Chapter 21: A maid you don't want to mess with (I).
"Do behave, Miss Blanchet." were the last words Lady Evelyn uttered as she left her room.
Analissa breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time... her head was spinning because of all these missing fragments of memory in her mind.
"I can't remember doing anything wrong last night! What did I do-?!" (Analissa) proceeded to yell at herself for being so stupid.
The Heroine was left all alone in her room while the villainess decided to just get changed in her study with her other spare uniforms. It would feel weird if she changed in her room where Miss Analissa Blanchet was staying temporarily.
With haste she changed, and came out so fair. She didn't need a maid for aid.
The villainess buckled her skirt and vest. The head sister of the maids came knocking on her door, it seems that Liara was awake and noticed the study had some light on so she must've guessed that her lady must be awake.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The maid knocked on the door three times and waited for an answer.
"Come in." (Lady Evelyn) says over the other side of the door.
Liara takes a hold of the knob knowing it was safe to enter. She opens it to see her lady already in a uniform, usually they were the ones who were tasked on helping her put it on but what made her in a rush that she didn't need her maids to help her with such an easy task?
"Good morning, milady. I hope you slept well." (Liara) curtsies and the villainess sighs at the mention of sleeping well, to be honest she slept really well- perhaps too well last night.
"I see you're already in your uniform." the maids continue, commenting on her clothes.
"I will be heading to the academy in a much early time to notify our teachers about Miss Blanchet's state." (Lady Evelyn) explains sitting down in her chair facing her study table with a quill and a pen. "I got up early in order to write a letter of apology for Miss Blanchet being absent. Seeing that she would be unwell to properly write one I decided to do it for her."
With her serious expression she dipped the quill in ink and began writing a letter of apology for the blonde girl who was still in her room.
Liara Fischer watched her lady being so diligent on the matter that she wondered even more what was so special about that commoner girl that got milady this pumped up to write a letter early in the morning?
Once the letter was sorted out, she set the quill aside and rechecked the contents of the letter and once she was satisfied Lady Evelyn gave a little nod as she turned to her maid giving her a full set of instructions on what to do while she would be away in the academy.
"Liara, have Miss Blanchet have some breakfast in bed, before I leave make sure she drinks her medicine. Avoid any complications like last night." (Lady Evelyn) takes the letter to dry for a bit before placing it in an envelope and sealing it with her family crest with a magic stamp.
"I leave her in your hands." The dark-haired girl stands up taking the letter and storing it inside her inventory before taking her bag that was on the corner of the study leaving her room.
Liara smiles with a slight nod following her master out of the study, "What about you milady, will you not eat?"
"I will purchase something in the academy instead. I should... eat but I fear I might extend my rest if I did."
The villainess passed by her room stopping her tracks as well as the maid who curiously peeks a little on milady's face.
Lady Evelyn bites her lip not knowing what to do, she was wondering if it was proper to say her goodbye to Miss Analissa who was still surely not in her right mind.
"No... I don't want you to leave me, please?"
Miss Analissa's voice rang in her head, what if the blonde girl asked of this once more- would she be able to resist?
No- this is why she can't even stay to eat breakfast!
The villainess decided to not go inside and say her farewell. With her conflicted expression and red colored tip of her ears she faces Liara with such resolve.
"Do... tell Miss Blanchet that I need to go. I will be back before sundown." (Lady Evelyn) tells her maid who notices the red color on her face.
Perhaps- did she catch Miss Blanchet's cold?
Or... was she blushing? Was it alright for a maid like her to assume that her lady was flustered because of the commoner girl she brought to her room?
"Of course, milady. I will tell Miss Blanchet of your message." (Liara) decided its best not to pry. After all these years of service to the Alarie family, she would know that milady is not one to show her emotions out in the open so this is a really rare sight to behold.
Not once but twice has she shown such concern for someone!
It was a quiet trip going outside the dormitory, the servants didn't really need to accompany her to the academy so Liara just bowed and wished her master a safe trip. After seeing her master's figure off the other maids that belonged to other nobles could already be seen scurrying off with meals and bath towels.
"Quite a nice morning." (Liara) mutters to herself and walks back to her Lady Evelyn's dorm room. A spacious place consisting of about five different areas, from the bathroom, bedroom, the study, living room and a storage room.
Her two sisters were already cleaning every room except- "So... who's going to service the commoner girl?" (Melody), the second sister with long green hair that was covering her eyes asked the youngest who clicks her tongue in annoyance.
Nayeli rolls her eyes and tightens her hold on the broom before sweeping the floor, clearly not interested in serving a fellow commoner because she would be getting nothing out of it. Every maid only serves those who can give something in return.
"How about you do it? You seem to have liked her company when she was eyeing your little lantern before didn't you?" (Nayeli)
Melody, despite her long bangs covering her eyes, seemed to give off a panicked expression under them and denied the accusation of her younger sister.
"I did not!" (Melody) yells before gritting her teeth. "Liara! Tell Nayeli she's being ridiculous!" she points at the blue-haired girl who was sticking her tongue out.
"Am not! Liara! Tell me you noticed it too right!" (Nayeli) fights back.
They both turn to the red-headed girl who laughs nervously, clapping her hands together to break their little bickering apart. Clearly this was something not worth getting worked up for.
Clap! Clap!
"Now, now. Ladies, if none of you are willing to serve Miss Blanchet for the day I could always cover for you both besides I wouldn't mind getting to know her better." (Liara) smiles warmly at the two who look at each other and eyed their sister strangely.
It wasn't no brainer that clearly something was up, Nayeli was the first one to point it out. "I find it really endearing that you- sister would be so inclined to take care of her." she says sarcastically and the older girl picked up on her tone.
"I'm rather curious about something and well making a new friend wouldn't hurt now would it?" (Liara) replies honestly with the same ever smile, it seems that Nayeli didn't want to push on further with the questioning since whatever her sister wants to do she always manages to do it in the end.
"Fine- I'll just go ahead and take care of the laundry." (Nayeli) walks up to Melody and gives her the broom that she was using. "Melody will continue with the sweeping."
Melody blinks for a bit before glaring at her sister, almost throwing the broom at her face, but before she could Nayeli was already running off outside the room planning to take the laundry basket and take a leisure walk outside.
Melody was now forced to hold the broom in her hand. "L-Liara... Nayeli she-" she turns to her older sister who tilts her head.
"Would you like to switch with me then? I suppose making breakfast and giving medicine to Ms. Blanchet would be a breeze compared to sweeping a whole room." (Liara) puts a finger in her lips teasingly and somehow the other girl found sweeping a more lovable chore than nursing that blonde girl from before.
The head maid laughs gently patting Melody's head. "It's alright, you can use your wind magic to help you. After this you can do anything you want since you'll be off duty." (Liara) tells her before deciding that she needed to go and make some breakfast for Miss Blanchet.
The girl must be famished.
"I'll go ahead and make her some breakfast, do your best sweeping now." She waves goodbye to her little sister and goes to the kitchen to make something easy to digest for the recovering person.
Once she was in the kitchen for the servants there were already several maids and butlers working themselves to the bone cooking complicated as well as fancy looking dishes.
"Oh Liara! I see that you're here!" a maid ran up to her in a hurry holding a knife.
"You're looking as radiant as ever." (Liara) complimented the other maid who basically swoons at the compliment. There were many maids and butlers who knew Liara as the most responsible and dependable person in the servant ranking.
After all, being the servant of the future Queen is something to brag about.
"Are you here to make something for the Duchess?" The maid raises her knife and turns to the chopping board, chopping some freshly picked vegetables from a garden not too far away.
In the academy, other servants who are not serving high ranked nobles are required to call them by their title.
For fellow nobles the title calling has been abolished and has been replaced by Lady and Lord. They will return to their original titles once they are out of the academy, graduated or dropped.
Nobles are not really required to graduate, some have been sent there for the prestige and honor because of its tradition.
The commoners in the academy have a separate building but only the special ones with high affinity magic may join the high studies of nobility, hence why Analissa Blanchet, the heroine of the story is able to interact with several royalties and high ranked nobles for having a high affinity in [Light Magic].
"Milady? No, quite the funny story really. She decided to run away from something in her dorm~ and decided to eat at the academy instead." (Liara) giggles remembering the really conflicted face of her lady when she stopped at the door of her bedroom.
"No way- she's not going to eat breakfast? That's so unlike the Duchess... did she run into a cockroach?" the maid continued to gossip and Liara smiled.
"No but it would be really hilarious to think of it like that. A little bug in her home..." (Liara) covers her mouth to stop giggling but still it continues. "A small cute blonde-haired bug."
The maid stops chopping her vegetables and looks at Liara with one eyebrow raised, "I don't think bugs could have blonde hair." she tells the girl putting the knife down and patting her hand at her white apron.
"Oh... I know that. I was merely jesting." (Liara) smiles widely before going to her cooking station where she meets her life long pain in the behind of an enemy. "Ugh... not him." her face immediately turned sour the moment she saw him looking over.
The crown prince's butler clicked his tongue seeing the other girl was on the opposite end of his working station. He grins, places his elbows by the table and chin by the hand.
"I see you're still wearing that half-baked uniform. What did your lady give you? Some cheap clothes for her servant? Nothing like my master." he says in a taunting and very loud voice for everyone to hear.
Everyone was clearly displeased with what they were hearing. It seems that it wasn't the first time that he yelled out loud in the kitchen. The maids were already talking amongst themselves and groaned.
"Ugh not again..."
"Charles is boasting about how his master is the crown prince of the kingdom again..."
"He never tires of it does he?"
Liara shrugs at his little nitpicking, it doesn't bother her that he does this and usually he goes away if she just ignores her.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Didn't you hear me! I told you, your master doesn't light up a candle against mine!" He continues to provoke her but Liara smiles and begins preparing the ingredients she'll need for Miss Blanchet's breakfast.
She picks up a few slices of apples seeing the red ruby color of it, Liara seemed to be satisfied with the quality and wondered if Miss Blanchet would be alright with a few fruits on the side of her meal.
After all, she'll need the vitamins in order for her to recover faster.
She picked up a knife and began cutting them into small cute sized shaped pieces, Lady Evelyn prefers them in a rabbit shape so by instinct she just started cutting them in that image.
The butler with the name of Charles didn't seem to get the message that Liara didn't have the time to deal with him at the moment so he eyes the apple that she was trying to peel.
"Grrr... Give me that." (Charles) was about to reach for the apple but-
Klang!
A sudden knife swung between him and the apple. The knife's blade was shining and reflected the butler's frightened expression but after a few moments the adrenaline wore up and he could speak. "You almost cut my hand-!"
"Excuse me, my hands slipped but did my eyes deceive me? Could I have seen you trying to take... an apple away from me?" (Liara) muttered with that same smile that never left the expression on her lips. "The same apple I was trying to peel later? Do you know what the capital does to those with thieving hands like yours?"
"Liara I swear-!" (Charles) was angry and Liara was having none of it.
"Mr. Charles Williams. We are in a working area where I would like to make breakfast in peace. So... why don't we try being mature adults and not scream being entitled in the workroom after all- even if you're the crown prince's servant.'' She leaned in over taking back the knife and continued peeling the apple.
"We're still servants, so don't act like a noble and do your own job."
Thank you to my patreun!
Platymage
Mis0
Anonymous
Andres Gtz