Magnolia’s Glittering Reflections (pt 3)

With pleading eyes, Miho looked at her broom Clarice who she held in her hand. With the magical crystal sparkling, she made her demand.

“Can you transform into something we can use to clean up the anxiety tormenting the princess?”

The crystal started sparkling more frantically and soon, the magical tool started morphing into something new.

Hanna clapped her hands as she anticipated this for her unfamiliar display of magic. With big eyes she watched Clarice’s new form take shape.

“... a bow and arrow?” she looked at Miho with shock.

“You can’t be serious. We can’t shoot the princess with that!”

Miho took a closer look at the weapon in her hand. She had practiced a bit of archery in middle school one day, but that was all. Despite that, Hanna was right, they couldn’t go out and try to shoot the princess with that. What if it seriously hurts her?

“I should have been more specific,” she said while looking at the ground.

Luckily Clarice’s crystal still glows a bit.

“It looks like we can do another transformation,” Miho said while looking at Hanna.

“What about a perfume? The princess would have no problems with that right? As long as it doesn’t glitter too much,” Hanna suggested.

Miho looked at Clarice and made her wish. The bow started shifting into an expensive-looking perfume, something the princess would buy in a high-end store.

Now we need to convince her to use it.

X

With her fist balled up, Miho knocked on the princess’s door.

They waited and the door opened a bit, just enough for Silverbell to escape and nuzzle her head against Hanna’s leg. She crouched and started petting the princess’s cat.

“Silverbell!” the princess yelled as she approached the door. She peeked out her head to look where her cat went.

“Oh, it’s you two. Have you two finished cleaning up the remaining glitter tarnishing this fine establishment?”

Miho shook her head.

“We can’t say we have but-”

The princess interrupted her.

“Then don’t waste my precious time,” the princess said while holding the door handle, ready to close the door shut.

Fast, Miho moves her foot between the door and the hinge, preventing it from being closed.

“Excuse me?” the princes angrily yelled.

“We have found a way to address the glitter problem, please hear our plea”

The princess sighed and crossed her arms. Miho held up the perfume while Hanna started promoting it to the princess.

“You see, Miho can use magic to clean up anything and she created this wonderful perfume for you, Your Majesty.”

Magnolia put on her glasses and took a closer look.

“I see no brand label, every mortal in this land should know I only use Arcadia Ambrosia or Nocturne Mystique.”

She is not going to use this…. I better be straight with her.

“Listen, we have been trying to clean the glitter all day, but every time we clear it, it will return after a certain time. We think you might have been possessed by some glitter-spawning demon that caused your palace to become filled with glitter like this. It uses this magic to dispel the demons so we clean up the glitter for good.”

“D…demons…” the princess stuttered.

“You got to be kidding me…”

She looked at Miho with a shock on her face.

“That sounds plausible, what else could cause this glittery hell,” she made a big gesture, referring to the hallway.

“Let me apply it to you,” Miho said, after which she started frantically applying the perfume to the princess's whole body.

Let’s hope this goes well

The princess coughed, her body covered in a cloud of Clarice’s magical dust.

After the dust had settled, the princess collapsed in Miho’s arms.

“Oh no, what do we do now?” Hanna screamed in panic.

Miho calmly petted Magnolia's head.

“She’ll be alright, this is like I expected. She must have been utterly exhausted, the stress being the only thing that kept her up.”

Together, Hanna and Miho carried the princess to her bedroom, followed by the cat. They tucked her in her massive bed covered with purple velvet sheets.

They watched her lying in her bed for a bit, after which she regained consciousness.

She turned her head and softly whispered to the girls.

“I feel so light… so relaxed… so tire-”

Before she could finish her sentence, she had already dozed off into deep slumber.

“Let’s continue and finish cleaning this glittery mess.”

Miho transformed Clarice back into her broom form and together with Hanna, she started systematically cleaning every room, hallway, and staircase of the majestic palace, making it entirely glitter-free.

“You did a great job, Hanna,” Miho completed the girl who almost collapsed from being tired.

“Promise we won’t clean an entire palace in one evening again,” Hanna said while resting her back against a marble pillar.

Miho browsed through the hallway and confirmed the glitters had stopped from reappearing.

The sun had begun to set, casting an eerie glow over the mostly derelict palace. Luckily, the ceilings were equipped with magical chandeliers which started to glow automatically as dusk set in.

While carrying a pot of freshly brewed evening tea, Hanna and Miho entered the princess’s. Miho had taken some tea leaves grown in her garden with her to the palace, as tea wasn’t a well-known drink in this country.

“Dear majesty, we came to inform you the palace has been completely cleared from glitter,” Miho said while making a bow.

“Please accept our specially made drink,” she added while Hanna poured the drowsy princess a cup.

She held the cup under her nose, where it steamed up her face.

“Dear esteemed cleaners, I must express that I have not experienced such tranquility in quite some time,” she said after taking her first sip.

“Let me finish this cup of delicious hot beverage and I will inspect the palace afterward.”

Hanna yawned.

“I… I am sorry Your Majesty. That was completely inappropriate,” she responded.

“You must be quite tired, please stay the night in our finest guest room at the end of the hallway,” the princess said with a refreshing smile on her face.

She seems to be doing a lot better already.

Miho and Hanna made their way to their assigned bedroom. They barely had time to take in its lavish decorations before exhaustion overtook them, and they drifted off to sleep.

X

The next morning Miho and Hanna got up early to make the princess an exquisite breakfast, worthy of a royalty like hers. Golden eggs, various exotic meats and, tropical-looking fruits.

They put the dishes on a cart and rolled it to the princess’s bedroom door.

“Good morning Your Majesty, we made you a special departure breakfast,” Miho said.

“Departure? I was just about to promote you as permanent staff,” the princess said with a sad expression. Nevertheless, she quickly began indulging in the treats Miho and Hanna had prepared.

“I am sorry to inform you that we have other jobs lined up, but we will be at your service for future one-off jobs,” Miho said while bowing, Hanna quickly following.

After leaving the princess alone, Hanna asked Miho about those future jobs.

“I’ve always dreamed about living in such a majestic place… I wished I could have stayed a little longer,” she added.

“We don’t have any work after this… but I don’t want to stay working as a maid at one place. That goes against the idea of having a business, doesn’t it?” Miho responded.

“Besides that, don’t you want to get back to Friendenshine? I have just started to feel at home there.”

“You are right Miho… but still… she would be all alone”

The two of them walked through a hallway decorated with all kinds of crystal sculptures that led to the main entrance.

Hanna is right, we can’t leave her all alone in this big palace, there is still something we need to do.

Miho and Hanna left the building and went to the stables, where they met with a fired staff member who was busy packing up some of his things. They explained what they did to get rid of the glitter.

“So you are saying that the princess was affected by some curse?” the concerned stable chief asked.

Miho nodded, this explanation was good enough for now.

“She’s much calmer now, but she still needs all of you to care for her. She cannot maintain this enormous palace on her own.”

“Well, if she has truly changed, I don’t mind giving it another shot. Let me head to town and attempt to convince the other personnel to rejoin.”

He mounted a horse and rode away over the driveway. The girls waited on a bench overlooking the palace’s majestic gardens. After a while, the staff members slowly reentered the premises.

After all the staff had gathered in front of the palace’s main entrance, they heard the tall balcony doors open. The princess walked outside and started speaking.

“My esteemed employees, I want to apologize for my bad behavior. It turns out I was possessed by some glittery demon that turned my palace into a sparkly hell. I falsely accused you of littering the majestic hallways with glitter dust, for which I will be forever sorry. I hope you will all forgive me and grant me another chance,” she proclaimed, concluding with a deep elegant bow.

The staff members entered the palace and started working right away.

“Thank you for gathering everyone here,” Miho told the stable chief.

“No problem, my lady. If there is anything I can help you with.”

“Please, there is no reason to be so formal. Actually, I want to ask you something private,” the curious Miho responded.

“The palace’s mirrors, did you ever notice something strange about them?” she asked the employee.

The man looked surprised and started whispering.

“Well, a while ago I spotted the princess talking to one of the mirrors. It was like she was commanding someone to do something for her. I moved closer to the mirror, trying to get a better look. And there I saw a faint image of Lord Cedric appearing. It was like the mirror was reflecting him into it from afar.”

Miho carefully took in the details of the story.

“Do you think the princess might use magic to communicate with people using a mirror?” she asked.

“I am afraid I can’t answer that question. So far as I know, she can’t use magic, but who am I to tell? I am just a simple stableman, you should ask me about horses!” he said while laughing.

“Speaking about horses, I have to excuse myself and get them ready. Since you are leaving, I can arrange a driver to pick you up in about an hour, is that alright?”

Miho nodded.

“Thank you for your information and the ride back home. It is well appreciated.”

Hanna instructed Miho to look up to the balcony, where the princess waved them to come inside. So they returned indoors and ascended the stairs to the princess’s room.

“Greetings, my little glittery saviors,” the princess said with a smile.

She seems way happier than when we first came here.

“For the final time today, I want to show you my gratitude. Please accept this wonderful gift,” the princess held a set of beautifully made mittens of silky fabric before them.

Hanna looked at the princess with tearful eyes.

“It is so beautiful… I could die,” she said after which she jumped toward her and started hugging her.

“Ex… excuse me!” the princess said with a blushing face.

“This is highly inappropriate!”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold in anymore,” Hanna said while rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

A now jealous silverbell jumped against Hanna, demanding her attention.

“Here you go, here you go,” she said while petting the royal cat.

“Still, there is one thing I’ve forgotten,”

What could it be? I want to get home already.

The princess reached for a leather pouch and gave it to Miho.

“Here is your payment,” she said with a smile.

With gloating eyes, Miho looked at the couple of gold pieces that sat inside.

“So this is what they look like,” she quietly whispered against herself.

The payment, of course - how could I have forgotten that? I got so caught up in the whole princess situation that I completely overlooked the thing that matters most.

The cleaners waved the princess goodbye and entered the carriage the stable chief had prepared for them to go home.

Content with her substantial payout and the way she resolved the situation, Miho couldn't help but wonder.

There is something the princess is not telling us, she wouldn’t hide that one mirror in the hallway for no reason. She is using some kind of magic to see things in them, like Arnold… and the frozen woman in the cave. And maybe Miss Ravenshild?, Miho thought when remembering the strange way they were summoned to the castle.

Miho shook her head. These aren’t any of her issues, she isn’t going to be a heroic adventurer like the goddess wanted from her. She is here with one mission, to start her own cleaning company. She took another look at the golden coins sitting in her pouch.

Let’s think of a way to make good use of these.