Disney!Hetalia x Reader

France: Cinderella [2]

"Of course not... well, ehm, very well!" the Grand Duke declared before rubbing his chin. "I shall arrange the ball for--"

"Tomorrow night!" the king proclaimed. "And see that every eligible maiden is there!"

The Grand Duke sighed into his hand and rubbed his temple. "Yes, right away, Sire..."

—————

It was now high noon in the village below, a beautiful day, with clear azure skies, and the warm sun cascading down onto the slated rooftops below as the loud chatter and bustle of the fellow townspeople made the small village feel so alive. [Name] had gone down this lovely afternoon to the town square for the estate's weekly food supply, while Jaq continued with the regular chores.

She had little money to spare, so she had to make it count. Her first stop was the butcher's shop, hoping he had enough cheap stock to choose from. The smell of fresh meat overcame her as [Name] made her way to the shop. When she stepped near the open window, she called out to the butcher; "Monsieur? Are you in there?"

A bit of shuffling was heard inside, a loud thud and a curse, and soon enough the curtains shook, and then came emerged the butcher himself, who smiled when he spotted [Name].

"Ah, good afternoon, [Name]!" he greeted. "You're in luck, the royal hunting party just came back today and dropped off some fresh venison."

[Name] tilted her head as the butcher turned to grab some of the meat he mentioned. "The royal hunting party? I didn't know they even came by this little town at all."

"Yes, yes," the butcher muttered, still searching for the meat behind him, having already misplaced it, "they should still be somewhere in town, knowing that Prince Francis and his--ha!--his silly romanticisms. And, don't worry; for you, I'll knock off half the price."

The butcher finally pulled out the chunk of venison he'd been searching for, placing it down on a wooden table, and wrapped it nicely for [Name] to carry. She then paid the butcher a nice sum of the little money she had before thanking him and taking the meat off of his hands, stumbling a bit as she was taken off guard by the weight.

As she next made her way toward the fruit seller, she noticed a small watch of nightingale's sitting pitched atop a rooftop. She smiled at the birds and waved as they chirped at her, and she began softly singing to herself...

"High above,

"Oh, sweet nightingale,

"Sing sweet nightingale, high..."

The crowd seemed to swarm larger and larger as [Name] neared the fruit seller, but she paid little to no mind. Swiftly as she could, she weaved through the crowd and kept to herself.

"Oh, sing sweet nightingale,

"Sing sweet nightingale,

"Oh--"

[Name] collided with someone, immediately stumbling back onto the ground with a hard thud and nearly spilling the venison from the bag onto the dirt path.

"I'm so sorry, mademoiselle!" said the stranger, kneeling down to help her up as she collected herself. "I did not see you there."

She took the stranger's hand, lifting herself up, and brushed the dirt off of herself. "No, I'm sorry, I--"

[Name]'s breath was nearly caught in her throat when she finally looked up at the stranger. It was clear he wasn't just a regular member of the townsfolk; he was well-groomed with clear skin, along with a bit of stubble, wavy brown hair with a silky shine and shimmering violet eyes. His clothes were of something [Name]'s father would have worn on a normal afternoon, safe for a bit of dirt along the hem of his pants and shoes, most likely from wandering around town for some time.