Every time I look at this hole in my maid uniform, staring at it in the mirror every morning, my hands instinctually move to cover it. Corrin would always brush my fingers aside and ask to see more. The choice to say yes or no is so new to me, sometimes I would flip a coin in my head just to avoid choosing. But lately I've noticed that whenever I say yes, it feels so right.

She rests on the bed behind me, fast asleep, the string of her leash connecting her neck to my hand. Some time ago, I said to myself that this would work out. But when I said yes for the first time, was I hoping that it would turn out like this?

ONE WEEK BEFORE

The sun just came up, the blue light of morning reveals my new unmodest room and the coatrack lined with duplicates of my maid dresses. I'm getting ready to wake Corrin up and join her for tea. This is the favorite part of my day, right next to tucking her in for bed. I'm the first and last person she sees almost every day. Is it wrong for me to feel a little empty for all the hours in between? Focusing on getting dressed helps bury those thoughts for later. I have a job to do.

Technically I'm not her maid anymore, after the princess founded her own kingdom and released all her retainers for good. But my twin sister Flora and I stayed for different reasons. I vowed to protect that smile when I became Corrin's maid in Nohr, and a part of me renews that vow every time I don my maid's dress.

It's frilly, refined, tight fitting, but altogether functional and modest save for…the skirt. That part is much like a parasol, hiked up and round with the frills. And there's a parting in the front, a window of my inner thighs between a white apron and my long black stockings. Some say it's scandalous, but I like being able to bend over easily, especially in combat. The uniform, with its quirks and imperfections, is almost a part of my identity at this point. For I live to serve.

Off to Corrin's room! The castle hallways are much scarier than the Norther Fortress, our old home. No windows, no paintings of flowers or old ancestors. Our humble castle is basically a neat sandstone brick tunnel with just enough adornment to make it comfortable to visit. We're still getting the hang of navigating the place, so I tend to walk into the wrong rooms sometimes. It's a constant danger, added onto how frequently I BREAK THINGS!

Phew! Almost knocked over the lantern holder. Again. Don't dwell on such a tiny misstep, Felicia!

This is Corrin's door. Her name is etched onto a makeshift plaque hung on the handle, with an oil lantern to the side bathing it in amber. There's light shining from the crack below. I wonder if she's up already. My hand loudly taps the door. No sound from behind. Perhaps she fell back asleep.

With my best smile on, I open the door and poke my head right into…Corrin's face!?

"Woah!"

"Ouch!" Corrin yelps from behind a hand on her nose. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Are you okay, master Corrin?"

With my vision back in order after bumping Corrin's nose with my own, I bear witness to a shocking transformation. She was about to walk out the door in a maid's dress! The frilled shoulders, the headdress with white laces, the black blouse and the apron. And the parting in the center of the skirt, displaying her inner thighs, a perfect mirror of my own, feels…just right.

But what do I even say? I'm frozen in place just staring at her, as if my feet were incased in ice (it's happened before!) What is she up too? Where did she get this uniform? Why am I so bothered by this!? It's totally normal for princesses to play dress up in their spare time, right? Especially in the morning, right? R-right!? Flora help me!

"Hey Felicia…I have a request of you." Corrin whispers as to not attract attention. She's avoiding eye contact, staring down at my feet, maybe a certain spot above the knees. I can't tell, but she's blushing. She does that when we talk about intimate things shared only between the two of us, small things that come between us as lifelong friends. Insecurities, rivalries, crushes, things we work out as equals.

"Of course," I reply reactively, eager to serve, hungry to know more. My hands move to cover my thighs like always, but Corrin grabs me and rests them against her chest. "I want to become a maid like you" she pleads with blood red irises. "Will you teach me?"

Wait. I have look around. The coast is clear. With a gentle push, I lead Corrin back into her room and free my hands to shut the door behind us. "You want me to what?"

Corrin touches her headdress and smiles nervously, wild white hair swaying in the morning light. "Be my master. I mean, like a mentor. Let me follow walk in your shoes for a while, as a maid…"

"I'm a lot more than just a m-maid. You said that yourself."

"I know! Bodyguard, secretary, everything. But just look!" Corrin steps back and pirouettes, twirling in a graceful circle, letting her inner ballerina loose. "Don't I just look the part?"

She's serious about this, then. My words stumble over denials, doubts, the unknown of exactly what brought her to such madness! "P-pretty. You l-look gorgeous. Uh…"

"Thank you." She glides over back to me and raises her arms up in offering, her confidence rising like the tides. "So how would you like an apprentice to help around with chores? An underling to boss around? Someone to call you master for a change?"

"Uh…" No. I don't want any of that. At least, I don't think it'd be good for the rest of the castle. As fun as it sounds, my needs amount to nothing before our respective duties. "You have so much on your plate already" I remind her. "Who's going to take charge of the castle? A kingdom can't have its ruler tied up with all the housework."

Corrin pouted. "Felicia, it's only the three of us here. I'll manage things just fine." My eye twitches, imagining her completely burnt out from exhaustion after only a day of this theoretical arrangement.

As if to assuage my fears, she steels her brow and stares at a nearby mirror. "Our kingdom needs a leader with the will to care for her people. We've spent so much time fighting, spilled so much blood and bled my own. It's time I relearn how to serve as fiercely as I fight. Just like you do every day."

Wow…she's super DUPER serious. And she's blushing again. I've known her all my life, but whenever she puts her game face on, I can't help but throw reason to the wind and let my heart go wild with joy.

But will she be able to take the additional burden? For how long? What will Flora think? I let these thoughts simmer, melt, then cool into ice.

"Okay" I sigh. "You'll be my apprentice maid."

And the sun bust in full brilliance over the horizon, engulfing Corrin in vibrant warmth as she engulfs me in the tightest hug ever. I can't breathe, can't lift my arms to return her embrace, fear battling resplendent excitement inside me. But somehow, we'll make it work. I'll serve as her master, even if I find the idea to be a little more than weird, even if it warps my feelings for her into something without a name.

She might overstep her limits. I might slip up. But we've both reconciled those aspects of ourselves long ago. It's time to face the rest of the day.

"Thank you, master." Corrin whispers, resting her head into my blouse.