CH84 Yvne’s Mansion 2
Alex felt off. In the cooking dungeon, Alex was able to activate the dance partner skill instantly. She wondered why she didn’t feel like trying to snatch her phone as an attack didn’t trigger such a response. It finally clicked with a look around the room.
The pair that looked concerned now looked peaceful. Alex’s jump in mental resistance also made sense. And to top it off, all that happened right after eating the food. Alex regarded the empty plate with suspicion. The maids in the room made quick work of cleaning off the tables so Alex didn’t get a chance to look closer.
“Okay, I’ll put it away.” Alex pocketed the phone. Noting that the maid didn’t seem suspicious about the unnatural pause before the response.
The maid smiled robotically. “Thank you miss Alice.”
Attempting to mirror the nonchalant expressions of those around the table, Alex discreetly checked her stats beneath the table.
Name: Alex Parker
Class: Magical Girl
Level 3
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Strength: 11
Constitution: 9
Dexterity: 17
Intelligence: 7
Cuteness: 16
Skills:
Cleaning: 2
Cooking: 1
Dancing: 2
Tailoring: 4
Toymaking: 2
Feats: Empower Doll
Spells: Animate Doll
Lesser Grow Plants
Traits: Mental Resistance: 4 (+1 from overcoming ingested magical poison)
"I suppose I should start practicing cooking," Alex murmured to herself. "No more relying on maids for meals."
Zeke, snapping out of his daze, blinked in confusion. "Did you say something, Alice?"
“I um, I was thinking maybe I could cook for you two next meal?” Alex looked at the two, trying to salvage the slip, hoping the concern didn’t show. “I’m a decent cook, though I’m sure I’ve got a lot to learn.”
"I believe we'll need to be trained in all the duties our hosts perform if we're to secure the maid position," Trudy beamed, a complete turnaround from her earlier apprehension. "If you aim to prove you're the top candidate, I'll be cheering you on."
An extravagantly dressed woman entered, her presence alone silencing all conversations. She moved with grace, her long red hair styled in a French braid, and her red eyes scanning the room. She was flanked by prim maids on each side.
“Greetings subjects. I am Baroness Yvne.” She paused and looked across the dining hall.
People respectfully lowered their heads, and Alex, not wanting to draw attention, did the same. The act of everyone deferring to the lady of the house felt peculiar, yet remaining inconspicuous was paramount. Alex's primary objective was still to depart and rendezvous with the nereids, hoping to devise a strategy for the liberation of all humans in the town.
"Raise your heads," Yvne commanded.
All of the maids raised their heads in sync but the rest of the people did so at slightly different moments, weird.
"Behold, for every handmaiden trained within these hallowed halls embodies perfection. Our household upholds the most stringent standards for its stewards. Yet, let apprehension not grip your hearts, for our methods of tutelage are all-encompassing, ensuring that none who commence their training shall falter in its completion." The crimson-haired woman's gaze swept across the chamber again. "Each of you stands accepted, and it is with profound honor that you shall don the raiment of the maid."
Alex noticed Zeke, initially concerned, now energized by Lady Yvne's address. The mistress was leaving no room for refusal or dismissal based on inadequate performance, a situation Alex found troubling.
“A maid’s foremost duty is cleanliness. Those among you who have donned the suitable attire, I commend you to dedicate this day to the rigorous practice of cleaning. Indeed, proper dress shall hasten your tutelage and thereby accelerate the acquisition of proficiency.” She then gestured to a maid at her side. “Observe, if you will, the venerable custom of maids wearing white gloves.”
The maid stepped forward and ran a white gloved finger across one of the tables. After inspecting it she showed the very slight darkening to those in the room.
“The white glove test is a classical method of measuring cleanliness, and I implore each of you to adopt this as your foundational standard.” She surveyed the room once more. “You are all dismissed. Every individual present has been accounted for by a member of the kingdom’s gentry. No maid shall be released from training until they have achieved certification. Should your training falter, anticipate a summons to my chambers for personalized instruction.” With a swift departure from the dining hall, all those in maid attire promptly commenced their duties to restore the hall to order.
Alex tried to voice her concerns, but the maids, driven by an unsettling compulsion to clean, offered little to no response.
Deciding it was best to leave promptly, Alex gathered her dishes, took them to the kitchen, and exited the dining hall.
As Alex walked down the hallway, footsteps behind her signaled she had a follower. Turning back, she wearily asked, "May I help you?"
The maid caught up. “Miss Alice, where are you going?” Her voice sounded slightly cross.
“I’m going to check on my carriage. I want to make sure everything is okay.” Alex pointed in a direction.
The maid didn’t look amused. “The stables are not that way.” She pointed in the opposite direction. “You are obviously confused.”
Alex tried not to panic. “Sorry, I must be turned around. Miss maid, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Maid will do.” The maid continued. “Won’t you come back and help with cleaning the kitchen and dining hall? The staff put in hours of work to prepare food and cook it. The least you could do was help clean up.”
“I wasn’t trying to be rude. Please don’t misunderstand.” Alex turned around and prepared to head in the direction the maid said led to the stables.
“Won’t you come back and help? Many hands make work light.” The maid took a step back towards the dining hall, then glanced back to see if Alex would follow. “This manor has a storied past. The dishes have a storied history. They have been used by many generations of nobility. It is important to treat them, like all of our mistress’s property, with the appropriate care and respect.”
“Look, I am not trying to be disrespectful of this home. I just want to check on my wares.” Alex headed in the opposite direction the maid tried to lead her.
Sadly, the maid followed and kept talking. “This too could be seen as a slight against Lady Yvne. Alice, you have a lot to learn about etiquette.”
After several wrong turns, Alex and the maid finally made it outside the mansion and crossed the garden to the stables, with Alex silently bracing for the maid to drag her back to help with housework. To her surprise, the maid only made subtle jabs and hinted that Alex's actions were disagreeable. The short trip was awkward, but at least Alex was spared from being forced to do chores.
Alex inspected the carriage, finding it exactly as she'd left it, Fufi still on the bench seat. "I see everything is how we left it," she muttered, cursing under her breath at the thought of Fufi being stuck there all this time, her clockwork armor completely wound down. Climbing onto the bench, Alex rewound the armor, and Fufi began ticking once more.
“Is it not alright to leave that wood golem thing outside?” The maid questioned, not fond of that toy for some reason.
Fufi and Alex came down from the carriage. “It is alright for short periods of time. But as you can see, the weather hasn’t been great. The toy is mostly wood so it is better if it stays out of the elements most of the time to keep it clean.” None of the demon butlers were hanging around which was a relief.
Fufi made her way to the part of the carriage that had food and water stored in it. She didn’t say anything. It was weird not having Fufi talking. She normally was so talkative but was taking this infiltration mission seriously. She had to play the part of a clockwork doll.
“What kind of bird is that large toy supposed to be?” The maid asked.
“It is a goose.” Alex kept with the story that the Fufi armor wasn’t what it actually was.
“Have you ever seen a goose before? The beak is all wrong.” She pointed at the flamingo. “The legs are way too long. It looks more like an accursed fowl that is banned from the kingdom than a goose.”
“Maybe it is a herron?” Alex mentioned the first long-legged bird that came to her mind. Apparently flamingo was a bad word in this land.
The maid crossed her arms and cast Alex a disapproving look. “Miss Alice, do you possess any familiarity with the appearance of geese or herons? I am beginning to suspect that your knowledge of avian species is deficient.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around. What is with this accursed fowl anyway?” Alex sounded defensive.
“It is one of the laws dating back to when the kingdom became a vassal state. The demon forces would not use deadly force for those that submitted to their rule. The king back then agreed and only a token force of the army came to our lands. One of the new rules that is enforced by the king’s laws is that flamingos cannot reside on land claimed by the king or his vassals. Any that try to infiltrate our lands to prey on children are buffeted away by the king's barrier. The demons hate the accursed fowl so you are lucky that they didn’t take your toy and throw it in the pyre where the fire cultivators like to gather around.” The maid’s tone sounded like she was explaining something that should be common knowledge.
“If you find my creations offensive maybe I should leave tonight.” Alex huffed.
“The gates are closed at night, and magic seals the walls around the compound. Heading out at night is impossible. Now if you are satisfied here let's return inside.” The maid held out a hand, but then retracted it. Was she thinking of pulling Alex along like a child who had run off?
Alex, only at level 3, understood the maid's unspoken threat. Most humans surpassed her in strength, and the maid's hint about dragging her back inside, much like a mother with a child, was likely a genuine possibility.
The maid led Alex back into the mansion. He followed her into the servants quarters. She opened the door that led to a small room with a pair of bunk beds. Zeke was in one of the beds, still in the maid dress.
“I’m sure they’ve cleaned the kitchen and dining room by now so with the sun going down it is time to get to bed. Make sure to make your bed when you wake up in the morning.” The maid gave a curtsey and exited, shutting the door behind her.
“Thank you, we’ll do our best.” Zeke answered automatically.
“Oh, hi Zeke, how was cleaning the dining hall and kitchen?” Alex asked, trying to spark conversation.
Zeke rolled over on the bed and faced her. “It went really quickly. We had the place white glove clean in less than an hour and all the dishes scrubbed and put away shortly after that.”
Zeke looked a little different somehow. His features seem softer. His hair looked a bit longer. His voice sounded a bit less deep.
“How are you doing? I’m surprised that you are still wearing that dress. If you are going to bed maybe you should take it off and change into your old clothes?” Alex suggested.
“I tried to but I couldn’t get out of this thing. You know, women’s clothing is sometimes complicated.” Zeke chuckled, but sounded slightly worried.
“Maybe it unties from the back? If you get up I can try to get the laces undone. I may have some experience in that department” Alex made a gesture encouraging Zeke to stand.
"You're welcome to try," Zeke said, rising from the small bed and turning his back to Alex. "I managed to slide it on, and the maids made some adjustments for presentation, but I doubt that would change much. I don't want to damage the mistress's clothing by trying too hard."
Alex looked at the outfit, a little dumbfounded. "I don't see any complicated laces in the back. It looks like the apron keeps things snug." She tried to untie the apron's bow, but it wouldn't budge. "Wow, this thing is a lot tighter than it looks." Alex pulled as hard as she dared. The bow should have come undone easily, but it acted as if it were glued or pinned in place. "Weird."
“What do you think? Can you get me out of this?” Zeke sounded a little worried.
“No, not without damaging it. I have some scissors back in my carriage. They might have some in the compound too if we asked. Did you ask the maids?” Alex walked around to the front of the taller man.
He shook his head. “I brought it up to a couple different maids but I couldn’t get a straight answer out of them. Most of them said some form of focus on your training and worry about that later.”
Alex didn’t like Zeke’s interactions with the maids at all. Not wearing the maid outfit turned out to be a good idea even though they treated her like she was paranoid or rude.