Yay, new chapter! So I thought I would post them every friday or something of the sort ^^

Well, going to the story.. This chapter is sort of mysterious, I guess. Mostly because I'm probably giving you all these questions about what the hell Yakko's thoughts mean. Though, I'm sure it's not that hard to figure out.

Well, onward with the story! This time from Yakko's POV.

- This girl... She's so... peculiar... - the boy thought as he walked through the hallways of the mansion, carrying a rolled up list in his hands.

It wasn't every day a new servant entered the place, especially not one that acted as strange as her. Usually, everyone was scared to death their first day, not leaving their rooms until further notice, but this girl... She had just started out nervous (mostly his fault, he believed) but she had gotten a bit more confident when they started talking. Well, maybe she was just naive. He hadn't been planning on doing more than just chatting with her at that moment and then disappear from her sight completely, but when she talked about how she had supposedly entered the palace, he noticed she had a glint of something in her eyes. It was something like sadness, but mysterious in its essence nonetheless. It had simply caused a strange feeling to pass through him, and an even stranger thought that told him the girl had the potential ability to help him.

To be honest, he had no idea why he thought that, it was simply a conviction in his being, as if it was a given that the girl would help him out. That's why he thought about becoming an acquaintance of hers, to become the first person she came to for assistance, so that she would trust him, and when they became 'friends', perhaps she would think of helping him in his mission.

Noticing he was wasting precious time, the boy finally went away from his thoughts to regard the list of invitations for the Queen's ball a few days after, simply revising that the names written there all had a tick next to them. "Let's see… letter for Count Grasbich, already sent. Letter for Countess Elizabeth, already sent. Letter for…" It was a fairly easy job, but he has definitely had worse. However, he had just remembered that even stopping to chat with Elisa had taken out necessary time to do other things, things he had to start doing now because they were a hell of a lot more important than checking this list.

"God, I don't have time for this, I should be polishing the silverware…" with a sigh, he looked around for someone to pass the chore to; quickly spotting a blond girl that was just next to the door.

"Marilyn, could you do this for me? Thanks, bye." He said in a rush, suddenly going out the door and leaving her perplexed with the list in her hands.

Walking through the corridors, he absentmindedly looked through the window, spotting Elisa and Star taking a stroll together.

- At least she's making friends... - he thought, half-heartedly glad for her but also a bit skeptical about where this would put him in her 'friend list'. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything, hell, he barely knew her, but it was going to affect his plan if he was simply number 2.

Hoping to clear the thought out of his head, he continued on until he reached the kitchen, near were he had met the girl for the first time. Opening the door, he quickly spotted several people working to prepare dinner for that night. Girls cooked and baked, boys cut and stirred, and different people ran here and there taking ingredients to their stations.

In the midst of all the chaos, Yakko simply asked that the silver utensils were taking to the small room next to them and, once they were taken there, he got in and closed the door behind him.

He put what was necessary on the table, about to start his duties until he remembered the small key in one of his pockets.

-Geez, I'm getting really distracted today- he thought with a sigh, but wondered over his situation nonetheless.

- Hm, what is more important: the ball or the plan...? -

Without thinking about it twice, the answer obvious, he took the trinket from his pant's pocket, and with it he opened the drawer of the desk. Millions of pages and a map of the castle were put on the table, and since he already had an excuse to what he was doing, he started revising the map for what could be the millionth time.

"Let's see… they might be over here, because no one goes there…" he murmured as his index finger brushed over a far part of the building, "Then again, what if they're over here?" the digit crossed the paper until it was at the other side of it "I might have to risk it; there is no way to know, after all…" Truthfully, he was just doing this out of false hope; he already knew that what he was trying to achieve was impossible.

And yet, Elisa had given him newfound strength to try. He just had to work hard, that was all. However, just as his thoughts were becoming a little brighter, he remembered her, and just how he had failed to save her when he had everything ready...

What if when he found where they were they weren't there? Or worse, what if she had already killed them long ago and was just bluffing with having them locked up? His fists clenched, almost tearing through the white gloves he was wearing.

-…Please be alright… I need you to be alright...-

Before he could brood over it more, however, there was a knock at the door. Slightly startled, he quickly hid the papers back in the drawer and closed it, going to the door and unlocking it.

In front of him was the girl with wine-red hair and blue sapphire eyes, who fidgeted a bit before looking up at him.

"Sorry, are you busy?" she asked with a small tilt of her head, to which he smiled and shook his head.

"Just a bit. I'm sure that if you help me we'll be done in no time" the boy replied as he sat down, pulling the chair next to him in invitation.

"Alright, but I expect a check after this" Elisa giggled and sat down next to him, taking the silver teapot and rag in her hand, rubbing the object with the piece of cloth as she hummed a song he didn't recognize.

A bit surprised she had agreed to go along with it but appreciating it, Yakko followed her and they both continued polishing the objects.

After a few minutes of silence, Elisa looked up to the teenager and asked in a quiet voice, "So… what is it you do around here?"

The boy merely stared back at her "Well, a bit of everything, if that makes any sense."

She nodded, putting the teapot down with a small huff and taking some forks instead "For how long have you been here? Is this like your home or something?"

Yakko froze for a second, thinking about what he could tell her and what he could not, so he sat deep in thought while the other looked curiously at him.

"What? Is something wrong?"

He almost jumped at her question, but didn't give any indication that he was startled, "No, just… I was thinking about how to respond" he replied, hoping she couldn't spot his uneasiness with the subject.

Thankfully, she didn't say anything, merely nodded and waited patiently for his response.

"I've been here for quite a while, actually. It's been… eight years, I think? I don't exactly consider it my home, though. It's… more like my work place" he said, shrugging at the last part.

She nodded again and made herself more comfortable on the chair, "So, where is your real home? Any friends, family?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, simply saying "Wow, stalker much?" and lightly chuckling when her face exploded in red, the girl spluttering and saying over and over that was not what she meant.

"It's just…" she said alter she had calmed down a bit "You're kind of mysterious. And you're the first friend I've had since I got here… So I want to know more about you" the girl finished, looking to the side absentmindedly. It wasn't exactly a lie...

Yakko sighed but smiled, waving his hand dismissively when she apologized for being nosy "It's okay, I guess I can understand your reasons." Friends, family, could he really tell her any of that? No, of course not, he had just met her and the situation was far too risky to tell her something like that.

"I have a younger brother and sister back home, they're with my parents" he said, making sure the expression on his face made his statement credible. "I didn't exactly have many friends back there, after all I left when I was seven, and people here don't seem to like me much" he laughed at the last part, signifying he didn't really care.

However, Elisa frowned and used her nosy instincts to try and pry more information from him "Why not?"

His voice got stuck in his throat; what was he supposed to tell her? Surely if he told her a lie the girl would simply ask someone else and he would be discovered, but he couldn't tell her the truth either.

So he decided to go for a half-truth "I… kind of hurt some people in the past… not on purpose of course, but others don't trust me because of it"

The redhead stared at him in curiosity, but she noticed he was uncomfortable and dropped the subject.

"So, what about you? Do you have something interesting to tell?" the servant asked after a bit of silence, the sound of polishing disturbed by his voice.

The other stopped to think for a moment, but then said "Not much, I used to live with my mother and father at the countryside, but as I told you, now I work here…" she trailed off, and even with her following of her earlier deceit, he could tell there was a bit of lying in there.

"I see…" was all he said as they continued their task, silver shining once they were done.

After a while, they had finished, and Elisa stood up as she took some sweat off her brow with her hand.

"Phew! We've finally finished!" she stretched a bit, looking at him with a curious expression "Now what? I heard there were more things for us to do? What's the reason for it?"

Yakko shrugged, explaining there was a party in a few days that would be held in the palace. The red-head practically beamed at the thought and jumped up and down in excitement "A party!? Wow! I've never been to an upper-class party!"

The boy smiled at her enthusiasm, "It's actually kind of nice. You know, people dancing around in expensive clothes and masks..." she nodded quickly at all of this and put on a dreamy face, probably imagining a beautiful satin dress she could be dancing in. "We can't go on the dance floor, though."

That was enough to break the girl out of her fantasy, frowning in question "What? Why not?"

He shook his head, saying matter-of-factly "We're servants. We are supposed to take care of the food, the guests and other things, we don't have the luxury of actually enjoying the festivity"

Her ears drooped and her eyes showed pure disappointment "Oh... that's right..."

The sudden change in the girl's attitude made his own mood sour a little, so he decided to disintegrate the saddened fog that had gathered around them.

"Hey, how old are you?" he asked, staring at her with curious eyes.

He stunned her out of her disappointment, and she looked around for a bit before she was able to think straight again "Uh, fourteen. Why?"

A big grin appeared on his face, and he laughed, putting one arm around her in a playful manner "Well, I'm fifteen. That makes me your teacher, doesn't it?"

The girl was about to question how he made that reasoning before he started to practically drag her out of the room "Well! I have plenty of things to teach you!"

She laughed, quickly getting out of her sadness and playing along "But I don't wanna study, I wanna play!" she whined, suddenly detaching herself from Yakko's hold and running out of the room "Let's play tag!"

He laughed along with her, running after the redhead "Don't think you'll be able to escape from me! I'll definitely catch you and make you write lines until you're eighteen~!"

They ran out of the kitchen and to the hallways, laughing all the while as they chased each other. They passed several servants on their way, some that looked at them with amusement and others that stared with a small smile, particularly a certain blond.

They ran until they got back to where this had all started, the hallway where Elisa's bedroom was. Yakko was about to tell her that they should start preparing themselves for bed when something stopped the female in her tracks.

Hoping to tease her a bit more, he walked over to her, saying "What's wrong? Tired already~?"

However, the smile on his face instantly vanished when he saw what - or rather who - was in front of her.

"Yakko, who is this girl?" the queen asked with an air of arrogance, staring at the servant girl with disgust, a look that brought less than wanted memories to the male.

Fighting the urge to ignore her and stare at the ground, he simply looked into her eyes and said seriously, all business like, "She is the new servant Your Magesty. She works with me"

Elisa looked absolutely terrified at seeing the woman actually in front of her, especially since said female appeared angered by her very presence. He noticed she was shaking, and, ignoring his own survival instinct that told him what he was about to do was the WORST IDEA HE EVER HAD, he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, receiving a shaky grateful smile from her.

His gut feeling had been right, because the woman's eyes narrowed and her frowned deepened.

"What have you both been doing up until now?"

"We were polishing the silverware, madam. It was hard work"

The woman raised an eyebrow at his implied sarcasm, but decided to involve herself no further "Alright, go now to clean the ballroom. I better not find you loafing around!"

"We will not turn into bread Your Majesty, I assure you"

The redhead now next to him seemed torn between the desire to laugh her lungs out and run away from the queen as soon as possible.

The woman sighed, as if she was accustomed to the whole thing, and walked away, leaving them alone in the hallway.

Once she was out of sight, Elisa laughed full-heartedly, saying between laughs "You... How could you... joke with her... like that!"

Yakko smiled, happy that someone had appreciated his stupid sense of humor for once, and laughed lightly with her "I'm used to it. She's so stuck in her sour mood, joking is the only thing I can do so she can't glue the boring onto me"

She chuckled before saying "If that ever happens I'll beat it out of you with a stick" and they laughed together.

After a while, they kept a comfortable silence, one that the redhead broke with a statement that pretty much turned his mood upside-down.

"She seems kind of strict, but not nearly half as bad as I'd imagined"

Had stillness been solid, one would have been able to cut a big piece of it right at that moment, because the male servant was very much upset with the turn in the conversation. However, he didn't let it be shown to his new friend.

He swallowed his argument with a dry throat, saying instead "Yeah... she's not... too bad once you get to know her..."

Elisa noticed his stiffness and turned concerned eyes to him "Yakko? Is something wrong?"

"I... You should get dressed for bed, it's getting late"

He abruptly took her by the shoulders and led her to the door of her room, which was actually nearby, and he opened it, lightly pushing her inside.

"But... the queen said we had to clean the ballroom..." she started, completely dumbfounded by his change in mood.

"Don't worry about that, I'll do it. As for you, you need to rest. I'm sure if you don't go to sleep now you won't be able to get up at five in the morning tomorrow."

The redhead frowned and took a step forward, ready to fight and help him with their obligations "But-"

"No buts, you're going to bed and that's the end of this argument" he said seriously, not moving an inch as she crept closer. She gave up after trying to push him out of the way without success, sighing in defeat.

"Fine... But what if something happens? I don't know my way around..."

"If an emergency were to occur at any time, my room is right opposite yours, over there" he pointed at a door on the wall that was facing his back "If you ever need me when it's nighttime it's most likely I'll be there. That is... unless I'm out doing an errand... In that case, go back to your room and lock the door with the key that's in one of the drawers in your desk. If you search for it you'll find it"

The girl huffed, but nodded, and then said with a sly smile "Fine, if the palace catches on fire or I need a glass of water I'll go to your room to wake you up"

He smiled slightly at that, and added "Don't go prowling around at night, it's dangerous. Now go" he smiled wider and made a gesture for her to enter the room, which she did with a huff and stuck her tongue out at him while she was at that.

He rolled his eyes and closed the door, chuckling as he walked over to the ballroom to begin cleaning.

-Let's see... The chandelier is shining; the bulbs of the other lights were changed twice. The floor was swept and polished and so were the stairs... I think that's it -

Yakko sighed in tiredness, having been up half the night working so the ballroom looked spotless. Unfortunately, that also meant he only had five hours of sleep left.

Dragging his body to the hallway where his room was, he looked around with sleepy eyes and found a light on in the room he was just passing by, which he frowned at. He heard voices, and decided to lean against the door to attempt to hear more properly.

"No, I said I do not wish for him to come to the ball!" the queen screeched as she most likely threw a wobbly "If that king comes here he'll ruin everything I have planned! Take all the precautions necessary so that he does not come, understood!?"

He heard a frightened "Y-Yes Your Highness..." and the door was opened. To his luck, he had anticipated this and had turned a corner before the maid's response left her lips, so now that the queen was closing the door he could walk by absentmindedly and unsuspected.

However, that didn't mean the woman was going to leave him be on his merry way. Oh, no, completely the contrary.

"Yakko, I want to speak with you for a moment"

He stopped in his tracks, turned around and made a small reverence before saying "Do you need my services Your Majesty?"

"I do, actually. But first I'll ask, have you finished cleaning the ballroom? That girl wasn't being lazy and letting you do all the work was she?"

"I forced Elisa to go to sleep earlier My Lady. I wouldn't want a female to ruin her looks with lack of rest"

He watched the face of the woman contort in an angered frown, and he forced himself not to snicker at the realization that his plan to bother her had worked.

"So she is named Elisa? I do not like that girl, she gives me a bad feeling"

- Perhaps that's why I like her so much -

However much he wanted to continue angering the annoying woman, he was exhausted, so he simply made another reverence and said that he had to get to bed, walking past the queen to go to his room.

"Warner."

Yakko stopped walking abruptly, noticing that she had used his surname and that her voice had a sharp edge. She only used his last name when she absolutely wanted whatever she ordered done. He knew this because it was only on very rare occasions, since she said he could never tell anyone his surname. Ever.

Knowing this was probably not going to be the least pleasant to him, he turned around to stare at the woman.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I believe you were told you had to run an errand before going to bed."

Oh, now she was pushing his buttons. He bit his lip internally, fighting his urge to either punch the annoyance in front of him or run back to his room, neither of which would be good for his health, considering how the woman got when she was ignored.

"You will have to excuse me, I am rather tired and in need of rest. I am not in the condition to do such a thing" He didn't even add the 'right now', because he never was in the condition to do that. Just thinking about it brought unnerving shivers up his spine.

"Are you ever? You will go to the library today. I will be expecting you at midnight, which is more than enough time to prepare yourself."

They stared at each other for a few moments, and he was about to protest against it when the woman brought to his attention a necklace around her throat with a key as a charm. This was a real key to a room hidden deep within the palace, a room that held his most precious things captive.

The servant gulped and, shaking, he nodded his head uselessly, to which the woman smirked with cruelty.

"Don't forget about it or you know what will happen."

His right eye twitched and he started walking away before he did something he would surely regret.

A few minutes later he had arrived at his bedroom, where he closed the door with himself inside, his back sliding against the door until he was sitting on the floor.

He thought back to what Elisa had said that the woman wasn't as bad as she thought, and all he could think was - You don't know her yet. You don't know what she's hiding. I can't stand that witch. I can't stand her. Can't stand her. Can't- He stopped, thinking like that wasn't helping his sanity. He sighed and stood up, determined to at least take a shower before he went to the place of his nightmares.

It was ironic for him to wash up when he was only going to be dirtied again.

He was sick of it. Sick of her, sick of the palace, and fucking sick of the library. She knew he hated doing... THAT, and yet she continued to force him into it. Didn't she know what it did to his mind? Maybe she really wanted him to go insane.

- Alright, Yakko. You know you can't do a thing about this, so don't beat yourself up over it -

He breathed deeply, opening the side door to his bathroom - curious that he had one for himself - and taking a quick bath, dreading what was to come all the while.

Once he was out, his thoughts turned into a more cheerful subject, the girl he had met today. Elisa was nice to be around; she even made the stress nonexistent while he was with her.

Then again, that had happened enough times for him to know this wouldn't be permanent.

A sad frown replaced the smile on his face, and he hoped with all his being that this time it wouldn't happen, and that he could keep the 'friend' he had made today.

-I'll have to be really cautious... -

He plopped down on his bed, sighing contently when his muscles relaxed and his bones came into place. He remembered his comment on showing her the palace grounds and, though he hadn't been serious, he thought that it might be fun.

The boy chuckled lightly as he remembered her red face; honestly, the girl was so much fun to tease.

He heard a small bell chime from the clock propped on his wall, and his stomach churned when he realized that it was midnight, and that he was supposed to go to the library right now.

For those who were confused as to why Yakko 'didn't have a last name', now you know. Hm, why isn't he allowed to tell it to anyone? You'll have to read on later to find out .w.

So, did you like it? The interesting stuff is still waiting ahead of us.