Luis Van Milhert, he played with me for quite a long time. But in the end, I told him not to come to the palace anymore.
He obeyed my wish, and he stopped playing with me again.
I quite liked his attitude, he was not a stubborn person, and he went along with what others wanted.
But there was one thing I didn't like about him, a noble.
——
It took quite some time until my body recovered after that kidnapping incident.
I often asked everyone in the palace, what happened to me when I was kidnapped? Who helped to search for me?
There were still many questions I threw to those I asked.
Because I wanted to know why I could even be kidnapped, even though my position was in my own room.
Come to think of it, ordinary intruders shouldn't have been able to sneak into the palace.
Almost everyone I asked said the same thing. But I was still curious—
There was one person I hadn't had the chance to ask, Vern-san.
She was a new Maid here, supposedly to serve me.
Sometimes Vern-san was very busy, so it was very difficult for me to find her.
She could be in the yard, the bathroom, my room, or in places I didn't think of looking.
But this time, I chose to check the Maids' changing room.
——
I stood in front of its door, looking at the door that was still closed.
I turned the doorknob until the door opened, and I stepped inside.
As I expected, Vern-san was there. She was tidying clothes and putting them into the wardrobe.
"V-vern-san..." I said softly. I rarely talked to her, ever since she started working here.
For some reason, I felt somewhat afraid of Vern-san. Even though I thought she was pretty and cute, especially with the glasses she wore.
Vern-san turned to me right after I called her name.
"Princess? Has your body recovered?" asked Vern-san as she walked toward me.
"I'm already better... by the way, do you know what exactly happened to me back then?" I asked back.
Without any small talk, I wanted to ask her directly.
"... This might break the rules a bit, but let me tell you," she said.
"Then, is it true that I was only kidnapped and then fainted for one day and found?" I asked again.
I was curious whether what they all said was the truth, or just a little lie from them.
"You were kidnapped for 3 days, and finally a noble party helped to search for you," answered Vern-san.
"The Milhert nobles, they joined in searching for you on the third day, and that day we found you," she continued.
"Luis, the second son of their family, was assigned to play with you for a while."
"With a bit of rumor saying that you would be married to him," explained Vern-san.
——
Vern-san also explained that actually no one was supposed to tell me what really happened.
This was intended so that I wouldn't know that the Milhert nobles had established a close relationship with the palace.
For no clear reason, at first I was not allowed to know anything about the Milhert family.
——
Year after year passed, nothing important happened in my life. Everything felt just ordinary.
Over time, I also gradually forgot about my kidnapping case.
Not once, but many times, intruders were caught by the palace guards.
It wasn't uncommon that among those intruders, there were some who wanted to kill me. Most of the others only wanted to take me as a hostage.
This year, my age had reached 12 years.
Because I was worried that I could be threatened at any time, I asked my eldest sister.
She had the same hair color as mine, bright yellow. Her face was beautiful, and her body was also very ideal. In my opinion, she was more beautiful than me.
Well, that was just my personal opinion... I didn't know how we looked in the eyes of others.
"Sis, lately I feel like I'm always being targeted by someone... do you have any recommendations on how to deal with this?" I asked.
My eldest sister often talked with me. Compared to my second sister.
Because of that, I often asked her for advice. She also accepted me, and was always willing to help if I needed it.
"Hmm... How about trying to have a personal Maid?" she asked me.
"Personal Maid...?" I replied, a little confused.
Weren't the Maids always serving the owner of the house all this time, and that meant they were personal Maids, weren't they?
Then what was the difference with what she meant?
"What I mean is, the Maid will spend most of her time being by your side."
"So, she will be the one who will protect and take care of you closely," she continued.
Ah, now I understood.
Usually the Maids in this palace only swept, or cleaned the dust in my room.
But this personal Maid would always help us at any time.
That was why my sister suggested I find a personal Maid.
"There are already so many Maids here, aren't there? Well, you can choose one that you feel comfortable with."
"If she agrees, she can immediately become your personal Maid~" said my sister.
I thought for a moment, to figure out which Maid I should ask. And the first one that came to mind was Vern-san.
I felt she was very suitable to take on this role.
"Ah, I have to go now... See you later, Rosalia~" she said, waving her hand at me. Then she left me.
I had repeatedly asked her to call me "Rosa", but she still called me Rosalia.
Did she not feel close to me? This wasn't something I could think about anymore, what mattered most was that she was a reliable elder sister.
My sister must have been busy now, that's why she couldn't stay with me for long.
Well then, now I had to find Vern-san and ask her about this.
——
"Vern-san, would you be my personal Maid?" I asked Vern-san, who was cooking in the kitchen.
She was shaking the pan she used for frying, and I could even smell the delicious aroma of the food she was making.
After hearing my words, she turned off the stove she was using. Then she turned to me—
"Personal Maid??... Do I have to do it now?" asked Vern-san.
I nodded my head, which meant that was true.
"So what I have to do is... always be by your side?" asked Vern-san again.
As I expected, Vern-san quickly understood what I was talking about.
"I can't right now... Do you want me to call another Maid who is willing?" Vern-san seemed unable to become my personal Maid.
"Alright then..." I said gloomily.
At first, I thought Vern-san would surely accept my offer, but she refused.
"Princess, it's not that I hate you or anything... but I have a lot going on right now."
"So, I can only become your personal Maid starting next week... in the meantime, let me find someone who is willing," continued Vern-san.
I was happy again. I thought she hated me, but apparently not.
If that was the case, then my task was finished. By now, I shouldn't need to worry anymore about kidnapping and murder cases.
——
A week later, just as she had said before, Vern-san became my personal Maid.
But it didn't last long, because in the following month, Vern-san resigned.
She reasoned that there was nothing for her to do since I had always been safe during this past month.
She also said that working as my personal Maid was the same as before.
I didn't want to force her, and respected her wish, and in the end I didn't look for a replacement personal Maid for Vern-san.
My sister also said this was all up to me, because it was about myself.
So I decided to have a personal Maid only when I found a cute Maid.