Side Story — Lynette and Fie

This is a story of when Lynette was still a child, from a time when she had just begun serving Fielle.

“Why is a child wearing the uniform of a maidservant?”

“Oh, her. She’s from a ‘Distinguished Servant Family.’”

“Oh, that?”

The maidservants gossiping about Lynette as she walked by were at least ten years older than she was.

“Isn’t she the same age as Mistress Fielle? It’s a little mean to dump so much on her, isn’t it?”

“Also... it’s a little worrying for the care of Mistress Fielle to be left to a mere child. Wouldn’t it have been better to assign her an adult maidservant in this case?”

Naturally, their words reached Lynette’s ears.

(Hmph. An adult like you? You cannot even remember the steps for brewing an adequate pot of tea.)

To Lynette, who had received all sorts of education appropriate for a maidservant from a young age, the laziness of this country’s maidservants was something she could not bear to witness. They did not perform their tasks well at all — from cleaning to taking care of clothing, their work left much to be desired.

In particular, the methodology they employed in brewing tea was severely lacking. They knew little about steeping times, or the importance of warming up a cup before using it to serve tea. The tea that they brewed had no fragrance, and the temperature they used was below what was optimal for the leaves. In short — they utterly failed to coax the appropriate flavors out of the leaves.

However, neither His Majesty the King, nor Her Highness the Queen really cared about these failings. As such, the quality of maidservants employed in Daeman began to steadily fall.

Lynette had been appalled when she first came to the palace.

Most of its inhabitants did their work in a remarkably slipshod manner. Occasionally, there would be a few individuals who went about their work with more care, but they often did so with scowls on their faces. It was plain to see that they would rather be elsewhere.

Although they were her seniors of the same profession, Lynette could not find anyone to look up to as a role model. In fact, the only fortunate thing to befall Lynette since her coming to the palace was being assigned to take care of Mistress Fielle.

Perhaps it was a rude way to say it, but both the King and Queen of Daeman were very much clueless about the concept of “quality.” They drank the tea that Lynette had poured her heart into making without noticing a thing — they drank it as if it were the usual kind of sub-par tea offered to them.

In fact, Lynette had not been hired because of her abilities or personality — she was instead hired because she was said to come from a “Distinguished Servant Family,” and because she was around the same age as Fielle.

However, amidst all that, only Mistress Fielle commented on Lynette’s Tea. She smiled and said, “It was very delicious. It’s the first time I’ve had such delicious tea!”

Although she was around the same age as Lynette, it was clear that Fielle was wise beyond her years, and easily understood concepts such as the inherent worth of things, both tangible and intangible. As such, Lynette could see the value of serving Fielle as a maidservant. If anything, she was glad that she had been assigned to work under such a person.

With these thoughts filling her mind, Lynette made her way to a nearby watering hole.

Other than taking care of her charge, she also had to keep up personal standards of cleanliness and grooming. However, Lynette, who was busy tending to Mistress Fielle’s needs, hardly had time to do her own laundry. As such, Lynette left her laundry to the other servants, and all she had to do was remember to collect it after it had been washed.

Upon reaching the watering hole, Lynette came face-to-face with a pile of disorganized clothing that had been washed and dried — to be precise, her pile.

(My tie is gone...)

Lynette immediately noticed this, and quickly understood that it was a form of bullying by the other servants.

The reason for this was simple — the maidservants of this country had all wanted to serve Mistress Fielle, and it was only natural that they would dislike the young girl who had been chosen over them.

Lynette’s tie, in particular, was granted to her in recognition of her service to the Princess, and was made of a special fabric. Although she had a spare available for use, Lynette did not want to lose such an important item.

(They probably did not have the guts to throw it away... Instead, they have probably hidden it where I would not think to look.)

Coming to that conclusion after accurately analyzing the cowardly and petty natures of the maidservants, Lynette began searching for her tie.

However, she could not calm her heart.

(Ugh! I hardly have time to spare to do this!)

Being Princess Fielle’s personal maidservant meant that Lynette had very little, if any time for herself at all. If Lynette was not timely about her duties, it would amount to causing trouble for her Mistress.

“And that’s why those girls are third-rate, nothing more...” Lynette’s poisonously spiteful comment was made to no one in particular.

However, at that moment, she felt a rhythmic tapping on her shoulder.

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

The tie that Lynette had been looking for was grasped in the person’s hands.

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

Lynette moved to receive the tie from her unknown benefactor, who promptly handed it over. It was at this moment that Lynette noticed her hands — hands that belonged to a girl around her age.

Raising her head, Lynette was greeted by a shock of blonde hair — the exact same shade of blonde that the royalty of this kingdom sported.

Lynette knew this girl. She was the other princess of Daeman, Fie — Mistress Fielle’s twin sister.

Before Lynette had arrived at the palace, her mother had thought it wise to show her a portrait of her — however, it was relatively shoddy and messily-drawn, and looked nothing like the actual person that currently stood in front of her.

Lynette reasoned that other than her Mistress and herself, the only other girl around her age who resided in the royal castle could be no one other than Princess Fie.

Although Lynette knew of Fie’s existence as “the other princess,” she was normally nowhere to be found. When the King and Queen had tea with Fielle, Fie was not present. When the royal family had dinner, she was also missing — nor was she present at the balls and dances that Princess Fielle attended.

Instead, the place where Lynette had first set eyes on Fie was at this dark watering hole, which the other maidservants were keen to leave behind once they had finished their work.

Lynette’s first impression of Fie wasn’t exactly positive — to begin with, her mannerisms were somewhat crude. In addition, she was decidedly un-princesslike.

For starters, although Fie was indeed wearing a dress, it was of a considerably dated design. Normally, it would be common for princesses to have the latest fashion trends in their wardrobe.

The King, Queen, and Princess Fielle all had numerous dresses and robes — gifts from the royal families of nearby kingdoms. However, Fie’s dress alone looked old and weathered, as if it were a hand-me-down from someone who had outgrown it a long time ago.

On top of all that, she was poorly groomed. Normally, the dresses of royalty were separately maintained and laundered with a strict eye for detail — to the point where even the half-hearted maidservants of Daeman did an acceptable job of it. However, the clothing that this princess wore was probably just thrown into the laundry pile containing the servants’ clothing — that was how shabby the garment was.

To make matters worse, the princess in question wore it without a shred of elegance. Unlike her Mistress, Princess Fielle, who could wear and present an otherwise typical dress for royalty with an air of unparalleled elegance, this other princess could not be more different.

Fie cocked her head to one side, becoming aware that she was the subject of Lynette’s intense stare. Without thinking, Lynette reached out and straightened a crease on her sleeve.

“Please wear your dress properly. You, too, are a princess, after all.”

Upon hearing Lynette’s words, the other princess seemed a little surprised, before she turned to face the maidservant, smiling as she did so.

“Thank you. I’ll be more careful.”

Advice had to be given sometimes. Even if it would hurt the pride of another individual, it was for their own good. Although Lynette was still a child, her sense of social understanding was well-developed.

Although she never had to warn her Mistress about matters like this, Princess Fielle would always humbly accept Lynette’s advice on other matters. However, with the King and Queen, similar advice was often rewarded with a visible frown of distaste — although Princess Fielle would always intervene to defuse the situation in such cases.

Indeed, a person like Princess Fielle was exceedingly rare. That was why Lynette would have assumed that the other princess had taken offense to her words. A slight blush crossed her features as she realized that her blunt nature had shown itself once again. Fie, however, had just smiled and thanked her for her advice and actions.

“It’s all right, as long as you understand. I’ll be going now...”

Unable to honestly apologize for her etiquette (or lack thereof), Lynette quickly retrieved her tie and departed the watering hole.

Filled with a strange feeling in her heart, Lynette made her way down the hallways and corridors of the castle, intending to return to Princess Fielle.

She was, however, stopped by a man’s voice.

“Hey Lynette. Seems like you’re working hard and doing a good job, even though you’re just a child.”

Lynette immediately felt revulsion and some degree of fear in response to the owner of this greasy, unpleasant voice.

“Thank you for your words of praise, Count Jaruge.”

Fighting to hide her disgust, Lynette turned to face the Count, lowering her head as she recited her line, almost machine-like in her movements.

“How about it? I’ve just had the maidservants prepare tea. Do you want to have some with me?”

“I am sorry, but I have to return to Princess Fielle’s side.”

“Just a bit is fine. You have to rest after all, right?”

“I am terribly sorry, but I must not keep Princess Fielle waiting for long...”

“I see... You are indeed busy. If you have time in the future, do prepare some tea for me as well. Let’s spend some... elegant time together.”

“Yes, if time permits.” Saying only that, Lynette bowed her head once more, turning to leave the hallway.

Count Jaruge was a relative of the Queen, and was a constant but unwelcome visitor at the palace, neglecting his own territories as a result.

The count’s reputation amongst his servants was not exactly stellar either, and he was particularly known for causing trouble for his servants with selfish commands. As he was a relative of the Queen, there was no one to admonish him in the royal castle.

However, Lynette’s reason for disliking and fearing him had nothing to do with how he treated his servants — but because he, a man over 30 years of age, looked at her with lustful eyes.

Although Lynette had first thought that it was just her imagination, as time passed, she became increasingly sure of her suspicions.

“I’m looking forward to it.” The count nonchalantly placed a hand on Lynette’s lower back — and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

“Yes...”

Although Lynette had thought to at least give a response, her voice had given out. Determined to not stay in that location, she pressed forward, moving one foot ahead of the other.

It was then that Lynette decided to discuss this issue with her mother.

However, her mother’s response was thus:

“It has to be your imagination. You finally got assigned as Mistress Fielle’s personal maid! You must not cause any problems. Just bear with it for now.”

(I have to bear with it...)

As Lynette continued walking, tears welled up in her eyes, and she fought to contain them. She could not possibly show Mistress Fielle her crying face — she would definitely be worried for her.

After all, it was impossible for her to discuss this with Princess Fielle.

(It’s all right... It’s true that I am Mistress Fielle’s personal maid and am very busy... I’ll be fine as long as I reject all his advances...)

Lynette repeated her thoughts in her mind over and over again.

A certain amount of time had passed since that incident. Lynette had spent busy but peaceful days serving Princess Fielle.

However, certain rumors had begun to spread amongst the other maidservants.

To this, Lynette paid no heed. After all, she had received training as a maidservant from a young age, and possessed a variety of knowledge and skills. As long as she had confidence in her skills, she did not intend to try to make friends with the other maidservants, who seemed content to gossip about her.

The other maidservants, for their part, looked down on Lynette for being younger than they were. And because none of them knew more than Lynette did about being a maidservant in the first place, their collective jealously continued to grow.

In spite of this dissonance in her heart, Lynette continued to serve Princess Fielle with all her being as the days passed.

On a certain day, a party was held in the royal castle. It was not exactly a special day, but instead just an event for the proud parents of Princess Fielle to show her off to visiting nobles from surrounding kingdoms, in hopes of forging some form of ties with them for the future.

In fact, to the maidservants, who had to prepare everything behind the scenes, it was hardly an occasion to be happy about.

Princess Fielle, although tired by her constant engagements, appropriately entertained her guests late into the night, her smile never once fading from her face.

And so, on top of being worried about her Mistress for most of the event, Lynette was displeased about how the King and Queen of Daeman did not seem to care much about Princess Fielle’s condition.

Although she was the Princess’ personal maidservant, the party was extremely short-staffed, so Lynette had to leave Princess Fielle’s side midway through the party to assist in the transport of large amounts of food and drink, in addition to other duties behind the scenes.

About an hour into the party, it was discovered that there was not enough wine to go around.

“There isn’t enough wine. I don’t remember seeing where it is... Where is it stored?”

“Oh, that would be the third room down from the central basement passageway.”

A nearby maidservant, upon hearing Lynette’s question, answered accordingly. Lynette, however, furrowed her brow in response.

“Isn’t that just a normal room...?”

The room in question was also somewhat far away.

“No one is using it right now, and so it was decided that for the duration of the party, it would be used as a store room.”

“You just got hired, so you probably don’t know, but we’ve always done this.”

Although the maidservant’s response was clearly meant to mock her, this was par the course for them — and although Lynette usually did not trust anything they said, this particular answer did not seem suspicions to her.

“Can’t you fetch it?”

Lynette had thought that the maidservant would simply retrieve it herself — but instead, she smiled, shaking her head.

“That will not do. We can’t exactly leave our posts.”

However, it did not seem that way at all. If anything, the maidservants present seemed to have a lot of time on their hands. Still, Lynette was not one for arguments when time was of the essence. And she didn’t want to depend on her lazy colleagues in any case.

“I understand. I will go fetch the wine instead.”

Lynette decided to retrieve the wine on her own. Preparing a small box and cart, Lynette headed towards the room where the wine was stored.

However, Lynette misunderstood the truly diabolical intentions of her co-workers.

She had thought that they were simply slacking off and pushing their duties onto her, like they always did, simply because they disliked her — on the account of her having the most skill and ability as a maidservant, although she was a mere child.

Lynette had mistaken the maidservants’ behavior as a sort of herd mentality, manifesting in nothing more than petty acts of harassment and mild acts of mischief. As such, she did not know just how deep and twisted their jealousy of her was.

This was why Lynette entered the specified room without a second thought, all the while thinking to herself how the other maidservants lacked a sense of responsibility. The room was pitch-black.

(Why are the lights out...?)

If this was indeed a storeroom for wine, it should have been adequately lit — no work could be conducted otherwise.

Lynette stood in the middle of the dark room, momentarily confused, when the door suddenly shut behind her.

Almost immediately, an unknown presence wrapped its arms around her body.

“We’re finally alone now... I’m so glad, Lynette.”

Upon hearing that voice, Lynette’s entire body froze, a shattering wave of chills traveling up from her feet up her spine.

That was Count Jaruge’s voice.

Right next to her ears, was Count Jaruge’s voice.

Lynette’s knees began to shake, and she could no longer scream.

(Why... Why...?)

Her thoughts were a muddled mess. Lynette did not understand this turn of events — more accurately, she could not process any of it at all.

However, deep down inside, she knew. While she understood, she chose not to accept it. The smiles that the other maidservants had shown her as they told her where the wine was kept flashed repeatedly through her mind.

She could not believe it. She had thought that they simply didn’t like her — and had never thought that they would do such a thing.

She did not want to believe it — that she was currently now in the embrace of the Count in a pitch-black room, far away from the party venue.

However, no matter how much she had denied it in her heart, the current situation would not change.

(I have to escape...)

Although Lynette thought of escaping, her body merely remained shaking, and she could not muster the strength to do anything.

(Anyone please! Help! Mother...!)

Lynette thought of her mother’s face, and the words “Just bear with it” surfaced in her mind. It was not the face of a mother who was worried about her daughter — but instead one that was purely concerned with Lynette’s social standing.

Lynette wondered if her mother would even help her in this situation.

That question alone was one that she did not wish to answer, for it filled her heart with dread.

(Mistress Fielle...)

For a moment, Princess Fielle’s visage filled Lynette’s mind. However, she was also the host of this party, and hence would be preoccupied. There was no way she would show up to save her.

At that moment, it finally occurred to Lynette that no one would come to her rescue at all. Tears of despair flowed down her cheeks.

“Yes, that’s a good girl. Stay still and don’t make a sound.”

With something between a smile and a sneer, Count Jaruge’s hands began to move across Lynette’s body.

“NOOOOOOOO!!”

In that moment, Lynette began flailing her arms in the darkness wildly, hoping to grasp something, anything, with her small hands.

A dull gonging sound filled the air, along with the sound of what seemed to be someone falling to the ground. The arms that had entrapped Lynette released their grip.

In the darkness, Lynette desperately searched for the room’s door, feeling around the walls for the doorknob. Finding it at last, Lynette turned it with trembling hands — and the door opened. It was apparently unlocked.

Lynette ran out into the bright corridor, whereupon her knees promptly gave way.

However, there was no one in the corridor. Lynette wasn’t sure if it was a mere coincidence, or if it was the work of the Count.

(I... I have to get away...)

Although that was what Lynette had thought, there was no strength left in her legs to stand.

“How dare you... Lynette...”

From beyond the darkness of the door emerged Count Jaruge — and upon seeing his face, Lynette’s heart almost came to a stop.

His usual lustful stare was now clearly intermingled with the color of anger. A single steak of blood dripped from his forehead.

“You’ve really gone and done something bad, haven’t you? To think that a mere maidservant like you would dare to injure a relative of the Queen, a count...”

“But... But that’s because you...”

“I just wanted to get along with you — that was all. But then you went and misunderstood, didn’t you? And then you exerted violence upon me. This injury, and the thing you’re holding in your hands, are more than enough proof.”

In her hands was a bronze ornament of sorts — along with a healthy amount of the Count’s blood on its surface.

Lynette couldn’t believe she was in this situation. Yet whether she believed it or not, she couldn’t deny that she was now in an extremely disadvantaged position.

She did not have any proof of the Count assaulting her in the dark room. The evidence that was available now, in addition to the difference in social standing between the two, clearly illustrated the outcome of this event.

She was certain that no one would believe what she had to say. To the denizens of this castle, if the guilty party shoves its sins onto one of weaker social standing, then that was that.

Lynette already knew that her fellow maidservants would never admit to any wrongdoing — much less stick up for her or defend her character. In fact, getting rid of her would be advantageous for them.

Princess Fielle may vouch for her, but the thought of her Mistress arguing with her parents filled Lynette’s heart with an unimaginable pain. There was no way she could do something like that to Princess Fielle.

“I don’t think such a dangerous person like yourself could possibly be Princess Fielle’s personal maidservant... I have to report this to the Queen. You are fine with that, yes?”

Lynette froze upon hearing those words. Her mother’s face surfaced in her mind once more.

“You must not cause any problems.”

That was what Lynette’s mother had told her when she had been chosen as Princess Fielle’s personal maidservant.

“Never let go of your position. You are the star of hope for our ‘Distinguished Servant Family.’ No matter what happens, you must do your job well.”

Lynette’s mother knew that, should she cause any problems for anyone, she would be removed from that coveted role.

“No... anything but that... Please don’t tell the Queen...” Lynette earnestly begged the Count — despite how aberrant it was to do so.

Why did something like this happen to her? Why did she have to obey someone like this? However, Lynette could not betray her mother’s expectations.

Upon hearing Lynette’s words, Count Jaruge’s perverted smile returned to his face. That smile rooted Lynette to the ground.

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t do anything bad... You just have to do exactly as I tell you. If you do that, I’ll forget all about this matter.”

Lynette nodded unwillingly, swallowing hard as she did so. With a single hand on his injury, the Count seemed to be emphasizing his wound as he slowly approached his prey.

Lynette no longer had a means of escape from this situation. Although she had escaped to a place of light, an inescapable darkness began to invade her vision. The Count’s voice began to fade far into the distance. If she could not physically escape, at the very least, she wanted her mind to run somewhere far, far away.

“What are you doing?”

To Lynette, who was determined to seal away her mind, that particular voice seemed strange and curious. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone here but the Count and herself.

“P-Princess Fie!”

The Count’s panicked voice finally drew Lynette’s attention.

In the corridor, the familiar silhouette of a girl began walking towards them. She had blonde hair like Princess Fielle, and the same old, worn dress as before — indeed, it was the kingdom’s other princess.

(Oh... she’s wearing the dress a little better now...)

The dress that Princess Fie was wearing had its sleeves properly pulled down, with no creases. The fear, loathing, and hatred Lynette had felt in response to the Count suddenly evaporated upon seeing Princess Fie’s form — instead, all she could think about was how her dress sense had improved.

Slowly but surely, Princess Fie made her way towards them. Casting a glance at Lynette, who was still on the ground, and then the Count, Princess Fie parted her lips once more.

“So. What are you doing?”

The one who responded first was Count Jaruge.

“This child exerted violence upon me! Look, I have proof. By doing something like this, she loses her right to remain a servant... And that’s a little sad, so we agreed that if I teach her a lesson I’ll forgive it all... Isn’t that right, Lynette?”

The Count was quick to think of an excuse to mislead Princess Fie.

Lynette had no choice but to nod — such was her position in this entire affair. She was the one who was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Even if it was plain for an observer to see what had happened, the scar on the Count would still remain, and could potentially endanger her position as Princess Fielle’s personal maidservant. Although all this was the Count’s fault, the entire incident could easily backfire unto her.

Lynette did not want to lose her position — for her mother, and her family. Even if the Count was obviously the one at fault.

“Yes...” Lynette nodded, a hollow expression on her face.

“Then we’ll be on our way. Come, Lynette.”

As the Count made to leave, Lynette followed after him.

“Hmm. Evidence, huh. Show me.”

However, Princess Fie stretched out a single hand towards Lynette, demanding to see the object in question. It seemed that the Princess wanted to inspect the item.

In response to this, Lynette fearfully looked at the Count — but the latter seemed to express no objections whatsoever, and so Lynette handed the object over to Fie obediently.

“See? My blood is on it,” the Count said.

Princess Fie looked closely at the statue a few times, turning it around in her hands, before finally deciding to address the Count.

“Count, let me see your injury as well.”

(What does she think to do...? This girl...) Lynette thought, confused.

Upon inflicting an injury upon the Count, Lynette’s life and social standing were already over. Even if it was the other party at fault, as long as they were of noble birth, Lynette would be severely punished for going against anything they said. In addition, the Count had evidence in his hands.

Lynette thought that it was all over. All she had to do was bear it for a little bit. Yes, bear it for a bit. Then it would be over.

With that, she would be able to protect the position that her mother held in such high esteem. And that was why Lynette had just wanted to get it over with — for fear of her heart sinking into darkness forever.

“Ha... Ha? What?”

The Count, confused by the Princess’ demands, knelt down to show the girl his injury.

“Hmm... So you’re saying this is proof of the maid having hit you?”

“Yes, it is as you see.”

Without warning, Princess Fie raised the bronze statue over her head, and then with all her might, swung it down upon the Count’s head.

“Guh!”

Fie had swung with considerable force. Blood spattered out from his wound, and the Count now sat on the ground, holding his head in pain.

Lynette could not believe the sequence of events playing out before her eyes.

Still pressing down on the wound on his head, the Count finally got up, staring menacingly at Princess Fie and Lynette.

“What are you doing?! Don’t think you’ll get away with this! Both of you! Once I tell the Queen that you’ve been violent with me, you’ll be fired from your position as Princess Fielle’s personal maidservant!”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing those words, Princess Fie smiled.

“But... you know. There’s proof that I hit you, but where is the proof that Lynette did too?”

The Count’s eyes went wide upon this realization.

The injury that Lynette had supposedly caused was now overwritten by the much larger wound caused by Princess Fie. It was plain for all to see that Princess Fie was currently holding a very blood-stained bronze statue.

Anyone would have come to the same conclusion after looking at this scene.

“Well, if you still haven’t had enough, you can have one more!”

Swinging the statue once again, Fie promptly renewed her attack on the Count. The princess’ merciless swing sank the statue into the Count’s large head.

“Eeeeee! Stop! Guhhh!”

Lynette could only stare at what was happening before her in disbelief.

Upon hearing his screams, maidservants and soldiers quickly converged upon their location. What greeted them was the sight of Princess Fie exerting a considerable amount of violence upon Count Jaruge.

“This is terrible!”

“Stop her!”

The panicked soldiers pulled Princess Fie and the Count apart.

The bloody Count swayed side to side as he desperately held his wound, his words dripping with hatred.

“I’ll get you for this... I’ll make you pay for doing this to me...”

Princess Fie’s riposte was quick and cold.

“Pay? Pay how? I’m a princess, you know.”

In the castle, her position was somewhat strange. By other royalty and nobles, she was a princess that was not seen nor treated like a princess. Without the love of the King and Queen, she also had no support from anyone else.

However, it was as she said — Fie was indeed a princess of this kingdom.

She was not treated as a princess should be — this much could not be denied. While her basic needs were handled by some maidservants, the clothing she wore was old and unkempt, and she was never once educated on social formalities.

Even so, she was an heiress of royal blood — in terms of social standing, she was still rightfully a princess. Even the citizens and magistrates of Daeman had to do her bidding as soon as she insisted upon her status as a princess.

It was then that Lynette finally noticed — if Fie had really wanted to be treated more like a princess should be, she could very easily demand such treatment.

In fact, it would have been exceedingly simple to do so. All she had to do was complain and be selfish. If she did that, then servants, magistrates, and even the nobility would have to bow down to her words.

Fie could have been treated a lot better. If she had demanded beautiful dresses, she would at the very least be able to obtain a fair amount of them for daily use. However, Fie did not wish to be treated as a princess by those around her.

To Fie, that would simply be causing trouble for her the people around her — so she didn’t say anything, no matter how terribly she was treated.

However, at this point in time, Princess Fie had finally used and declared her standing as a princess.

(It’s... It’s for me...)

“Don’t you know... that between a princess and a count, one is a much bigger deal? I don’t like how this man’s face looks. It displeases me. Throw him out of here! Also, I never want to see him in this castle ever again! This is an order from your princess!”

Princess Fie’s words were arrogant, but filled with power. It was plain for all to see that between a princess and a count, the former had more power. A count or duke would be powerless — much like how the Count had used his social standing to lord over Lynette.

Yet it was not quite so simple.

In terms of standing, it was true that Fie had more power. However, to blatantly use her social power without the trust of those around her meant that Fie would have to pay the price — namely, the resentment of others.

The soldiers followed Fie’s orders and dragged the Count away. However, their eyes were cold.

“She must be crazy to do something like this...”

“She must have developed a twisted personality because the King doesn’t love her... It’s scary...”

“What an arrogant princess... Totally unlike Princess Fielle.”

The soldiers were gossiping about Fie as they slowly left the corridor.

(No...)

However, Lynette understood.

Princess Fie, for her part, also knew that this would happen. She knew that if she took the blame for this, and used her social standing to get away with it, her reputation would further decrease.

Even so, she had done it in hopes of helping Lynette.

“Leave us. You’re blocking the way with your shuffling.”

Despite the audible gossiping around her, Princess Fie maintained her expression — her mask of being an arrogant princess. Slowly, the gathered servants and soldiers began to disperse.

After a while, only Princess Fie and Lynette remained.

Kneeling down before Lynette, Fie smiled gently — to Lynette, it was the most gentle smile she had ever seen.

“Sorry you had to go through that in this castle... Should we go back to where Fielle is?”

Her smile was as kind as Princess Fielle’s, and her warm hands grasped Lynette’s as they both left that corridor behind.

Fie escorted Lynette all the way to the party venue, and soon the maidservant was reunited with her Mistress once more.

“Fielle is probably tired from this party as well. You’re her personal maidservant, so stay by her side and support her. I’m sure Fielle will be happier that way too.”

Saying so, Fie gave Lynette’s back a light push — and then, markedly deciding to not enter the party venue herself, Fie turned to leave.

All Lynette could do was frantically lower her head in Fie’s direction.

“Um, Mistress Fie... Thank you very much!”

Princess Fie seemed a little stunned, just as she had been back in the watering hole. Then, with a “Yeah, you’re welcome,” she nodded at Lynette.

Deep in the venue was the star of the party, Princess Fielle, and her mother the Queen. Surrounded by other nobles, they were bathed in the warm glow of a luxurious dinner party.

Their eyes did not seem to register Princess Fie’s presence — and Fie did not make any efforts to be noticed by the Queen either.

Upon delivering Lynette to the venue, she silently turned and left.

Perhaps it was out of fear of Princess Fie, but after this incident, the Count had never showed his face at the palace again.

A year later, he had tried to do something similar once more — this time he was exposed for his actions and stripped of his title of count. It seemed like his so-called connection to the Queen wasn’t very significant after all.

The maidservants who had set Lynette up were never good at what they did to begin with, and they eventually began to disappear from the palace.

More importantly, however, one thing above all hurt Lynette’s heart — and that was Fie’s rapidly dropping reputation amongst the denizens of the castle. Although Lynette had tried her best to defend Fie, the Princess had merely shaken her head and stopped her from doing so.

To begin with, Fie’s existence was an obscure one. Lynette wasn’t quite sure if it was a good thing or not, but the negative rumors about her soon stopped, and faded into nothing.

However, even with the Count’s sins exposed, Fie’s actions were never vindicated — and Lynette could only clench her teeth at this injustice.

After this event, Lynette only had one wish.

(I wish to serve Mistress Fie.)

After this incident, Lynette had expressed her wishes to her mother, but she only had the same kind of words to say.

“What are you even thinking? If you serve that kind of princess, I’ll never forgive you! You are the hope of our ‘Distinguished Servant Family!’ Princess Fielle is the best person you can serve! She will certainly be married off to a king from a great kingdom, and when that happens, you will be promoted to head maid! That is why we have raised and educated you, and now you finally have this chance! Don’t say stupid things, and do everything you can to protect your position!”

(But Princess Fie is not a bad person...)

For the first time in her life, Lynette began to feel a small surge of rebellion against her mother.

(To begin with... what is the value in being a member of a “Distinguished Servant Family?”)

Indeed, her “Distinguished Servant Family” wasn’t very “distinguished” at all.

If they really had been distinguished, there wouldn’t be a need for her to become a maidservant in the first place. There would also have been no need for them to spend many hours of her childhood on maidservant etiquette training, or techniques in tea brewing.

There was no need for her to participate in such discriminatory, antiquated methods of training — all it had brought her was threats by someone like the Count, and susceptibility to unreasonable, demeaning orders.

The truth was, the so-called “Distinguished Servant Family” was nothing more than a baron’s family. It was a family of noble standing that simply provided trained servants to royalty, or other nobility of higher standing.

And so it was with pride that Lynette embraced her value as a personal maidservant.

While it was true that Princess Fielle was a caring and wonderful person, Lynette had no doubts that she would simply keep on shining even without her services. After all, Princess Fielle looked beautiful in any dress, and was heavily guarded by many people around her.

Lynette felt that Princess Fie was also a caring and wonderful person. However, not a single person stood beside her to offer support. There was no one to wash her clothing, manage her wardrobe, or offer any support or help so that she could shine like the princess she rightfully was.

In fact, the techniques that Lynette had been taught would surely be of use to Princess Fie. It was with these thoughts that she had asked to be transferred over to her service. However, her wish was never granted.

Apparently the King and Queen had finally come to understand Lynette’s value, and refused to take her off Princess Fielle’s maidservant roster. Upon hearing of the incident, Lynette’s mother nearly went mad with rage — to think that the child she had so painstakingly raised was now strong enough to bite the hand that fed her.

Even so, Lynette kept that one wish in her heart.

(One day, I wish to become Princess Fie’s personal maidservant.)

And so, to this day, that had remained Lynette’s dream.