24 One Step Closer

I walked back to my room without any answers and with more questions than anything else. I freshened up and headed back to the library, but the person I saw there wasn't the one I expected.

Serena was standing near the fireplace, and Lucy was nowhere to be seen.

"Ummm...where is Lucy?" I asked.

"I am sorry master Haruto, but Princess Lucille was urgently summoned to the capital by His Majesty, the Demon King. She left immediately but she told me to tell you something." She said as she opened a scroll.

"I am sorry Haruto, but my insolent father has dared to reduce my time with you. Unfortunately, I cannot refuse his summon, I promise that I will be back soon...be prepared though because I am going to be very hungry ;)" She read out loud and handed the paper to me. There was a kiss mark on the bottom of the paper and a winky face at the end of her text. Ominous...I thought as I read the last line.

"The princess has told me to accompany you in the meantime. Before you ask me for anything however I need you to look at this" she handed me another sheet of paper.

It was filled with an exercise regimen and a very detailed one at that, everything from diet to cardiovascular exercises to stretching and callisthenics and finally weight training.

"The princess has probably already explained this to you already but your regimen will be presided over by me. Please take a look at it, we will start tomorrow" she said in that monotone voice that was characteristic of her.

"Anything you want me to help you with now?" she continued.

"Well, not really. But can I ask you a few questions?" I replied.

"Yes of course you may, Master Haruto. I will do my best to answer"

"Lucy treats you like a sister. You have known her for very long haven't you?" I asked.

"You are correct, I have been the Princess's personal maid since her birth. When I myself was only 8 years old. My family is descended from a long line of personal aids to the royal family. Naturally, I was the first choice to aid the princess because of our relatively close age" she answered.

"Oh...makes sense. Look, I am no perceptive genius but Lucy has gone through a lot hasn't she...can you tell me about it?" I asked in a much softer tone, waiting for her response.

"Before I answer, may I know why you want to know from me...why not from her highness herself" she replied.

"Oh trust me...I have tried, but every time I do, something happens and I get distracted. My guess is that she is doing it on purpose. Every time I do get to ask her straight, she answers vaguely. I know it sounds conceited coming from me since I have known her only for literal days but she...Lucy has changed, but for some reason...it feels genuine, it feels like she isn't chaining anything down anymore. There is a reason why she was different before and I want to know why"

"I must say, Master Haruto, I greatly underestimated your observation skills. However, I cannot tell you what the princess has gone through as that is her story to tell and only hers" she said, her voice changing from the monotonous tone from before to a more heartfelt one.

I couldn't blame her, she probably felt that she would betray Lucy if she said anything. I opened my mouth to apologise but she cut me off.

"What I can offer you .... is a perspective, perspective of a failure of a servant who couldn't help her mistress when she needed her the most" she said with deep regret in her tone. It was clear that she was referring to herself.

"The amount of pain that the princess has gone through in her life is unquantifiable. And all I could do was stand there in the background, not being able to do anything." she continued.

"I vividly remember the day she was born. Even as an eight-year-old child, it is a memory I remember fondly. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the queen had always wanted a girl and their wish had been granted. It was a time for celebration and what a celebration it was, all throughout the empire, banquets and parties. Food and charity were open to the public for free..it was a sight to behold. In between all of that was me, that day I was summoned by my mother and she sat me down in front of her and told me all the hard work I had done till now had paid off and I had been chosen as the princess's personal maid. It was truly the happiest day of my life and it only got happier as the years passed as I served under her and I am sure it was the same for the princess, she was the light of the empire after all...until that cursed day when everything changed"

"Demons, as powerful as they may be are also huge believers of fate and prophecy, especially the royal family. There is an old line of prophets who have served the royal family since the conception of the empire centuries ago and on the fifth birthday of every royal child. There are brought to the prophet of that generation and there is a prophecy read about them. Prophecies about their greatness, their achievements, their bravery...the things that demons value the most" her words and demeanour filled with nostalgia.

"I cannot explain in words how excited she was and she had every reason to be. She was a prodigy after all, her physical prowess and technique were unheard of for her age...who knows how powerful she would be when she started learning and using magic. Little did she and I know that the prophecy that would come out of the mouth of that prophet would be the worst thing that ever happened to her. The Prophecy of the destruction of the world...."