Chapter 6: An Angry Cat!
"Julius Monrey?"
Julius hummed to Sidney, who entered the supervision room.
"You've been so busy handling the maid costume. I'm tired taking care of His Majesty and drama quirks...can we switch?" the black-haired man said with a tired look. Julius sighed and rose from his seat.
"Well, please take care of her. I feel guilty that Master Nightmare got her as a test subject, and she grew cat features on her." He said, and bowed to Sidney, before leaving the room.
Julius went down up one level with the lift and then entered the King's room, prepared for a crying old man watching telenovela.
"Alright, Your Majesty, what series would you like to...watch...?" he stopped when he closed the door and see the King was asleep like a baby.
"...Sidney—" he abruptly tried to open the door, and as he had feared; It was locked!
The steward glared coldly at the camera in the corner of the room. "Sidney Black...this is outrageous. I know what you're planning." He clenched his fists. "And if you succeed, I will make sure that you'll regret it."
Back at the supervision room, there was no one. Sidney had walked out of it cheerfully, whistling a song, and playing catch with a small bottle in his hand.
There was a label on it;
Hydrogen cyanide
~.X.~
"Yes, take that Robochan out, just dump it in that huge hole. And then the Penguin Hatcher...or you can give it to Elliot. If you're done with that, throw away the Foodoleport on the bar, I need it to work on a blueprint." Gowland ordered around as he enjoyed his meal. The Cat-mutant grabbed a pile of iron with her paws in difficulty.
Alice grunted as she dragged Robochan—Failure #213, supposed to be a girlfriend simulator, but can only say; 'Show me your dick!'—and curiously asked about one of his failure he mentioned.
"What's Foodoleport?" her tail swished in curiosity.
"Eh, it's something to teleport food from somewhere within two thousand miles." Gowland munched after explaining, and hummed happily. "Mmmhm, beef if bewishiosh."
"So it didn't work?" Alice asked, glancing at Foodoleport on the bar across Gowland's wide yet crowded room. Her furry ear twitched, eager to listen.
"Oh, it worked just fine." Gowland laughed. "But then it got updated with Korean culture and suddenly it teleported a giant living octopus—you know, Korean ate octopus alive, right? And that giant living octopus was an endangered species, and is being bugged by WWF, so Foodoleport is banned." He grinned. "Damn Living-Octopus-Eaters."
Alice gave him an unimpressed stare. Then, she watched his room; so many...trashes! Are any of his inventions actually worked!?
"Yes, actually quite a lot, for example is this; Boobanerva Mind Reading Gloves, Invention #136." Gowland said.
Alice froze, her tail and ear stood in shock, since she was being groped on the chest. Gowland pulled his hands, showing thick red gloves.
"It's made especially for women since they're hard to read! Just grab their boobs and we can read their mind. Awesome, eh?"
"HIIISSS!"
SMACK
"Awesome eh, my ass!" Alice stomped out of the room after sending Gowland flying.
Gowland groaned and flinched as he touched his cheeks; "Argh! She clawed my face!"
~.X.~
Alice froze, her pupils turned sharp and narrow like a cat in a fright, her fur stood. She glared at the door. Ah, she's been here, she knew this door. And she hated who's behind it.
"I really don't want being around a designer looking like this." She deadpanned and quickly walked away with her trolley.
And froze.
No, not because of her maid outfit. More like...her maid outfit didn't stop her!?
She tried to run around and do pushups. And squats.
And then a bit harlem shake...
And a bit karaoke...
Taking some pictures...
Drawing on the wall...
She even dared the camera to drink Blood's wine, but then the bottle was pulled away.
"How dare such a dirty peon like you come late to my presence." Blood scolded. "And not to mention, tried to drink my righteous wine. Just get your filthy-self into my chamber and serve like the servant you are, peon."
Alice stared at him, her cat ear twitched, and her tail swished, she blinked twice, and then stuck her tongue out.
"Meh! I'm not listening to you, nyah! I'm free!" she ran away.
Blood scoffed and took out his cellphone.
"Hello, connect me to Henry Liddell."
Alice froze at the mention of her father's name.
"Yes. I'm Blood Dupre. You are fired, Henry Liddell." Blood continued talking on his phone. "Why? Ah. You should ask your dearest filthy commoner daughter. I'll make sure your future will be dark and nothing you do can fix it for seven generations—even if your petty, unimportant bloodline able to continue living."
The Cat-mutant ran back and screamed; "What are you doing!?"
Blood glanced at her, taking away his phone. "I fired your dad from the company he's working."
"N-No! Don't do that! I'm sorry!" Alice teared up in instance and fell on her knees. She even worshipped his shoes. "Please...Please don't attack my family! Alright, I will do everything you wish...but please, not my family." She begged.
Blood smirked cruelly. Yes, he knew he landed on her weakness; her family. No matter how she's been distanced from them, Alice Liddell couldn't bear to trouble her family. Fool, she didn't even think twice.
"Very well." Blood scoffed and turned to his door. "Now serve me properly, flithy peon. After that, you will be my subject of art. You should be grateful. After all, I'm the God of Design. But you can call me Master. Hmhmhm..."
Alice inwardly groaned and cried as she went to serve Blood. But first, before he let her serve his food.
"Do you remember my order?"
"Arabian food; Maryam Bread and Kabob...Master."
Blood looked at her, walking around her, eyes scanning. A smirk grew on his features as he pulled a measuring rope and measured her hips, her shoulders, chest and waist. He had photographic memory, so he didn't need to take a note. Blood then walked to pull out some items.
"Wear this."
Alice gaped. "Wha—I'm not a prostitute—I mean, yes, Master..." she twitched, cursing loudly in her head as Blood showed off a haughty look.
The maid then came out of the dressing room, wearing a Genie Outfit with her tail and cat ears still there. She blushed angrily when Blood looked up and down at her with a satisfied smirk.
He tilted his head to her trolley, and she began to serve him.
"Sultan...this is your breakfast..." Alice muttered softly, bringing him his breakfast with swift move.
"Mm, not bad, servant."
Blood had replaced Nightmare on the first place of her blacklist.
~.X.~
Finally, the last breakfast tray. Alice continuously complained in her head. If she wasn't so shit-scared of Blood despairing her family, she could've totally ditched her maid outfit and make her run.
And then she met a man leaning to the corridor's wall.
"Alice, right?"
She stopped on her track. "You're Peter White?"
"No—"
Alice passed him, since she had no business with him; she just want to get this over with.
"Blood Dupre is a heir of the Crims; the number one family in the world, which rules everything on Earth. He easily bends the rule, even a kingdom to get his way." The black-haired man followed her from behind. "However, since he's trapped here, he can only resort to his hobby; designing. He can win everything except for designing."
"I don't need to know any of that. Sorry." Alice bowed to him before walking away again.
"Nightmare Gottschalk sells his stuff in the Black Market. He mastered the art of cell-deforming chemicals, and even able to make potions in Harry Potter. He's smart at marketing, and always hold the antidote as secret."
Alice sighed and stopped again, looking at him. "You must be one of the other servants, then?"
He smirked and nodded. "Sidney Black; Keeper. Or you can also say...I'm the Mastermind of this Heart-Trick Castle."
The dark blonde's eyes widened. She then pulled his collars.
"Then...you can get me out of here!?"
"Oh, I can't; I will be beheaded to directly disobey my role." Sidney shrugged. "You're enhanced with many abilities, but not the brightest lamp. You're not in your maid outfit, so you should be able to escape."
"But I can't, I need Nightmare to give me the antidote for these..." she huffed, playing with her cat ear. "And Blood can threat my family..."
Sidney hummed sadly. "You're right...At leat I can help you to deal with the last Master; Peter White is a programmer and a gamer. He's weak and a bit ill, I'm worried of his condition." The Mindmaster frowned worriedly. "He hates taking medication, but if he keeps being like this...he..."
Alice frowned in fear. "He...?"
Sidney looked down. "He might die..."
The maid gulped and looked at the tray. "Wh-What if we put the medication in his breakfast?"
Sidney lit up. "Oh...?Hey...that's a great idea! Here." He gave her a small bottle. "It's a type of liquid. Please help him. I'm sorry for what you're going through right now...but you're the only one who might be able to help him, Alice."
The dark-blonde nodded. "Yes, nyah. I will do my—did I said nyah again? Aww...I really want to go back to normal..." she sighed and accepted the bottle.
"You know what...?" Sidney smiled. "I'll try to help you, Alice. I'll think of something so you can escape and get Blood and Nightmare do what you want."
Alice lit up at him and teared up. "Th-Thanks, Sidney...I'll make sure Peter get this into his body!" she smiled and pushed her trolley in high-spirit.
Leaving Sidney smirking evilly.
~.X.~
"I don't trust you." An egyptian hound 'said' in front of Peter's door.
Alice froze in spot, her cat sense tingling in danger. The scary and masculine dog showed off its teeth.
"Why do you...have those wretched features of a cat...I can't trust you. Come closer and I'll bite your head off."
She gaped. "H-How...YOU TALKED!?"
The dog narrowed its eyes on her. "It's an animal translator; Master Gowland copied it straight out of the Up movie. Now get lost."
"I'm the new maid, Alice. Peter ordered me Swedish Kottbullar." she tried to explain in worry.
The dog growled louder. "It was a fake...you are...an idiot. That was Sidney Black the traitor. It's impossiblul for Master Peter to eat something out of his room."
Alice gritted her teeth. "Your Master is not feeling well, and I have to deliver this to him!"
"Grrr...over my dead body." Stephano took his stance and jumped at the girl, who easily moved to the side and ran for the door. Stephano caught her skirt with his fangs and fluidly threw her away.
'This dog...is strong!' Alice thought in shock, and managed to land on her feet.
~.X.~
"Hey, check this out."
Vivaldi looked up from her shoujo manga and turned to the monitor.
Black and White put down their card and turned to their TV.
Blood glanced lazily to his LCD.
Everyone saw an epic battle between their new maid and Peter's guard dog. Elliot gasped in anger and sadness.
"No...They have to stop...!" Elliot exited his room.
"WHOA, my invention's gonna get destroyed!" Gowland grimaced and ran out of his room with a blast.
Alice had taken the forks from the trolley and threw them one by one, trying to hit Stephano, but the dog was fast! And when she's one second distracted to get the knives, he aimed for her cat tail.
CHOMP
"MIAAAWWW!"
Alice cried in pain and proceeded to whack the dog with the tray.
"You-"
BAM
"-bad-"
BAM
"-dog!"
BAM!
"WHA!?" Alice gaped to see the tray was bent, and Stephano wasn't scratched even a bit.
"Hmph." Stephano scoffed and decided a better idea to save his Master; he ran to the tray with Kotbullar and flipped it.
CLANG
"Argh! The breakfast!" Alice gasped, seeing the food wasted.
"New maid, please stop!" Alice flinched hearing Elliot's voice, and noticed him and Gowland were running their way. Stephano growled at her, ready to attack.
"Ugh, retreat." She hissed and started to ran away.
"Becareful—that's a landmine, yo!" Gowland gasped.
Alice blinked and froze as she stepped on a red tile.
CLICK
"...Uh oh. Did you say landmine—WUAAAH!"
"Oh, just a pitfall." Elliot sighed in relief. "At least it wasn't a landmine, but then, which one is—"
CLICK
BOOM
"Cough cough cough..." Gowland waved the dark smoke. "I-I'm okay...yo...uuugh..." he fainted.
~.X.~
Alice grunted and looked around, frowning in pain. A figure then knelt before her;
"Alice, are you alright?" Sidney asked in concern. Alice smiled gratefully.
"I didn't break anything, I think..." she patted her maid-skirt, and sighed dejectedly. "Sorry, I can't get through Stephano. He said I was trying to kill him or something."
Sidney hummed and patted her shoulder. "It's alright. You did your best. Now I shall return the favor."
Alice lit up in disbelief. "B-But I haven't done anything yet!"
Sidney pulled back and sat in a big chair, and turned to face hundreds of monitors. Alice just realized she's in the Supervisor's Room. Under the monitors were different buttons Lord-knows what they're for.
"I switched the landmine trap with the pitfal to head here." Sidney explained the earlier incident. "Only the Masters of this castle and I, know exactly where these traps are."
Alice raised her hand. "Uhh, can I ask why is this castle filled with so many traps and all?"
Sidney turned his seat to face her. "Protection. Despite being so lazy and irritating, the Masters are important members in the Kingdom, even several organizations in the World."
'Well, that's way over the top for the so-called protection...' Alice inwardly rolled her eyes.
"At any rate, I have created a plan for your escapade."
~.X.~
And that was how it came to this;
"Alice, don't be an idiot, get out and let Blood and Nightmare go!" and that was Julius, the Head Steward, banging the east tower's door. He had broke the King's door, and Master Elliot reported that the new maid had taken Blood and Nightmare hostage.
Alice gritted her teeth and pushed the knife to Nightmare's back. "Hurry! Get the antidote done, nyah!"
"A-A-Aaargh I can't w-work underpressure!" Nightmare stuttered as he frantically measured some chemical.
"This is pointless." Blood commented, being bound with ropes, sitting next to the chemistry tools. "How dare you to treat a God like this. You will be eternally punished." He narrowed his eyes on her.
"Sure, try me with those bound hands." Alice stuck her tongue to him; she had confiscated his cellphones and anything he had in his pockets and outfit.
"Done! I've fixed my Mechabot! Step aside, Julius!"
"M-Master Gowland you'll break the tower—"
BOOM!
Alice's jaw slacked as a giant robot just crashed the wall. Gowland controlled his robot to move its hand.
"New maid! Release the hostages!"
"Don't hurt them!" Julius pleaded.
"Yes and no—GET UP THERE!" Alice shrieked and pushed Nightmare to get onto the roof after throwing Blood out.
"Wait, wait, wait, is she crazy!?" Gowland screeched he used his robot to climb up the tower, gaping.
"Wait, if she feels threatened, she'll..." Elliot followed behind.
And his fears came true.
Alice glared at them with wide, cat-eyes, her fur stood; holding two knifes, Blood and Nightmare standing at the edge of the tower.
"Come any closer...and I'll shove them."
~.X.~
"Sidney...Drop this stupid charade. Please." Julius said to the transmitter on his neck.
"Not yet..." Sidney said darkly, and suddenly, it was turned off. Julius gritted his teeth and turned to the stairs.
"Master Elliot..." he said, "Please make her talk as long as you can."
Elliot gulped and nodded. Gowland nervously glanced at him, he couldn't look at anywhere else than the new maid.
"What are you going to do?"
"Asking Master Peter's help."
~.X.~
Nightmare was hyperventilating and began to cough blood. He began to build a fear of heights. Blood, on the other hand, unfazed. As if everything was beneath him. The knife behind his back or the ground eight hundred meters below...
"Do you really think, killing me guarantees your family's safety?" Blood scoffed.
Alice shoved him.
"...Nnh!?" Blood grimaced with wide eyes as he felt the wind brushed his face, his head heading straight to the ground, and his body pulled down—he's going to die!?
He had a held gasp and threw the possibly last shocked look at the cat-maid.
"UWAAAH SHE ACTUALLY SHOVED HIIM!?" Gowland's jaw slacked.
"D-Don't gawk and use your mechabot to catch him!" Elliot yelled. Gowland woke up and using his mechabot, he jumped off the tower and caught Blood. He activated the jumper mode and landed safely.
"Don't..." Alice gasped. "Don't ever talk about threatening my family!" she yelled.
Elliot gulped. "Alice Liddell...Sidney put you up to this, right?"
Alice glared at him still, so he continued anyway.
"He...he hates Peter White. He always try to kill him whenever he had the chance; but he's still the only one who have control over this castle. That's why we can't fire him...not that the other cares..."
"Y-Yeah, h-he's trying to use you!" Nightmare yelped, and flinched. "Aaagh! Don't shove me please!"
Alice shivered with eyes tearing up. "I...I don't care! I don't want to be here...I wanna go home...Why is this happening to me!?"
Elliot's eyes widened at the girl who slowly showed her fragile side. A family...Elliot never had one; but apparently for Alice, it was something treasured, she'd do anything to protect them. He never really liked humans; they're traitors.
'Unlike animals...parents can abandon their child easily.' Elliot darkly thought.
'But this maid...she must have had a good family...'
Suddenly, the roof was opened, and the tower was lowering to the ground. Alice, Elliot and Nightmare gasped in shock; the east tower was drowning to the ground!?
Julius had appeared to the 'roof' again, panting. "I...did it." He sighed in relief.
They didn't move, since Alice still holding knives. She looked down and threw her knives to the ground.
"Oh, thank God." Nightmare fell on his knees and sighed in relief.
Alice was still looking down in fright, didn't dare to say anything. Julius decided to speak up;
"Your family is hiding from the Yakuza. Your parents had gotten into accident with the Yakuza's daughter got hurt." Alice flinched at this and glared at Julius. "Mr. and Mrs. Liddell were still in a coma, and your sister is trying to hide them. The King is the Yakuza daughter's God father; in case of paying the debt, he decided to get you work here."
"This isn't funny." Alice started to sweat.
"I know this is hard to accept, but...I'm sorry for you too." Julius said solemnly.
"I...I want to see them! Are they alright?" she asked, worried sick.
"Your sister is with them, somewhere hidden. For today...just rest. You'll have to work tomorrow, better than today. No fighting." The Head Steward ushered her to enter the tower's door again. As she left, he sighed in relieved.
"Um, Julius..." Elliot frowned in concern. "Is that true...?"
Julius wiped his forehead with a silk handkerchief.
"No, I got inspired when I watched one of His Majesty's telenovela."
Elliot fell.
"B-But how did you get Sidney to lower the tower to the underground level?" Nightmare asked, using the knives on the ground to untie himself.
"I didn't ask Sidney." Julius rubbed his temple. "I begged Master Peter to hack the system. Master Blood, are you hurt?"
Blood came down from Gowland's Mechabot and looked terribly displeased, patting his shirt.
"How dare she...I won't forget this..."
"Master, I don't think it's wise to play around with her family." Julius scolded. Blood gave him an angry look, and he left with nose up.
The four watched Blood left and fell silent. Gowland came off his mechabot and sighed, tired from today's commotion. Elliot seemed very worried.
"So there's no special reason for her to be here?" he asked. "Aren't we...taking her freedom away?"
Julius shrugged. "I'm a mere servant. I only have to do what I'm told. Now, if you'll excuse me." He bowed to them and went inside as well. "I shall ask Master Peter to return the castle's state."
Nightmare gasped and pulled out a veil. "Oh yeah! I actually finished the antidote!" he smiled. "I hope she'll be at least...cheered without the cat ears and tail."
Gowland raised his eyebrows. "Eh? But having a cosplaying cat-maid is cute, don't you think? Even Elliot likes it. Eh?" he grinned teasingly to Elliot, who twitched and faintly blushed.
"Yes...Maybe you should...modify the antidote, Nightmare." He suddenly had an idea.
~.X.~
"Puss, puss, puss...good kitty..."
"Miaaw...nyaa..."
Boris and the Tweedles gaped at the view. Elliot was tickling Alice's neck with his fingers, and the new maid's enjoying it. Blood burst into the dining room angrily.
"Where the fuck is my Soba—WHAT THE FUCK!?" he grimaced in disgust seeing Alice was playing with a yarn ball.
"Meoow...HISS!" Alice suddenly hissed at Black's loud voice.
"Black, you scared her..." Elliot said, stroking the maid's hair.
"Th-This is too kinky!" Boris twitched as he watched Elliot cuddling the maid and stroking her.
To Elliot, she's just a cat, but in the others' eyes, it was a scene of 'Master x Maid' with cat-cosplay.
"Well, at least this way, we know her weakness..." Dum laughed nervously.
"...and she won't try to kidnap anyone again." Dee nodded.
SLAP
Black had slapped Alice awake. He grabbed her collar and grimaced in wrath.
"I. AM. FUCKING. HUNGRY."
"Aoww...do you have to slap me that hard, Grumpy!?"
"Oi! You bitch! I'm your fucking Master! Don't give me fucking nicknames!"
"Grrr! Fine! Be that way! I won't cook for you!"
"HEY! I'M YOUR MASTER!"
At the very least, the day ended...without anyone dying.
Still, how long would it take until the new maid calmed down and start to do her chores!?
Bee: whoaaaah finally this chapter comes out *wipes sweats*
Oh, I read this poll and wonder:
"If you're locked in a room who would be the last Role-Holder you'd want to be locked up with?"
Kindly answer and review :)