Five-year-old Maria was truly a troublesome kid to handle. Although she never cried, never annoyed anyone to their limits, and certainly didn't play pranks. She was, however, a very assertive individual.
"I want to watch the knights practice!" She had suddenly proclaimed on a certain day.
Leaving Mash in a slightly difficult position. Weather to allow her employer to do as she wishes or...
"No way! That's not something a princess should do!"
...argue back.
Maria grumbled in displeasure as she looked at this maid in front of her.
'She's at it again.' She thought.
For the past years of her life, she had begun to notice the strangeness of this maid of hers. Whenever she was to have a wish to fulfill or a goal to make true, the maid would jump in and talk about how it wasn't right for a princess to do so or how it wasn't right for a girl her age.
Seeing the 'righteous' maid with crossed arms looking down at her and shaking her head, Maria was unknowingly starting to develop a counter to her.
"I'll fire you if you don't let me do as I wish!" She finally snapped back.
"Wha-There's no way you can do that!!!"
Mash, who was now at the ripe age of 18, was in utter disbelieve. Was this how a princess should react to an unfavorable situation? She was starting to believe this child she had been tasked with taking care of was in need of more education.
She lightly coughed to herself and calmed her heart. As a more mature woman, she had already learned to control her emotions and keep them in check.
"Anyway, princess, I don't believe you father and mother-the King and Queen-would allow you to fire me. They might turn the world upside down for you, but they wouldn't do so for no reason." She explained as she smiled.
Maria was taken aback 'Since when was this maid of her's so mature?'. It felt like just the other day when this maid chased her around the castle walls in an attempt to get her to enter an etiquette class, or to get her to pick up proper noble table manners.
'She's grown.' She thought.
It was a shame that Maria didn't know that this maid of her's had grown more mature over the years in an effort to set an example for her to follow. Mash realized this with a bitter hear.
'Unknowingly, while correcting the princesses behavior, I have begun to change. However, is this a good thing or a bad thing?' Mash wondered to herself.
Her hair had now been let down a few more inches and reached her back, while her hazel eyes had now developed a more calm expression that didn't belong there before. Her overall figure had become more refined and her height had even increased slightly. Unknowingly, while working for and taken care of the princess, this maid was beginning to develop into the ideal noblewoman.
For a moment, Maria stared at this maid and wondered 'Just how troublesome was I to bring such a change?'.
"Still trying to handle the princess, Mash?" A small chuckle dragged Maria from her fantasy as a man entered the room.
"Oh?" Mash looked at the newly arrived man as she asked back with a glare, "if it isn't the princesses' guard, where were you when I was telling her why she couldn't attend the knights training?"
The man, in royal knight armor of blue and silver, shrugged as his chestnut hair waved about. His emerald eyes glanced between the two woman before finally speaking, "Why don't you just allow her?"
"Adam!" Mash scowled as Maria gave a nod towards her personal guard.
"Mash, we both know the princess can take care of herself, in fact, to the point where there is not much need for the both of use." Adam proclaimed back.
However, although she knew this to be true, Mash still scoffed at this and turned her head away with a 'hump'.
Finally, Adam could do naught but walk closer to the maid as his right hand reached out. Hesitating slightly, he placed it on Mash's head of black hair as he lightly patted her head.
"You've tried your best.." he softly whispered, "...but you have to face reality, this is how our princess will be and there's no changing that."
Mash grumbled slightly but slowly began to calm down. She raised her head as her gaze met the warm eyes of the 20-year-old man.
"You're always the same." She smiled.
Adam responded with a small chuckle.
'This two....' Maria thought as she looked at the scene before her.
'There's no way...I'm thinking too much...It's probably just the bonds between coworkers.' Maria forcefully shook her head to rid of her thought, and in the end, convinced herself.