For a Mere Maid
“Stop darting your eyes all over the place. Just stay quiet.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
The deeper we ventured inside at Cecilia’s side, the more torn I felt between quiet apprehension and sheer awe. Sure, it didn’t quite match the blinding grandeur of the Golden Pavilion, but the place was nothing short of astonishing. Even with my total lack of architectural knowledge, the interior practically dripped with lavish luxury. Unlike the radiant, eye-searing brightness of the Golden Pavilion, this estate embraced an overwhelmingly dark aesthetic—yet it was executed with such sumptuous extravagance that I couldn't help marveling at it.
“Ah, Imperial Princess. Thank you so very much for coming all this way. It must have been a tiring journey, so I am truly delighted to receive you.”
“Is this your personal villa? It hardly looks like a hotel or a restaurant.”
Following the butler’s lead into the reception parlor, we were greeted by Elisabeth. For a casual weekend lunch with an imperial princess, her dress was astonishingly opulent—borderline ostentatious. Pinching the hem of her voluminous skirt, Elisabeth sank into a flawless, graceful curtsy before speaking.
“Fufufu. It may be humble, but it serves as my residence while attending the Academy. I did consider staying in the dormitories, but communal living hardly suits someone of my station, so I stay here instead.”
“Hmph… Sounds rather pointless.”
“My apologies. I merely find myself unaccustomed to dormitory life, so I make use of this space.”
“Even so, this villa seems absurdly massive for one person, doesn’t it? How… extravagant.”
“Our family’s motto has always been that money exists to be spent.”
“Well, I suppose so. House Oro has always been famous for having more gold than sense. So, where are we heading now?”
“Today’s gathering is meant to treat Your Highness to a proper feast. Everything has already been prepared, so allow me to escort you to the dining hall.”
“Lead the way.”
“Right this way, Your Highness.”
After their brief exchange of barbs, Elisabeth dismissed her butler and took the lead herself, guiding Cecilia forward. We strolled down a sweeping corridor until she pushed open a set of towering double doors, revealing the dining hall within.
“…Whoa.”
In stark contrast to the mansion’s brooding, shadowed interior, the dining hall was brilliantly illuminated. It was so jarringly different that the estate felt like two entirely separate buildings stitched together. While undeniably magnificent, the radiant space completely abandoned the somber, almost moody atmosphere of the previous halls. In fact, it looked startlingly like the Golden Pavilion.
Gold-leafed paneling coated the walls, while exquisite frescoes and glittering crystal chandeliers adorned the lofty ceiling, each element screaming imperial indulgence. And honestly? Leaving the rest of the villa dim just to make this single room blaze with light struck me as… pointlessly decadent.
“I have prepared this seat especially for Your Highness. Ah, are there any particular foods you prefer to avoid?”
“Mm… It doesn’t matter. So long as it tastes good, I’m not particularly picky.”
“Fufu, that is a relief. I took great care in arranging today’s menu, but it would have been a grave discourtesy if I offered something Your Highness could not stomach.”
“Enough pleasantries. Shall we sit? This villa is so pointlessly massive that my legs are starting to ache.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Cecilia and Elisabeth took their seats at an enormous banquet table. It was absurdly vast for just two people—large enough that an entire corporate department could hold a year-end dinner and still leave room to spare. Yet, perhaps because both women possessed such dazzling, commanding presence, the vast mahogany expanse didn't feel awkwardly empty.
“I have prepared a multi-course meal. An aperitif has been set aside as well, should you care for one? Under normal circumstances, I would insist on serving it for dinner, but seeing as it is still lunchtime…”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll pass on the alcohol. Just water is fine.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
With Cecilia’s preferences established, Elisabeth began explaining the meal. She laid out the sequence of courses and offered detailed descriptions of each upcoming dish, droning on with such aristocratic precision that I quickly found myself growing bored. Truth be told, full-course formal dining was an alien concept to me. The average person didn't eat multi-course haute cuisine on a regular basis, after all.
Whenever I cooked for Cecilia, it was never anything lavish—usually just a simple pasta thrown together with whatever was on hand. Even back in South Korea, the times I’d ever eaten a real course meal could be counted on one hand. It felt entirely foreign, impossible for me to relate to.
“Mmm… It’s nice and fresh.”
“A meal prepared for Your Highness deserves nothing less than perfection.”
“Fair enough.”
“Hearing that it pleases your palate is a tremendous relief.”
“Hmm… Serena?”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
As I quietly stood watch behind her chair, Cecilia suddenly called my name. Did she need something? Wondering if a glass needed refilling, I stepped closer to her side.
“Have a bite.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s delicious. You haven’t eaten lunch yet, have you? You must be starving.”
“No, not at all. I’m really not that hungry, so… I’m quite fine, Your Highness.”
“Quiet down and just eat it. Here I am, deigning to show benevolence to my maid for once, and you dare refuse me to the bitter end?”
“……”
In the middle of a formal luncheon with a duke’s daughter.
To a mere maid.
To me.
I was utterly speechless at Cecilia’s insistence on feeding me scraps straight from her own plate. Imperial princess or not, having a maid eat food in the middle of a private banquet hosted by a high-ranking noblewoman was… profoundly rude. It was an outright insult to the young lady of House Oro, one of the three great ducal houses of the Empire.
“…Haah. Must you be so stubborn?”
“Your Highness, you are dining with Lady Elisabeth. You must uphold decorum—”
“Elisabeth.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
Ignoring my whisper, Cecilia turned her head toward our host. Hearing her casually address the ducal heiress by her given name, omitting any title or house honorific entirely, made my head throb all over again.
“You don’t mind if I share a little food with my maid, do you? The poor thing hasn’t had a bite since breakfast, and I simply wish to fill her belly. It’s certainly not because I dislike your hospitality or find the food lacking.”
“Whatever Your Highness desires is, by definition, proper.”
“See? She says it’s fine.”
“……Yes, Your Highness.”
Backed into a corner by this absurd turn of events, I had no choice but to accept what Cecilia was offering. I literally couldn't escape it. The ducal lady had already given her consent, and the Imperial Princess had reeled off an entire justification just to shove food down my throat. If I stubbornly refused now, I would become the far greater diplomatic incident.
“Come now, open your mouth.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll feed you myself. You don’t have your own silverware, after all.”
“……Yes.”
Resigning myself to my fate, I obediently leaned in to take whatever Cecilia held out on her silver fork. Dragging this out any longer would only make the spectacle worse. She slipped a tender morsel of glazed meat past my lips, but given the circumstances, savoring the flavor was an impossible task. It was undoubtedly an exquisite culinary masterpiece, but being pinned under the princess’s intense, unblinking gaze while withering beneath the icy, sidelong glare of a ducal lady made the bite taste like pure anxiety. I couldn't properly appreciate a single note. All I could do was meekly chew with my small mouth and force it down.
“There. Have a little more.”
“…Yes.”
Only after she fed me another piece, and then another, was I finally permitted to retreat behind her chair. Yet Cecilia’s culinary crusade didn’t end there. Every time a new plate arrived, she insisted on sharing it with me, even feeding me small bites of the dessert that followed the main course.
“…Your Highness, my stomach is truly full now.”
“Is that so? Very well, then.”
Only when I repeatedly begged her to stop did Cecilia finally relent. Even as the table was cleared, I couldn't wrap my head around what on earth she was trying to accomplish. In a high-society setting with one of the most prominent noblewomen in the entire Empire, there was zero reason to force-feed someone who was, on paper, nothing more than a lowly maid. Sure, we shared meals together during our academy lunches, and we ate at the same table back in the dormitory, but this was completely different.
Was this really appropriate? No matter how much I turned it over in my mind, the uneasiness lingered.
“Your Highness, do you have any prior engagements scheduled for the remainder of the day?”
“None at all. Why do you ask?”
“If Your Highness is free, I would be delighted to escort you outside and introduce you to a few select locations within the Academy. From what I have heard, you rarely step out of your quarters.”
The offer came casually as we finished the meal, lingering over cups of aromatic coffee. Unlike before, when Elisabeth would withdraw after exchanging mere pleasantries, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of calculated intention behind her words now.
“……”
First Jessica, and now Elisabeth. It was glaringly obvious that both were actively vying to build a favorable relationship with Cecilia, the Third Princess. In the beginning, Cecilia had practically warned them off, but seeing how persistently they pushed, an imperial title was clearly too tempting a prize for high-ranking nobles to ignore, even if she was only the third in line. While a part of me was glad to see Cecilia finally expanding her social circle, a quiet dread gnawed at my chest. Then again, forging political alliances with powerful aristocrats was simply part of an imperial princess's duty.
In the end, Cecilia accepted the invitation, agreeing to Elisabeth’s guided tour once the meal concluded.
“……”
Naturally, Cecilia made sure to emphasize that I was to come ‘along’ with them. Not that I had any say in the matter—short of Cecilia explicitly ordering me to get lost, my duty as her personal guard required me to shadow her every step anyway. I hadn't uttered a single protest, yet she still went out of her way to command my presence.
As always, I hadn't the faintest idea what was going on inside that royal head of hers.