Maid!Hime

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MaidHime!
The most moé maid manga out there surrounds the story of a little Princess Mikan and her adventures posing as a maid becoming Maid Mikan Hime!

Mikan who is heir to the throne, wants to prepare to be a good Queen to her people and to know how the lower class of people live so she can better serve them. What better way to do that than to become a servant herself? So, with the permission of her parents Queen Aino (who worries about her beloved daughter and offers lots of advice and sometimes too much help!) and King Lulu (who also loves his daughter but is much more excited to hear about what she learns than her safety), Mikan-Hime becomes Maid Mikan in a distant home of a nobleman.

The trouble is- Mikan loves serving! But is it because she enjoys leaving behind her Princess life, or is it because she is beginning to realize she has fallen in love with her Goshujin-sama?!

Goshujin-sama is a kind and gentle master who has always felt a little guilty about having servants. He owns a lot of land and is very wealthy, but most of it he inherited from him family. He is well known in the community and knows he has to find a good wife soon to help him run the house while he continues his business. Often, he would not come home for weeks at a time travelling the county being generous to the poor and learning as much as he can through his travels. But upon returning home he finds a new maid bringing in his breakfast! Immediately he falls in love with Mikan’s tempered smile and graceful movements- not like the usual maid at all! But the (supposed) difference in their rank keeps them apart. Still, he can’t seem to get her out of his head! Should he leave? Should he get married to someone else faster? Or is it O.K. just to enjoy her company while he can? Thus our story goes…

Along with Mikan comes the faithful but reserved servant Ichigo- her first handmaid back home. Ichigo is devoted to Mikan and has trouble adjusting to working side-by-side with her lady while still protecting her. Queen Aino warned her to keep a close eye on her at all times and Ichigo takes her job with pride. (“Ichigo! I can do this myself!” “But Your Majesty’s hands! Please let me.” “I’ve told you Ichi-chan, please call me Mikan. If you call me ‘Majesty’ it will blow our cover. Now show me how to wash this again…”)

Mikan is always able to fin friends. But when she first starts work for Gosuhijin-sama, he has a hard time figuring out even the simplest of tasks! Luckily she has Koto her roommate to help her. Koto lives down the hall of servant’s quarters and was instructed to look after Mikan to make sure all her job gets done on time- even if she has to finish the work herself. Normally a chamber maid, she has also been known to take on the duties of a Scullery maid as well. Koto, with her small delicate hands makes quick work where ever she goes. Even with a small bit of attitude, she doesn’t mind helping Mikan. Koto has no idea why Mikan is a maid when she was clearly built to be something much more delicate- but never asks. Instead she gladly takes on Mikan (and Ichigo from time to time) as her ward to help her understand the mysteries of the house. (“Don’t go in there after 11. That’s where K-chan takes her evening glass of wine.”)

Sami has been working in the kitchens for Goshujin-sama for many years; she’s a know-it-all woman who is brave and brassy. She really OWNS that kitchen! Through a series of little mistakes and clues, Sami is bright enough to discover Mikan’s secret! But which one is it?! She becomes one of Mikan’s confidants to help her keep the secret safe from the other house members. She is always encouraging Mikan to be bold and go for what she wants! Eventually, she also becomes good friends with Ichigo because of Ichi’s frequent trips to the kitchen to see a special person…Leon the baker.

Squall, Leon, and David have a little catering business that attends to the Goshujin-sama’s parties and the house’s everyday needs.

Leon is the quiet baker with a gentle smile who comes up with some of the most robust breads and most delicate pastries. Upon seeing her for the first time, he develops a crush on Ichigo. Afterwards, he comes by the kitchen on a regular basis on the chance that he might see her again. Soon he starts to leave behind special treats for her (ahem- and the rest of the staff of course) which Ichigo is flattered and a little confused by. Soon she finds she has developed a crush on him too and offers to pick up orders from his shop as often as she can.

Squall handles the meaty part of the business. He knew Goshujin-sama as a boy and has agreed on the exclusivity of the business. He has a bright smile and wide selection of talents. Even though he’s a successful businessman, he is an uncommonly happy person and still a friend of Goshujin-sama’s so every once in a while he attends the big social events dressed to impress!

David is the Bartender of the group. With his cat-like skills behind the bar, he captures the hearts of all the maids in the house. They all love it when he comes by! Once, he tired to hit on Sami, but she told him straight out that she already has a wonderful boyfriend (who we never see) and since then, they have been friends- sometimes drinking during off hours. XD

As head mistress of this house is K-chan and by her side is Night. They run Goshujin-sama’s house from top to bottom! In fact, K-chan is the one who hired Mikan only at the request of the Queen Aino. She is not happy to have such an inexperienced maid on her staff but tolerates her on behalf of the Queen. While with the maids and, K-chan can be tough and demanding hosts (especially at meetings) but it’s worth it. She expects the house to be in tip-top shape at all times – even Goshujin-sama doesn’t care as much as she does! When he is home- K-chan speaks to him in sweetly as a Maid should. She smiles and always begs his forgiveness. (“Goshujin-sama! You’re home early!” “Yes, but the house looks just as beautiful as when I left it. Thank you K-chan.” “Please take a nap while we prepare a snack for you…did you see the way he frowned just a little? Those staircases are filthy! Back to work!”) In her off-time (which is rare), K-chan is smart and savvy and really a very nice woman who likes to eat pho with her friends.

One of those friends is Knight. Knight is a kind but a strong leader. While he takes direction from K–chan, he is definitely a leader in his own right. He especially likes working with a small group of maid and hosts. Most of the time, he is the one who does the interviewing and hiring in the house. He often can be seen doing some of the more menial jobs himself because he’d rather just get it done than ask someone else. As we see later, he tries to build a relationship with his latest hire Vensy- but why does she keep sneaking out late at night?

Because Goshujin-sama is so popular and kind, he has many friends he likes to invite over. Representing the community’s opinion and good friends of his are Sentence and Momo. Even though they had an arranged marriage, they knew they would have ended up together anyway. They were childhood friends and love to attend parties together. Momo loves gossip and to give advice while Sentence loves to hear everything she has assembled. It’s Sentence who first notices Goshujin-sama might like Mikan. He advises against it and tries to help his friend see what a bad match it would be. While Sentence believes it to be only a passing fancy, he also does the kind thing and keeps the crush a secret from his wife who brings the most interesting pieces of the puzzle together for him. Soon he starts to realize perhaps his friend might really have serious designs on the girl! Time to get serious to save the neighbourhood! Momo doesn’t mind playing match maker. Also, she thinks Mikan looks *so familiar*…

Kyosuke is another neighbour but isn’t very close to Goshujin-sama. He is not nearly as wealthy and doesn’t care about social opinion- which is obvious. Although he is often a foolish man, he does business from time to time with Goshujin-sama forcing him to visit the house. He also thinks Mikan is beautiful and starts to prepare to ask her to marry him. Of course Mikan has no intention of doing anything of the kind, but he always seems to be right behind her. And slowly Goshujin-sama starts to realize that Mikan may not be with him for long! That rascal Kyosuke seems to think Mikan is already his! K-chan often has to shoo him out of the house to stop bothering her maids while at work.

One of the wealthiest women in the country is Maiyu who is normally too famous to know who Mikan or Goshujin-sama are. But ever since she heard a rumour about his wealth, Maiyu has been trying to seduce Goshujin-sama to make him her husband. She doesn’t really love him, but then again, she never factored in love to her plans. What she is doing is not evil- but simply accepted by her peers. She seems like a very possible choice and Goshujin-sama was seriously considering the alliance before Mikan showed up. Maiyu doesn’t know what has changed Goshujin-sama’s mind, but she is NOT HAPPY about it and is doubly determined to win him over.

Mikan is not the only princess in her family. Her beautiful little sister Mio-Hime has always been pretty bitter about the love, attention, and power that Mikan was naturally born with. With Mikan out of the castle, Mio thought she’d finally get some attention. But even in her absence, Mikan leaves a mark- everyone is still talking about her! Mio thinks it’s about time to remove her sister from the throne- when she has the least power to change her fate. But Mio isn’t alone in her desires. The devious Duke Kaname has also been waiting for his shot at power as well!

Kaname has been watching Mio carefully over the years as she continued to seethe under her older sister’s shadow. Being a Duke, Kaname is always invited to royal activities but despite that, has been forced to maintain a low rank unable to rise up. Once Mio’s first few attempts fail, Kaname offers his assistance to her and blackmails Princess Mio in return for the promise of power once she takes the throne as Queen. At first they seem to hate one another and bicker quite a bit. But after time they see how they much think alike- they make a great wicked pair! But is it enough to remove Mikan from her throne while she’s not able to take her place as princess? What kind of daughters did Aino and Lulu raise?!

Of course, Kaname needs a source of information. Vensy, has been faithful to Kaname for a long time as his special cat-maid. She acts as a spy for their evil plots, getting herself a position in goshujin-sama’s home. She uses her influence with Night (who has always had a thing for her) to get herself placed near Mikan to hear everything that’s going on. Although she doesn’t need to say much, she hears news and reports it to Kaname. Meanwhile Knight does what he can to help Vensy unwittingly hurting Mikan. But Vensy doesn’t mean to be bad- she’s just following orders. And it doesn’t take long for Knight’s charm to work on her…so what side is she on?!

Of course Queen Aino and King Lulu were not expecting all this drama! While all this is going on, Mikan has forgotten that her parents had been working out a negotiation with a neighbouring country which included her marriage to the handsome Prince Shiro. Queen Aino sends a message to Mikan that they have happily finally agreed upon the marriage- but there is one problem, Shiro-ojo wants to collect his bride! Mikan is no where in sight and Shiro begins to suspect he is being duped. He is going to find Mikan and bring her back home if she doesn’t return to the castle and part her from Goshujin-sama. Shiro is a silent and serious prince that many girls would kill to be married to, but for many years now, he has only had eyes for Mikan. To have her taken away by someone else is simply unacceptable. What will happen when he finds her working as a servant? And what will he do when he finds out about her love? It’s hard to tell behind those mysterious eyes…

Aino worries enough on her own, she really doesn’t need the help of neighbouring Queen Yae. A bit of a busybody, Yae takes on the role representing the interests of Aino’s country (or of her own needs which often sounds suspiciously the same…). Her favourite pass-time is to sit with Aino and King Lulu to subtly lend advice or opinion about the position of their daughter Mikan. (“If it were MY daughter, I would be a little more concerned about the state of her ability to rule rather than the state of her heart.”) Ironically, she becomes good friends with Little Princess Mio who often has the same political opinion. Eventually, Yae convinces Aino to take a much stronger hand in Mikan’s tale. Meddlesome neighbour!

There is only one person integral enough to contact Mikan- her own country sends the speedy Yuri to deliver special messages. When Yuri shows up in her heavy riding cape on a tall black horse, Mikan knows there is news from afar. Is it good or bad? Yuri is proud to keep this deep dark secret. Day by day though, it begins to depress her to have to deliver increasingly dreadful news to the princess- never knowing what burden she might unload. Will she be forever doomed to only pass along messages rather than help her dear princess plight? Perhaps one peek could change everything…

One of the major benefactors to Goshujin-sama’s wealth is Aunt Emi. Emi is only 7 years older than her nephew but still pays a part in his financial situation as she is his oldest living relative and the money has passed from her father (goshujin-sama’s grandpa) and then to her inheritance before him. She feels a certain obligation to make sure he is living a high life worthy of the family name. When he was first searching for a house in the country, she travelled across the country to see him and it was she who did most of the decorating and buying to help him set up. In general, Aunt Emi is a bit of a deviant when it comes to styles and fashions but also firmly believes in having respect and has the strangest ideas on how to preserve it . Goshujin-sama feels a need to please her and has no idea how she might feel about building a relationship with Mikan. Mikan’s also worried about her opinion of the match- tries to get close to her when she comes to town on unexpected visits. But Aunt Emi is hard to read! She just keeps laughing at the most important times.

Chiyo is goshujin-sama’s only sibling- his little beloved sister who travels across the globe to pursue her passion for art. She is loved everywhere she goes- lovely and talented, Chiyo- like her brother, has a soft spot for the underprivileged. When she comes home for a visit she immediately feels a connection with sweet Mikan and notices as plain as day her brother’s preference for her. She can also see Mikan is different from other servants. Chiyo’s main concern is her brother’s future so it takes her a while to make up her mind as to how to advise him. Of course, we all know she’ll help him make the right choice.

For example, Chiyo helped Goshujin-sama hire an old servant of hers- the luxurious Parlor Maid Tanpopo. Tanpopo cares for guests entering and exiting his home. With her pretty face, high voice, and entertaining skills- she is just the thing guests need to see when coming to relax. But when Gosuhjin-sama is away on long trips, the only people who approach the house are delivery men who have to be directed to the back and Tanpopo gets very bored. But even since Mikan came, goshujin-sama has spent a lot of time at home keeping Tanpopo busy! She loves talking to everyone and because of her overt beauty, she feels a strong connection with Mikan, believing herself to be a princess switched at birth. Tanpopo senses romance in the air like a bloodhound and is very knowledgeable about how to catch men. Mikan pretends not to be interested but really she listens carefully to all of her ideas. While Tanpopo has a lot of admirers, she has always had a crush on the sweet tempered and oblivious Takashi who never seems to take a hint.

Goshujin-sama’s new personal man servant is Takashi. He has not been working in the house for long as he is taking over his father’s role who has recently became ill. Upon overhearing his story when moving into the house and telling K-chan he is the new replacement, Mikan goes right to care for Old-man Takashi before Goshujin-sama can. Often, when Goshujin-sama cannot get Mikan off of his mind, he will gently grill his footman Takashi for information about her and how the house is being run. Takashi is a kind and busy young boy who is generally oblivious to feelings of romance. He’s not sure why it was important to Goshujin-sama to deliver this wrapped handkerchief for Mikan. Perhaps she needs it to wash extra-soft windows…

Every once in a while, Mikan is asked to go into town and buy things for either K-chan, Sami, or Night. It was on one such trip to pick up the new tablecloths for a fancy dinner party Mikan me the happy-go-lucky seamstress and dressmaker Mokona. Mokona is a foreigner to this land but just loves everything everyone has to offer. As part of coming to the country she learned all about the royal family- so when she see Mikan walking towards her shop, Mokona almost shouts out Mikan’s secret right there in the street! But Mikan has to quickly hush her with the promise to return the favour. But Mokona doesn’t mind it at all as long and Mikan returns to her shop once in a while to share stories about palace life and in return while Mokona designs some beautiful gowns for Mikan to impress Goshujin-sama. But Mokona is very poor trying to keep her business afloat but too proud to let Mikan help. Mikan tries to help her without revealing her identity but it’s difficult to do without first needing to confront her Goshujin-sama. Together they help Mokona’s business thrive.

At King Lulu’s right hand is his trusted Herald Stae. Stae knows everyone’s names, what they do, their family history, and is an expert in coat of arms. Not that she brags about it. King Lulu is hardly ever seen with out his little companion helping him throughout the day. When not acting as the official cconveyer of messages or proclamations to the public- Stae is with Lulu studying what he studies and attending to his knowledgeable needs. King Lulu trusts Stae to know just how to handle difficult situations with the people. Since Mikan left his side, King Lulu has called on stae more and more often not only because of her knowledge of the people, but also to public send warnings to Mikan for which she is very grateful. Once after a public announcement that a great trial had been adverted, Mikan forgot herself and hugged the Herald in public! What a strange way for a maid to act...

Now where would the royal family be without the protection of Rose – head of the guard to the throne? Rose has a tough side but she’s sweet all the way through! She would never abandon her post beside her lady Mikan, but now that she is undercover rose has set up a much wider but completely secret perimeter around goshujin-sama’s house. At first, Rose can’t help but try to stay near Mikan because of worry. But as other people in the village began to be suspicious, Rose is forced to take a small house nearby Goshujin-sama’s. It’s alright though. Rose is finally getting the chance to live semi-normally and because she is a new neighbour, she is invited into the local parties where she can regularly check up on Mikan’s well-being.

In the middle of everything is the silent Kai. Completely mute but for a few well-chosen words, Kai the host is always present and gathering up information. As we hear more and more from Kai we realise how much wisdom has been gathered up after all these years. Why didn’t you say something earlier?!