Rin rubbed her aching and bruising hands as she walked into the ladies dining room. Gumi, who had seen Rin enter, immediately approached her and asked in a hushed whisper, "What happened?"
Wincing as she said the words, Rin answered, "I got caned."
"And you were sent to work here immediately after?! What did you do that was so bad?"
"The documents I delivered to Sergeant Honne were unorganized."
"That's it? Normally nobody gets caned for that. How did the papers get out of order? Were they handed to you that way?"
"I don't know." Rin shook her head. "About the papers being in order when I received them, that is."
Dropping her voice so quiet Gumi had to lean in to hear, Rin said, "On my way to deliver them, a Cinderella crashed into me. I was knocked over and dropped the papers."
Horror shone in Gumi's eyes. "You didn't tell him that, did you?"
"Of course not. Even if the Cinderella snatched the papers out of my hand and threw them down the stairs, the lack of order would still be my fault."
Gumi slowly nodded. "Good to see you're taking my warnings seriously."
Before Rin could say anything else, Head Juliet clapped her hands.
"We have three Cinderellas joining us for breakfast preparations," she said in a voice that demanded the Juliets' undivided attention. "Two of you shall assist me in teaching these young ladies how to properly set a breakfast table. The rest of you shall sweep the floors and clean the windows. Since some of you are recent additions," Rin squirmed at the mention of this, "I shall explain how your morning is to look: Upon the arrival of the other new students, you must leave immediately. Whatever you do after that, I don't care. When all the Cinderellas finish their breakfast at precisely nine o'clock, I expect all of you to return to clean up and begin preparing for dinner. Any questions?"
None of the other Juliets had anything they wanted to ask. Everyone either had nothing else she wanted to know or was too scared to question Head Juliet. Rin believed it was the latter.
As Head Juliet began assigning positions, Gumi grabbed Rin by the arm and asked, "She's going to need me to help her with the Cinderellas. I know she does because Nana and I are the most experienced Juliets in the room. Will you be fine without me?" Rin stiffly nodded. "Good luck."
Fighting how lonesome she felt immediately after Gumi left her side, Rin joined the redhead she met the night before during a round of spoons and a pale blonde. Both girls stood over a bucket and rung the soapy water out of the cloths they held. "Need assistance?" Rin asked.
The redhead, who Rin remembered was named Cul, scanned the room. "Did you receive a specific assignment?"
"Other than deliver documents earlier, I have received none."
"Hmmm." Cul shook the last of the excess water from her cloth. "Based on the looks of things, everyone else is already getting to work. If you weren't assigned a task, it would be your best interest to just pick something to do. You don't want to be caught not working. Trust me when I tell you that the punishments here are not pleasant."
"I already know." At Cul's confused expression, Rin held out her battered hands.
Cul hissed through her teeth and quietly swore. "What happened?"
"The documents I delivered were out of order," Rin answered. As quickly as she could, Rin snatched the cloth out of Cul's hand. "And I'm not ready to experience that again."
Done speaking, Rin approached the nearest window and began wiping it down. The thin layer of dust did not put up a fight as it was carried away, similar to how the Juliets in the room gave up on the dreams they could only dare to have.
There must have been a third cloth, for Cul joined Rin not long after Rin began her work. "Was taking that cloth from me really necessary?"
"Yes. We were hesitating to work. Sooner or later we would be called on for not cleaning. I don't want to go back for another caning immediately after coming out of my first." Somehow, speaking those words reminded Rin of the sharp pain in her hands. Gripping the cloth hurt, but so would using a broom. All Rin could do was work through the pain, hoping she would soon be able to ignore it.
"So you were just going to throw me to the wolves?" Cul asked.
Rin's spine felt as if it was made of iron. "I'm more scared of them than I am of you," she answered.
Cul chuckled. "You might be scared now, but I can already tell deep down, you got some real spunk. I think we'll be good friends."
"Or worst enemies," Rin commented. It made Cul chuckle again. Although they didn't speak after that, it was enough to calm Rin's racking nerves.
Until the three Cinderellas entered the room.
It was childish, Rin knew, but she acted as if they wouldn't see her if she didn't see them. Every time she needed to wet the cloth, Rin would keep her head bowed and eyes cast to the floor as she walked to and from the bucket. The instructing voice of Head Juliet as well as the bossy one of a Cinderella bounced off the walls for a great deal of time. The Cinderella apparently had no pleasure being instructed by Head Juliet. In return, it sounded like Head Juliet was about to start yelling at the Cinderella.
"Does she have the authority to talk to a Cinderella like that?" Rin asked the pale blonde as she began to clean her third window. Cul had since moved on to work with a smaller Juliet too short to reach the top of the glass.
"Who? Head Juliet?" At Rin's confirming nod, she answered, "Head Juliet can talk back to any Cinderella student who challenges her authority. However, she must be careful to never insult nor disrespect that same Cinderella. She may have authority, but she is still a Juliet, and Juliets can never rise above their caste."
What the Juliet said made sense. Head Juliet wasn't called by a more special Juliet name for no reason. Rin looked the Juliet over. "What's your name?"
The Juliet looked away, ashamed. "Juliet IA24. I don't have a birth name, so the other Juliets call me Ia for short."
A sudden crash startled the girls. Ia looked over the window she and Rin had been cleaning. "We best to hurry," she said in the rush of a whisper. "We must be done before the other Cinderellas arrive."
Rin didn't argue. All she wanted was to be away from the Cinderellas as soon as possible. Except the Fates weren't done making a mockery of Rin's existence. It was as Rin soaked the dust from her cloth that she heard her Juliet name called.
Being in the presence of Cinderellas, Rin knew not to speak. She approached Head Juliet, stood before her, and curtsied as she awaited her orders. Yet at the sight of turquoise pigtails, Rin almost went completely stiff. The Cinderella hand a napkin wrapped around one of her fingers, and she gaped at Rin in a way that made Rin feel even more uncomfortable than their earlier encounter.
"Juliet CV02," Head Juliet began, "Ms. Hatsune has need of assistance. Guide her to Nurse Juliet's office."
Rin curtsied again. The broken china and the red seeping through Ms. Hatsune's napkin told Rin all she needed to know. As she led the way, she tried to ignore the weighted presence of the Cinderella behind her.
They hadn't even left the room when Ms. Hatsune asked, "Do things like this normally happen?" Rin said nothing. "I mean is it common for a person to cut themselves on broken china and have to be escorted to the nurse?" Again Rin didn't answer. "So, I'm the only one?"
Even if Rin had the answers, she wouldn't have shared them. Every Cinderella here didn't know the sound of her voice, and Rin planned to keep it that way. There were crimes worse than disobedience, and speaking to a Cinderella without proper reasoning was one of them.
"Did you grow up here?" Ms. Hatsune's voice was too close to the back of Rin's head for comfort. "Where are you from? Are all Juliets raised in a place like this?"
Rin hoped when she didn't answer, Ms. Hatsune would take the hint and stop asking questions. Gulping, Rin waited for Ms. Hatsune to cease speaking. Yet the wait seemed to be one without end.
"Why aren't you answering me?" Ms. Hatsune had the nerve to sound somewhat hurt. "Can't you talk?"
Even a shake of her head counted as communication, and Rin was not about to be punished for this girl's ignorance. Perhaps Ms. Hatsune's parents should have taught her a thing or two about cursed Juliets instead of just avoiding them altogether. It would have made this walk more bearable.
Anxiety began to swell in Rin as Ms. Hatsune, no longer asking questions but instead carrying a one-woman conversation, continued to chatter from behind. I'm going the right way to Nurse Juliet's office, am I? Trying to keep her shoulders from shaking too much, Rin took a deep breath and kept to her original path.
"I wish I could be as quiet as you," Ms. Hatsune said after she finished discussing her last topic of choice. "My tutors always said I'm a chatter box, and I know they're right, but I just can't help it. Talking is fun! Who doesn't love conversing and making friends and telling good stories?"
It sounded as if Ms. Hatsune pouted as she muttered, "Too bad I have to learn to tame my tongue if I want to find a good husband. Apparently, men want wives who know how to remain silent."
Honestly, I can't blame them. Relief coursed through Rin's veins when she saw the sign outside of Nurse Juliet's door. She knocked and waited to be called in. When Nurse Juliet spoke from the other side telling them to enter, Rin pushed open the mahogany door and led Ms. Hatsune inside.
While Ms. Hatsune told Nurse Juliet what had happened, Rin began to sneak away to return to the breakfast room. However, Nurse Juliet stopped her by saying that she would need Rin to take Ms. Hatsune back with her after Dr. Suzune, an Alice, inspected the wound to make sure it wouldn't get infected.
Not knowing if she would be allowed to sit in the waiting room chairs, Rin decided not to take her chances and stand the whole time. Even though Ms. Hatsune's hand was inspected, cleaned, and wrapped in front of her, Rin paid no attention. Instead she was lost in her thoughts. This was only her first day as a Juliet in such a place as this. She didn't know how many more it would take for her to adjust.
If there was one thing Miku understood, it was food. Table etiquette was her forte, the one thing she excelled with grace and sophistication instead of her usual clumsiness. All the silverware didn't intimidate her as it did some of her new classmates, and she knew all the courses served and how they were served. It was enough for Miku to have a small sense of self-satisfaction.
"You really know your table manners," Luka said after Mistress Prima finished her introduction to all the now present girls for this year's new class. She nibbled on a strawberry. "Of course, my parents raised me with the same etiquette the finest of Feyre use, but I can't imitate the same confidence as you."
"Food is my passion," Miku said, smiling sheepishly as she reached for yet another pastry. Her belly was already so full of the breads and tarts she had eaten thus far, but the food was so good she couldn't find it within herself to stop just yet. "When I was little, I used to watch the Alices cook and prepare the food to look presentable for when it was served. For a long time I begged my parents to have one of the Alices teach me how to cook. Of course, the answer was always no. 'The kitchen is no place for a proper lady, let alone a Cinderella,' they would say."
Miku sunk her teeth into the cinnamon roll, chewed, and swallowed. "Is it weird that even though I collect cook books and have read countless baking recipes, I have never so much as turned on an oven?"
Laughing, Luka reached out and patted Miku's other hand. "I wanted to learn to sow. Pretty stupid, right?"
"That's not stupid." Miku finished off the cinnamon roll. When her mouth was empty, she added, "Sowing is such a lovely skill to have. You know some Cinderellas are fashion designers."
"Fashion designers," Luka emphasized. "Only Alices and Juliets do the labor of sowing. All the designers need to do is draw out their clothing and have someone else make it. Fewer pricked fingers that way."
Miku giggled as she took a blueberry tart. "Don't let me near a sowing needle. Goddess knows I'll stab my poor fingers and bleed all over everything."
When breakfast finished, Miku rested a hand on her bulging stomach, proud to have tried at least one of all the baked goods. Content, she half paid attention as Mistress Prima briefly discussed the schedule for the day. Since most girls had just arrived, they would need most of the day to unpack. Consequently, the morning would begin with orientation while the afternoon would be spent however the girls so choose. When evening came, they would be given their first lesson – posture and formalities. A Cinderella needed to know how to carry herself and how to speak to those around her. The girls needed to have this mastered by their first ball at the end of next week.
"Oh, how I dream of the balls we shall have." Luka sighed, her eyes gazing into the distance. "To dress and dance and laugh the night away."
"I anticipate meeting my future husband during a ball here," Miku admitted quietly for only Luka to hear. "I want to fall in love and be cherished so much by a man who cares so deeply for me. It's all I ever dreamed off."
Luka frowned, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She chewed her lower lip. "We are expected to find a husband while here. All I want is to fall in love, even for a fleeting moment."
"It shall be for more than that!" Miku took both of Luka's hands in her own. "We are Cinderellas. Our happily ever after is eternal. I just know you are going to make a great man really happy one day."
"That I do not doubt." Luka rose from the table, using her and Miku's still clasped hands to drag the girl up with her. "Now come. We need to clean up before orientation. I intend to look my best every possible moment."
"I agree," Miku nodded. Luka turned to leave, and Miku snatched up another cinnamon roll to nibble on as she followed Luka to the washroom.
Not entirely sure what to do with herself, Rin wondered the hallways. She did not expect free time of any kind. Although Cul and Ia both told her how rare it was for Juliets to be allowed to do whatever they pleased while on duty and Rin should enjoy the opportunity while she could, Rin found herself unhappy with the spare time.
Rin at first tried to find Gumi, but that futile task soon turned into a sad attempt at exploration. Needing to know the layout of the school, Rin told herself this was a valuable use of her time. However, she didn't know if that excuse would work if somebody found her wandering around with no destination in mind.
"There is more to being a lady than wearing pretty dresses and hosting parties," a familiar voice said from inside a room.
Stopping, Rin peeked over the open doorway. Mistress Prima, the head of the academy, stood in the center of a raised platform, addressing the dozens of Cinderellas in the audience.
"Along with pose and etiquette," Mistress Prima went on to say, "you must possess intelligence and wit. Cinderellas rule this society – we are the ones who set standards and say what is and is not acceptable. A wife of a lord has say in how the district is run. A wife of a general has just as much military power as her husband. A wife of a politician is the man's very brain. Men who come here looking for wives aren't just looking for a pretty face to keep the home in running order; most men who you'll meet are looking for partners in life as well as in love."
Rin began to wring her fingers but stopped when they began pulsing with pain. This society was ruled by Cinderellas, that much was obvious. Men would work their way up to power, assuming they weren't simply born into it, and the Cinderella they married would take up that power upon marriage. It was a system which favored Cinderellas merely for having a crown tattooed onto their wrist. If a lord married an Alice or, God forbid, a Juliet, the very same status given to a Cinderella would be withheld from her.
While Mistress Prima stressed the importance of histories and critical thinking to her students, Rin leaned against the wall. She didn't have anything else to do, so she couldn't see why she shouldn't listen in. Until she was caught, that is.
"What are you doing?" Master Tonio, Mistress Prima's husband and second head of the academy, asked when he stepped out into the hall and saw Rin by the doorway. His hair and closely trimmed beard were a dark shade of brown, and he had eyes gray as steel. He dressed in a sharp purple suit, his tie loose around his neck.
"I asked you a question," he said when Rin failed to answer.
"M-my apologies," Rin stammered. "I was only listening, but I'll leave."
"What happened to your hands?" he questioned before Rin could turn away. She noticed he looked at the black and blue forming on her knuckles.
Frozen where she stood, Rin found herself saying, "I was punished."
"For?"
"For delivering documents out of order."
Master Tonio looked Rin up and down. Rin, feeling as if she was naked, tried not to wrap her arms around herself. His obvious evaluation caused her heart to pound inside her chest.
Without a word, Master Tonio walked in the opposite direction, Rin entirely forgotten. She sighed in relief. Not wanting anyone else to notice her, Rin walked away to find sanctuary in the Juliet quarters.
Miku couldn't take notes fast enough while Mistress Prima spoke. She anticipated art classes and dance lessons, but not the stressed importance of academics and politics. "What did you expect?" Luka questioned, giggling. "This is a school, after all."
"I don't know. Not this." Miku tucked her notebook and pen into her bookbag, all items she and the other girls received during orientation. Based on the surprised look on most of the other girls' faces, Miku wasn't the only one caught off guard.
"I can say the same," said a purple-haired girl who sat next to Miku. "Before I left, my brothers teased me for going to school to learn how to pour tea. I can't wait to call them tonight and rub in how wrong they are."
"I almost wish we were coming here just to learn how to pour tea." Miku sighed. "After years of studying my head off to make good grades to get accepted here, I learn I have to study even harder to make it high on the status list."
"You will be fine," Luka promised. "Put in the effort, and you should have no problems."
"Easier said than done," the other Cinderella snorted and then apologized for snorting. "Clearly I still got a lot to learn." She curtsied. "I'm Gakuko, by the way. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other."
After Gakuko left, Miku stood from her desk. Luka followed. "There's a lot of girls here," Miku pointed out.
"Yeah," Luka agreed. "I wonder how many of them are legit."
Anxiety stricken, Miku did not pursue the conversation topic. Although Miku did not doubt her own authenticity, someone like her did not stereotypically meet all the standards for a Cinderella, and she did not want anyone else to have their own doubts about her. Gripping her bookbag, Miku wondered how many other Cinderellas felt the same about themselves.
The past few days did wonders in easing Rin's anxiety, and she owed it all to her friends. Gumi, Cul, and Ia were the kind of friends she wished she had when she was younger. Being a Juliet in a mostly Alice community, Rin never knew acceptance until these Juliets took her in and adopted her into their makeshift family. For the first time in her life, Rin felt as if she was home.
"I'm not kidding," Cul said as she and the others sat in Rin and Gumi's room that afternoon. By some miracle, all the friends had a day off, and nobody wanted it to go to waste. "That Cinderella with the pigtails really did fall asleep in the social science class. Nearly fell right out of her chair, too."
"Did Madam Lola notice you staring at the poor Cinderella?" Ia asked. Gumi and Rin sat behind her. Since Rin didn't know how to braid hair, Gumi was teaching her while Ia allowed herself to be a model.
"If she did, she didn't show," Cul answered with a shrug. "I just made sure to deliver the worksheets and get the hell out of there. Not that I would have minded seeing a Cinderella get in trouble for a change, but I doubt it would be worth the risk of getting into trouble myself for dilly dallying."
When Rin chuckled, Cul glared at the blonde and asked, "What's so funny, punk?"
As she practiced braiding Ia's hair, Rin answered as she smiled, "It's funny to me a tough as nails girl like you would say something as silly as 'dilly dally.' You act more like you beat up people who say that."
"Because she does," Gumi muttered before something from behind got her attention. "What is it, Nana?"
The lime-haired girl standing in the doorway shook her head. "We're low on staff today. Surprise visit from Lord Zola. Head Juliet sent me down here to tell you to get dressed and get to work in no longer than a half hour. Rin," said girl looked at her fellow Juliet, "you have been specifically requested. I suggest you don't keep Head Juliet waiting."
Gulping down her fear, Rin mechanically got dressed and paid little to no attention to the others. When Gumi took hold of Rin's shoulder before she left and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure there's no serious reason Head Juliet wants to see you," all Rin could do to respond was nod. She didn't even remember the trip to Head Juliet's office. When she arrived, she heard voices coming from inside the room. Not knowing what else to do, Rin stood outside and waited for the conversation to finish.
"These rumors cannot get out of hand." Rin froze when she heard that voice. Mistress Prima? "Why is something eighteen years old still such a topic of debate?"
"I see Lord Zola has not forgotten the little scandal." Head Juliet. Rin furrowed her brows. Why is the head of the school meeting with and talking to a Juliet . . . as if Head Juliet isn't an item?
"This is serious!" Mistress Prima hissed. "Is he really still so sour that my Avanna refused to marry him?"
"More like he trusts the woman he did marry when she says she saw what she did."
"That Mew was never a good student." Rin could almost hear the hatred in Mistress Prima's tone. "She did poorly on all her tests, had horrible manners, and spoke with a bluntness that still leads me to faint when I recall the things she said as a student. Who's to say she isn't a liar as well?"
"Mistress Prima," Head Juliet said slowly, "there are a plethora of reasons Lord Zola came all this way to speak with Master Tonio. I highly doubt it's to discuss drama. Men don't dwell on such things the way a woman does."
"And yet I wouldn't be surprised if somehow Lord Zola managed to bring it up in conversation." A sigh. "Why do I let that little runt walk my halls? If she had just disappeared before anyone knew she existed-"
"Then the rumors would have been worse than they already are," Head Juliet cut in. Rin had to hold back a gasp. Can Head Juliet talk to a Cinderella that way? "Acting now would do you no good, either. My advice is to do the same thing you have done ever since this whole rumor started: Keep a straight face, pretend the claims don't bother you, and deny, deny, deny."
Mistress Prima groaned. "And here I thought you would be of use to me."
Then the tone shifted. Even Rin, from outside the room, felt the change in the air. "Never mind my problems. How about we discuss Pet Juliet."
Never had Rin heard Head Juliet sound so stiff as she said the single, broken word. "Don't."
"But why not?" Mistress Prima crooned. "I know how dear she was to you in your serving days. Such good friends you both were. Never did you anticipate she would stab you in the back the way she did."
When Head Juliet spoke, her words were hard and low. "I think you should leave now. Hiding from Lord Zola will be of no help if your plan is to keep him from reigniting those rumors."
It was with a huff and without another word Mistress Prima stood, the legs of the chair scraping against the wooden floors, and stalked out of the room. Rin jumped away from the door before the headmistress could step through it. The way Mistress Prima stalked down the hall was enough for Rin to know whatever was going on, whatever rumors were being spread, were not of the flattering kind.
"There you are," Head Juliet said as Rin entered the office. Head Juliet had one hand against her temple, rubbing small circles on the side of her head. Pushing a document forward, Head Juliet asked, "Was it you who signed your name?"
Rin studied the document and bit her lip when she saw it was the contract that made her property of the academy. "Yes, ma'am. I signed my name."
"That's what I thought." Head Juliet slid the document back and briefly explained, "Most girls usually sign their birth name with either an X or a line, but you wrote yours out beautifully. Tell me, Juliet CV02, can you write all the letters with the same level of excellent penmanship, or only the name you signed away?"
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Rin replied, "I can write all the letters, Head Juliet."
Narrowing her eyes, Head Mistress let out a single, cold word. "Why?"
Without needing to be told what Head Juliet meant, Rin quickly said, "I was educated till the third grade, and the town priest employed me for six years to write all the cards to his patrons. I've had lots of practice writing."
Nodding as if the answer was satisfactory enough, Head Juliet said, "I suppose that has served its purpose. You see, we need fliers for the upcoming ball posted on the announcement boards, but the typewriter isn't working. Can I count on you to create them for us? The information you need is already written down."
Even though it was phased as a question, Rin knew it was a command she was given. "You can count on me," she softly replied, curling and uncurling fingers in anticipation to hold a pen.
"Lord Zola is here," Luka whispered to Miku as she entered the ladies parlor, a room in which most of the students spent their evenings after lessons were done for the day.
The room had large, wide windows lining one side, the walls covered in pink wallpaper. Bookshelves and couches sat on fine rugs. Cinderellas filled the room, some working on their homework while others got to know their new friends.
Miku looked up from her sketchpad, but Ona's attention didn't shift from the book she held.
"The lord of Sif?" Miku questioned. Luka nodded. "What's he doing here?" Setting aside her sketchpad, Miku leaned forward to the gossip as if she would miss it if she weren't close enough to catch it.
"I don't know exactly," Luka said, joining Miku on the loveseat. Ona still didn't move on the chair she occupied. "He wants to speak with Master Tonio, but that's not why I'm telling you this."
Miku furrowed her brows, but Luka grinned as she said, "He brought his younger brothers with him. Both, as I'm sure you know, are still eligible bachelors."
"Really?!" Miku gasped. "Do you think they will stay for the opening ball?"
"One can only hope." Luka leaned back on the chair. "I know how much you dream of finding your prince, so I thought I would bring the Zola brothers' presence to your attention."
"You mustn't gossip," Ona said, still not looking up from her book. "It's not very becoming of a lady."
"There's nothing wrong with idle gossip," Luka argued, her tone even. "Especially if the gossip is boy talk. We are single ladies, and we are allowed to prowl around in pursuit of our prince."
Ona snorted. "You speak of marriage as if it were a game."
Without blinking, Luka replied, "Because it is."
Tuning out Luka and Ona's conversation, Miku excused herself from the couch to use the ladies' room. Luka smiled as Miku left, but Ona ignored her altogether. Not that Miku paid much attention. She didn't need to relieve herself at all. Instead, what had caught her attention was the blonde Juliet.
As Miku approached the Juliet, she saw the maid carried a stack of paper and a stapler. The Juliet came to a billboard, set the stack on the ground, picked up a single sheet and the stapler, and stapled said sheet onto the board. She picked the stack back up as Miku asked, "Would it bother you if I followed you around?"
The Juliet didn't flinch, but her spine stiffened. Without answering, she continued on with what she was doing. Miku followed along.
"I hope you don't mind my ghosting you," Miku said. "I very rarely get free time – usually I have a lot of work from my classes or something I need to study. Only tonight I have to design a centerpiece, and I'm already nearly finished with my sketch. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I have been curious about Juliets. I want to spend a little while following you around and seeing how you do things. Is that all right?"
When the Juliet didn't answer, Miku added, "That's right. You can't speak. Or maybe you won't. Either way, I can talk enough for the both of us! But then again, does it count as observation if I interact with the thing I'm trying to observe?"
While Miku pondered this, the Juliet kept up with her task. It seemed she was posting announcements for the welcoming ball at the end of next week. Miku's heart fluttered at the beautiful penmanship telling her when the anticipated ball would be.
"I'm surprised we didn't have a ball this week since it's the start of our year," Miku told the Juliet. "Then again, I suppose the first week is spent as a trial week. We are still in the process of being evaluated, and tomorrow night is when we find out where we will fit in this semester. Oh, I'm afraid I will be cast on the lowest rung for academics. And pose. And grace. How did I manage to get accepted into this academy?"
When she noticed the Juliet stop, Miku asked, "What's wrong?" Of course the Juliet didn't answer. However, the voices on the other side of the door did.
"-really think things are getting so bad?" a male voice said. "Master, I don't know if this is a serious threat, but my wife and I will help you any way we can."
"I am not too sure myself," another said. "However, I still find it necessary to gather as many recruits as possible for the investigation. However, I'm sorry you will have to put up with my wife accusing you of threatening to spread those old rumors."
"Hey, what rumors?" Miku asked no one in particular. This caused the Juliet to snap her head around and glare at her.
The voices stopped. Soon Master Tonio stalked out of the office and stared at her and the Juliet. He then glared at the Juliet.
"Juliet CV02, what are you doing meandering outside my office?" At the Juliet's failure to respond, Master Tonio added, "You have permission to speak."
"I was posting flyers for the ball on all the announcement boards around the castle," the Juliet answered, her voice soft and sweet, almost like a bird's. She extended her hands as if showing Master Tonio the sheets as proof.
Eyeing her, Master Tonio pointed out, "Those are an awful lot of flyers. You are aware we don't have one hundred announcement boards, are you not?"
"Head Juliet had me create more flyers than necessary in case I accidentally ripped one or dropped a few in a puddle," the Juliet explained.
The reply was satisfactory enough for Master Tonio. "Very well, but don't let me catch you lingering outside of my office again. Whipping is the punishment we prefer to give to eavesdroppers."
The Juliet bowed slightly. "Understood, sir."
Master Tonio turned his attention to Miku. "And why are you, young mistress, following around a Juliet?"
With a curtsey, Miku replied, "I wasn't raised around Juliets, and I wished to ghost this one so I may familiarize myself with them."
Waving a hand in the air as if to erase the reasoning, Master Tonio said, "As a Cinderella, you have far better use of your time than to follow a walking curse. You should be a leader, my good lady, and not a follower. Especially a follower of destruction."
Miku frowned. "If Juliets are so bad, then why keep so many of them here?"
"Why don't you return to whatever it was you were previously doing?" Master Tonio suggested, ignoring her question. "Leave the Juliet to her job, and you focus on bettering yourself as a lady. Your attitude and behavior at these balls reflect on you as a student, you know."
Realization dawning, Miku said, "Of course, Master Tonio. I know now."
Miku curtsied again before she scurried off. "Have a blessed night!" she called over her shoulder, the Juliet quickly forgotten.