\\~~~\\ 0 //~~~//
In a possible future, in a world not unlike our own, one single kingdom rose as the dominant and only power. It was an ethereal realm with castles made of gemstone and technology so great it was indiscernible from magic. A land where humanity had advanced so far that to live in comfort and excess was the standard, and a life of hard labor and servitude was a rarity. It was known as the kingdom of Celene.
To be a worker, a servant, or a laborer in this kingdom was seen as a mark of honor. They were the 1% who slaved their lives away so others may prosper. Alas, to be a worker was not a simple choice but a burden granted at birth. Grand worker families spread their branches across the domain. To be born in one meant a life of hard work and labor, no matter your personal opinion.
However, their best and brightest were chosen for the highest of honors. To be personal servants for the eternal royal family that ruled this ethereal kingdom. Among those best and brightest exists one family, the Diane. For generations, the Diane has held the grandest honor of being the only ones allowed to attend the Queen and her daughters. However, such an exclusive honor can create odd results in exceptional circumstances. Such abnormal results greatly influenced the life of a certain young woman who knew naught of what her family history truly meant.
Previously on Maid in Fantasy: Serena Diane continued her new job as Princess Irene’s personal attendant. However, after the maid finally showed progress in her magic lessons with Lady Aphros, their reward lunch turned into a harrowing experience when an assassin made an attempt on Irene’s life.
Meanwhile, Orion became more aware of the elder princess Atlanta’s detractors. As well as the princess’s own frustrations over her younger sister.
However, the question of the hour is, who is responsible for the assassination attempt?
\\~~~\\
I //~~~//
Nothing quite brings out the activity in a kingdom like an attempted assassination. The day following the attempt on Irene’s life was like a whirlwind to Serena. Lady Ze mobilized the royal guard in mass, the palace was put on lockdown, and the nobility was in complete panic. The would-be assassin was in custody, but as for who he worked for and what group he represented, he wasn’t talking.
Serena was incredibly grateful for Lady Aphros’s presence, who guided her through the worst of it. Still, that didn’t save the young woman from several hours-long sessions of questioning and going over every detail of their day leading up to the attack.
“This has been a hell of a month,” Serena admitted to herself as she retired to her room. It wasn’t that different from the one she lived in at the fort, albeit a little bigger and nicer. ‘To think, a few months ago, I was about as typical as they come. How’d I get so tangled up in the highest-level politics?’
The maid balled herself up atop her bedsheet, playing with a pen she had picked up at some point. The whole day had been such a blur that Serena hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying it around in her hand until she had returned to her room. In an attempt to center herself, she tried to channel magic through the writing utensil, like Aphros taught her. Alas, she was so shaken the mana failed to stabilize, and the only result was sparks coming out of the pen’s tip.
‘When I got this job, I thought I’d be protecting Irene from herself more than anything,’ Serena recalled. ‘There were no enemies to defend the princess from. Didn’t all the other kingdoms and countries fold into the Celene Kingdom a long time ago? Well, before I was born, at least.’ Serena chewed on the end of the pen nervously. ‘It’s not like there’s a giant sect of rebels or terrorists like in a pulp story. The worst criminals I’ve heard of are people who skim money and supplies or deal in contraband. Since when do we have an assassin?’
“Serena, is that you?” Orion popped into her room. The young man’s concern was undercut by a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
“No, I’m her evil twin,” Serena joked. “Hey, Orion, how has your job been going?”
“Oh, Princess Atlanta has been the same as usual,” the young man answered. “Perhaps a little withdrawn since what happened the other day. Well, I’d ask how your duty has been going, but…”
“The rumor mill has already run its course?” Serena asked.
“Well, it is rather hard to hide a gunshot in public. Even at a private high rise,” Orion explained. “The palace hasn’t made a public announcement yet, and I only heard this second hand, but it’s basically an open secret among the palace staff and, according to some, the press.”
“Lovely,” Serena threw herself face-first into her bed.
“Is it true you deflected the assassin’s bullet with a table knife?” Orion inquired with his usual sincerity.
“Who the hell told you that?” Serena sprang up.
“So, it isn’t true then?” The blonde asked.
“Of course not. Can you?” Serena barked.
“Well, I’ve never tried. I saw Lady Ze do it once, though,” Orion admitted.
“I…really? Oh, never mind. Don’t believe everything you hear, okay?” Serena slumped back onto her bed.
\\~~~\\
II //~~~//
In the following days, Serena found her usual escapades with Princess Irene were joined by an entire squad of palace guards. Thankfully, having about a dozen trained warriors at her side made it much easier for Serena to corral the princess. Thus, less time was spent chasing the girls across the halls, and more was spent shuttling her from place to place.
For once, they were actually on time for each of Irene’s various lessons. Which were actually taught by the princess’s tutors who weren’t Lady Aphros (who had become suddenly scarce in the past few days). Not that it mattered much as the little girl still refused to hold still or pay attention, no matter how often Serena or the teachers scolded her. Then again, even her teachers became guilty of the same thing. Most spent their time with Irene constantly looking over their shoulders, likely afraid another assassin would burst into the room. The constant presence of the squad of guards certainly didn’t help diffuse the tension.
It all came to a head in the current day’s history lesson. The tutor had the misfortune of teaching about a somewhat unstable time in the Celene Kingdom’s history. They had tried to dance around the heavier topics, but it was clear they were regretting their choice of lesson plan.
“…And then hereupon the Queen’s declaration the…um,” the elderly tutor sweated as he stumbled over his own words. “If you excuse me, princess, I must step out for a moment,” he practically fell over himself as one of the guards guided him outside.
‘What’s that make, three today alone? That poor man looked like he was going to have a heart attack,’ Serena thought as she glanced at Irene. ‘Perhaps ignorance is bliss after all,’ she observed the princess who hadn’t even noticed the teacher had left yet as she had been doodling in her history textbook. However, in the teacher’s absence, Lady Aphros slipped into the room.
“Leave us,” Aphros ordered the guards.
“But, my lady,” the leader of the group replied.
“Leave us,” Aphros repeated with authority.
“As you wish,” the squad reluctantly stepped outside.
“Is there a problem, Lady Aphros?” Serena inquired.
“Nope, just wanted to check on you two,” Lady Aphros put on her usual smile, but it was noticeably forced.
“Well, the princess…” Serena looked at her charge. Irene had grown bored with drawing in her textbook and had fallen asleep.
“Yes, she’s the same as always,” Aphros laughed. “She takes after her mother in that respect…Anyway, how are you feeling?”
“Overwhelmed, uncertain, concerned,” Serena clutched her left arm nervously.
“That’s to be expected,” Aphros nodded. “Anything in particular?”
“Well…I never got a chance to ask you because of the insanity of the last few days, but,” Serena gathered her thoughts. “I noticed we were going to be attacked before it happened. I only avoided the bullet because I realized we were in danger before they even fired the gun. Honestly, I’ve been having these random spikes of anxiety for as long as I can remember, but this is the first time it alerted me to something.”
“That’s also to be expected,” Lady Aphros assured.
“Huh?” Serena was left even more confused than before.
“There’s a reason why your family is chosen exclusively to serve the royal family,” Aphros winked. “Think of it as a special talent, a danger sense concerning the princess. Oh, and on a different note.” The blonde reached into her pocket and retrieved a small, cylindrical, black object. “Here, you might need this in the near future. You’ll know when to use it.”
“Lady Aphros?” Serena received the item. It was pretty heavy for its size and had a little button hidden on the side. Pressing it revealed it to be a cleverly disguised dagger. “Lady Aphros, I could never…”
“Hush,” the blonde shushed her. “There may come a time very soon when you’ll need to defend your and the princess’s life again. I know most would say a servant must save their master even at the cost of their own life, but I think that’s a little too sad. Besides, it also works as a conduit for your magic.”
“I understand,” Serena nodded, although the dagger still weighed heavily in her hand. With Aphros’s help, she slipped the blade into one of the hidden pockets littered throughout her uniform.
“The other reason I came today was something that somewhat involves you,” Lady Aphros admitted. “Your cousin is being implicated as an element of the assassination.”
“What?” Serena was taken aback.
“Ever since we publicly acknowledged the assassination attempt, a few of the higher nobles of a certain faction are looking for someone to blame,” Aphros explained. “Your cousin left on less than pleasant terms with the royal family, namely the third princess. Thus, she is seen as someone with a motive. Or at least, someone who could have information valuable to a potential assassin.”
“I understand that, but would she really…?” Serena started to say but stopped herself before she could wake Irene. “I mean, that still doesn’t explain how they knew we’d be there.”
“Yeah, as the owner of said building, that’s of special interest to me as well,” Lady Aphros commented. Serena quickly noted just how poorly this situation likely reflected on the noblewoman. “There is something you can do for me, Serena, something only you’ll be able to.”
“Me? But I’m just a maid,” Serena pointed out.
“Yes, exactly,” Aphros nodded. “You’re also cousins with a certain someone who is a primary suspect. A cousin without previous contact, but perhaps enough in common you could forge a connection.”
“You mean me to…?” Serena realized the course of the conversation.
“After a little crash course on getting people to open up, I’d like you to speak to your cousin,” Lady Aphros stated. “Any information you can get out of her could be useful. Even the right reaction.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know her or if she’ll even speak to me,” Serena admitted.
“Then don’t go as a representative of the palace. Go as a family member looking for advice,” Aphros advised. “You’ll also be mostly on your own for this. Your cousin will sniff out any plan I come up with. So, I’m putting my trust in you to get her to open up. No pressure, but a few lives do hang in the balance. Not just the princess.”
“I’ll try,” Serena bowed, trying not to think about the weight of responsibility being thrust upon her.
\\~~~\\
III //~~~//
Orion stood at attention alongside Princess Atlanta as the two once again found themselves on the balcony overlooking the palace gardens. The latter sat in a reclining chair sipping tea while the former held a tray of sweets and biscuits. Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Princess Atlanta had a scowl on her face. Orion didn’t quite understand the girl’s moods at the best of times, but this was something else entirely.
“Orion, I’m discontent,” Atlanta proclaimed.
“I’ll go scare the birds out of the tree again,” Orion sighed.
“No, not that,” the princess corrected. “It’s this matter of an assassination. Who would dare to make such a brazen attempt on my little sister’s life?”
“I’m uncertain, Princess,” Orion knew to let her vent. ‘It’s nice to see her care for her sister,’ he thought.
“To think those barbarians went after her instead of me,” Atlanta continued.
‘Oh,’ Orion realized what she was actually mad about. “I’m uncertain of that as well. Perhaps they had a specific vendetta against your sibling?”
“That would be even more nonsensical. She may be…a difficult and unwieldy child, but she has not truly wronged anyone,” the princess declared. “Except maybe her former attendants, but not enough to wish her dead,” Atlanta admitted. “Besides, even if they did desire to end their life. They wouldn’t have the money, connection, nor the resources to enact such a scheme.”
“Ah yes, there is a talk over how they’d known she’d be there, how they bypassed security, and how they got up there in the first place,” Orion commented.
“This whole situation reeks of some deeper, more sinister motive,” Atlanta declared.
“May I be so bold as to presume you already have a theory, Princess?” Orion bowed.
“Of course I do,” the princess puffed out her chest. “Not about how they did it. I bet that was all spur of the moment. Mere luck that my sister was out of the palace. No, I think this is but a part of a grander conspiracy…”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
Serena had never been in this part of the city before, nor had she realized it even existed. The lower rungs of their fair metropolis were an almost alien sight to the young woman. While the terms seedy and impoverished had long since fallen from the collective lexicon of her society, that did not mean there wasn’t a dark underbelly to their civilization.
Beneath the layers of crystal and gemstones that adorned the city above laid the crumbling remains of the old-world buildings. It was like an entire section of the city had sunken beneath the surface or was so thoroughly built over it had become part of the underground. The largely unfamiliar sight of the crumbling concrete, cracked asphalt, and decayed brick filled Serena’s eyes. While the air was heavy with something musty, which was nothing short of an assault on the lungs of a teenager who had only experienced a pollutant-free atmosphere.
The underground layer of the city was home to the outcasts of their society. The disgraced, the violent, those who did not fit in, and those who chose not to fit in. Serena vaguely recognized a few former politicians among the thin crowds and one or two people who had once been arrested for violent outbursts. It was a serious culture shock after spending so much time in the palace recently.
Serena had also attracted several stares, some curious, others angry, and a few with ambiguous intent. She couldn’t tell if they were waiting for her to do something wrong or drop her guard. The raven-haired girl decided to stay vigilant as she rushed to her destination. Thankfully, she had switched out of her maid uniform and into plain street clothes, which would hopefully deflect the worst of the attention.
“Hey, girlie,” a particular brawny man approached her. “You lost?”
“No, now leave me be,” Serena tried to move past him.
“Hey, that’s not very polite, now, is it?” The man tried to grab her.
“Back off,” Serena drew her newly acquired hidden dagger on him.
“Woah, woah, no need to be violent,” the man retreated.
“Then leave me be. I’m busy,” Serena rushed away. ‘I’m so glad Lady Aphros taught me how to deal with people down here.’ Despite how the area presented itself, most of the individuals were not hardened criminals or in desperate poverty. Even these outcasts still lived relatively comfortably. After all, only 1% were working class, and the only members of the working class that should be here were Serena and her cousin.
‘Now that I think about it, if Aphros knew how to deal with them, does she come down here too?’ Serena thought. ‘Best not to dwell on that for now. I have bigger problems,’ she dismissed the thought and finally found her destination. It was an old bar with a sign that read “Brando’s.” Serena pushed open the door and saw the interior mostly empty. There was a single patron and a bartender. The former was a young woman with disheveled black hair nursing a pint.
“Caenia Diane,” Serena approached the woman.
“Don’t you say that fucking name,” the woman snapped at her. “I told you, people, I’m not coming back.”
‘This is off to a lovely start,’ Serena sighed.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“You see, Orion, this all starts with my youngest sister’s former maid, Caenia,” Atlanta began. “She was a fairly popular servant with both her peers and the nobility. The pride of the entire Diane family. And she fell from grace in a matter of days.”
“I recall Lady Aphros being…hysteric at the time,” Orion remembered.
“Quite,” Atlanta agreed, “but Caenia’s sudden downfall makes her the perfect scapegoat for this little conspiracy against my sister.”
“I don’t understand,” Orion admitted. “I know she’d likely be bitter towards Irene, but would she really want the princess dead? It feels like a stretch to drop the blame at her feet.”
“You’re correct,” Atlanta agreed, “but what if assaulting my sister was but the first step in the larger plot. Think not just about who the target was, but where were they targeted?”
“Lady Aphros’s restaurant?” Orion answered
“Yes, a poor look for our fair Lady Aphros,” Atlanta continued, “someone who Caenia likely has a grudge against. All the more reason to finger her as responsible. But logic would win out eventually, and it would become clear very quickly that the fallen maid had nothing to do with it, but not after they gleamed some very sensitive information out of her…”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“I didn’t even say anything yet,” Serena tried to play off Caenia’s aggression.
“I know you people. I can tell by your fancy smell,” Caenia sniffed. “You’ve got her stench all over you.”
“I’m not here to bring you back. I’m just here to ask some questions,” Serena explained.
“Oh wonderful, an interrogation again, I’m out,” Caenia began to stand up.
“No, I wanted advice,” Serena corrected.
“Advice, why would…? Oh,” Caenia laughed. “You’re the poor sap they got to replace me, huh? How is the little brat?”
“Uncontrollable and unyielding,” Serena replied.
“Sounds about right,” Caenia sipped her drink.
“So, you wouldn’t happen to know any tricks to corral her?” Serena began.
“Corral her?” Victoria laughed again. “If I knew that, do you think I’d be down here drinking this crap? You want my advice? I’ll tell you what I told the last few guys, run and don’t look back.”
“Last few guys?” Serena tried her best to sound confused.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“The truth is Orion,” Princess Atlanta explained, “despite my best efforts, I’ve made no secret of my more colorful opinions concerning my youngest sister.”
“I see,” Orion nodded.
“We can thank Serena for keeping her under control, for the most part, recently,” Atlanta sipped her tea. “I haven’t felt the need to complain as much. Alas, that wasn’t so when Caenia was still here.”
“Okay,” Orion accepted. “How does this relate to your theory?”
“I may have vented on her for failing to control my sibling, and so did Lady Aphros. That combination likely pushed her to leave so quickly and suddenly,” the princess revealed.
“Princess, what did you say to her?” Orion felt a growing well of concern in his gut.
“Many words I now regret, especially in light of Caenia’s quitting and the attempt on my sister’s life,” Atlanta admitted. “Dreadful things that could easily be misconstrued…”
“Princess?”
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“Let me give you some real advice, kid,” Caenia stated. Serena chose not to point out her cousin was likely no more than two years older than her. “If you hang out here for too long, some folks can piece together who you are. Then they tell the shadiest kind of people, and those creeps come to shake you down for all the info in your noggin.”
“That’s…” Serena struggled to find the right words.
“But, there’s this thing about being a worker. They tell you nothing. They give you nothing,” Caenia ranted. “All they want from you is to follow that little brat like a loyal lamb until you keel over and die. That ain’t going to be me!”
‘What is she going on about? Lady Aphros has been nothing short of forthcoming with information,’ Serena thought. ‘At least, I think she has?’
“Oh, I see that look in your eyes. Confused, right?” Caenia muttered. “You think those nobles give a damn about you? You might think they’re keeping you in the loop, but they’re not. They only tell you just enough to string you along with whatever plan they have. You’re a worker drone kid, and you only exist to do what they can’t or, more likely, don’t want to do.”
Serena didn’t reply and took a moment to soak in Caenia’s rant. She didn’t want to doubt Lady Aphros, especially considering how cordial she’s been. Still, the young woman couldn’t help but wonder what she wasn’t being told. This whole situation had grown far more uncomfortable than she expected.
“If it wasn’t for that stupid brat, I’d still have that cushy job in the palace,” Caenia grumbled. “Cooking and cleaning were no big deal, but no, I had to be made her personal servant. Such fucking bullshit. I’m not surprised someone put a hit on her. Even the nobles are sick of her shit. I know a certain few who are. I’ve spilled the beans on who before, and maybe I’d do it again. Course, I’m the loose thread in all this, the disgruntled former servant and all. I bet it’ll only be a matter of time before they come marching down to blame part of this on me.”
“What happened?” Serena asked genuinely.
“Huh?” Caenia was taken aback.
“What really happened? What pushed you to quit after only three days?” Serena asked.
“Ha,” Caenia chuckled and rubbed her temple. “You really want to know?”
“Yes,” Serena affirmed.
“Fine, honestly, it wasn’t the brat that got me to quit in the first place,” Caenia admitted, “she was annoying as hell, but I’ve put up with worse. No, it’s how they treated me after all I did for those stuck-up idiots. I hope you’re not a fan of Aphros or Atlanta kid, ’cause I’m going to tell you what they’re really like.”
Serena gulped, this wasn’t the information she was sent here for, but perhaps it was why she really came.
\\~~~\\
IV //~~~//
I’m sure everyone told you already, but I was the star of the Diane family. Top of my class, first in every race, the strongest, the fastest, all that good shit. And I knew I was good too, and at the time, so did the nobles. Aphros actually liked me back then or at least pretended to. By the time I was 13, I was put in charge of workers almost twice my age and could boss them around all I wanted. They didn’t complain because I could do anything they could do in half the time or less.
Then a few months ago, they declared the princesses would be getting personal attendants. At least the first and third were. I was a shoo-in for the first princess’s attendant. I know she had a reputation for being difficult. After all, they only did the personal attendant thing because the two scared off every other servant assigned to them. But I was me. She should have been begging to have me around.
But that didn’t happen. I got assigned to that little shit third princess. While the first was always known for her fickle temper, the little rugrat was always known to be completely uncontrollable. I thought it was ridiculous at the time, but I didn’t complain. I was still a good little maid who did what she was told. I thought it would be no problem. What a fool I was.
My first day watching the little brat was an absolute disaster. Her idea of playtime was scaling the palace’s exterior and jumping off once per hour. I made a damn fool of myself trying to keep up with her. Even when I did catch her and gave her a piece of my mind, she’d squirm out of my grasp the second I loosened my grip. I didn’t catch a wink of sleep that day. I just collapsed after she finally tired herself.
The second day was worse. The stupid kid decided she wanted to take every freaking vehicle she could see on a joy ride and wouldn’t stop until she crashed it. It was absurd, like some stupid gag out of a cartoon. At this point, I decided enough was enough and told Aphros I’d need help to keep the little shit under control.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” the stupid cow told me with that dumb smirk on her face. “I have complete confidence in you.”
“Lady Aphros, I don’t have infinite stamina,” I told her. “This should be a team effort. With coordination, we could have her captured in minutes rather than hours. I’ve done the numbers, and I have it all planned out. I just need-”
“It’s fine, Caenia,” Aphros brushed me off, “you’re you, you don’t need help.” Then she just left me as though her precious little princess wasn’t the center of an ongoing problem. And guess what? No one else I asked wanted to help either. Every damn worker from the top to the bottom of the entire palace was too scared to commit to helping me with the brat.
I spent the rest of that day chasing her through the rain gutters. I came out that day a filthy mess, but the freaking fairy princess didn’t so much as have a stain on her dress. It was ridiculous, and Ze was the only one who even bothered to check on me. She actually helped a few times, but guess what? As the captain of the guard, she has real responsibilities and can’t spend her whole day chasing the rugrat.
The third day is when I finally couldn’t take it anymore. The brat woke up bright and early to start trouble. I’ll spare you the details, but I bet they’re still picking pieces of the chandelier out of the dining room floor. Of course, rather than being the least bit empathetic to the shit I had to put up with, I got nothing but grief from the losers in the palace.
“What a sad state of affairs you’ve found yourself in,” Aphros’s on and off again boy toy told me. You know, that donkey with the cape? “But not everyone becomes who they are expected to be. Maybe such people are meant for each other.” I would’ve punched his teeth in if he wasn’t a high noble.
“You’ve never met a problem you couldn’t overcome,” my waste-of-space family members told me. “You’ll succeed we know it.” Yeah, thanks, guys. Maybe actually offer to help.
Then princess high and mighty herself decided to scold me, the stupid kid. She damn near cornered me in the kitchens one day and laid into me.
“Are you really the star of the Diane if you can’t even control one 9-year-old?” She snapped at me. “My sister may be a maelstrom disguised as a little girl, but I never considered you, of all people, would fall to the mischief of a poorly behaved child. I think you should consider your future in this palace because, by your display so far, you have none.” Unfortunately, wringing her neck would be considered an attack on the crown, and I had enough problems already.
Then the whispers started. Those rent-a-cop idiots in charge of watching the gates and those fly-by-night maids who can barely lift a broom started insulting me behind my back. Oh sure, they were quiet the first two days, but by the third, they thought so little of me they’d be bold enough to do it in earshot.
So many freaking quips about how I had peaked and how my whole life to this point was a fluke. Do they know what I did for them? The sacrifices I made? I trained my entire life to serve the palace, and this is the thanks I got? Being stuck with that brat and her making me look like a damn fool? If I had been stuck with miss high and mighty, at least she wouldn’t make me look bad. But no, I guess I wasn’t good enough for that. Except I know damn well Aphros had already lined up that job for her little wonder child.
Then Aphros herself came down to me at the end of the third day, pretending like she was concerned, pretending that she gave a rat’s ass. It started all nice and gentle, all her usual flowery bile. Being so deeply pissed at the time, I actually tricked myself into thinking she was being genuine.
“I know this has been a trial for you,” the cow told me, “I know Irene has been troublesome, but I promise that this was not done without reason. The Queen believes caring for Irene will be good for you. It will help you grow and develop into a better person.”
She had me going. I really thought she was trying to make me feel better.
“Now your performance for the past few days has been…disappointing, to say the least,” the bimbo finally dropped her act. “But you are the star of the Diane, so I expect you to shape up and succeed as you always do. I know you’re better than this, letting Irene walk all over you.”
“That’s it?” I replied.
“That’s it,” Aphros shrugged.
“I get it now. You were only here to tell me how crappy I’m doing. Had to get your shot in too, huh?” I finally snapped at her. That took her off guard.
“Caenia, I’m not here to insult you,” she lied.
“Could have fooled me,” I told her. “So, this is the thanks I get for all my hard work? No support, no help, just do better, you failure?”
“Caenia, what are you…?” She dared to act confused.
“That little…that little brat has made a fool of me for the past three days,” I yelled. “I told you I needed help, and you brushed me off. I told my family I needed help, and they brushed me off. I suffered to keep that rugrat safe, and all I get are you and your noble buddies telling me what an awful failure I am.”
“Caenia, you know better than to speak about the princess like that,” now she was angry like she was the wronged one.
“I don’t care anymore, I quit!” I finally said what I had wanted to say for the past three days. I put a dent in her mahogany desk and marched away.
“You can’t-” she tried to stop me.
“No, forget it,” I turned on my heel, “that brat is completely out of control. I didn’t train my whole life just to be a babysitter.” Then I ripped off my apron and went out the door.
“Caenia, please,” she actually pleaded. “Let’s take a moment to think and let cooler heads prevail.”
“I did think,” I stopped, “and I realized I wasted my whole life on this stupid tradition.” I turned towards her one last time. “Get someone else to do it, you stupid cow, because you’ll never see me again.” With that said, the maid kicked the door open and marched out.
“Caenia!” She still tried to follow me.
“Go ahead, try and stop me. I dare you!” I told her off one last time. She finally gave up, and true to my word, I never saw the cow again.
\\~~~\\ //~~~//
Dékaber 10th 757
“My whole life wasted for that cow and the brat. I could still be something worth being proud of, but that stupid whore ruined it,” Caenia ranted. “I bet it was all her fault. I bet it was always a foregone conclusion. They just wanted to get rid of me. That was their plan all along!” The ex-maid slammed her fists into the bar as she continued to rave.
“There she goes again,” the bartender commented. “You best leave, little girl. Once Caenia gets like this, she won’t be stopping for a while. You wouldn’t be the first to get her worked up like this.”
“R-right,” Serena sighed and stepped away. ‘Well, at least I learned she’s been venting this to a bunch of people for a while. Of course, all that’s going to be useful for is helping someone pass the blame to her.’ The maid lingered in the doorway for a moment. ‘Well, that’s not all I learned, but that’s just sour grapes on Caenia’s part, right? I mean, Lady Aphros hasn’t left the most positive impression on me, but she’s not malicious. There’s a plan behind this, and I’m not a pawn… I’m not…’
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
“That’s a lot to take in, Princess,” Orion commented on Atlanta’s story. Her recounting of her last discussion with Caenia as well as Aphros’s clearly dug up some unpleasant emotions in the royal. ‘I guess you can’t blame Caenia if she feels bitter over the whole ordeal,’ Orion concluded.
“I have nothing to be proud of on that day,” Atlanta replied grimly. “I assaulted both Caenia and my sister’s character when it was not my place to discipline her.”
“Princess, you were clearly just concerned,” Orion tried to soften the blow.
“There’s no need to sugarcoat it,” Atlanta shook her head. “And Caenia wasn’t the first person I vented such feelings on. In truth, I am merely annoyed and frustrated with my sister’s behavior, but not many know that. Now tell me, how easy would it be to misconstrue my frustrated venting as something more…vicious.”
“It would depend, but in the right hands…” Orion nodded.
“Now imagine someone with a vendetta against Aphros or me wanted to paint us in an unflattering light by prying my frustrated rambling out of a disgruntled former maid,” Atlanta theorized. “Next, there’s an inexplicable assassination attempt on my youngest sister. The most prominent person with a motive couldn’t possibly pull it off, but what if they pried the right kind of confession out of her?”
“It’d certainly be a bad look, but it’d be nothing more than that to you or Aphros from such a confession,” Orion pointed out.
“True, but the right political force would only use it to aid in an attempt to discredit us. It would cast doubt on my sanity and Aphros’s competence,” the princess explained, “and more importantly, on my worthiness as a successor. I know plenty who’d prefer the second princess over me as an heir.”
“That’s certainly a well-thought-out reasoning,” Orion nodded. ‘And the princess’s thoughts turn to herself again. It is quite a paranoid assessment, but I cannot blame her for being so concerned when such a violent force with an ambiguous motive is out there. And now Serena is also caught in the middle of this.’ The butler tried to remain stoic even as his own worries mounted.
\\~~~\\
V //~~~//
‘Well, that could have gone better,’ Serena sighed as she made her way out of the underground. As she retraced her steps, she realized the passage was significantly darker than before. ‘Aw crap,’ she spotted several figures moving to surround her. They emerged from behind every corner, and before Serena knew it, they had circled around her.
“Don’t be alarmed. We’re not here to harm you,” the largest figure approached. They were all garbed in dark face and body concealing cloaks. The cloaks, mixed with the low-light conditions, obscured their numbers.
“Just stay back,” Serena fingered her hidden dagger.
“There’s no need,” the figure assured. “You wouldn’t be down here if you didn’t feel the same as we do.”
“I don’t…” Serena tried to reply.
“Don’t worry, we speak for Lady Aphros,” the figure approached her. “I’m sure you’re as eager as we are to see this through.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” Serena played coy as the mystery man got a little too close for comfort.
“We want the second in power,” the figure leaned up to Serena’s ear, “and I’m sure you’d love to be rid of that child.” It took every ounce of Serena’s self-control to maintain her composure.
To Be Continued…
Open communication with your predecessor is helpful in making your transition into a new job go as smoothly as possible.
Author's Note: This is the big one, the stage is being primed for the final conflict and our dear Serena is being dragged right into the center of this political minefield.
The important part of this chapter is not only pushing forward the plot but also calling Aphros into question in Serena's mind. Now Serena always had her minor quibbles with Aphros, but now her trust in the noble is being shaken. And who could blame her? Aphros basically dragged her into this life and by extension this life threatening situation against her will. Yet, a part of Serena wants desperately to trust Aphros, if only because she doesn't want to think of the ramification of putting her faith in the wrong person (she has enough problems as is).
I feel I didn't do a good job of putting that idea front and center in the last version, thus I rectified that here.
Also, say high to Caenia, we haven't seen her since Chapter I. In the previous version of the story she was named Victoria, but I changed it to match the naming pattern I established for the other characters. Can you guess what that pattern is? (Spoken in an obnoxious inflection)
Lastly, there are the expanded bits surrounding Atlanta. Like previous chapters this was put in because I felt I had glossed over Atlanta as a character in the previous version and I needed to emphasize her place in the narrative. Just remember, she's not a bad person, she's just a spoiled teenager. This story thread will be important next chapter.
That's all I got to say for this one, look forward to the stunning conclusion to this first story arc beginning in the next chapter coming soon...ish.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
