rang out through the warehouse. A very familiar voice that ran a chill up Serena’s spine.
‘Please, no,’ Serena paled. Emerging from nowhere was Lady Aré. The dark-red-haired noble simply glared at all the present workers.
“Oh, Lady Aré, we were just, um,” Medy scrambled for an excuse. “Fainting spell,” she went limb and fell to the ground.
“I don’t care what’s happening. This is my corner of the warehouse you’re fighting in,” Aré snapped. “So, get lost, except you two,” she pointed at Serena and Orion, “you two stay.”
The Regas wasted no time fleeing; even Medy sprang to her feet and ran off. This left Serena and Orion alone, staring down an unhappy noble. The maid gulped as she mentally relived her last encounter with Aré.
“Well, I knew this might happen eventually,” Serena sighed. “Orion, just run. I’ll take the blame on this one.”
“Hold your horses,” Aré interrupted, “you’re not in trouble, not yet anyway.”
“You see, Lady Aré, it all started…Wait, what?” Serena was taken aback.
“I want to know what’s going on and why you two have involved yourselves,” Aré explained. “What’s this about a trouble brewing around the Fire Moon Festival?”
“Well, it’s a long story,” Serena replied.
To be Continued…
>>>~~~~<<<
When workplace disputes reach their breaking point, it is best to sort
them out with diplomacy. The last thing you need is violence in the
workplace.
Author's Note: I think I'll just repeat what I said when I posted the old version of this chapter:
"Upon reflection, this might be the first time Serena has taken
initiative in the series. I guess that'll teach her to have an opinion.
But jokes aside, I noted I tend to write very reactive pov characters,
with very active secondary characters and villains. I don't have
anything to say about it, it's just a quirk of my writing I noticed."
That still holds true for this chapter, Serena takes the initiative and it goes poorly for her. But I think that's more of a matter of inexperience than anything inheritly wrong with her desire to protect Orion. This world she stumbled into is still new and weird to her in so many ways, and she still hasn't figured out how to navigate it.
Another thing I noted is this is also the arc for the servant characters to act like asses, while the nobles are at their most reasonable (not that they are acting reasonable, just that they're acting more reasonable than usual). Just because they're on the same social tier, doesn't mean they won't try to screw each other over (something something office politics commentary).
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
