Becoming the Young Lady's Maid

Completed novel: The Cage

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Proud, quick-tempered catlike young lady top x gentle, strong-hearted, loyal-dog maid bottom

Unexpectedly straightforward at times, but occasionally prone to overthinking

Plot:

"I want this person."

When Rachelia was suddenly enveloped in the scent of roses, the young lady's dazzling golden hair was reflected in her lake-blue eyes, like a shooting star streaking across the night.

When monsters tore through the barrier on the night of the full moon, Rachelia used her own body to block the claws aimed at the young lady. Only when blood soaked through her dress did Emily realize that the girl who always said "Yes, miss" had a heart beating hotter than flame in her chest.

"I'll give my life in exchange!"

Rachelia cried out, crystalline tears falling onto Emily's tightly shut eyes. Perhaps the gods had finally heard her prayer this time. She felt an astonishing power surge through her body, and mysterious incantations slipped from her lips. Emily, on the brink of death, opened her scarlet eyes amid the magic.

Amid the smoke and fire, Emily pressed her forehead against Rachelia's bloodstained brow. "This time, I'll protect you." Monsters roared in the distance, shaking the heavens, while the two shared their first kiss beneath the shattered mirror of the sky.

As a duke's daughter, Emily had never cared about anything, until she met a silver-haired girl.

The girl was too gentle and a little slow, often failing to understand Emily's hints and making the little person in Emily's heart stamp her feet in frustration. But whenever Emily looked into the girl's sincere eyes, her anger would inexplicably melt away.

She had always thought of Rachelia as a friend, until they parted. During the two years they were apart, Emily realized her feelings for Rachelia were far more than friendship.

She missed Rachelia's voice, the scent of her hair, her warm embrace, and her blockheadedness...

Holding the ruby Rachelia had given her, Emily's resolve grew stronger. She would find Rachelia, who had been taken away, even if it meant putting her carefully laid plans on hold.

"I will spill my blood

amid fire and song.

I will wash the scarred world clean

with ice and water.

I will tear apart my soul and flesh

and offer them to all who suffer."

Bonus Scene:

Emily: Come here and rub my back.

Rachelia: Yes, miss!

Emily: Come here, I want some water.

Rachelia: Yes, miss!

Emily: Come here and feed me cake.

Rachelia: Yes, miss!

Emily: Come here and kiss me.

Rachelia: Ye... Huh? W-wait, miss!

Emily grabs the person trying to run away. Get over here!

Reading Guide: 1. Entirely fictional. The main cast is all female, with plenty of original worldbuilding.

2. The girls' coming-of-age story, with a touch of ensemble cast.

Coming Soon: You Forgot to Add Me Back Then. A reunion after years apart, with both of them choosing each other.

Some memories are kept alive by scent and warmth.

Like the faint gardenia fragrance in Jian Qianxue's hair, mingling with the breeze stirred by an old electric fan on an early-summer afternoon. Like the warmth that brushed Chen Wanqing's arm for an instant when Jian Qianxue leaned closer to explain a problem.

Chen Wanqing carefully treasured these moments, keeping them as secret mementos throughout her youth.

She thought they would all be sealed away in a box labeled "the past."

Until this ordinary day, four years later.

The person who so often appeared in her dreams for no reason was standing right there in the light, looking up at her.

Time seemed to stop abruptly, then rush backward.

"...Chen Wanqing?"

Jian Qianxue spoke first, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Long time no see." Chen Wanqing heard her own voice, dry as leaves in late autumn.

So her longing had never faded.

It had only lain dormant in every unguarded moment, then roared up to swallow her whole at the instant they met again.

She thought of the last month before graduation, the glances they'd deliberately avoided and the conversations they'd left unfinished.

Jian Qianxue had been like the sea at ebb tide, withdrawing bit by bit from her world, silently and without a trace, leaving an entire desolate beach behind.

"So," Chen Wanqing asked jokingly, as the question she'd held back for four years broke free, "why did you suddenly... start acting so distant back then?"

She gathered her courage and looked at Jian Qianxue, only to meet a pair of damp eyes.

Jian Qianxue smiled faintly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, like a window veiled in mist.

"I kept waiting," she said softly, each word clear. "Waiting for a message you'd never send first, waiting for a friend request you'd never send me."

She paused, her gaze a slender needle lightly piercing Chen Wanqing's heart.

"Chen Wanqing, weren't you the one who let go first?"

Chen Wanqing stood frozen.

It turned out that in their own stories, each had played the abandoned one. They had carried the same memories of youth, yet walked away back to back along paths that would never cross again.

Bonus Scene:

"Qingqing..."

A whisper reached Chen Wanqing's ear, warm breath brushing her earlobe. Thinking Jian Qianxue had said "kiss me," she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Jian Qianxue wrapped her arms around Chen Wanqing's neck from behind. Caught off guard by the kiss, she froze for a moment, then realized what had happened and laughed. "I was calling your name. How could you mishear that?"

She raised an eyebrow and deliberately whispered in Chen Wanqing's ear, "You little pervert."

Chen Wanqing blushed at her words.

If this sounds interesting, please add it to your library!

Theme: Face fate and fight back against it