Madoka was absentminded this day. What day? She had no idea. Telling the time was someone else's duty, while her days still blended together in a swirl of dust to clean hallways and laundry. Her head was in her duties, a trait that the other maids talked to each other about. The Princess did not know Commoner, did she? They spoke about the girl's odd behavior. She did not blame them. It was hard to see the princess as a Royal, especially after what strange nonsense she told Madoka several nights ago.

A ray of sunlight scratched her eye through the crack of an uneven curtain and snapped her out of her blank routine. Has this curtain always been like this? Madoka inspected it. She noticed that all the others were uniform and tidy.

Who could have done such a thing?

She quickly dusted the dratted thing, and parted it like petals on a wet Cyclamen. The thought of such a beautiful pink flower becoming drenched in the rain once again disturbed her, though outside it still remained sunny. Each speck of dust intertwined with the sunlight, never to be collected individually. Not that it would stop Madoka from trying. The arrangement was perfect, yet the dust was still there even if it was left unseen. A knock on the glass startled her.

Breath from the outside fogged the glass windows and Madoka could only watch the horror unfold from the inside as a finger smeared the condensation in a transparent drawing. She knew what the drawing was: Two dots and a curve - a smiley face. Worse, she knew who taught her that. The Princess smirked on the other side of the window.

Kind gods, she would be responsible for all the messes, Madoka groaned and glanced at the statuettes on the ornate shelving above the Palace room doors for solace. For a moment, the princess looked serene outside amongst the flowers and the stone pathway.

"You, there, maid," a bell rang and a voice called for her in Noble, startling her. She nearly bumped into the Noble summoning her. Instead, she bumped into a table, creating a racket. "You clumsy, good for nothing oaf!"

Madoka bowed her head, witnessing the fallen vase rolling on the floor and prepared for a swift punishment. Whoever's hand may come was a Noble, and she deserved it for her carelessness. If it was not for the Princess, she would never have made such a mistake!

A strong hand gripped the back of her head, pulling at her hair. She yelped as the pain quickly spread across her back, while she heard more phrases in Noble that she could not understand. The tone was quite clear— the hair on her head was to be removed.

"These are the treasures of the Snow King! How dare you ruin His Majesty's home!" The Noble was younger, but still one nonetheless. His servant was gripping her hair, and she could not stifle her yelp from the excruciating pain. "Oh, I know what to do!"

The Noble laughed as he instructed the servant to pull her head up to see him eye to eye. A horrid, powdery face stared at her, with a distractingly large nose. Madoka could barely see his Noble aura, and figured it must have been gathered within his ugly nostrils.

"I'll take you to my room after I have Ruujee beat you bloody! Oh, perhaps, later tonight," Huge Nose grinned with a sinister smile. "Maybe if you're as ruined as this table is you'll learn!"

Madoka, through the pain of being tugged by her hair, noticed that the princess was no longer outside. Did she see her make a horrible mess? She could only hope as she let out another yelp as the big servant yanked her hair again. This was her punishment and the Noble gloated as Ruujee backhanded her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A voice stormed from behind her, and immediately Ruujee released her hair. Madoka collapsed on the ground, clutching her cheek. She felt the chunks of torn strands damp with blood and was sure her uniform was an affront to the Palace now.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The voice repeated itself. That tone and tongue! The Noble's flabby nose turned white with fear. It was evident that he knew that language as well. The powerful words were complete in their authority - the person behind her spoke in Royal.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Your Highness, Princess of Snow!" The nose blubbered in Reverent Royal. Madoka stayed quiet as she could, although her body hurt from taking a tumble on the ground. Few knew the language to speak to a powerful force such as a Royal in reverence, which must mean Huge Nose must be from high up in the Court of the King. She peaked behind her to see the glorious aura of the Princess standing there.

A terrifying look flashed upon the girl's face, causing Madoka to duck her head into the carpet while the aura surrounding the princess intensified. What was this pressure? By now, Huge Nose was groveling along with his servant. Princess Fiara did not let up as she repeated herself once again.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Princess thundered.

At the third time, the pair of bullies fled down the hallway away from her. Madoka stayed on the ground, unsure of what to do and her frail body hurt all over. She rescued me? She wondered as she felt a hand feel her unworthy back.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with. I don't know any other phrases in that language, phew!" Princess Fiara piped up in a chipper voice. The fearsome aura lifted instantly, and the strange princess was back to her usual self. Though it seemed impossible to Madoka to pull away, she did and fell on her knees. "Oh! Right, are you okay, Madoka? What are you doing?"

"F-Forgive me!" She sobbed. "I knocked over a vase..."

"What?" The princess's eyes scanned the room and noticed the fallen vase. "Oh, I can fix that!"

"You mustn't, Your Highness!" Madoka begged her not to pick it up. "It's all my fault."

"What? Ugh, whatever, you're going to witness my advanced technique!"

Eh? Madoka could barely utter a question before the Princess suddenly let out a blood curdling scream. How could such a tiny girl be that loud? It did not take long to be discovered, for heavy boots quickly stomped towards their location. Every soldier in the area must have heard her, alarmed, and brought this horrible attention upon her. Madoka groaned, but the sound was lost under the trampled carpet.

"Guards!" She shrieked. "A Noble struck my maid down! They went that way!"

Confusion flooded the group of soldiers, but upon inspecting Madoka's embarrassing state, they immediately sprang into action and went after the perpetrators. Princess Fiara kept up whatever technique she was pulling and soon, Madoka found herself alone with her in the hallway again with confusion welling up within her.

Why was the princess doing this for me?

"Now, can you walk?" Princess Fiara held up a hand for her to take, but Madoka refused her assistance and stood up. "Suit yourself, then."

She did feel lightheaded but mostly fine. Madoka wondered if one of the soldiers' mages healed her at some point during the commotion. As she stood up, her head began to spin. She stumbled and felt the princess guide her by the hand, and before she could protest she found herself getting inspected by a real healing mage. Those peculiar green beams of light spidered across her skin and where she got beaten. They fixed her wounds and made her feel much better. The man who healed her stayed quiet, perhaps also finding it blasphemous that the Princes commanded him to heal her.

She was ashamed of herself, but later on she was changed into a clean uniform and standing at attention at the entrance to the King's Throne Room. There was not any yelling, but she was afraid to learn what horrible fate waited for Princess Fiara due to her screaming. Or worse, that Noble Huge Nose and his servant could be in much more trouble than her.

All because she caused a mess!

"Aw, don't look that way! Father gave Nick a big wallopin'! Ha!" The princess walked along the garden while Madoka followed her like a shadow. She stayed quiet, unsure of what to say in the presence of a Royal even if she saved her. "Ah, it's been a long day."

Sensing that Madoka was uncomfortable, Princess Fiara knelt to look at a Cyclamen. She looked like an angel, her eyes inspecting the flowers as if she was a golden guardian watching over them. The maid did not know if it was blasphemous to compare a Royal to the heavenly, but it seemed accurate.

"They're beautiful, aren't they? Large greens and yellows, those purple ones over there bloom real big. The scent is otherworldly, don't you think?"

She turned to face Madoka, with the sunlight at her back giving her aura an even brighter glow. The real flower is you, she thought. Yet, all she did was silently nod.

"It is as you say, Your Highness," she agreed.

"Maybe I'm trying too hard," the princess went on, passing a hand through a row of red flowers. Star Carnals, the Noble ladies fawned over their star patterned and gold tipped crimson petals. "Femininity isn't, or wasn't, my thing. I never got dresses where I came from, and yet all you do is stuff me into them all day. Bah!"

"I do not see how that is a bad thing," Madoka sighed. "You are the Princess."

"And you're too stiff!" She pouted. "I even used my advanced technique to help you out and everything!"

"Ad... advanced?" Madoka struggled with the word.

"Yes, it's a special skill called 'lying!'" Fiara giggled and twirled along the stone path. The sun was setting, now. It was that time of year, where the light was dim as a lantern and disappeared rapidly. Madoka groaned. Lying was not so special to her, after all.

"You did scream quite loud," she sighed and resigned herself. Instead of being apologetic, the princess smirked.

"I know, right?" Her laugh was all the light Madoka needed. So they moved along the flowers, until the princess stopped and realized something.

"We missed dance lessons," Princess Fiara groaned. She hiked up her dress and walked quickly back to the Palace's entrance. "Oh, no. The Head Maid is going to be all over me tomorrow when she finds out. Bah! Nae waaah!"

"Can't say an advanced technique will save you then," Madoka agreed, and hurried with her. "Now walk properly!"

"Stop being a work-a-holic! We gotta hurry!"

"And, Your Highness," Madoka stopped before the entrance. The princess paused and looked back at her with a quizzical expression. "Thank you. For helping me."

A sad look covered her cute face, but only for a moment.

"Well, I keep saying it," Her Highness held out her hand for the maid to take. "The woman of my dreams shall not be helpless! I will do everything I can to... nevermind. Come to me. Tonight. I shall teach you my advanced technique!"

"T-That will not be necessary, Your Highness," Madoka shuddered to think such things, but she could tell that the princess did not mean simple lessons on how to lie. Yet, she smiled and took the princess's hand to be guided into the comforting light of the Palace.