Chapter 8: His Maids
Something was lying heavy across her.
Haruhi was suddenly very awake. Where am I? She thought hazily. It didn't feel like her room. Then she remembered. And terror stole inside her mind as she realized she couldn't lift her leg up.
He can't be lying on top of me. She struggled to get up. There was no way he could have gotten past the desk, three chairs and bed. It was literally impossible to open the door the way she had arranged it. Another startling possibility struck her. The morning sunshine streamed through the open windows. He wouldn't climb the walls and get through the window…that's just stupid. But this was the same man who had dressed in a rubber suit to make her feel distressed.
No way.
Haruhi sat up and the too many pillows toppled on to the floor. She sighed in relief.
"Madam, breakfast is served."
Haruhi thought her heart was going to literally jump out from her chest. Someone was in her room. She scanned the room, hugging a pillow close to her.
The stranger was dressed in a lacey, curvaceous white and black dress with a plunging neckline. She had her lustrous curly hair tied up in a messy unraveling bun. She was neatly bent over, her eyes respectful.
"Um-" Haruhi wanted to say several things. Who are you? What are you doing here in my room? How did you get in? Can you please get out?
The woman stood up straight, showing her beautiful smiling face. Her face held a hint of slyness and knowing. She winked at Haruhi as if saying Don't worry. Your secret stays with me. It was a look that suggested Haruhi ought to feel guilty, shameful and fearful. Haruhi only blinked in puzzlement.
"Madam, please eat this before it gets cold." The maid turned to leave. Haruhi wondered why she was walking delicately past the blocked door. Then she realized with a dropping stomach, that the room had another door.
Shaking, Haruhi looked down at her food. There was more than one door. It was a gourmet breakfast. He has maids that just walk straight into your room to service you. She touched the food with hesitant fingers. Its rich aromas filled the room. That's right. This isn't a nightmare. I'm still at his mansion.
"You have beautiful hair," another maid said warmly. She had entered her room without hesitation the moment she had finished with the food. "Out of the all the ladys' hair, yours is the most natural." She gently brushed Haruhi's hair with a comb.
"I appreciate your service," Haruhi said politely. She saw the maid's face smile at her compliment in the grand mirror's reflection. This one had impossibly straight blonde hair that framed a smiling pretty face. "But I can do my own hair."
She watched those big blue eyes widen in shock. "Oh no! I can not possibly do that! Mr Hitachiin expressively ordered me to take care of his special woman-"
Oh? So he had expressively ordered his maids to feed her, dress her, do her hair – like she was some sort of Barbie doll. No thanks.
"I don't mean to offend you," Haruhi told the maid sympathetically, taking the brush away from her.
The woman stared at her silently. Then she hurriedly put her hands over her mouth and odd muffled noises came from her. Haruhi glared at the maid. Was she laughing?
"I can see why he's interested in you," she finally said. She pulled out something sleek and shiny from behind her back. Her face suddenly stopped its smiling expression. Her tone became somewhat bitter. "He never lets anyone wear this dress other than someone he likes very much."
"Are you kidding me?" Haruhi gaped at the slinky dress. "But I'm not wearing that." Angry at him limiting her own freedom and privacy, Haruhi picked up her own clothes and turned resolutely away from the pretty maid. She unbuttoned one button of her sleeping gown. Wait-
"Um, do you mind?" She glared at the maid. The maid bowed mockingly to her and left.
"I'm here to take you to the living room." Yet another different maid stood in her doorway the moment she had finished dressing. How did they know when she was finished? Haruhi scanned her room for cameras and peepholes. This household was terrible. She wanted to get out as soon as possible.
"Please follow me." The girl swooshed her long brown hair and beckoned at Haruhi.
Haruhi followed. They were walking down a sunny corridor. Haruhi tried to gauge the time from looking at how far the sun had traveled. She craned her neck. She couldn't see the sun. Well, that meant she had to get to work as soon as possible.
"Excuse me, but are there any bus stops here?" She asked the maid.
"No," the woman replied loftily. "Out of all his women, you are rather strange. Asking questions like that. No wonder he's intrigued by you."
"All his women?" Haruhi said flatly, "Doesn't he have a fiancee?" It was bugging her now, how all the maids seemed to talk about a whole load of women having visited this mansion.
"Yes," the maid replied. "But do you expect someone like Mr Hitachiin -
In other words, Haruhi thought, this man is like a king.
"-to physically limit himself to one woman?" She said it as if it were the most normal thing. The maid finally turned around to face Haruhi completely and examined her with deep green eyes framed by long dark lashes.
"Don't you know the reason why you're here?" The maid suddenly scorned at her. "You're-here-to-warm-up-his-bed," she articulated each word, as if to stab them into her naïve mind.
Haruhi realized slowly that all his maids were female. They were also all extremely beautiful people. The king and his harem huh?
She turned pitiful eyes towards the maid, whose beautiful face was contorted with jealousy.
"You mean I'm here to put hot water bottles in his bed?" Haruhi wrinkled her nose in confusion. "That's ridiculous…" Haruhi's laughter died in her throat. The maid's face had turned completely blank as if she had said something out of the blue.
Then, Haruhi realized what the maid actually meant. "Oh-"
In other words, this man is a complete womanizer.
A/N: Thanks for everyone's nice comments. xD Hmm...so I intended to make Kairi and Renee hate-able characters but I think I over did it.
Black Haruhi: I couldn't include thunder in this chapter since it was already pre planned, but thunder will make an appearance later on :)
