The Red Rose and The Black Rose

She... What was her name?

Ah, right. She was Balam, the Maid number 51 of the Diabolic Cleaning Maids Series.

Her heart felt a flutter of joy. After all, she could serve the Supreme Ladies, cleaning their wonderful palace~

It was strange, but she vaguely remembered her existence as a creation of the Supreme Lords. Even her head spun when she tried to think of her creator... But she was sure it was Lord M4v3r1ck12.

She wasn't like the other Maids. She was unique. Unique in her class, yet... Weak.

If compared to any of the other Maids, even though they were all at level 1, with High-class equipment in the form of customized maid outfits, she, Balam, was the weakest of the maids.

Only for one thing.

She was human.

While the eldest sister of all the maids, Bael, was a Demon, or the sister number 11, Gusion, was a Fallen Angel, or the sister number 41, Focalor, was an Oni, she, Balam, the number 51, was human.

She didn't know why Lord M4v3r1ck12 had made her human, but she wasn't going to question the immense wisdom of the Supreme Lords.

She got up from her wonderful bed and went straight to the bathroom.

As a human, she had annoying needs for her duty as a maid of the Supreme Lords, but she was created that way, and she wouldn't complain to her Lords about their decision to make her as she was.

She looked at herself in the mirror after properly grooming herself, and smiled.

A tender, pretty face, fair skin, clear blue eyes like the sky, and long blonde hair down to her waist.

She adjusted her maid headband and, with cheerful steps, left her room.

And there awaited the Saint Maid, Maria, in few words, both the Head of the Maids, and the idol of the 51.

"W-Wah! Lady Maria!" She stumbled a bit, but composed herself, giving a deep, orderly bow. "What brings you here?"

"Hm... You are... Balam, correct?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, both hands resting on her staff in front of her.

Why was the Head of the Maids asking her something she should know? Well, she wasn't one to question her superior.

"Yes! Lady Maria! My name is Balam." She smiled politely and obediently, answering instantly.

"... Of course. Ejem. My apologies for asking. But you're about 2 minutes late." She said as she pulled out a golden pocket watch with a chain from a pocket somewhere in her dress.

Balam blinked, and indeed... It was 2 minutes later than indicated for 'breakfast.'

She paled, looking horrified at the clock, with its longer hand moving as the seconds passed.

Balam straightened up and gave an even deeper bow, sweating.

"My sincerest apologies, Lady Maria! I don't know what happened! I-I should have gotten up 30 minutes b-before-!"

"It's alright..." Said the Saint Maid.

"Eh?"

Was the strict and perfect Maria letting this slip-up pass?

Normally... Well, normally no one was even a microsecond late. So Maria had no reason to punish anyone. In fact, she had never punished anyone because all the maids did everything perfectly...

And Balam had just become the first maid to do something wrong... Which was devastating her self-esteem and confidence overwhelmingly... And yet, she was forgiven.

"... Just follow me. I'll take you to the dining room." Sighed the prim Maria.

Balam couldn't understand it for a moment, but nodded vigorously, following anxiously and nervously behind Maria through the halls of Titania...

It was... Strange... Why did it feel too... New? She had passed through these halls countless times, right?

She frowned as she felt that, indeed, the wonderful halls she was passing through were uncharted territory, waiting to be explored... But she already knew every corner of Titania... She had cleaned every corner of Titania at some point...

Eventually, they arrived at the dining room, with the other 50 maids joyfully eating all kinds of food.

Each had their favorite. Their unique meal.

Marbas loved croissants. Zepar adored pancakes with cream. Bune appreciated a good pair of waffles with berries and a coffee.

As they ate, the maids gossiped among themselves, each with their special and unique personalities.

Astaroth spoke seductively and playfully. Marchosias blushed and spoke especially lewdly unnecessarily. Sabnock stuttered and corrected herself constantly while seeming to panic.

And once Maria entered the dining room with Balam behind her, the maids stopped dead in their tracks.

First, they looked with bright smiles at the Head Maid, and then...

Balam felt uncomfortable and confused by the doubtful looks her sisters were directing at them...

No... She shouldn't feel so confused. She... had made a mistake, it was normal for them to look at her weird...

She made a somewhat dejected and apologetic expression, with a slight bow to her sisters.

They all stood up and bowed to Maria.

""Greetings, Lady Maria."" They said in unison.

Balam did too, accustomed... And yet not, to greeting Maria when she entered the dining room. It didn't feel right to do it... Or normal at least.

But she had already greeted her after all... It was logical that it felt weird to greet her twice in such a short time...

Maria applauded with a smile.

"Greetings, my lovely girls." After all, Maria was the 'mother' of the maids in an almost familial sense.

They were all creations of the Supreme Lords, so they had a familiarity beyond their initial roles, and Maria was the closest to a maternal figure of the maids as their 'boss,' but who didn't act as such, but as an attentive mother.

Once the greeting was done, the maids sat down, but now they were somewhat uncomfortable, eating in silence while whispering among themselves and giving Balam slight glances.

She felt uneasy.

"Ejem. Balam, go sit down." Maria said, pretending to cough into her fist.

"Y-Yes, Lady Maria. My apologies." She apologized, and went to sit in one of the luxurious chairs, in a spot that seemed added, breaking the perfect order of all the chairs around the circular table.

On one side was the window overlooking the kitchen. And on the other side, there was a long rectangular table considered 'VIP', where Lady Maria, Lady Juliana Miss Perfect, and Lord Magister Magic Magical ate.

She felt very embarrassed to look in that direction, so she just sat down, between Bael and Furcas.

The eldest sister of all the maids and the second youngest of the series of 51 maids, second only to Balam, looked somewhat uncomfortable, and continued eating.

The first, Bael, had black hair, very beautiful and soft even just to look at, she had a maid's tiara, and although her eyes were red, only one was visible, as there was a patch in the shape of a large black rose over her left eye.

Her skin was white, very beautiful, almost as white as the maid dress she was wearing, which, like all the others, had a unique and personalized design by the Supreme Lords for them, especially by Lady Black Abyss•White Flower in Bael's case.

Just thinking about all the effort the Supreme Lords put into making their clothes excited her.

Going back to Bael, she was quite pale, but like her hair, there were black parts that contrasted, these were located on her chest, like a small black metal breastplate with several sharp and violent spikes that extended to her left, while her hips also presented this same material over her dress, like parts of armor with the same sharp and threatening design.

Still, the most clearly contrasting part was her right arm, with which she was eating. It was entirely made of that black metal, her shoulder extended into spikes and dark sharp edges, while her arm descended in layers of black metal to the intersection at her elbow, where it lost some of its thickness to allow for great mobility. But it still continued in black plates until it reached the wrist, where the same sharp patterns were repeated on the back, as well as on the tips of her fingers.

It was undoubtedly an imposing and terrifying design for an enemy, but Bael was cute. All her splendor gave peace, her white dress with a beautiful skirt and long fabrics that descended to her heels, as well as the high black stockings that reached her thigh with silver metallic patterns on the top, and some cute shiny black shoes. 

{Bael PNG}

Her presence was perfect and radiated nobility just by seeing her.

In fact, Bael, being the eldest, was the only maid equipped with relic-level gear, specially made to sacrifice herself and cause a slight hindrance in the ranks of the invaders.

On the other hand, there was Forcas.

She didn't know the Supreme Lords very well, but several of them undoubtedly liked the contrast of black and white, and Forcas was a demonstration of that alongside Bael.

With bright white hair adorned with a braid on each side, red eyes, and skin as pale as marble, but unlike many maids, she had a style... What was it called? Oriental? Yes, that's it. She had a Maid outfit based on the 'oriental culture' according to the Supreme Lords. It consisted of a black headband with the lunar cycle drawn on it in white, while the hidden cycle of the moon was shown as three black spheres falling from the headband on each side to her shoulders.

Her dress consisted of a large black fabric underneath a grayish vest, she couldn't recall its name very well, it was... It was... A Han... Hanfu! That was it, it was black under the grayish jacket. The inside of the hanfu was red, while the embroidery presented itself as 'S'-shaped lines that converged at each end.

She wore white wooden sandals, as well as high black stockings up to her thighs, although they were not visible due to the hanfu.

{Forcas PNG}

She had no words to explain the perfection of the Supreme Lords' hands in creating them all, it was unimaginable, something that the human mind, no... the mortal mind in general, could not comprehend.

Both beauties were incredible, and while she didn't deny that she herself, as a creation of Lord M4v3r1ck12, was pretty, she was nothing compared to her sisters. It didn't affect her self-esteem because she had no reason to envy them at all, but it made her wonder why she was so different.

She simply sat in silence, looking at her favorite food... A sandwich with cheese, ham, and tomato. 

It wasn't as intricate as Glasya-Labolas's chocolate feast, but it was her favorite~

"What are you!? Tell me what you are!" She looked for a moment towards the kitchen, seeing... Bread Pudding! That's right, putting two sandwich buns on each cheek of one of the chefs.

"A... A stupid sandwich..." The young rabbit-eared chef said nervously.

"A stupid sandwich what!?"

"A... A stupid sandwich, chef!"

The answer pleased the chef, letting him go back to continue cooking. Balam then took a bite of her sandwich, made with great effort and love by the chefs of Titania.

Each of the maids had a favorite meal, and that's what they ate, and although they could actually ask the chefs for whatever they wanted, they really didn't out of respect for the kitchen, which was always extremely busy.

"Where is the lobster!? Damn it, bring me the lobster! Jennifer! Get your head out of the refrigerator!"... Just like that, and no one really wanted to interact with Bread Pudding when he was running the kitchen, they would only hinder his honorable task entrusted by the Supreme Lords, plus they were always grateful to him for preparing their favorite meals on time and to specifications.

Although... She didn't like feeling this uncomfortable. Her sisters weren't talking to her, barely even looking at her... But there was no choice, this must be her punishment for breaking the times the Supreme Lords had set.

The maids' work in Titania was crucial, despite being only 50... 51! Despite being so few, they had to take care of cleaning, maintenance, and order throughout the Palace of Titania, which was extremely large, so even 1 minute of delay could delay all the other maids.

She understood her mistake very well, and if that mistake had been made during work, it would surely have caused worse problems, like a disruption in the formation of the Maids or worse, a corner or nook being left uncleaned!...

After all, although they were called 'Maids', the technical term would be 'Assistants to the Supreme Lords', so the error became much worse when thought of in that way, they were failing in the task entrusted by their creators...

She swallowed some of the delicious orange juice in front of her to calm her nerves, just the thought of failing one of the Supremes was... More than depressing...

She then looked to her left, today, Bael was in charge of serving one of the two remaining Supreme Ladies. Apparently, she was not yet classified to be able to do so... She needed more training to meet Maria's expectations to even be considered to serve the Supremes, but even being their Assistant was an immeasurable honor.

"Sister Bael. Which of the Supreme Ladies do you have to serve?" She asked with a smile at the eldest sister of the Maids, who looked at her for a moment somewhat doubtful, but at the same time, her eyes took on an intense shine as she remembered. Of course, she quickly returned to her previous composure.

"*Cough* I have to serve our Queen, Dont-Say-My-Name. I start in 15 minutes and 53 seconds." She explained with a serious tone but with a smile on her face.

Indeed... Those who had the absolute privilege of personally serving one of the Supremes had more time to rest to calm their emotions about being chosen for that mission.

She couldn't imagine the nerves Bael must be feeling, the pressure of not wanting to make even the slightest mistake, the difficulty of even standing straight in front of one of the Supremes... Wah... It made her nervous just thinking about it...

She looked at the clock, and it was almost closing time... It seemed strange to have to look at the clock to know that, as if she felt the need to confirm everything she did, as if everything was déjà vu...

She looked at the plates of her sisters, who were almost finished, so she hurried to catch up with them. Today she was more pensive than usual... Thinking so much was going to make her work suffer...

A bell rang after a few minutes, and the maids pushed their plates forward slightly, getting up from the table almost in unison, while half walked to one side and the other to the other side.

Balam, although somewhat doubtful, managed to keep up with the pace, she had done it countless times before, but she felt somewhat clumsy, unable to maintain the noble and divine posture of her sisters so perfectly, it must be because she woke up late...

Two lines formed in front of Maria at the entrance of the dining room, who proceeded to count them, with exactly 51 Maids present, as always, a perfect formation. Although they weren't even lines... Why had the Supreme Lords made them odd? Furthermore, why was she even wondering about that? It's obvious that they must have some perfect plan for it, how could she even begin to understand it?

She thought with a smile, although she was quickly snapped out of her thoughts when Maria called her.

"Balam."

"Y-Yes! Lady Maria!" She said somewhat nervously, maintaining her noble and upright posture with some difficulty, as if she had all the knowledge to do so but her body wasn't used to it...

"This time, you'll be on the trails between the Palace and the Dragon Court Garden, they're 4 kilometers straight between each trail. After that, Carmellitian needs paper, stones, and scissors brought to her, you'll be in charge of directing a group of Orcs to deliver the designated items. I'll give you a notebook with all the details later." Maria explained, to which Balam put her hand on her chest and bowed.

"Yes, Lady Maria!" She said enthusiastically. She was excited, as if it were the first time she was starting to work for the Supremes, well... She always felt that way, although today it was especially more vivid.

After a few minutes, each Maid had her own booklet with her daily tasks, it was totally obligatory to complete them all on time and in the right manner, otherwise... Well... She had no idea. No Maid had ever been reprimanded before, ever. None had made a mistake or finished outside the indicated times.

Balam clenched her fists tightly, determined, she wasn't going to be the first.

"Waah~" She could always afford to marvel at the construction of the Supremes.

Titania was beautiful wherever you looked at it, its materials, its architecture, its architects... Everything was beyond divine.

But after a long journey, she had finally arrived.

It was the middle section of the Dragon Court Garden, with 8 trails in total, each 4 km long, connecting different sections of the entire garden, as well as 4 of them directly connecting to the Palace where the Supreme Queen's Throne Room was located, it also connected various places like Le Nouveau Versailles, or even a secret entrance to the Unseelie Forest, but...

Something was odd, she thought usually only one Maid was in charge of cleaning and maintaining all 8 trails of this section, but she was only in charge of 4 now...

She didn't pay much attention to it, she was thinking too much and working too little, so she approached the cleaning team she brought with her, taking the broom with both hands and starting to work with her head held high. If any of the Supremes were to pass through here, thanks to her, their divine shoes would never be dirtied. 

…

"What news dost thou bring, Maria?" Lord Bachelory, the Prime Minister of Titania, asked in a neutral tone as he administered Titania from the throne that his queen had allowed him to use for this particular purpose.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Bachelory. I come to inform you about the... 'Project' involving Balam, which Queen Dont-Say-My-Name is carrying out with the human formerly known as 'Tuare'." Maria explained after bowing to the Doppelganger, speaking politely and with a beautiful tone.

"Verily? What tidings hast thou to deliver concerning this affair?" The Prime Minister shifted his gaze from nothingness, although it's not as if his gaze could be detected through the helmet, or in any case, given that he didn't have eyes as such, and looked at Maria with more interest.

"Balam seems to recognize the work times of the Maids, and although she was 3 minutes late today, she acknowledged it by checking the clock. Her favorite food was the one chosen by the Supreme Queen, and she also seems to recognize the names of all her sisters, as well as all the places in Titania, as she was able to go to the exact location of her first task without a guide. Currently, she is still cleaning several corridors of the Dragon Court Garden. So, as far as I'm concerned, the 'project' is proving to be successful, Lord Bachelory. However... The human has many... Thoughts. She must feel confused or very pensive, sometimes, she stares into space. It must not be an easy change for her..." Maria explained in detail.

"I perceive. 'Tis commendable. When Lady Dont bade me employ [Control Amnesia] upon that mortal for an experiment, I did not anticipate such favorable outcomes. What sagacity from her Majesty~" He said marveling. "If I apprehend the queen's intentions aright, she may seek to 'introduce' more Maids to ease the tidying of Titania through this method. 'Twill diminish their burdens, albeit regrettably, yet it shall ensure the cleanliness of all of Titania in shorter time." The Doppelganger nodded, more as if reflecting to himself.

"...I'm not doubting her Majesty's plans, Lord Bachelory, but... The original 50 Maids created by the Supremes do an exemplary job. Why would more be needed...?" Maria expressed her doubt.

"Aye, from mine understanding, some Maids bear personal qualms with tending to particular locales, like the Dungeons where Carmellitian attends her tasks, or the abode of Don Pulpon, dost thou not agree?"

"Well... Yes, but we are not ones to refuse to clean every inch of Titania..." The Chief Maid said somewhat nervously.

"Verily, Queen Dont is a paragon of mercy... And I harbor no skepticism that Lady Black Abyss likewise contributed to the conception. Forsooth, to liberate the Maids crafted by the Supreme Lords from tasks that chafe against their predispositions, as bestowed by the Lords themselves... Such benevolence." In fact, Bachelory seemed moved, almost to tears, were it not for his mask and his inability to do so in the first place.

"I-I understand, excuse the inconvenience, Lord Bachelory. I never thought about the depth that this plan really had... I suppose my intelligence wouldn't reach to encompass so much of Queen Dont's thoughts for the Maids." Lady Maria said bowing to the Prime Minister, they usually just did what the Supremes said without questioning, but thinking about it... Their minds couldn't encompass such endless complexity... It was impressive. Like admiring a miracle.

"Fret not, Maria. The magnanimity of the Supreme Ladies is indeed remarkable, and their sagacity boundless. Verily, even I find it challenging to discern the depths of wisdom guiding each of their illustrious deeds." The reality in his tone was more genuine awe than acting. "Presently, proceed with the 'project' to integrate Balam among the Maids. Counsel each of them to comport themselves naturally in the presence of 'Balam,' as if she were truly one of their kin. This endeavor shall also foster greater openness and receptivity among the Maids towards guests or new additions to Titania." Bachelory instructed.

"Understood, Lord Bachelory. I will do my best to make the Supreme's plan a reality." The Maid Chief exclaimed with another bow to Bachelory, before turning around and starting to walk towards the exit of the Throne Room.

The Doppelganger was left alone in the throne room again, only with the 'guards' of the room as company.

"Indeed, the magnificence of the Supreme Ladies knows no bounds. I am truly elated to contribute to their extraordinary scheme that spans across every realm in the cosmos~"

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Name: Maria

Creators: NoobMaster99, Belerick, Habano, Hanzel 

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