"Umm, you are the Royal maid who came with the Princess, right?" One of the maids approached slowly, her steps hesitant. Her voice came out nervous and uncertain as she spoke to Maid Emmy.
"Yes, I am," Maid Emmy nodded professionally. Her posture remained perfect and fully composed, every inch showcasing her as a trained Royal servant.
"Umm, we were hoping if we could also give our thoughts and questions to her, if that's possible. Can you ask the Princess if we can?" Several maids gathered around, nodding nervously at her. Their hands fidgeted with their aprons, twisting the fabric anxiously. Their hopeful expressions made it painfully clear how much this meant to them.
"I don't know. I'll try asking her," Maid Emmy replied with a slight nod. She turned and made her way toward Princess Natalia, who was laughing and enjoying her time with her friends. Their carefree happy voices carried easily across the space.
She approached them with slow steps and with respectful slight bow, waiting for the right moment before bowing deeply. "Umm, Princess, sorry to disturb you, but can I ask something?" Maid Emmy kept her head lowered as she addressed both Princess Natalia and her friends at the table.
"Hmm, go ahead," Princess Natalia said, glancing back over her shoulder.
Maid Emmy explained about the other maids' request to speak with her. As soon as the words left her mouth, the people at the table frowned slightly. They exchanged uncomfortable looks, their expressions souring at the interruption.
Princess Natalia saw their reactions and felt a flash of irritation cross her features. "The meeting is about to begin. I can't listen to them right now." Her voice came out strong carrying undeniable authority. "The people here are more important. I can't let them wait. Tell them to come afterwards." She waved her hand dismissively, already turning back to her friends without waiting for a response.
Maid Emmy's expression faltered slightly. A small frown creased her brow, but she bowed respectfully and turned away without another word. Her shoulders tensed as she walked back.
She returned to the waiting maids, keeping her voice gentle hiding away the disappointment she felt. "Sorry, everyone. The meeting is about to start, and the Princess can't help but has to go there. She said her apologies to you guys." Maid Emmy bowed apologetically.
"Ah! Don't worry, it's just small problems we had, nothing serious," one of the maids said quickly. She tried to smile despite the obvious disappointment clouding her eyes. "Sorry to bring it up now." The other maids bowed apologetically and hurried away, disappearing into their various tasks. Their dejected postures spoke louder than their polite words.
Maid Emmy stood there for a moment like a statue. She looked back at Princess Natalia, who had already returned to laughing with her friends. She was completely absorbed in their conversation, the maids problem already forgotten from her mind. Emmy sighed deeply and shook her head slowly. A mix of emotions played across her usually composed face.
Coincidentally, her gaze drifted to Oliver, who was laughing with Alfie and talking animatedly with the Queen expert guards. While talking to them his face lit up with a full, genuine smile, his posture carefree with no hint of any worry or tension in his body language. Seeing his carefree joy made her frown deepen.
Suddenly, a voice spoke beside her. "What, are you surprised that those people don't even have time to listen to us?" A maid appeared at her side. Her tone carried bitter knowledge born from experience. "I'm a maid for one of those guys there at the Princess's table, and so is he." She pointed at a butler standing nearby. His expression looked equally jaded and worn down.
"The Princess is just busy right now," Maid Emmy spoke with a calm voice. Her face showed no expression, maintaining her professional demeanour carefully.
"All I can see is them giggling and enjoying their time," the butler said dryly while carrying a plate of food. His eyes fixed on the table where the Princess sat, watching them laugh together.
"Royal maid, you don't have to take her side," the other maid said with a disapproving shake of her head. "Listening to a question wouldn't take even a minute.... Well, I'm not surprised.... When I heard her speak in her speech that she'd hear all suggestions and complaints, which is practically impossible for someone of her stature, I knew it was just a fluke. Those words were just empty words to make people feel better." Her voice carried the weight disappointment over the years, watching the same thing happen again and again.
"Behave," Maid Emmy said sharply. Her eyes suddenly blazed as she glared at them both. "I will not hear any blasphemy about the Princess."
"Hey, hey, we're just speaking our minds," the butler said defensively, raising his hands with plates on it slightly. "We at least have that much freedom, right? Or is it that you'll kill us just for speaking our thoughts? I'm speaking from experience. We're just tools to them. Wait until we're not useful anymore, and they'll throw us away like garbage." His laugh came out with self-mocking tone. "Look around you. Do any of the Crowns take us people seriously? If you think you're one of them, then you're completely wrong. No matter how close a servant and master become, in the end we're just servants whose problems aren't a big deal to our masters."
Maid Emmy stood silently, absorbing his words. She looked around slowly, taking in the scene with fresh eyes. Shiny, beautiful clothing filled the entire place. Silks and jewels glittered under the light, catching every flicker of illumination. Maids and butlers moved around efficiently, serving the elite with practiced movements. They refilled glasses and presented food with invisible grace. Not a single person in those fine clothes glanced at the servants even once, as if they were invisible furniture moving through the space. The servants existed only as hands that served, voices that confirmed, bodies that labored.
Then her gaze settled on Oliver again. He was still laughing, still enjoying himself with others, still trying playfully to get some reaction from the stoic expert Queen guards. Her eyes lingered on him for a long while. Something unreadable flickered in their depths, a complicated emotion she couldn't quite name.
Finally, she shook her head and spoke quietly but with confidence. "Even though we can't see them all the time, there are people who have helped me a lot. I'm grateful for them. Yes, maybe not everyone is the same, but there are those who genuinely care about you." Her voice came out low but carried conviction born from personal experience, from moments she held close to her heart.
"Hmm, I guess you're a lucky girl," the maid said with a sad smile. "But still, that lucky girl can't let her master hear her own people's problems. I'd say that's a miss." She sighed deeply and walked away with the butler, leaving a thoughtful Maid Emmy standing alone with her complicated feelings swirling inside.
After a moment of reflection, Emmy straightened her shoulders. She went ahead to help Princess Natalia fix her dress and makeup for her grand entry, pushing aside her personal thoughts to fulfill her duty. Whatever doubts crept into her mind, she buried them beneath layers of professional training.
.
"Umm, young masters and miss, here, have some refreshments!" The youngest maid approached with a bright smile. She carried food and drinks carefully, her steady small hands perfectly balancing the tray despite her nervous excitement.
"Oh, come here!" Oliver spotted her immediately and took a plate of refreshments and juice. He distributed them to the trio of expert women and gave one pair to Alfie. Then he gently guided the youngest maid to sit in a chair. Taking the plate himself, he knelt down on one knee before her and offered the food with a warm smile. "Here, eat. You must be tired from helping me around."
"KYAA! Young master, what are you doing?!" The youngest maid's face flushed bright red with embarrassment. "Don't bend your knee in front of a maid! Moo! Don't act like this in public!" She frantically tried to stand up, mortified by the attention drawing eyes toward them.
"If you move, then you're out of my house. Sit here," Oliver spoke firmly but kindly. His tone left no room for argument.
The youngest maid squeaked in frustration but didn't dare move. She reluctantly began eating from his hands, her cheeks still burning with embarrassment. Suddenly, her eyes widened in pure delight. "WAAH! It's tasty and sweet, young master!" She happily munched away, her legs kicking in childish joy as the delicious flavor filled her mouth and made her forget her embarrassment.
"Isn't it? Here, eat more," Oliver encouraged her warmly, offering more treats as she kept eating with unbridled happiness.
The expert Queen guards behind their masks squinted their eyes as if smiling, a rare show of emotion from the usually stoic women. Then they turned around slightly away from the eyes of others and ate their own refreshments swiftly. Their movements came out precise and practiced to the point, efficient even in this simple act.
"Huh?" Alfie noticed their usual behavior and curiously tried to look at their faces while drinking his juice. But the more he tried to peek, the more Miss Experts moved and shifted, perfectly blocking his view of their faces behind those masks.
BLURP!
One of them made a small sound as she drank, then they all immediately stood straight again with masks perfectly in place. Their eyes showed no reaction whatsoever, back to their professional demeanor as if nothing had happened.
"GRR!" Alfie chewed his food in frustration, unable to satisfy his curiosity about what lay beneath those masks.
Oliver and the youngest maid just laughed at his defeated expression, the moment of levity brightening the tense atmosphere of this place. Their laughter rang out making a small pocket of warmth in an otherwise cold environment.
"Natalia, where's your secret plan? Looks like your subordinate forgot about you! Haha!" Her second male friend joked, grinning widely at her predicament.
"Ag! Haha, well, it seems he'll take more time," Princess Natalia laughed embarrassedly. She tried to maintain her composure in front of her friends, but the strain showed around her eyes. "Until then, this princess's brain will deal with everyone here!" She forced confidence into her voice, lifting her chin slightly.
Internally, she was fuming. Geez, Zack, where are you? If you didn't find anything, at least send a message to me! Making me embarrass myself in front of my friends! She grunted in her mind, her jaw clenching slightly. Her eyes tracked the 5th rock leader as he finally arrived and took his seat at the front, his presence commanding attention despite him being late to the meeting.
"Now, don't put pressure on Natalia," Little man said suddenly, rising gracefully from his seat. He bowed slightly in a gentlemanly manner, extending his hand toward her with perfect courtly etiquette. "Come, let me have the honor of guiding you to your destiny, Princess Natalia."
"Huh?" Princess Natalia's eyes widened in shock. She hesitated, her hand frozen in mid-air, not bringing it forward to meet his. The gesture was so unexpected, so public, that she didn't know how to respond. Her mind raced through the implications of accepting his hand in front of everyone.
"Don't worry, Natalia," he spoke warmly. His voice came out low with assurance. "A few young future leaders of good houses will walk with you. It will give you a clear advantage." His eyes held hers with steady confidence, his hand were patient and let Nat decide on what to do.
Princess Natalia's mind raced for a moment, weighing the implications. This wasn't just a friendly gesture. This was a statement, a public declaration of support that everyone would see and interpret. Finally, she made her decision. She gently placed her hand on his, feeling the warmth of his palm as she stood up. The gesture felt both natural and monumental at the same time, to the onlookers in the surroundings.
"Umm, Princess, this..." Maid Emmy, watching the scene unfold from her position, tried to speak up. Concern rang clear in her voice. She could see where this was heading, could read the personal and political implications written across every face in the room.
"Don't worry about small things. Let's go," Princess Natalia said dismissively, not even looking at her. She let the little man guide her forward, his hand holding hers firmly, his fingers hooking tightly to her fingers. Her other friends walked behind her in a respectful formation, creating an impressive procession that commanded attention.
She walked slowly through the center aisle as people stood up from their seats. Applause filled the air, welcoming Princess Natalia with enthusiasm that echoed off the walls. Whispers and comments rippled through the crowd like wildfire, spreading faster than she could walk.
"Who is that guy? Such a tall, handsome man with the Princess!"
"Isn't she already engaged to a Crown from the land of Dreath?"
"Look behind her. All the young generation of great houses!"
"The Princess is playing her cards very well, making sure a few powerful men are behind her!"
"Hmm, things don't look bad for them as the rumors suggest. Let's wait and see."
"Kyaa! They look so cute together!"
"A Royal Princess and a higher Crown. What a pair!"
As Princess Natalia heard the many voices speaking around her, her face flushed with a mix of pride and guilt. The emotions warred inside her chest, making it hard to breathe properly. She muttered slowly under her breath, barely audible over the applause, "Sorry, Zack. I am a Princess now. I hope these words don't hurt you. I'll ask for forgiveness when I get back." She smiled embarrassedly at everyone, her expression carefully controlled despite the turmoil churning inside.
Little man glanced at her and smiled knowingly, understanding flickering in his eyes. He squeezed her hand a little in reassurance. "Go out there. Win the world, Princess, I will make sure you reach the top of the world" he whispered gently. His voice filled with encouragement and something deeper, something that made her heart beat faster. He guided her to a slightly raised platform, and she nodded back gratefully before stepping to the center. She took her position with as much grace as she could muster, standing tall before the assembled crowd.
The Queen guards and other guards stood at the side, ready to protect her at a moment's notice. Alfie, Maid Emmy, and Big Guy all took their positions, their eyes tracking every movement in the meeting area. The people faces were showing mixed reaction some with smiling faces clapped for princess while some frowns could be clearly seen on several of their faces. The concern showed plainly, the unspoken worry hanging in the air like a heavy weight pressing down on everyone.
Oliver, sitting at the back of the seating area, frowned deeply as he watched the scene unfold before him. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, his jaw tight with tension. "What is she thinking, while doing this?" he muttered to himself. His mind raced through all the implications of what he'd just witnessed. This wasn't just a simple escort. This was a statement, and everyone in the room knew it. Everyone would be talking about it, interpreting it, using it for themselves and against the Top Crown family.
The gathering fell into an expectant hush. All eyes fixed on the Princess standing at the center of it all, waiting to see what would happen next. The air felt thick with anticipation, heavy with unspoken questions and concerns for their life and for their future.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
There are many people around us who serve us every day. If we constantly think about each one of them and try to treat everyone perfectly, it can feel tiring...yes, that's true.
So the question is: Is a simple "thank you" enough?
Yes. It is—if it's said with genuine conviction.
Sometimes, just saying the name of the person serving you is enough to create a connection. Instead of ignoring them like it's a matter of fact, or offering a mechanical "thank you" out of habit, try something more human.
Maybe next time say,
"Thank you, Rachel, for the food."
Or,
"It's really cold outside and you're still working—thank you for your hard work."
Or even,
"It's quite busy today. Thank you for taking the time to help me."
Adding just a small, thoughtful note to a thank-you can genuinely make someone's day.
But for people like me—who don't talk much—this can feel like a nightmare. And that's okay too. A sincere smile and a heartfelt nod can do the same job.
The most important thing is being real. People can always tell when you're faking it.
For example with friends—you can sense who truly cares about your birthday. Maybe a lazy friend shows up early. Maybe the punctual one arrives late but brings something extra, like a flower in addition to your gift. You notice these things subconsciously.
That's why we should be mindful and respect others.
But Of Course—give respect, take respect. WINK WINK!