Chapter 2: Part 2: A Maid in the Reginald Manor

Follow the morning routine of both Elara and Sir Reginald. And how Sir Reginald continues to tease his maid even when she tries her best.

Chapter 2: Part 2: A Maid in the Reginald Manor

The sound of a music box rang out a pleasant tune at exactly 6 AM. Two little wooden foxes jumped out from a compartment in the clock's face, their wooden bodies bouncing up and down as the melody played.

Elara rolled over on her pillow, groaning, her eyes slowly blinking open. She watched the foxes dance for a little bit, then closed the compartment lid, silencing her alarm. The music box always soothed her, waking her up peacefully�"no loud, irritating alarms, just a fine tune to remind her that today was going to be a good day.

The sun shone brightly through the small window, a stark contrast to the miserable weather of the previous night. Elara looked up at the ceiling, hoping the clear weather would last. Unfortunately, she was too short to see out the window. But this didn't bother Elara; as a maid, she didn't spend much time in her room, dedicating most of her waking hours to work.

With that, Elara immediately got out of bed and picked out a fresh, black dress and an apron from the drawers inside the wardrobe. She swiftly pulled the dress over herself, followed by the apron, which had a wide lace tying around her waist and two fine laces crossing over her back. And lastly her white cute stocking to complete her full uniform.

She set her pyjamas neatly aside on the bed, and then noticed on the bottom shelf of her nightstand, her uniform from the day before, complete with the fox marking down the back. Elara smiled and nodded her head. "Oh, silly Sir Reginald. You are a delight but can get a bit playful at times." Elara touched her own back, reminiscing about the moment her master had teased her by standing on her. She inhaled, dusted herself off, and exited her room to start the day.

A maid's duties in the morning followed a precise order: Prepare the dining area for her master, greet her master, stand by her master during breakfast, and clean up after him, followed by ensuring her master's bedroom was clean with fresh bedding. This did not include her other duties throughout the day and carrying out any requests from her master.

The mornings were always quiet. Her steps echoed softly through the manor. As always, she gave a quick, hopeful glimpse toward the top of the stairs, then walked straight into the dining area. The sound of the cook could be heard faintly�"the sizzling of meat and the clatter of utensils. These smells wafted toward Elara, yet they did not entice her. Sir Reginald, being a fox, always dined on meats and eggs, which were unsuitable for a rabbit. Usually, the cook prepared a mix of fried vegetables for her breakfast.

The dining table consisted of six chairs. The Reginald Manor rarely received visitors, and it was only Elara and the cook who ate there afterwards. Yet, the chairs made the dining area feel properly complete. Elara reached down into a small cupboard in the corner and pulled out a large white tablecloth. At Elara's size, manoeuvring the sheet back and forth to line it up precisely was quite a challenge. This had never been a problem for her, as she always enjoyed perfecting the finest table quality.

With the cutlery arranged, a glass for his juice, the teacup and saucer, and the napkins set, the table was finally prepared. It was now time to wake Sir Reginald from his slumber. By the time he descended, the cook would have already laid his breakfast on the table, as well as a pot of tea.

She made her way to the top of the stairs, faced with her master's bedroom door. This part always made her feel guilty. Nothing was wrong with it, but it never felt right to wake someone who was clearly enjoying a pleasant sleep.

She knocked twice. "Sir, it's morning. Would you like to come down for breakfast?" No answer.

She tried again. "Sir, breakfast will be ready shortly... May I come in?" Still, no answer.

With no response, she took the liberty and broke protocol by welcoming herself into his room without permission. The door opened slowly with a silent creak. Elara whispered as she entered, "Sorry, Sir... but breakfast is ready soon... Would you like to wake up?"

The fox was still asleep, submerged in the center of his king-sized bed, his face buried in his pillows, showing no sign of stirring.

Elara stood there watching him sleep, noting the sheets rising and falling with his breath. Then she looked around the dark room, the blinds still fully closed. "This room could do with some sunlight." She pulled the cord, drawing the heavy blinds apart.

The large window stretched across the entire wall. Although she never complained about the lack of sunlight in her room, she always enjoyed looking out into the meadows. "Sir Reginald is very lucky to have such a great view from here." She turned around to see the fox still sleeping soundly.

With the sunlight filling the room, she could fully take in her master's chamber. The size of the room alone was easily ten times larger than hers. To wake up on such a comfortable bed with a grand welcoming from the morning sun must be a true delight. However, this fox preferred to stay asleep.

Elara let out a silent sigh. "Come, Sir Reginald. You really should be waking up by now." She approached his bed, not wanting to wake him, but worried that is she hadn't tried hard enough, he would be annoyed that he missed the morning.

"Sir?" She gently shook his pillow.

With that, the fox spun in his sheets, grabbed the delicate little rabbit's paw, and pulled her into the bed.

"Ah!-" Elara screamed in fear, while being dragged onto the bed sheets.

Reginald sat up, still clinging to his maid's paw as she was hunched over the edge of his bed. "Oh, Elara. It's you... I thought someone was trying to attack me in my sleep," he lied smoothly.

Elara immediately picked up on his sarcasm but treated it as genuine, not wanting to upset him. "My�"my most sincere apologies, Sir. Please, I would never harm you in any way."

Reginald released his maid's paw and let his hand glide up her arm to her face. He rubbed her cheek, followed by deliberately touching her lips. "Well, I believe breakfast should be ready soon. How about you make your way into the dining area, and you can wait for me patiently there." He grabbed both her cheeks, puckering her lips out, and smirked at the bunny's funny face.

"Yes, Sir," Elara awkwardly managed to speak out.

She pulled herself out of his grip and made her way to the door, with one final look at her master. Reginald waved his fingers at her as she closed the door.

With the door closed, Reginald stopped waving his finger, his expression instantly pulling from mischievous delight back to boredom. Without his bunny to play with, the room felt empty, deserted.

Usually, it would be Elara who pulled out his clothes for the day. But since Reginald had slept in and scared his maid away, he was now left to do everything himself. With a weary groan, he rolled to the side of the bed, tossing his pyjamas onto the floor and leaving the bed sheets scrunched up.

The nude fox stood still, slightly hunched over from his interrupted sleep. He walked to the wardrobe, gazing at his clothes hanging stiffly. He yanked one of his blue blazers off the hanger and snatched his shirt and trousers from their perfectly folded stack.

The fox sat on the bed, fully clothed. Despite his lack of time management, knowing his servants were preparing his most important meal of the day, he took a good look at the meadows. "My, what quite a contrast from last night's weather..." The fox wiped his muzzle, stretching into a genuine grin.

Elara continued to wait patiently by her master's empty chair. Still looking at the empty space where his plate would go, she took the time to pour his orange juice into the glass and prepare his tea. Although the cook was supposed to prepare his tea, an incident months ago�"when Sir Reginald had smelled that his tea was not his company's branded tea�"had resulted in him pouring the entire pot onto the floor and demanding that the inferior leaves be used in the fireplace. Since then, Elara had made it her priority to prepare his tea and check that the cook brought the right blend.

"Is your master fox-boy coming down yet!?" A scruffy badger wearing a chef's hat and apron poked his head out of the kitchen door connecting the dining area.

Elara huffed and glared at the badger. "He's not my master, he's our master. And his name is Sir Reginald, Bramble."

"Yeah, whatever," he spat out dismissively. "Well, our master's breakfast is nearly ready." Without waiting for a response, Bramble pulled himself back into the kitchen.

Elara stood there with a pout on her face. That pout suddenly turned to shock, her ears shooting up as she heard Sir Reginald making his measured way down the stairs.

Elara pulled his seat out, welcoming him to the table. "Ah, Sir Reginald. Good morning. Your breakfast is nearly ready."

Reginald said nothing, rubbing his eye as he sat down, allowing his maid to push his chair in. "Here we are, Sir." Elara picked up the teapot from the candle-lit copper hot plate and poured his tea into the teacup.

"Today's tea is�""

"�"Peppermint and root tea," Reginald cut Elara off. He brought the teacup close to his nose and inhaled. "Yes, this is one of my company's newest blends. The peppermint replenishes your taste buds to enjoy every flavor of your breakfast, while the roots contain caffeine to keep you alert and get rid of that morning fatigue."

Elara stood there stunned once again as she placed the teapot back on the hot plate. She gave a small, proud, huff of a chuckle. "Right as always, Sir. Your nose for tea expertise never fails you. I'll let the cook know you're here."

Reginald continued to sip his tea while Elara chased after Bramble to alert him that Sir Reginald required his breakfast.

Elara placed her master's breakfast in front of him. Removing the silver dome revealed: three poached eggs, a large serving of gammon cuts, fried mushrooms with garlic and herb sauce, buttered toast, baked beans, and two slices of black pudding. Elara used to look upon a plate like this with distaste; the only items that interested her would be the mushrooms and perhaps the toast.

"Here we are, Sir. If you need me, I'll be standing right behind you as always." And she did so, just after refilling his teacup.

Nothing else warmed Elara's heart than watching Sir Reginald eat. Knowing he was enjoying a full, healthy meal meant he was in good health. However, watching him eat only made her own hunger grow. "How much longer... A maid needs to eat as well." She continued to stand there, trying not to fidget, until something caught her eye.

Without noticing, Reginald knocked his spoon off the table with his elbow. The silver spoon made a silent thud as it hit the carpet, but Reginald didn't seem to notice. Elara made a silent "ooh" sound and immediately attended to the spoon. Without disturbing her master, she bent down on one knee to grab it.

That's when it hit her. A large, mighty paw grabbed her head between the ears.

"Ahh!" Elara quietly screamed out.

The fox noticed her down there. "Oh, Elara, is that you? Looks like we both went for the spoon." Instead of releasing her head, Reginald continued to push her head down while scratching her between the ears.

Elara squirmed as she tried to move from his grip. "Don't worry, Sir Reginald... P-please continue your breakfast," Elara moaned. "A-and I'll get you a new spoon." Although Elara wanted to get out of the fox's grip, being scratched in her special, sensitive area between her ears only made her yearn for more. Instead of fighting it, she let him continue until he grew bored.

Elara cleaned the spoon with a cloth from her apron and placed it back on the table. She walked back to her spot behind his chair, rubbing her head where he had been scratching her.

Reginald continued to eat his breakfast, but every so often, he started doing something different... Elara noticed immediately. Reginald kept looking over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of his maid. "Is he trying to get my attention?" Elara thought to herself. She looked over his shoulder to see how much longer he had left until she could eat.

"Elara, dear..."

"Y-yes, Sir Reginald. Please, how can I help?" She stepped up close to him.

Reginald smirked and side-eyed her with curiosity. "Elara, my dearest. Could you do me a favor and get the chef here, please." He asked in a deceptively soft voice.

Elara was confused. "Oh, no. Sir Reginald, is there a problem with your breakfast? Please give it here, and I'll return it."

As Elara went to pick up the plate, the fox pinched her cheeks, stopping her in her tracks. "Leave the breakfast. I want to speak to the cook." He started to gently sway her head back and forth.

"Right away, Sir." She left him, still confused as he sat there, waiting for something.

"Is there a problem, Sir?" Bramble bent down to speak with his master. While Elara stood back behind Sir Reginald's chair, avoiding the conversation the two were having.

Reginald whispered into Bramble's ear, then glanced quickly at Elara. "Are they talking about me!?" Elara screamed to herself.

"Are you sure, Sir?" Bramble asked, clearly sceptical.

"Yes, quite right." Bramble stood back up and made one final, suspicious look at Elara before making his way back into the kitchen. "They were talking about me!?" Now Elara was hungry and annoyed by the confusion.

As Sir Reginald continued to eat slowly, Bramble came out with another plate. "Here you are, Sir," and placed it on the opposite side of the table where he was seated.

"He's still hungry!? He hasn't even finished his first plate..." Elara cried internally.

Elara peeked at the other plate: Fried mushrooms with garlic and herb sauce, creamed spinach, and whole wheat toast. Her perfect breakfast. "W-wait a minute! That's my breakfast!! Don't tell me he's going to also eat my breakf�""

"Elara, sweety..." Reginald asked, with a set of wide, seemingly innocent eyes.

"Yes, Sir..."

"Would you join me for breakfast?" He motioned with his paw, directing her to the plate across from him, confirming that this meal, prepared specifically for her, was now meant to be shared.

Elara was shocked. She couldn't! As a maid, any servant must not interrupt their master's business, be it work, mealtime, or activities. She must only stand by to wait for further instructions. "N-no, Sir! Please. You wouldn't want me interrupting your breakfast. Carry on, Sir. And I'll attend to you and the morning chores after I've done with my breakfast." Elara smiled back generously, appreciating the offer while firmly upholding protocol.

Reginald thought otherwise. He grabbed her apron and pulled her closer to him, and whispered. "Please, I insist."

Nervously, Elara made her way to her seat, directly opposite Sir Reginald. She pulled out her chair, noting how unorthodox this was for her.

The smell of fried mushrooms and garlic enticed her to the table. "Thank you, Sir. It's very kind of you to invite me."

Reginald didn't look up from his plate and only replied with a curt, "Sure."

Elara was still confused by the scenario, but eating at the table with someone else for a change was surreal, especially with her master, Sir Reginald. She ate one mushroom�"divine. Then another, and another. Eating the food while it was fresh made a definite impact.

"This is so good. Thank you, Sir Reginald." She kept looking up at him every so often, but Reginald kept his attention squarely on his own plate.

Elara just scooped a good helping of mushrooms when suddenly, ack! her knees jumped, hitting the bottom of the table. The mushrooms bounced across the tabletop, and the glass of orange juice wobbled, spilling some onto the cloth. She looked up at Reginald, yet it seemed he hadn't even noticed.

Something tickled her leg. She tried to ignore it, but it happened again. This time, she was prepared and looked down. A dark paw was scratching her leg. She fidgeted, trying to move away from the paw, but this only enticed him more. Elara tried to be extra careful while eating her next helping, but now the paw scratched insistently, catching the fine fabric of her stocking and attempting to pull it down.

Elara suppressed a sound of discomfort while looking at Reginald. He still had his attention focused entirely on his food. So, Elara mustered on while the claws continued to scratch her leg and to feel underneath her stocking, she even crossed her legs to prevent them from falling down. Luckily, Elara only had a few mushrooms left, while Reginald was merely playing with his last slice of black pudding.

"These mushrooms are amazing, Bramble definitely went all out! Won't you say, Sir" As her fork was about to dive onto the plate, another fork darted across the table and deftly dragged her plate away. Elara looked up in shock to see her plate sitting in front of Sir Reginald.

"I've eaten all my mushrooms, can I have yours?" the fox asked, though there was only one acceptable answer.

"My mushrooms..." Elara cried inside. "Please, Sir. Help yourself."

Reginald ate one. Then he was done. Elara looked disappointed to see the rest of her mushrooms go to such waste.

Reginald put his knife and fork down and wiped his mouth. "Elara, come here for a second." Elara leaped out of her seat toward him.

"Yes, Sir. Another cup of tea, perhaps?" she asked generously.

Reginald lifted one mushroom from the plate. "Open wide." He leaned the mushroom toward her face.

"Sir! This is highly unorthodox and unprofessional," she stammered, blushing with her paws trembling.

Reginald tilted his head. "Please, come now. You like mushrooms, remember?"

Elara said nothing. She gulped and stared at the mushroom. With one lick of her lips, her mouth opened wide. The mushroom landed perfectly on her tongue. "Mmm... Delicious..."

Reginald lifted another. Elara automatically obeyed, eyes closed, chewing the mushroom. It felt like a dream come true. "Good girl, Elara. You love your mushrooms, don't you?"

Elara opened her mouth again, her eyes closed, and accepted the mushroom. One chew, two chews. This wasn't a mushroom. Her eyes snapped wide open and saw the slice of black pudding that had been taken from Reginald's plate.

Just as Elara was about to spit the food out, Reginald slammed his paw onto her face, closing her mouth completely. "Delicious, isn't it?"

The heavy taste of blood and meat threatened to make Elara throw up. She started to squirm, trying to resist his grip. "Mmm... Lovely, isn't it? Don't forget to chew!" Reginald chuckled to himself while his maid suffered in his grasp. With every chew, she gagged. "I-I can't go on. Is this what foxes really like to eat!?"

Eventually, after one large, agonising gulp, the black pudding went down her throat. Reginald released his grip, and Elara collapsed onto the floor, hyperventilating with tears streaming down her eyes.

"See? I told you you'd like it. Must be better than eating those boring mushrooms every day." He looked down at her with a satisfied fox smirk.

Elara stood up and coughed, quickly regaining her composure. "Yes, Thank you, Sir. And for having breakfast with me, Sir. H-hopefully, we can do this again sometime." She looked down, avoiding eye contact, while Reginald stood up, still smirking at her.

Reginald let out a short huff, patted Elara on the head, and walked towards the foyer. As he was about to leave, he turned his head back toward her.

"I'll be in my study. You're relieved from my immediate duties unless requested. I'll leave you to your chores around the manor."

Elara said nothing, simply bowing her head deeply.

With Reginald out of the room, she looked at the mess she had made on the table�"the spilled juice, the scattered mushrooms�"and then at her master's plate, which still held the remaining slice of black pudding.

She picked up Reginald’s fork and used it to slice off a small piece. She brought it to her lips and ate it. It still tasted vile, foul as before. But it was nice to finally enjoy an experience together with her master.