The song was beautiful.

Rose gazed at her Princess’ alluring, indifferent face.

Yet, it was also filled with great sorrow.

After handing her Princess the new instrument, Rose manoeuvred her way towards the door. Being careful not to knock over any of the other instruments scattered about. The instruments rested on stands, all conveniently placed for her Princess. Her favourite hobby.

Reaching the door, Rose grasped its handle and took a pause. A small desire was burning in her heart. One she couldn’t quench. With a quick glance back, Rose began mustering her will.

‘I can’t stay. It would do her no good.

Hell, even if she wanted to stay with her Princess, she had no right. It was as plain as that. Any outsider would easily agree with her. They might cite her low birth or even her role as a maid in the castle, but the reason was so much simpler.

Rose didn’t deserve to. Especially, not after what she did.

‘How, how shameless am I?’

To be desiring such after her actions went beyond shameless.

Gripping the door handle, Rose opened it to leave. The sound of the newly imported instrument slowly started to pick up tempo. It was a good thing Rose was leaving. Her heart couldn’t bear such melodies for long.

No one’s could.

‘Truly, I am beyond saving’

Rose was a strict woman.

A fact she greatly took pride in.

Gentle sounds echoed with each step Rose took.

Her mother had raised her well, perhaps too well. As a child, Rose worked and worked hard. She hardly ever dedicated time to playing with other children. She spent every single second awake trying to improve her skills. She sacrificed the typical childhood experience in order to achieve greatness. Greatness that came from working directly with the Royal family. There was no higher honour in her eyes.

When Rose finally turned of age and left home, she sought work as a maid. She struggled to gain work but finally did at some lesser noble’s house on the hirer’s whim. She worked there for some time with the goal of gaining experience. Once such experience was procured, she’d apply to higher-status noble houses. This became a cycle. One where she would work at a noble’s house, then gain experience and look for better opportunities. It lasted for a total of nine years without Rose ever going home. There were a lot of close and very dangerous moments, but Rose always somehow managed. It is necessary for her plan. A plan to get here into the formal maid academy guild.

The maid academic guild was the only path to becoming a Royal family maid. Her true dream once he set out. Rose still remembered the day of her entrance examination. It had been a long time since she felt such nerves eating away at her. There, demonstrating her skill in front of a panel, she was accepted. She would finally learn the skills required to serve the Royal family. Rose would finally receive a formal education.

Rose had received various educations due to her relatively young age. It often got her assigned to directly care for the heirs of houses. Where it was generally seen as unrefined to have a close maid unable to hold conversation. Though, despite getting such an education, it was never considered formal and left her lacking when it came to applying for the Royal maid family positions.

Rose enjoyed her time at the academy. She met like-minded people who sought similar positions even in other foreign states. After Rose finished her three-year stay and one-year mentorship, she was finally ready to apply properly. It had been a gruelling interview with various invasive questions, but Rose managed to pass by and was lucky enough to find other friends had.

It was then, on her first day working, that she met a truly baffling existence. Running through the grand halls of the castle, caked in mud and giggling, was a little girl. Her dirty, short blonde and lively blue eyes danced with contagious energy as she sped past Rose. Three maids are on her tail. At the time, Rose couldn’t have guessed that the little girl was a princess. Certainty, not the princess of the Royal family, but as time passed, Rose learned. Rose learned of the spirited young princess roaming the castle.

Merely five at the time, her princess was already very notorious with the castle staff. She dodged classes, skipped showers, and constantly ran away from meals. If one would have asked the princess to jump left, she would have jumped right. If one asked the princess to walk, she would run. Rose, for all her years, had never met such an unruly child. She’d dealt with difficult children before, but none dared to approach the level of her princess. The hyperactivity present within the princess was on its own level. Worse still, she would often involve her two little siblings. A great dismay for the older siblings. The victims.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Rose felt her vision swim as she continued walking the quiet hallway.

It was obvious to anyone that Princess Zuian was a special child. It was quite funny looking back. Despite all the troubles she caused, no one truly disliked her. Sure, they would grumble and complain in their hearts, but hard feelings were not harboured. They were hard to. The princess was honest and, especially, genuine to a fault. Her care for those around her was fierce. Rose still remembered the time her Princess encouraged her to visit her mother. Something she hadn’t done in well over a decade. It had been a surprisingly bittersweet reunion. Rose never thought her mother had missed her, but when she arrived home to her mother’s tears, a revelation descended upon her. She was missed. Rose never thought them close due to her mother’s treatment of her. She had been more than cold growing up, but with her mother’s apology, a new mother-daughter relationship started to be formed.

Rose halted her step. She had arrived at her first location. With a light knock at the door, she waited.

“M-Miss Rose, my-my deepest apologies. Y-You have just missed her…”

Ruth, a younger maid with a meek disposition, answered the door. Rose merely nodded at her. It was usually for Princess Camilla to avoid her after having Rose deliver her gift.

‘She must have already gone to the dining hall’

With a new location in mind, Rose continued her walk through the unnaturally silent hallways.

It was disgustingly unnatural if one were to speak true. Things were not supposed to be this way. The hallways of the castle weren’t always this cold and uninviting. There had been a time once before. A time of warmth and comfort. A time of prosperity and joy.

A time before Princess Zuian’s trial.

There was a short stumble in Rose’s steps.

Princess Zuian was truly a special child. A clear fact to anyone. Her innate talent for the sword and magical arts put her in a league of her own. It had likely been for that reason…. No, it was exactly for that reason everyone pushed her to take her trial early. They all believed she could succeed, and she did.

She really did.

“Rose… I-I’m not really sure I should do this…” (P.Z)

Those were the words her princess spoke to her the night before the trial. And, in only what could be defined as a misguided attempt to ease her troubles, Rose spoke back to her,

“Don’t fear a thing, Princess; there is nothing to worry about. All you need to do is your best, and knowing you, your best is more than enough.” (R)

Talking was easy.

“Well… I guess even if you are saying it-” (P.Z)

The Princess raised her hands and suddenly smacked her cheeks.

“- then it must be true! Just you wait! By the end of tomorrow, I’ll comeback with some amazing power!!” (P.Z)

It was in that moment that Rose should’ve acted. The second her Princess showed hesitation, but did she? No, she instead dismissed her worries and reaffirmed herself. Rose was supposed to be a strict person. A person who prided themselves on taking actions at the appropriate time and encouraging others to do the same. But, in that moment, she didn’t. She didn’t dissuade her Princess. She didn’t tell her to wait longer, like she should’ve.

The trial happened. Early in the morning, the head priest came. He induced the trial. Generally, most trials take an hour or less, two to three if the person is above average, four to six if they are exceptional, and finally six and above if they are truly extraordinary. So, when the princess was six hours in an air of excitement was held… but it didn’t last long. The six turned into seven, and the seven turned into eight. Tensions finally broke when the princess started showing signs of distress.

The whole Royal family was watching. Without hesitation, the king and queen demanded the high priest wake her up. It was an action that could’ve hurt her potential, but when she’d stayed so long asleep, that wasn’t even a consideration. The high priest moved to wake her, but she was unresponsive. Repeated attempts to wake the princess resulted in failure. The distraught Royal family could only watch helplessly.

Days passed, turning into weeks, and those weeks into a month. Rose and other staff cared for her Princess. The Princess was left in a frozen-like state. She didn’t eat nor excrete, but that didn't mean there wasn’t a lot to do. The staff regularly changed her clothes and bedding while also cleaning her body with a wet cloth. Regular check-ups were performed by the high priest with attempts of awakening. The stress within the castle walls was high. Everyone was on edge, and you could feel it. The general populace knew of the situation, but none truly understood. Many demanded to know what was happening. The stress and pressure kept building and building. A breaking point had to be reached, and it was.

The princess awoke.

In the den of night, a month past her start.

She awoke, but not like before. Rose had been on watch that night. She was the first person to welcome back the Princess.

The Arose Princess.

She was different. The air around her felt heavy and dense. It seemed to subtly hum in power. The princess sat upright in her bed, eyes closed. She lingered for a moment before peeking her eyes open. The whole thing shuddered from an invisible impact.

Rose found herself in the hallway. Her conscious fading. Her last sight was the Princess’ older brother and sister as well as her younger brother and sister, rushing to her. Guards on their tail.

Rose recovered a few weeks later, having sustained no serious damage. It was then that she learned of the princess’ condition. Since becoming an Arose, the Princess hadn’t eaten, slept, or even left her room. She hadn’t spoken a word to anyone and was completely unresponsive to questions. The princess merely laid in her room. Staring down at her hands. She had even tied bands of cloth around her eyes, which were fashioned from torn bed sheets.

Rose met her princess like this, and, like this, she continued to serve her. Day in, day out. Until one day, something changed. The Princess got out of her bed and shuffled slowly over to her instrument. Her movements were crude and lethargic, but full of something. When Rose saw this… she, she nearly cried. Rushing, she placed the instrument closer and pulled out a chair.

It was a glimmer of something. Something Rose thought had died.

‘A journey that becomes shorter’

Such words echoed in Rose’s head as she gazed upon the dining hall doors, manned by guards. Behind those doors was a family. The highest and most renowned family throughout the land. A family with wealth, power, and the admiration of the people.

A family that was no less guilty than her.