Chapter 5: An Adorable Way to Show Loyalty

The appointment of a personal maid-in-waiting to the princess was no small matter. It was a prestigious position and the ultimate goal of almost every maid who worked in the palace. Under no circumstances would this position be filled by a commoner. It was given to the second or third daughters of prominent nobility almost as a rule. Most importantly, the position came with a handsome stipend that was almost twice that of the average maid. For Anne, who was not only new but also low-born, her pay almost tripled. The announcement shocked every single maid who heard it, and for good reason; not only was Anne a nobody, she wasn't even an especially good maid and was known for being more than a little scatterbrained. Such a sudden promotion might very well attract the unified hostility of all the other maids. Nevertheless, Mia proudly and cheerfully announced it.

"From now on Anne will be my personal maid, putting her directly under my protection. I trust you all take my meaning?"

With that, Mia snuffed out any chance of Anne becoming the target of disgruntled harassment. She had, in effect, reminded everyone of her power and reputation. As the selfish princess, she had done exactly what she was known for — gotten her own way. Every maid present had seen plenty of their peers being fired at the princess's whim, and they all understood the dangers of defying her. None were willing to take that risk.

"Um, Miss Anne, about the things we said before..."

From this day onward, the relationship between Anne and the senior maids changed drastically. Not only did the random bullying cease, they became exceedingly friendly, often helping her out when she blundered. The sudden change in attitude was unsettling.

I mean, I'm paid more and everything is great, but...

Not knowing why this had happened made her very uneasy. The fact that it was Mia, who was known to fire servants on a whim, made it that much worse. Being treated so well for no apparent reason was, to be honest, a little scary. In the end, rather than suffer further anxiety, Anne worked up the courage to confront Mia and ask her directly.

"Um, Your Highness, why are you so nice to me?"

That day, Mia was seated in her bedside chair reading a battered old diary. Anne had no idea what was so interesting about it, but lately, Mia spent a lot of time engrossed in the book.

Maybe it's the diary of someone famous...

Roused by Anne's question, Mia looked up from her book and gave her a sweet smile. "I'm simply repaying you for your loyalty."

Her answer left Anne even more confused.

"Um, have I done something for Your Highness before?"

"No, and you need not. I know you to be deeply loyal, and I am repaying you for your devotion. That is all. This matter is not to be discussed any further."

I'm pretty sure I'm not that loyal, though!

Anne barely managed to hold in her frustration. She didn't come to the Whitemoon Palace to dedicate her life in loyal servitude to the imperial family. What did she come for, then? Simple: money. What else?

Anne came from a poor merchant family. With her parents struggling to make ends meet for her and her five younger siblings, her entire family depended on her income as a maid to put food on the table. Getting a significant raise was a very welcome change for her, but, having been rewarded for her "deep" — frankly, non-existent — loyalty, she couldn't help but feel quite uneasy.

Ugh, I'm going to lose so much sleep over this...

Mia, meanwhile, didn't seem to care in the slightest about Anne's internal struggles and simply smiled.

"Now, I find myself in need of something. It would please me so if you could show me some of that loyalty right away..."

"Huh?!"

Anne wanted desperately to scream that she had no loyalty to show, but she ultimately had enough good sense to hold her tongue. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Oh sweet heavens, what is she going to ask me to do?

Mia brought her face close to Anne's and grinned with childish mischievousness. Of course, she should be forgiven for such a gesture, considering she was, very literally, a child.

"Take this, if you will, and procure for me some sweets and snacks of the common people please."

"...Eh?"

It was a wonderfully adorable way to show loyalty. After being on edge for so long, the sudden and nigh-comical request took Anne completely by surprise, and she almost broke out in a laugh.

"Okay, that sounds..."

Then, she looked at what Mia was holding and shrieked.

"N-No no no! Wait a minute, Your Highness! Th-This is too much!"

In Mia's hand was a massive gold coin known as a 'full gold.' A single one could pay the average maid for sixty days of work.

"My, is that so? The money I have on hand is rather limited though... Ah-hah! I know. Why don't you use what's left over to treat your family to some nice food?"

What kind of crazy top-tier restaurant would I have to find to use up that much money?!

"Oh, also, from now on, you are to refer to me not as Your Highness, but as Mia."

"Huh? But..."

"Now, off you go. I'm counting on you. Do try to be quick about it if you can. Sweets are, after all, rather necessary when one needs to do some thinking... Oh ho ho, I can barely wait to taste the snacks of the common people," said Mia, then she started humming cheerfully to herself.

For a long time, Anne simply gaped at her new master, her face a mask of utter confusion.