Neko pushed the door to his chamber open, still feeling the soothing warmth of Bovina's fading mark on his hand. However, the sight that greeted him inside made him nearly drop his sheets.
In the center of the room stood a petite girl in a classic black-and-white maid uniform - her dress was far more modest than those worn by the Matrons, and she wore a simple cap pinned to her short, light-brown hair. The girl froze with a feather duster in her hand, her eyes widening in pure disbelief at the sight of Neko in his scandalously short skirt and misty blouse.
After a second, shock was replaced by paralyzing terror; the maid dropped her duster and instantly dropped to one knee, bowing her head so low it nearly touched the floor.
"I-I am so sorry, Mistress!" she choked out in a trembling, respectful voice. "I had just finished cleaning and... and I was just about to leave! Mistress Elene told me you wouldn't be back until evening!"
Neko stood rooted to the spot, the bell on his tail giving a single, quiet, confused clink. His heart hammered not from desire, but from pure embarrassment - it was the first time someone had addressed him as "Mistress." He stared at the shaking girl, not knowing how to react.
Meanwhile, the maid was inwardly cursing someone named Ewelina, whose mistake had cost her the entire morning polishing corridors, causing her to be late with her work here. She cleaned Neko's room every day and always took care of every detail, knowing full well that this was Lady Lilith's private wing, accessible only to Matrons and the Queen's Wives. The fact that she had run into someone of such high status - at least in her mind - made the vision of a severe punishment for failing her duties nearly take her breath away.
Neko scratched his cheek, looking at the huddled figure. Dammit, girl, you're even worse than me when it comes to being scared, he thought, feeling a prickle of sympathy.
"It's okay, really," he said in a gentle, sweet voice that still sounded foreign to him. "Are you the one who cleans my room every day?"
The girl nodded, not daring to stand or even look him in the eye. Neko gave a small, inward smile; that explained how his pink robe and other trifles always found their way back to their places, even when he tossed them aside in a morning rush. He approached her slowly, his heels clicking against the floor, and gently took her by the shoulder, helping her up.
"You don't have to grovel before me like that," he whispered, offering a reassuring smile. "Thank you for your hard work. I really appreciate how you keep things in order here."
The maid stood before him with her gaze lowered, still trembling slightly, though Neko's words had clearly calmed her. "I-it is my job, Mistress," she mumbled quietly. "Do... do you have any other tasks for me?"
Neko shook his head, his cat ears twitching cheerfully. "No, I don't need anything else. You can go rest."
The girl bowed once more with deep respect and practically ran out of the room, closing the door behind her with extraordinary care. Only when she found herself in the safety of the corridor did she lean against the wall and exhale with gargantuan relief. She had survived an encounter with a resident of Lilith's private apartments and hadn't been punished.
Moving at a brisk pace toward the kitchens, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had just seen. What a sweet girl... she thought with a smile, the image of Neko's pink hair and gentle eyes still vivid in her mind.
The girl, whose name in the vast hierarchy of the castle meant little more than the dust on the window, walked quickly, almost running through the deserted corridors of the private wing. The silence here was heavy, saturated with Lady Lilith's powerful aura, which seemed to watch her every move from the walls and the gargantuan shutters. Only when she passed the massive, double-winged gates guarded by two motionless, armored golems did she feel the invisible weight lift from her shoulders.
"I'm alive..." she whispered to herself, feeling her heart slowly decelerate.
Just a few meters further, the peace of Lilith's private wing shattered like a soap bubble. She entered the main servant artery, where an indescribable clamor reigned.
"Hey, Mira! Why are you so pale?" called out one of the maids carrying a stack of fresh laundry. "Did you see the Queen's shadow again?"
"Worse, I met the tenant," Mira replied curtly, not slowing her pace.
"What?! The new one?" another girl leaned out from a corner. "And? Did she bite your head off? I heard she's some favorite of Lady Lilith!"
"Move, or you'll get it!" Mira huffed, passing the group of gossiping colleagues, having no desire for their chatter now.
Suddenly, the crowd ahead began to part. Approaching from the opposite direction was a tall, predatory woman in a purple corset with silver trim. Mira instantly dropped to one knee, and dozens of other girls did the same.
"Mistress Vex..." Mira murmured, fixing her gaze on the floor.
"Watch where you're going, girl," the Elite Maid spat disdainfully, not even slowing down. Her 4-inch heels struck the marble with the force of a hammer. "Next time I see dust on your apron, I'll personally see to it that you spend the rest of the evening in the dungeons as my toy."
"Forgive me, Mistress..."
Mira waited until the sound of footsteps faded before bolting up and moving on, nearly tripping over the legs of other servants.
"Did you see her collar? That's real silver," a novice whispered beside her.
"Shut up and march, unless you want to end up like the last cleaner from her sector!" someone of higher rank snapped.
Mira finally burst into the kitchen, where the temperature was at least ten degrees higher and the smell of spices tickled the nose.
"Where are those trays?! Move it, girls, the Matrons' dinner is soon!" screamed the head cook, waving a large ladle.
Mira spotted a ginger head at the vegetable station. She walked there quickly, ignoring a collision with a cart full of dirty plates.
"Ewelina!" she growled, standing before her friend.
The red-haired demoness turned lazily, wiping her hands on a stained apron. A mocking smile played on her face.
"Oh, you're back. And? Did the West Wing devour you?" Ewelina laughed. "You look like you saw Lady Elizabeth in a bad mood, at the very least."
"You lying ape!" Mira grabbed her by the arm. "You said Lady Elene confirmed: the room was supposed to be empty until evening!"
"Because it was supposed to be," Ewelina shrugged, wrenching her arm free. "Those were the instructions this morning. What, you met someone? Don't tell me it was Lady Lilith..."
"No. The new one. The 'Kitten,'" Mira lowered her voice, her anger suddenly giving way to a strange confusion. "I walked right into her. I thought it was the end of me."
Ewelina suddenly turned serious, leaning in closer. "And? Did she make you lick her boots? Or was she already preparing the whip? I heard Lilith's 'special' acquisitions are the most interesting creatures."
Mira shook her head, still seeing the pink hair and that gentle smile.
"That's just the thing..." she whispered. "She helped me up. And she thanked me for my hard work."
Ewelina froze with a knife in her hand, looking at her friend like she was a lunatic.
"Are you joking? In this castle?" she snorted after a moment. "Mira, I think the fumes from the cauldrons have gotten to you."
"Mira! Finally, there you are!" yelled the head cook, a powerful demoness with arms as thick as tree trunks, wiping her sweaty forehead with a dirty rag. "Stop gossiping with the ginger and take these trays. Get them to the Senior Maids' dining hall immediately before they start gnawing on the furniture from hunger!"
"I'm on it, ma'am!" Mira replied hastily, grabbing two heavy silver trays filled with steaming meat and aromatic sauces.
She left the noisy kitchen, heading toward the dining hall for the Senior Maids. Walking with a measured step, her thoughts involuntarily returned to the earlier encounter. She sighed quietly, adjusting her grip on the trays.
That girl... she's a bit strange, she thought, bypassing a group of maids. Her attitude reminds me more of Lady Bovina than anyone else in this castle. She's so gentle and sweet... she doesn't fit the sadistic type at all. Who would have thought that instead of punishing me for not finishing my duties, someone would thank me for cleaning?
Lost in thought, she nearly collided with one of the younger girls running out of a side corridor. Mira gracefully balanced the trays, performing a quick pirouette so the food wouldn't end up on the floor. The other girl, seeing Mira's white apron signifying a higher rank, immediately turned pale and threw herself onto her knees as if scalded, her knees striking the hard marble.
"I beg for your forgiveness, ma'am!" she choked out, cowering. "It was an oversight, I lost my orientation, please don't punish me!"
Mira stopped for a moment and looked down at her. For a second, she felt the urge to yell at the girl's inattentiveness and for running in the castle, but the image of Neko helping her up reappeared in her mind.
"It's okay," she said calmly, bypassing the kneeling servant. "Stand up. Just be more careful next time if you don't want these trays landing on you."
The girl raised her head in disbelief, leaning on the floor with trembling hands.
"I-I will try, ma'am! Thank you!" she stammered shakily, rising from her knees.
Mira moved on, but after a few steps, she glanced back out of the corner of her eye. She saw the girl walking with an incredibly uncertain, swaying gait on gargantuan, 8-inch heels. Her scandalously short skirt hiked up with every movement, revealing bare buttocks densely covered in fresh, red marks. In the very center, between her cheeks, shone a large, crystal heart-shaped anal plug that trembled slightly with every step the girl took.
Mira smiled to herself and shook her head.
Oho, looks like the young one messed up seriously this morning for her Mistress to make her work like that, she thought with amusement, hearing the faint hum of vibrations coming from the younger servant in the distance. At least that will teach her to watch where she's running quickly.
With that ironic smile on her face, Mira walked confidently deeper into the corridor leading straight to the Senior Maids' dining hall, carrying the meals for the servants of the castle.