Hiii! My name is Marina, but don’t tell anyone (it’s a secret!). Well, if you really must call out to me for whatever reason, then I’d prefer you refer to me by my pseudonym, Mariabelle Pandora! Right now I’m on my first day of working as a maid for the Grys Castle, amazing right?

When I was first offered this position by the Prince of the estate, Adam, I was actually quite nervous about whether or not I was gonna be capable of doing all the chores that I was tasked with, but it doesn’t seem like that big of an issue for now. Back then, I was quite surprised by his Highness when he brought up the idea, but a small part of me really wanted to see if Lune would get jealous about it or not (and he was).

Seriously though, he was so confused about the situation! It was genuinely hilarious to see! He was trying his best to act like he didn’t care, but then he’d prance around in circles around his room murmuring all sorts of nonsense, trying desperately to get his mind off of things. Then again, I don’t think he needs to worry about it so much, I’m not gonna leave him (not that we’re dating though, he’s apparently taken).

In any case, after confirming that I wanted to join the ranks of the Grys Royal Family, at least in a worker sense, Adam was very excited and got straight to business. Either he’s someone who cuts straight to the point, or he just really wants to see me toil away while serving him (I’d much prefer the former, of course).

“Thank Heavens!” Adam grabbed both my hands and jumped for joy, “I’m so glad you agreed to my terms! Oh, pardon me, you shan’t be seen working here without the proper attire. Come, come!”

Ehh? Marina thought, this guy’s got some screws loose. I probably shouldn’t be left alone in the same room as him, like… ever.

“Alright, Mariabelle!” He said as pointed me towards the dressing room, “The head maid will help you get fitted into your new work clothes. Please listen to everything she says, you wouldn’t want her to make a mistake in her measurements!”

“W-Will do!” I tried to sound enthusiastic about this, “(Luune…! Save meee…!)”

“What was that, Mariabelle?”

“Nothing! I’m gonna go change now!”

“Ah, as you should.”

Geez, that guy's really giving me a weird feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s helping us get back home. In any case, it’s better to be working with someone proficient in Entropic than for us to approximate what our employer was telling us. He’s a kind, gentle and childish soul with a frail naivety to him, but I can’t help but feel like that’s just a front for him to hide some ulterior motives. Dunno what they could be, but for now I’d much rather have someone else with me at all times.

“Here you are, Madam.” The head maid held out a tailor’s tape as she had me stand up straight, “Alright, please strip.”

“Huh?!”

The head maid had just said something incredible, and with such a straight face that it seemed like a matter of course! M-Maybe I misheard her? She does have quite the strong Cardinic accent, despite speaking Entropic. Yeah, surely that’s the case!

“Madam?” The head maid asked me again, “There is nothing to worry about. We are the only two people in the room, and I was tasked with taking your measurements so we can have you properly fitted with your own personal outfit. Please strip.”

“O-Oh… Well, okay…”

Ugh, this feels really uncomfortable… I don’t like it! She’s touching me in some really weird places! God, is this why Lune was so worried about me? Wait, why does the thought of Lune pop up the moment I get undressed?! Ugh, if he saw me like this, then I’d be hearing nothing but ‘I told you so!’ until the end of time!

Just then, the thought of Lune standing right in front of me popped into my head. H-Hold on! I’m not wearing any clothes! S-Stop staring, dummy! Ugh, this is the worst! Me and my stupid imagination! Oooh, but it’s kind of nice in a weird way…

“Mariabelle?”

Hmm? Yes Lune?

“Mariabelle! Snap out of it!”

“Wuh, huh, fueh?!” I was forcefully dragged out of my daydream by Adam.

“Geez, did you sleep properly last night? Your snoozing face is quite an adorable sight, but sleeping on the job is a no-go!”

“Ah, umm, sorry.”

“No worries,” He sat back down, “So, how’d it go with Erendelle? Did she get all the measurements right?”

Ah, so the head maid’s name was Erendelle. It’s a really hard name to remember, so I’ll just stick with Erie.

“Yeah, everything fits super well! I’ll be sure to thank her later!”

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Complimenting the maid outfit I was given by my employer, I was sure to win him over this way! I thought, Actually, it kinda feels nice to wear! It’s snug in all the right places, but it’s also frilly enough to give me proper ventilation! Truly the perfect fit for a working house lady such as myself!

“Ah, I’m glad!” Adam heaved a sigh of relief, “You look very beautiful in it, but I wouldn’t want you to work in uncomfortable clothing. You see, this outfit may appear strange in a way, but I assure you it was hand sewn by the finest of tailors specifically with the job of a maid in mind.”

“Shucks, you really like complimenting me, don’t you?”

“Heh, about that… I-”

“Master Adam!” Erie burst into the room with her usual poker face, “Oh, you’re here too, Mariabelle? Good, you two, please come to the Castle gates, we have an unusual visitor.”

Visitor? Marina thought, Could it be Lune, perhaps? Man, if he saw me wearing this, his jaw would totally drop all the way down to the floor! Heh, can’t wait!

Although, when we got to the gates, the man standing there wasn’t at all like Lune. His hair was somewhat short and black, and he wore some really unusual clothes. This fella was walking around in nothing but shorts and a shirt with some weird markings written on it. It’s not any script I’ve ever seen, I’ll tell you that much. In any case, he was as carefree as can be (even more than me somehow) as he casually approached the prince and did a weird bowing motion with his whole upper body.

“Konnichiwhat’s up!” He blurted out, “I’m Issei Kaido! Pleasure to meet you!”

“Kon-what now? Just what are you saying to me? Do you not know who I am? I’m the Prince of the Royal Family of Grys-!”

“Yeah yeah, I heard. You’re the generous Prince who just gives out free help to people in need, no? Boy, people really are generous in this world, huh?”

What this strange man was saying at first sounded angsty and arrogant, but the last comment that he said quite offhandedly had us all take him seriously, if even for a moment.

“What do you mean ‘in this world’? Is there any other?”

“Of course, and I’m from it!” The fellow with a strange name said, “For you see, I was born and raised in another world, one with different rules of nature as compared to yours, and while I was out with my classmates in a school trip to visit the Pyramids of Giza, I was peering off into the distance and saw something at the top. Just then I blinked, and…POOF! I was transported here!”

Yeah, this is just some random weirdo. I’m sure he’s just trying to extort the Grys’ generosity, but isn’t this taking it too far? Come on, no one’s gonna believe you, man!

“Alright then, Mister Kaido,” Adam got close to him, “if this is really the case, and your story is in fact real, then prove it.”

“Prove it?”

“Exactly, you claim you’re from a different world than ours. One which doesn’t have the same rules apply to it, one in which there exist terms I’m unfamiliar with, such as ‘School Trip’ and ‘The Pyramids of Giza’. You’re wearing extremely unusual apparel, which makes me wonder what else was ‘Transported along with you’.”

Oh? I thought Adam was just gonna shoo him away, but he actually amused him this far, huh? Nice one, nice one! Now he’ll have to either back up his case or head on to where he came from!

“Oh, that’s all? Then…” He pulled something rectangular out of his shorts and showed it to us, “Check it out, a phone! With this bad boy, you can call anyone who also has a phone (as well as signal), you can watch a myriad of videos on it (provided you have access to the internet) AND you can play tons of games on it!”

While the other Maids and His Highness were skeptical of this mysterious rectangle’s abilities, I somehow felt from this guy’s voice that what he was saying was the absolute truth. So, I stepped into the conversation to ask him something.

“Can you play chess on it?”

“Mariabelle!” Adam reprimanded me recklessly entering the conversation.

“What? I gotta know!”

Issei’s eyes lit up the moment he heard my question. He tapped the glass screen on his ‘phone’, but after a moment or so of tapping away, his excitement got curbed.

“Ehh, I don’t really play chess, so I don't have it downloaded… Will shogi do?”

What the hell is that? Bootleg chess? Miss me with that off-brand crap!

“But wow, the prince’s maid sharing a somewhat mutual interest with my own? This really sounds like the plot of an Otome game or something!”

“I don’t know what an ‘Otome’ is, but I’ll assume you’re using it as a compliment and just move on.”

“Smart idea.” He answered back seriously, “The land of Otome games is a slippery slope. One misstep and the girl will be gone for good. I know do-overs exist, but to me it’s not realistic unless you get your desired ending first try!”

While Issei and I were sharing a lovely conversation about… something, Adam was trying his best to keep calm the entire time. Even still, I guess something was bugging him, or he was just feeling way too uneasy about our unexpected visitor that he had snapped on the spot.

“Alright, I’ve heard enough! Now you’re just spouting nonsense! Get the hell out of here, you lunatic, or I’ll have to call forth the guards to personally arrest you!”

“Whoa whoa! This is usually the part of the story where you believe me and appoint me as your knight or something!”

“You? A knight? It’d be easier to imagine Mariabelle wielding a sword and swinging it around than your scrawny ass!”

Hey, don’t rope me into this! Just for that, you'll get an extra large dose of scolding!

“Really, Your Highness? You’re saying I’m a muscle-brained dope or something?”

“A-Ah, Mariabelle, I didn’t mean…!”

“Tsk tsk,” Issei joined me in making fun of Adam, “really now, no delicacy with the ladies… So much for the dreamy prince act.”

“You…! Get the fuck out of my sight!” Adam gestured with his hands that he was ready to call in the guards at any moment.

Now here’s an interesting fella, I thought, I can’t just let him get away! So while he was dejectedly turning his back at us to go elsewhere in his travels, I quickly gestured to him to come here and discreetly told him to wait until my shift ends.

“Oh ho!” He chuckled, “Falling for me already?”

“You wish! I’m just interested in that shogi thing you mentioned. That, and I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet.”

Judging by his reaction, he immediately realized what I was planning to do. That’s right, I’m gonna take him home and introduce him to Lune!

Lune’s been a bit under the weather these days, holing himself up in his room trying to think up all sorts of junk to make. He said it’s nothing to worry about, and that he always wanted to try his hand at inventing things, but it was because of his family that he simply didn’t have the time. That’s why I’m inviting this Issei guy to meet him. Of course, he’s probably chock full of potential invention ideas so they’ll probably get along, but also I’d like to have someone keep an eye on Lune while I’m away at work. He might get himself killed if he tinkers about with the wrong materials…