𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 || 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲

Chapter 10 - Preperations

When Lucius and Ophelia stepped foot back in the manor, they both headed their separate ways, him up three flights of stairs to the master suite, and her down the dimly lit stone stairs to the servants' quarters.

Ophelia stepped into the servant's bathroom, locking the door behind her, and peeled the sopping wet clothes from her body. They smelt like moss, dirt and stale water. Ophelia turned on the shower, and positioned herself under its trickling stream. The warm water ran and dripped down her body, washing away the grime and dirt that stuck to her skin. She washed and conditioned her curls gently, running her fingers carefully through their long spirals.

Though she was physically clean, Ophelia could still feel the touch of Lucius' hands on her skin, scorching her, tainting her. She could still feel the weight of his arm around her shoulder, the rhythm his fingers drummed into the skin of her arm as they walked back to the manor. A guilt washed over Ophelia, and she didn't feel clean at all. She scrubbed ruthlessly at her arms, her waist, her back, her shoulders, the skin on her body glowed red as she rubbed at it harshly. When she deemed herself, clean Ophelia stepped out of the shower, wrapping a white crusty towel around her body, it's rough fibres unpleasantly rubbed against her sore skin.

Ophelia stepped over to the fogged-up mirror, and ran one hand across the cool damp surface, revealing her tired reflection. She sighed deeply as she looked over herself, the girl in the mirror before her was not the girl that had first arrived at this place.

Once dry and dressed, with her hair wrapped up in a towel, she headed back to her quarters, where upon opening her door, she found a piece of parchment posted under it. Curiously she picked up the parchment, and closed the door behind her to keep its contents from prying eyes. Who knows what it could say? Upon flipping it over though, her heart stopped at the familiarity of the document. It was her resignation letter, returned to her with a small handwritten note pinned at the top.

I reject your resignation, however if you are indeed adamant about leaving, return it to me, and I will regretfully accept. LM.

Ophelia sat on her bed, holding the letter, and the note, in trembling fingers. She read over his words three, no four times, she had never got the chance to make up her mind. With a defeated sigh, she placed the letter aside and rested her head in her hands.

***

Five weeks later, the letter still remained in Ophelia's possession, she had never resubmitted it to the master of the house. And he never spoke of it, in fact, he never spoke of that day at all, as if the entire thing was erased from history. Lucius rarely had time for Ophelia, he stopped his late-night drinking, she never again came across him in the kitchens searching for another bottle. He was out a lot, with Mrs Malfoy, going for dinners, attending events and galas. Ophelia rarely saw him around the house, and when she did, he was almost always with Narcissa.

Ophelia wondered if he had patched things up with his wife, perhaps Narcissa had given up her affair, and him other women. Perhaps Ophelia was his wake-up call. Perhaps something had happened behind closed doors, Ophelia often stayed awake at night wondering, against her better judgement, why the sudden change in the couple's behaviour. Until one day it became rather clear...

"Okay, so, this fraction here, we are going to multiply it by this fraction here, you do this by... Draco?" Ophelia furrowed her brows as she raised her head from the mathematics book, it was obvious by Draco's silence he was not listening in the slightest. The boy would usually complain, ask questions, whinge, try to change the subject, but his silence was eerie.

"Are you even listening Draco? I already know my fractions this is for your education not mine," Ophelia scolded the boy, but his head was elsewhere, staring off towards the hallway outside of the study room.