It was still early winter, and much too cold for me to do my nightly jogging, and I couldn't sleep, so I was planning to try and search the library again for any books with instructions on magic.

It was past midnight, and just as I opened my sitting room door, someone came tumbling in.

I was shocked for a moment and apparently so was he.

Before me was a young boy no more than thirteen with tawny hair, dark green eyes and tanned, freckled skin. He was quite thin, wild-eyed, panting and.... stark naked.

There wasn't a stitch of clothes on him and he was looking around madly for somewhere to hide.

Suddenly, I heard the voices of men on the outside. He must have heard it too because his shivering intensified and he gave me a helpless, pleading glance.

I sighed before setting down the lamp with the light magic stone I was holding and walking over to Ronnie's toy chest. I kicked the lid open and tossed bundles of dark blue and white fabric, a pair of thick fake glasses and a brown wig at him.

"Put that on." He looked at me a little confused after I gave the order, but the sound of voices coming near the door spurred him into action.

Once he was fully outfitted in the ensemble he looked every part the bespectacled, nervous, young, inexperienced maid, courtesy of one of Ronnie's dress up games. I picked up the lamp again and turned to the door.

"Stay behind me, act natural, don't make eye contact and don't speak."

He nodded so furiously that the pigtail braids on the wig flopped around wildly. I opened the door to the sitting room and stepped into the hallway. Immediately I made eye contact with none other than Richard Verne flanked by two other burly men who were on their way in this direction.

I could feel the tension rippling off the boy behind me, but he did as he was told. Even if he couldn't school his expression like me, it fit the role as well.

The three men slowed to a stop in front of me. Verne gave the boy a cursory glance before his eyes settled on me. He calmed himself and cleared his throat.

"Good evening, Kaoru." He said with a toothy smile.

"Sir Verne," I said curtly and nodded. "This is a surprise. Is there something I may help you with?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," His eyes flicked to the open door behind me (straight past one nervous maid). "You see, I and these two gentlemen here had recently caught a thief on the premises, but he slipped from our grasp. You wouldn't happen to have seen anyone suspicious, would you?"

"Not at all," I replied leisurely. "I was on my way to speak with mother. She summoned me earlier. I even had A guard wait downstairs for me, but if there's a dangerous individual about I think it's best I retire. I hope you wouldn't mind telling her that I couldn't make it?" I thought it best to make it clear that there would be witnesses should I not make it to my destination.

"Of... of course," he said snapping himself from whatever daze he was in.

"Well then, I shall summon Madeline and retire. Goodnight, Sir Verne."

"Good... goodnight!" He cleared his throat and flicked his eyes down the hall.

I turned on my heel and returned to my sitting room closing the door behind a now very stiff maid.

After a while there was the sound of receding footsteps and my "maid" sank to the floor. I placed the lamp on the table once again.

"Who are you and why were they searching for you?" I asked coldly as I sat heavily on the love seat. He immediate straightened up but remained on his knees... I'm not into this kind of thing.

"I... I'm Reggie, m... milord." He stuttered quickly.

"Reggie who?" I asked languidly resting my elbow on the armrest and supporting my chin on the back of my hand.

"J... just Reggie, milord." He replied.

'A commoner, huh?'

"Well 'just Reggie', what are you doing in this house?"

"I... I was brought here by the s... slavers milord..."

"Hmm..." I had a hunch that was it. I knew Richard Verne's crimes from the game, although... "And why are you naked?"

If possible, he paled even further. Several times his mouth opened but he closed it again. I decided to start small.

"Tell me, do slavers frequent the Verne fief?" He froze before nodding slowly.

"Yes, Lord, they are... associates of the Duke. E... every year young women and men are snatched f... from the streets of the villages and snuck out of the fief to be sold on the b... the black-market auction, milord."

"Hmm. And how is it that you ended up inside the Duke's mansion instead?"

Once again, he hesitated, look scared and slightly ill at the same time.

"If you won't talk, shall I call those gentlemen back?"

"N... no!! Please!!" He said looking frightfully at the harmless, closed door. "The Duke... The Duke sometimes likes to... enjoy some of the slaves before they're sold off........ mostly young boys."

"I see." And I fucking called it. Richard Verne is a slimy paedophile with a taste for young boys. 'Son of a whore'. As expected, the actual world had far more dirty things than the game depicted. I was calm on the outside but swearing like a sailor on the inside. I knew that bastard was always looking at me funny and trying to find opportunities to touch my bare skin. I barely suppressed a shudder. It looked like the poor thing before me just escaped a grizzly fate. "I understand, and you are free now. I will have one of my own guards escort you back to your village--"

"NO!!" Alright that surprised me. He quickly scrambled forward on his knees with his hands clasped begging furiously as if I'd sentenced him to the gallows. I raised an eyebrow at this. "Please, milord, I beg of you not to send me back there! Being captured by the traders is a death sentence! If I return home, all it would take is someone selling me out for a few coins and, everyone I know, and love will be killed to keep the slaving a secret!" He was crying now.

"Well, what do you propose I do with you?" I asked boredly. "Even if you leave the fief, you'll just immediately be arrested. You need the Duke's permission to move elsewhere. I can't help you. I'm only a child, you know. Where should I hide you? In my sister's toy chest? Haha." I laughed coldly. He looked at a loss as he glanced desperately around the room before looking at where his hands were fisted into the dark blue fabric of the dress he was wearing. His head snapped up.

"I... I'll be your servant!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! I... I'll mar my face! I... I'll continue to dress like a maid! I'll do anything!"

"I already have enough maids. Too much, in fact. I have no need for extra baggage that needs to be defended."

"Then I'll learn how to fight! I'll be your guard!"

"I have enough of those as well," I brushed him off cruelly.” Are you proposing to be both? That's something I don't have."

"I can do that!" He immediately jumped at the bait.

"The training is hard..."

"It doesn't matter!" He bowed his head close to the floor "I'll pledge my undying Loyalty to you. I won't fail you!!" He bowed almost flat to the floor. 'A quick decision maker this one. He's firm too.'

"Hmph," I smirked and pulled the red string on the wall behind the loveseat that connected to the copper bell all the way in the servant's quarters. It was something I set up as a sort of panic button. "We'll see. I'll also be taking you up on your offer. Not the one about scarring your face. That would be rather unsightly. From now on you're my maid, Regina. Don't forget this."

His face melted into pure relief as he nodded his head so hard, I thought it would fall off. Maddie arrived and I ordered her to take him to the guard captain, Holtz, for immediate training along with a note from myself. She seemed a little confused but followed my orders perfectly.

Once I was alone, I allowed my mind to wander as I tapped out a steady rhythm on the armrest with the tip of my index finger.

It might seem cruel how I worked him up into a panic despite never really having any intention to toss him to the wolves, but I do what I have to do. I'm a new born lamb living in the wolf's den. I couldn't protect myself much less someone else, so why not have someone nearby who can protect me and themselves? Desperate people with nowhere else to go were far more loyal.

I was planning to make him a trainee guard if my goading failed, but he didn't need to know that.

Verne was already back to old ways so soon after his marriage...

His marriage to Claire was just a cover up to the filthy things going on in this territory anyway, so it's expected. Something like a wedding was definitely suitable to drone out the rumors of what went down here among the nobility. They were quick to pounce on the newest scandal and news of a romance over a recently deceased spouse's corpse was just too juicy.

As soon as he was out of the public's eye, he showed his true colors, it seems.

I, especially, was not safe here seeing as his... sick hobby was finally revealed. The only reason he couldn't lay his hands on me is because, while he is out of the public eye, I am not. With a name like the child prodigy and the interest that the princes had taken in me as a playmate he wouldn't dare to lay a finger on me.

'It looks like those royal brats might come in handy after all.'

I sat behind my desk and gathered some stationary. I decided to send a letter to the palace... or should I say, "the big-shady-tree-I-plan-to-stand-under"?

'I wonder if that invitation to play still stands?'

I smiled coldly to myself.

There was a storm coming and I needed more than an umbrella when Claire's house of cards came down.