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“Ha~h… I’m so tired…”
Raora let out a sigh as she trudged through the manor’s hallway. Her eyes glanced toward the window. The full moon had long since made its way into the sky, its light bathing the manor through the windows. The moonlight further highlighted the marble hallway’s beauty, creating a painting-worthy scenery. But despite the beautiful sight, Raora’s mood remains dampened.
Although Raora had been excited to work as an apprentice maid for the first time, the amount of work she had to deal with was beyond exhausting. She had to wake up early for a roll call before setting off to prepare the table for the young miss’ breakfast. After that, she had to help with doing laundry and hanging it to dry. When the sun rose above her head, Raora started with cleaning up the numerous rooms in the manor to make sure they appeared spotless.
Unfortunately, her nervousness led her to miss some spots, which the head maid made her re-clean. As a result, Raora only finished her work deep into the night. Even her maid outfit appeared worn out from the work she’d been through. Her exhaustion contributed to her foul mood, but there was another reason behind her lethargy.
“I wasn’t able to meet Cece at all…”
Although Raora endured the pile of work handed to her for a chance to meet the butler she looked up to, she ended up not seeing even the hem of her suit for the entire day. Even though it seemed unreasonable, Cecilia was the reason she decided to work as a maid in this manor. The sight of her prim appearance and elegant manner, befitting of a butler, had captivated Raora ever since she saw her for the first time. But after being accepted here, she had yet to see her figure.
Without anyone to complain to, she could only grumble her disappointment into the empty hallway, “Well, a perfect butler like her must’ve been busy as well…”
Pat.
“Hyah!”
The sudden touch on her shoulder caused Raora to jump in surprise. She quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from waking up the entire manor and turned around to see who was behind it.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you like that, Raora.”
Behind her stood Cecilia, the butler that she’d dreamt of. The suit she wore was spotless without a single crease, the perfect figure of a butler. Her pale green hair shimmered under the moonlight, while her green eyes gazed directly at hers, causing Raora’s heart to race.
“C-C-Cece! No, I mean, Cecilia! It’s fine; I was just a bit surprised, that’s all!” Raora quickly corrected herself. Although she’d admired Cecilia for a long time, the amount of times she’d talked with her could be counted on one hand, which happened during her screening interview. Raora had heard of how other maids would call the butler with her nickname, but acting familiarly when she was just an apprentice was too much for her.
Cecilia smirked at Raora’s reaction. “I’ll make sure to call out to you next time, then. Also, please feel free to call me Cece. I wouldn’t want to be so distant with my colleague.”
“O-Okay, Cece…” Raora stammered.
Her mind turned into a mess as a myriad of thoughts swirled inside her. Is her current appearance too messy? Would Cecilia hate her for appearing improper? More importantly, did Cecilia hear her mumbling about not being able to meet her? Raora could feel her own heartbeat in her ears, worrying that Cecilia might think of her as a weirdo.
Cecilia smiled calmly at Raora’s flustered expression before asking, “It’s quite late, isn’t it? You might find it difficult to find your way back. May I have the honor to escort you to your chambers, Raora?”
“Ah! Y-Yes, of course!” Raora blurted out in a panic.
After receiving Raora’s permission, Cecilia offered her hand. Presented with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Raora’s hand shook nervously before accepting Cecilia’s hand. Her hand delicately grasped Raora’s as they walked together through the hallway.
The contact between their hands nearly drove Raora insane. She could feel the smooth palm of the automaton through the soft gloves. For Raora, standing so close to Cecilia was almost too much for her. Although she wanted to etch this moment into her mind, she was too preoccupied with keeping herself together against the unexpected close contact between them.
“How’s the work in the manor treating you? I hope it wasn’t too much for you to handle,” Cecilia asked, her voice sweeping away the silence between them.
“Oh, it’s fine! I can still handle this much!” Raora answered brightly before recalling her mistakes, “But I still have a lot to learn… I missed some spots and had to redo my cleaning earlier, haha.”
“The head maid must’ve made quite a fuss about it,” Cecilia replied with a wry smile. “Please don’t take it to heart. She just wants the best for the young miss.”
A sigh escaped Raora’s mouth. “I know… I’ll just have to keep learning and do my best. I just hope the head maid won’t think badly of me.”
“Don’t worry, Raora. It’s only natural for an apprentice to make mistakes. That’s why we’re here to guide you along the way,” Cecilia reassured her with a soft smile. “Besides, I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked around the manor. As long as you keep at it, you’ll be just fine.”
“You saw me?! I didn’t even notice!” Raora yelped in surprise.
“I just happened to pass by when you’re in the middle of redoing your cleaning.” Cecilia explained. “Even though you looked a bit down, you still continued your duty and finished your task without complaints. Your perseverance alone is commendable, Raora.”
“Oh, t-thank you, hehe~”
Raora’s face turned a shade of red deeper. Although Cecilia had praised her, she couldn’t confess that she looked down because she couldn’t see Cecilia for the entire day. But right now, knowing that Cecilia took notice of her hard work was enough to send her above the clouds. Raora did her best to lower the corners of her mouth before she broke into a stupidly wide grin.
The two of them made it to the outdoor corridor, connecting the manor with the maids’ housing. The courtyard next to the corridor was kept in immaculate condition by the gardeners, showcasing its beauty to anyone passing by. Trees and beds of flowers surrounded the cobblestone pathway through the courtyard, allowing anyone to enjoy its beauty without trampling on the flowers.
“Hmm?” Raora’s gaze briefly stopped on the courtyard.
Noticing Raora had stopped, Cecilia asked, “What’s wrong, Raora?”
“...I just thought I saw something. I guess I’m just too tired, hehe.” Raora sheepishly waved off her question. It was embarrassing enough for her to be seeing things next to Cecilia. She’d rather not make a big deal out of it.
A glint crossed Cecilia’s eyes for a moment before she flashed a smile. “Then you better get plenty of rest. I’d hate it if you were to fall sick, Raora.”
“Ahaha, it would be embarrassing if I were to fall sick on my first day… But what about you, Cece?” Raora asked.
“An automaton like me doesn’t require much rest, thankfully. I’ll just have to finish some work before I could call it a day,” Cecilia replied.
Hearing that Cecilia still had more work to do this deep into the night caused Raora to worry. She knew well that the butler next to her bore a lot of responsibilities. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t meet her in the first place. Although Cecilia tried to convince her that she would be fine, it still didn’t sit right with Raora.
“But still…” Raora muttered with a hint of concern, her other hand clasped onto Cecilia’s. “Make sure to take care of yourself as well, okay? I’d also hate it if you ended up feeling unwell.”
Cecilia remained silent for a moment before replying with a candid smile, “...Since you asked so nicely, I’ll make sure to do so.”
“Please do~ …Ah!”
After realizing she had been clasping onto Cecilia’s hand, Raora quickly took back her other hand in a hurry. She hadn’t meant to do something that forward, but her hand had moved before she even realized it. Thankfully, they had reached the entrance of the maids’ housing before Raora could turn into a mess.
“Here we are. Time sure passes quickly with good company, doesn’t it?” Cecilia said as she released her hand from Raora’s.
“...It sure does.” Raora’s hand lingered for a moment before taking it back. She wished the time they spent together would last a bit longer. But this short moment was all she could afford as mere colleagues.
“Rest well, Raora. And make sure to not leave your chambers for the night,” Cecilia bowed politely before turning away. As expected of the perfect butler, she always moved gracefully without wasting any time.
‘Even after I make my way here, will I only be able to stare at her back just like before?’
When tomorrow comes, tonight’s event will simply turn into a one-off incident that happened by chance. What was the point of her hard work to enter this manor as a maid if she could only watch Cecilia’s back wistfully from a distance? With her mind made up, Raora gathered her courage.
Before Cecilia could leave, she felt a tug on her sleeves. She turned around to see Raora, who was holding her sleeves with a flushed face.
With her eyes pointed toward the ground, Raora’s lips trembled briefly before she muttered, “Can I… see you again tomorrow? It’s okay if you can’t escort me like today. Just… just let me see you again for a moment.”
For Raora, that was all she wanted—for the butler that she longed for to notice her as more than one of her colleagues. Even though her heart wished for more than an encounter, this request was all her heart could handle. Was it improper? Will she hate her for this? Her heart constantly raced as she worried by herself.
“It would be my pleasure.”
Raora raised her head in surprise when she heard that answer. In front of her, Cecilia continued to smile at her amicably. “I’ll come to you after you finish your work and escort you back to your chambers, just like today. I’ll be looking forward to it, Raora.”
Shocked by the surprisingly positive response, Raora answered, “Y-Yes! I’ll be looking forward to it too!”
Cecilia chuckled briefly before taking Raora’s hand from her sleeves and kissing the back of her hand. “Good night, Raora. See you tomorrow.”
The unexpected kiss shocked Raora as if she were struck by lightning. Her mind went into meltdown as she tried her best to stay composed. “Y-Y-Yes! See you too! Tomorrow! B-Bye, Cece!” Raora stammered out before rushing into the housing, worried that she would show her embarrassing side to Cecilia if she lingered any longer.
Cecilia simply watched her take off while smiling. “What an energetic girl. It sure is nice to be young, haha.”
The sight of the apprentice maid fumbling around caused her to break into a smile despite her best attempt to stifle it. Even though they just met, she found her presence quite enjoyable.
“To think someone would be worrying about me… Life sure is full of surprises,” Cecilia mused to herself. “Well, I think the biggest surprise is the fact that she noticed these intruders before I did. She really is an interesting girl.”
Cecilia glanced at the courtyard next to the corridor. The wind softly blew, rustling the leaves as they brushed against each other. Her eyes slowly narrowed as her words were met with silence; an enigmatic smile remained on her expression.
“Hm… I was giving you a chance to show yourselves, but are you still going to pretend you’re not here? Then should I convince you in a language that you can understand?”
Whoosh!
With those chilling words as a warning, Cecilia swiftly swept her left hand toward the courtyard. In a split second, something flew toward one of the trees and struck something inside it. A cloaked figure immediately collapsed from the tree without leaking a groan—a small knife pierced deeply into its chest. After witnessing that spectacle, several figures donning the same cloak finally showed themselves from their hiding spot, seeping from the darkness akin to shadows.
With the intruders in plain sight, Cecilia bowed slightly at them. “Thank you for showing yourselves. I prefer to receive our guests properly. However, the young miss is no longer accepting guests at this hour, and I would hate it if your ruckus were to disturb her rest. Would you kindly leave for now and return tomorrow with an appointment?”
The cloaked figures simply stared at her silently. The gleam from their weapons glinted ominously under the moonlight. Seeing their hostile response, Cecilia simply sighed before standing upright and unbuttoning her suit. After taking off her suit and folding it neatly, she placed it in one corner of the corridor. Then, she slightly adjusted the grey vest and red tie she was wearing before rolling up the sleeves on her white dress shirt. Each action was done meticulously with trained movements, as if she’d done this multiple times.
“Who was on patrol duty today again? Was it Gigi? Well, I guess I can put her on clean-up duty to make up for it,” Cecilia thought out loud to herself, unconcerned with the intruders in front of her. Once she confirmed that they had no intentions to leave, their presence turned into something to be taken care of like a chore—nothing more, nothing less.
“The young miss is quite fond of this courtyard, so I’d rather not leave the courtyard a mess with my lance. I suppose these will have to do.”
The gaps between her fingers opened, ejecting small knives that she grasped between her fingers. The gaze coming from the cloaked figures turned cautious after seeing the same knives that had killed one of them before.
The knives between her fingers spread onto her hands, akin to a set of fans, as she reassured them, “Do not worry. I have no intentions of asking for your affiliations. That will be taken care of by Elizabeth. You see, she has quite the ways to make one talk. So tell me, will you surrender right now, or will you commence this futile fight?”
The cloaked figures roused up their killing intents in response. Retreat wasn’t an option for them in the first place. In front of them stood an automaton, the embodiment of a living weapon. The moment she took notice of their presence, they already resolved themselves to fight with all they had.
Hearing their silence, Cecilia nodded in response. “I see… Then let’s make this quick. I still have to figure out how to ask Raora about how she noticed your presence. Maybe we got ourselves a new member in hand.”
After speaking as if the chore in front of her was nothing to be concerned about, Cecilia rushed toward the intruders. Her mind was preoccupied with the existence of the apprentice maid that had taken her interest, but it would not hinder her duty. With the full moon as her only witness, the butler set off to finish her work for the night.