Little Maid

EIGHT

Flashback

"I recently read a book called "The Prince" By Machiavelli," you started. "It is a 16th-century political book written by an  Italian diplomat and political theorist. It was basically an instruction guide for new princes and royals."

You folded your hands on your lap. "The book details how to use cruelty to carry out an act of butchery for the sake of the greater good. It's not about exterminating hostile enemies, but it is to exterminate any potential enemies in one's inner circle. Even if people call it cruelty, such a cancer has to be uprooted in its entirety."

"So I should just kill anyone who is against me?" Shigaraki said. "Exterminate any potential enemies, as you said."

"Um, no," you said. "I emphasize that the author said this tactic should only be done one time and never used again. You want to be a just ruler, not a brutal tyrant. If you just kill anyone that goes against you, then you won't gain the support you need to minimize the chance of a successful revolt.  "

"And how do I do that?" Shigaraki said. "I need a plan."

"Um," you paused for a moment and looked down at your hands. "I think I have a plan, to at least have a vague idea of who isn't on your side. There's no way to know who is against you for sure, unless you conduct extensive prevalence on all of your cabinets, except for the ones you trust, of course."

"Survalence?" Shigaraki said.

"24/7," you said. "Don't let any place go unsearched, in secret, of course. Back to the original topic, though, I suggest you stage a trial. Have someone you trust pretend to be the uh- killer you're searching for. Have a trial right here, and include all of the people you think are on your side as the jury. Explain the full situation, and see their reactions. Ideally, anyone of your followers will advocate that the 'killer," you air quoted. "Is a loyal supporter. Someone loyal enough to kill a high-ranking member and give you a warning." You paused and put your hand on your cheek. "That would only work if your cabinet is okay if speaking up for themselves and actually caring about sparing a life," you muttered.

"I think it could work," Shigaraki said. "And you'll be my killer!"

"H-Huh?!" You exclaimed.

"You'll pretend to be the killer for the trial. If it's you, I know Toga and Dabi will advocate for you, and if they do, anyone else on my side will too."

"I-I don't think that's a good idea," you stuttered. 'What if they find out it was really me?' You thought. But, when it's revealed I'm a fake killer then no one would ever suspect me...'

"I think it's a great idea," Shigaraki said.

You sighed and nodded. "So, You're not going to tell anyone your plan?" You said. "I don't think I can keep this from Master Dabi."

"What if he's a traitor too?" Shigaraki said.

You shook your head. "I assure you, Master Dabi isn't-"

"You're his maid!" Shigaraki exclaimed. "Why wouldn't you defend him?"

You smiled at him. "If you didn't trust me or Master Dabi, you wouldn't be asking me for advice right now. I'm sure you know who your allies truly are."

Shigaraki leaned back in his seat. "You might be right," he said.

"I sure I am right, Lord Tomura."

Then, Dabi walked into the room. "The fuck are you doing with my maid?!" He exclaimed.

You stood from your seat and grinned. "Master Dabi!" You said. "Please, sit. I'm sure Lord Tomura will explain everything."

"Explain what?" Dabi said.

"____ is our killer," he said.

"What?!" Dabi exclaimed.

Your eyes widened. "Lord Tomura? I thought-"

"I didn't expect to be 'arrested'," You air quoted. "That day. I wanted Lord Tomura to explain everything to you, but he just couldn't get over his fear, I suppose."

Shigaraki uncuffed you. You stood up and walked over to Dabi. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, Master Dabi. Please, forgive me."

Dabi rolled his eyes and gently pushed you behind him. "We'll talk about this when we get home. Keep your eyes on the ground, I don't want you seeing this mess."

"Alright," you said.

"So, ____ isn't a killer?" Spinner said.

"No," Shigaraki said. "It was all fake. ____ is simply a maid. A highly intelligent one, I might add, but still a maid."

"Wait, so why did you stage all of this? Why did you kill them?" Toga said. "I thought we weren't killing anyone anymore."

Shigaraki looked at you. "I've learned a lot from ___ in the few times we've talked. I staged this in order to fish out any other traitors. Obviously, the people from the old Meta Liberation Army had something against me, so I needed to get rid of them."

"They were opportunistic people with no sense of loyalty who will serve whoever has the better standing. They lech profit by making deals regarding resources, manpower, and resistance. and when the resistance is losing, they'll come at it and crush it themselves," you explained. "The problem is that they don't openly oppose you. When we have a better standing, they'll act as if they're loyal to us. And the more lenient the ruler is, the worst they become."

"Every single day, we're faced with difficult decisions, and I'm sure that there will be a time when we face our hardest challenges yet. These people, no- these traitors- would only cause more trouble for me," Shigaraki said. "I'm starting to get serious about reforms. This isn't a child's game, anymore. I want to run a successful country, but in order to do that, I can't have any uncertainties. I need loyal people by my side to help me through these endeavors."

Shigaraki sat back at his desk. "So, will you all support me?"

"As long as you keep my maid out of your bullshit," Dabi said. "I don't want her in danger ever again."

"She was never in any real danger," Shigaraki said.

"You've got my support," Toga grinned.

"You shouldn't have to question our loyalty," Dabi said. "Though I don't like you, we've been following you for years since the league first started. You should trust us by now."

"Yeah," Spinner said.

"I have to agree," Compress said. "We'll follow you to the end of hell."

"I wouldn't go that far," Dabi said.

You giggled.

"_____," Shigaraki said. "How about you work for me now, yeah?"

"I'm sorry," You said. "But, I'll have to politely decline once again. I want to stay by Master Dabi's side."

Shigaraki rolled his eyes.