------------------------------------------------------ Maid POV ------------------------------------------------------

Since that day, Jester has been unconscious for a long time.

But even so, I stayed by his side.

It made me sad.

Queen was worried as well and King... well, I don't know what that guy is thinking.

But still, I was sad.

I was sad because, just when I sort of confessed to him, this had to happen.

I knew Princess was beginning to like him, but not to this extent. I thought that if I made my move first, Jester would lean closer to me.

Because I was scared.

What if Jester chose Princess instead of me? If that did happen I can only blame myself.

Blame myself for being too slow.

But now, I was already thinking that I was too hasty. And because of that, Princess...

Becoming angry with myself, I tried to calm down.

Sighing, looked at Jester who was sleeping on his bed.

He looked peaceful. Peaceful but still breathing. I felt relieved.

I looked at him again and my eyes brought me to his face.

Blushing, I looked away.

What... but I just looked at his face...

Frowning, I thought back.

The first time I woke up here, I was really scared. But for some reason, I felt as if I was going to be alright. Getting up from bed, I noticed I was wearing a maid uniform. Oddly though, it felt really comfortable. I then got to the mirror and took a good look at myself. Nd quickly enough, I grew kind of fond of this uniform.

I then went out the room. I checked the other rooms but felt it disrespectful if they were still sleeping. Deciding not to bother anymore, I walked down the corridor, but was stopped when a door opened. There, a black haired person in a suit and fur coat came out. But instead of feeling scared, I felt more relieved. His eyes may have seemed cold but I felt they were kind. And after a brief talk, we walked together and decided to walk down the stairs. Entering a lounge, we found two people.

One of them was red haired and I felt comfortable with her. The other one was blonde haired and she looked really shy. But what I felt though, is that she was like a stranger to me. Like someone I don't know.

Later on, another person came in. A blonde haired boy who was all smiles.

Unlike the others, I felt that I didn't like him. At all. Even Queen immediately became hostile.

But then, he came.

A brown haired boy entered the lobby and what I felt from him was very different from the others.

I became flustered all of a sudden and more self-conscious. But it seems he hasn't noticed me yet. Frowning, I waited for my turn to be introduced by Queen. And when she did, I tensed up. When she introduced me, the boy, Jester, reacted. I tensed even further. What is it? Is there something on my face? Uuuuu... What do I do...

Then, I saw Jester hold his temple. I became worried and approached him thoughtlessly.

H-hey! What are you doing?! Approaching him so casually like that... but what's done is done.

I called out to him which surprised him, but replied that he was fine and smiled.

A while later, we were divided into groups to explore the place. And luckily, I was grouped with Jester. Which made me really happy. I tried not to let it show but when we started exploring I started many conversations with him. I wanted to scold myself but it was sort of going well.

And when we got to the point where there was a door leading outside, I felt excited. But when Jester suggested to go alone, I became awfully worried.

But when he showed that he was alright, I went too. And was amazed at the mansion.

I even thought that since we were standing side by side like this and gazing at the beautiful view, I went ahead and thought of it as kind of romantic. Ehehe...

We explored the rest of the place and found another that led outside. I suggested to go out again 'cause, you know, romantic scenery? Lols...

We then went to a room that contained a piano. When I asked him if he played the piano he said he didn't and asked me the same question. I wanted to show off but felt that I couldn't play the piano, so I tried to act cute instead.

We then went back, which saddened me, but hey. At least I had fun.

I spent time with him as well and hoped that I would continue doing so.

I don't know why, but I felt like I really, really want to be with him. And it felt genuine.

But even so, I wanted to make sure. And I had to do so fast.

'Cause for a while now, Princess has been talking more with Jester. And when I tried to talk with her, there was a clear difference in treatment. Which irked me to think she likes Jester too, very much so. And I didn't know what to do.

But one night, when I couldn't sleep because of that, I heard a lot of banging and some footsteps. I got up from bed, and slowly walked to my door. When all the noise stopped, I became worried and opened my door. Then, after a while I heard more banging. Then crashing. It scared me. But what prevailed was worry. Because it all came from Jester's room.

I opened the door and saw Jester with a bloody arm and became heartbroken. I turned to face the culprit but was instead held up. Jester became angry, which kind of made me happy but now was not the time for that. When we stepped out of the room, there was a gunshot. It scared me a lot. Prince then fell down and I ran away.

Apparently he was killed.

A lot more things happened, but what's important was that I tended to Jester. As well as Princess.

A few days went by and Princess seemed to be happier than before. But I also noticed she was trying to get closer to Jester as well.

So I took action.

I tried to do many things, but most of them Jester didn't think much of it. I tried leading him by the hand, which took me a lot of effort to do. So I decided to do something simpler.

Like cooking something for him.

Since, Queen is the one who decides the dish, I went for making a dessert. When I did this, Princess followed suite. And now, I'm really sure she likes Jester too.

But we kind of became friends at some point. When I was reading this really nice novel, Princess joined me. But when we found that the novel series was cut short, we ranted a little and talked about who the gladiator was going to end up with. I mean, there are like 10 volumes left.

And it did not end there. We started working on Jester's dessert together now. Which made me happy.

This went on for a while now and we explored that maze as well. Exploring is fun. Especially if it's with Jester. We even found this really pretty place with a big tree and everything. And it kind of struck me as a place that people make confessions at.

And because of that, we went to explore that place time and time again even if we already did. And one day, Princess said she grew tired of exploring this place. So I took this chance. I tried to send her away, which hurt me. But I did so anyway. Then I led Jester back to the tree area.

I thought I'd try confessing just to make sure if what I'm feeling is real or not. And it is. And when I tried saying that I like him, I became really nervous all of a sudden and really anxious. Absolutely and definitely anxious. So I sort of called it off. I became sad because I lost a chance. So, I willed myself again, and called Jester again that night.

This time, it went well. I even went and did something super daring. My God... I even said that I was adventurous in a naughty meaning. Which I internally scolded myself over and over for.

But then,

A familiar voice screamed. And a bunch of gunshots. I was really confused but when I saw Princess, I understood. She saw what happened and became angry. She tried shooting me but her hands were unsteady and was shaking. Jester tried to stop her but then he was shot. Alarms were ringing everywhere in my head and thought that I should help. But then at some point, Jester got hold of the gun and shot her.

My mind went blank.

What happened? Why did he shoot? More importantly, is he okay? ...is he okay?

Wait! He was shot! I need to help him!

But when I ran to him he suddenly fell. I called out to him but to no avail.

After that, the situation is as it is today. With me watching over him until he wakes up.

I also plan on apologizing once he wakes up. Because it was my fault all of this happened in the first place.

I felt awful. I was angry at myself. Angry for being just a teensy bit happy that Princess was gone. I was really angry at myself for that. I mean, why was I happy? I just lost a friend. A friend that I don't think I'll find in this accursed place.

Sighing, I thought about what happened.

After frantically carrying Jester, I called out to Queen and told her what happened.

King and Queen then went to check the area, but just like Prince's case, her body wasn't there and it was as if nothing happened. Her room's nameplate was wiped clean as well.

As for the gun, it was a revolver. It had only five bullets and all were shot. But even so, Queen threw it into the void anyway.

I was really devastated then, so Queen gently comforted me. Like a big sister would.

King just gave me a sympathetic look and patted me. Which, for some reason felt really familiar. As if it was done many times before.

And when around few days have passed I have been taking care of Jester.

I was patiently waiting until he wakes up. And I hope he's alright when he does. Because when killing a person for the first time, it takes huge blow to your mentality. Especially when you're not used to it and have been living a rather peaceful life.

But when he wakes up and he's not alright, I'll be there. I'll stay by his side and support him.

No matter what.

…

A few more days passed and Jester, finally woke up.

“Uuh...” Jester slowly blinked his eyes open.

“Jester?” I called out. “Jester!” I rushed to him. And stopped. No, don't be hasty. He just woke up. Give him some time to get his bearings...

I waited for him to sit up. When he did, he rubbed his eyes and I sat on the side of his bed.

“Jester?” I called out again.

“......Maid? Mm.. what, what happened?” He said groggily.

“Well...” Should I tell him? I wonder if it's alright... maybe it's better if I don't tell him.

“...”

“...”

We were silent for a while, which worried me.

“.........Oh yeah.” Jester said.

I tensed up.

“...I... I killed...” Jester slowly said.

Noticeably, the atmosphere around him became heavy. So, immediately I tried to apologize.

“Jester look, I-”

“Heh.” He gave a small sarcastic laugh. Maybe at himself. “What have I done?”

Next thing I knew, tears were streaming down his face.

I felt horrible. I wondered if it was alright for me to comfort him.

No. I must comfort him.

I moved in closer and put my arms around him, pulling him into a hug and whispered.

“...I'm sorry.”

I quickly told Queen about Jester so she went and made a meal for him.

I helped out as well.

We brought him some food, but he ate quite a little.

We decided that he should rest a while more just in case.

The days passed by quickly but for Jester it seemed slow. I kept him company and brought books from time to time. Although still depressed, he thanked me for it. I was really happy because of that.

So, I kept taking care of him. Day after day. He didn't do much and when I asked if he wanted to explore, he'd kindly decline.

-sigh-

… I wonder if he remembers my confession?

W-wait a minute! Geez! What are you thinking right now?! Jester's in bad shape. I should just focus on supporting him for now... 'Cause see, if I just help him out even if trivial, he'd give a small smile and thank me... yes...

Even his wound from when he received the gunshot from Princess seems to have gotten better now.

And if you're wondering, he was shot in the shoulder. The same one that Prince landed a hit with his knife.

Ever since then, I've been with Jester.

I was happy. I was happy but... I feel sad as well. He wasn't as active as before and he'd talk less too. He eats very little and I'm getting really worried.

I don't know how many days it took, but I decided to take action. If what I was doing wasn't enough, then I have to work harder.

I decided to bring Jester to the tree area once more. Whether he wants to, or not.

“Hey Jester.” I called out. “Wanna go explore?” I asked for the nth time.

“...Nah.”

“...”

“...”

Wordlessly, I stood up and walked towards him. Getting close enough, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of bed.

“Wha- H-hey!” Jester lightly protested.

But I didn't stop and made him wear shoes.

“G-geez, fine already...”

It kind of hurt me, but this needs to be done.

I led him by the hand and brought him to the first floor. We went through the unfamiliar layout and finally got to the door which led to the garden. Jester frowned. But he still let me lead him to the tree area.

“So. What are we doing here?” Jester asked unamused.

“Do you... remember what happened here?” I asked.

He frowned.

“That I killed Princess?” He said heavily.

Now it was my turn to frown. I was hurt. Hurt because he thinks I did this to hurt him and because he forgot. Forgot my confession.

“So you forgot...”

“Forgot what? That I killed Princess?” He said becoming impatient.

“That I confessed to you.”

“...” He tried to say something, but then widened his eyes. “Oh, um... that...”

I shook my head.

“No... you don't need to apologize. I... just want your answer.”

“... Sorry but, I... don't think I can properly answer you now.”

“No. You don't have to give one now. Just please. Please understand...

...That I'm here for you.”

“...” He remained quiet.

With every passing second, I could feel myself getting sadder and sadder.

Thinking that maybe his had the opposite effect of what I wanted, I looked down disappointed.

What do I do now? I don't know what to do anymore if he pushes me away here now. What, living here in this isolated place devoid of light. And the only people I can rely on are them. When I think of what might happen next, I feel like I would just explode. Was I too hasty again? Will this turn out to be just like last time? Where everything will go wrong just because I was impatient?

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

This feeling inside of me keeps getting bigger and bigger as if trying to take over me. It was like a swarm of locusts eating me from the inside.

And because of that, I also feel like... I want to kill myself.

But why? Why do I want to kill myself? I don't want to kill myself.

“...Sorry.” Jester said.

I definitely don't want to kill myself. But why do I feel like I want to?

I feel as if two different feelings are gnawing at each other inside of me. And before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

“Maid?”

I fell down to my knees. I clutched my head feeling that if I let go, it might blow up.

A twister of feeling were swirling inside of me and it feels like it would take me with it.

“...Maid? Maid!!”

Jester was grabbed hold of me, and another feeling was added to the mix.

It felt like I couldn't control my feelings.

…...I wonder, if the others felt like this too?

Was Princess really that quick to bring out a gun just because I kissed Jester? Maybe.

But what if her feelings were like this? And how about Prince? Maybe he felt like this too.

And not just them, maybe King and Queen could feel this too.

And maybe even Jester.

Trying to calm myself down, I breathed in and out. Tears still falling, I tried as hard as I can hold down these feelings. And slowly, ever so slowly, the only feelings left were that of sadness and relief.

Both of these feelings because of the experience that I don't ever want to have again.

“Maid! Are you alright?!”

I didn't answer. And continued to cry in his arms.

My God. I don't ever want to feel like that again. I just want to continue crying in his arms forever. Just, don't bring me back to that place again. Don't let me feel like that again. Just... please...

That was the most confusing thing that I have ever experienced...

I kept crying and crying.

After a while, I finally calmed down. Realizing what happened, I became a bit embarrassed. Actually, really embarrassed. I mean, what did I just show to Jester?! This is enough to make me want to roll around on the floor.

“...Maid?” He asked again.

“-sniff- Yeah?”

“You okay now?”

“I, I guess so...”

“What happened anyway? You became... like that all of a sudden?”

Aaah! I really want to roll on the floor now!!

“N-no! It's, i'ts just... something happened to me, I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, well. It felt awful...”

“...”

“Ah! It's not what you said to me or anything! I just, felt some things and...”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You felt something?”

Confused by his reaction, I replied. “Yeah, why?”

“Did you feel anything like, like it wasn't your own feelings or something?”

I blinked my eyes.

Not my feelings? That could possibly be it but, I'm quite sure they were my own.

“I guess, maybe? I'm not sure.”

“...” He became quiet and thought about it.

Hmmm.. was I right? That Jester and the others feel like this too? I mean, what I thought of a while ago was just the spur of the moment and for the purpose of somewhat comforting me because I thought that if somebody else felt like this, I would feel better.

Just to make sure, I asked him.

“Did you perhaps, feel something similar?”

“Y-yeah, well when Prince was rejected by Princess. I felt like something wrong was about to happen.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It became really strong and I wasn't able to sleep at night or... something like that.” He scratched his cheek.

Haha. That was cute.

Well anyways.

Thinking about it, I thought of something, so I asked him if there were other situations like that.

“Something similar? Hmm... not, really I guess...”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, yeah.”

“How about now?”

“Now? What do you mean?”

“I mean what your feeling righ now.” I said to him. “Depression.”

“...”

He paused and put a hand on his chest.

“...Depression?”

“Yeah.”

“...”

He then turned to me.

“But what do I do? You said you felt the same way a while ago only much more serious for some reason. But you managed to calm down a little after?”

“Ah you see...” I thought about how I did it. Well, I can think of one solid solution. “...Maybe, it's because... I had you.” I said sheepishly.

Blinking, he blushed a little as he looked away.

That was so cute! And he blushed?! Does this mean I just set a flag?! Yay!

Ahem.

“W-well anyways, why don't we go back?” I said.

Wait, what are you doing?! This was a moment! A MOMENT!! Aah... oh well...

“Y-yeah, let's.”

Scolding myself along the way, we walked back to the mansion.

We talked a little too, which was a good sign that Jester is feeling better, I think.

So does that mean I sort of succeeded? Haha, I really hope so.

“...Oh and Maid?” I turned to him. “Thanks.”

I definitely succeeded.

When we got back and into the lounge, Queen greeted us.

“Welcome back.” Queen said then became curious. “Did something happen? You look... happier.” She said with a smile. She then clapped her hands. “Ah! Is it that?!” She asked me excitedly.

“W-what?! NO! No, it wasn't that!!” I shouted.

“My, my. Our little girl has become a woman~”

“It's not what you think!!”

Meanwhile in the background.

“What's 'that' their talking about?” Jester.

“You're too young. And since you're asking that then it must not have happened.” King.

For some reason, I think all of us became closer all of a sudden. And I'm really happy about that.

After playing around a little, we then reported what happened.

“So your feelings went out of control?” Queen asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you think Prince and Princess were the same?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that could explain their actions... Actually, I felt some extreme emotions too sometimes.”

“Really? When?” Jester asked.

“In King's room.”

“...”

“...”

Queen then cleared her throat.

“Well anyways, the only major problem left is the supposed 'seventh person'.” Queen. “But since he hasn't moved for quite a while now, I'll assume he isn't real.” She then raised a finger. “But it's still best to be wary.”

Maid and I nodded.

Seeing us nod, she smiled.

“Okay then! Why don't we get something to eat shall we?”

Feeling my stomach grumble, I became a bit embarrassed thinking whether or not Jester heard that.

The rest of the day felt brighter. It felt better than when everything felt dull.

And I wish it would stay that way.

The following days, Jester was noticably happier. We went back to exploring again and he talks more now. He eats more, which I am thank ful for, so I went and made him desserts again.

Of course, I thought it was okay to be a bit more aggressive. But not aggressive-aggressive, I just upped it a few levels.

I held his hand more often and when we visit the tree area, we would just sit and sleep there on the benches beside eachother. Jester was opening up to me as well.

He asked if he could help me in the kitchen sometimes. We even read books together.

Our days continued and we grew closer and closer. And hopefully continue to grow closer.

This time though, I'll just be a wee bit more patient.

Yes. Slow is alright. It just means I spend more time with him.

Yup. Just slowly... but surely.

------------------------------------------------------ King POV ------------------------------------------------------

Several days since that incident happened, I noticed Maid and Jester becoming closer.

But what was on my mind was not them, but what they reported that day.

Their report about their feelings amplifying.

That time when we first met in the lounge. Or our supposed first meeting, since our memories were erased, I went and became impatient and stomped my foot on the table. To me, that felt like something that I wouldn't usually do.

There were other times too. Like extreme laziness or sleepiness.

… or maybe that's just me.

Well anyways, I read almost every book in the library and some novel series were left half blank.

Some other classic books were there too. Like Romeo and Juliet.

There were some children's books as well. Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Not really a fan though so I skipped them. Queen read them though.

And survived.

Moving on, most of them were related to kings, queens, princes, and princesses... and what a lot of them had in common was that they were romance.

At least there were other genres too. That gave me some solace.

There was action, mystery, tragedy... and each story was interesting.

I admit, I spent most of my time just reading. But, I was seriously trying to find some clues too.

I found a certain note book which had a lot of torn pages.

Looking inside, there were two pages that had writing on them.

The fiirst one had this.

KING – Black

QUEEN – Red

PRINCE – Blonde

PRINCESS – Blonde

JESTER – Brown

MAID – Black

And the second, this.

KING – Black

QUEEN – Brunette

PRINCE – Black

PRINCESS – Blonde

JESTER – White

MAID – Black

When I showed Queen, the first page suddenly went up in flames. And what was left was a a torn page just like the others. Strangely enough, it didn't look like it was burned.

Surprised, Queen asked me what was on that page. I said it was a set of positions as well as colours paired with them. I told her what the colours were and got to a conclusion.

That was us.

As for the second page, we can't say.

Maybe there were others like us? We weren't sure but went to tell the others anyway.

I don't know why but Queen did not tell them about the burnt page. But meh.

Ah, and also. That time when Prince died, I felt more suspicious, more wary. I even went ahead and took lead of a certain meeting that happened after. Which felt odd to me because I feel like I don't usually do that either. It was as if these feelings were forcing me to do these things.

I didn't mind it though since nothing serious happened but when those two came back with that report...

I felt like I needed to do something. Something fast. Before anything else happens.

But to do that...

Tch. Clicking my tongue, I decided not to think about it.

I thought about the others instead.

Prince. The first one who died. I didn't like him.

Princess. The second. It felt like I didn't know her, so I was wary.

Jester. I like him, but at the same time, don't. Don't know why though.

Maid. To me she felt like she was one of my top priorities.

And Queen.

Honestly, I don't know what to think of her. It felt natural to be around her and that I was kind of used to it. When we're alone, she would become more mischievous. More daring and naughty.

I frowned but I felt like I was used to that too.

But when the others are around, she would revert back to her older sister mode.

I didn't really mind her behaviour, and I didn't really let her go too far with her attacks. I just felt like...

I don't know. I don't know what to think right now.

Right now, I'm in my room sitting on my bed. It was kind of dark already, meaning it was around after sunset. I removed my coat and hanged it on one of the chairs. I just sat there and thought. Putting my elbows on my knees, I put a hand on my forehead. Everytime I would think about why we were here or what this place is, I would receive a headache. To me, that just means I'm getting closer to the answer. So I didn't stop thinking. Even though it hurt very much, I still did so.

-creak~

Hearing my door open, a familiar face came in.

A person with red hair and a matching red dress.

Queen.

“King~” She greeted in a seductive voice.

“Queen.”

“You alright? Still trying to think of a way out? I'm worried about you, you know~?” She walked closer and sat beside me. She looked at me with narrowed eyes and leaned closer to me. “I could... help you, you know~?”

“...” I didn't reply and continued thinking. I pinched my nose bridge as the headache kicked in.

Queen removed her shoes and climbed on my bed. She then put her arms around me and whispered into my ear.

“Just let me take care of you, and everything will be alright~”

She pulled me into bed.

With me on top and her below. Her clothes hang loosely making her all the more tempting.

“Trust me...” She whispered as she put a hand on my chest.

And slowly, she removed our clothes.

Giving in, I sighed.

We spent a few hours there until Queen spoke.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“I could tell you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That you're stressed.”

“...”

We paused.

“... I don't know what you mean.”

“Don't lie to me, darling~”

“...”

“I told you to trust me right?”

“...”

She leaned in closer.

“So trust me.”

“...”

Sighing I asked her.

“......Is it really alright?”

“Of course~” Maid said happily.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes~”

“How will I know?”

She put a finger on my lips.

“Because...

...you're my one...

...and only...

...Beloved~”

Closing my eyes, I searched for something in the sheets and said to her.

“Do... do you think she'll forgive me?”

Not answering, she only smiled...

as I pointed the gun at her.

Hugging me once more, she gave me a light kiss on the cheek.

Putting weight on the trigger, I made my decision.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

….............................................................................................................................-Bang!!