Left for Carnage (Twisted Wonderland x Reader) (PAUSED)

Chapter 2: The letter

WARNING the following chapter contains: mentions of nausea and dizziness.

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It's been a few days since Epel moved in, and the atmosphere in the manor has been peaceful. He's mostly been keeping you company in the library and monitoring the time so you don't skip meals or lose sleep. He insisted that he could help you with the garden, but as soon as the two of you stepped outside and saw the massive mess, you quickly went back inside and discussed hiring a gardener.

Meanwhile, you've been keeping yourself busy by studying and translating various books and old manuscripts left by your grandfather. A few days ago, you sent a letter to your former guild, apologizing for your sudden departure and offering your various contributions of translations and research into magic and alchemy.

Between you and Epel, the two of you maintained a quiet yet productive routine. Deep down, though, something told you that this wouldn't last very long. At first, you had chalked it up to paranoia, still troubled by Sigurd's disappearance.

But then... the letter arrived.

"It's time to wake up (Y/N)," you feel someone gently shake your shoulders. With your eyes still closed, you lazily swat away the hand that still rests on your arm, complaining under your breath that you should sleep a little longer. Not giving up, Epel removes his hand from your shoulder and walks over to the curtains, grabbing the soft blue material before he swings them open with enough force to let all the sunlight bleed into the bedroom.

As soon as the light hits your face, you grab the blanket and throw it over your head in protest at the lilac-haired boy's insistence. You hear an exasperated sigh as the sound of footsteps draws closer to the bed. "Why are you so stubborn today?" he mumbles before pulling the blanket off you, sending chills through your body as you groan.

You open your heavy eyes, and the tears of sleep mixed with the morning congestion make your vision blurry, mixing the colors of the room into an unintelligible blur. After a few seconds, however, your vision returns to normal and you see Epel standing in front of you with his arms crossed over his chest and a slight pout on his face.

'For as much as he prides himself on being a manly man, he is certainly adorable,' you think, laughing softly. Over these last few days, you have come to realize that pointing out Epel's more "feminine" and doll-like features bothers him. It happened once at dinner when you had a little too much to drink after finding a good bottle of white wine and accidentally blurted out that he was quite cute.

This caused him to short-circuit for a moment before he suddenly launched into a very long and passionate monologue about how he's a mature and strong man and how his looks are holding him back from reaching his "full masculine potential". You made a mental note that day to avoid calling him "cute" or "adorable".

Epel's expression turns confused as he wonders what you are laughing at, though he lets out a sigh before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a letter with a blue seal. "This came for you this morning," he explains as he hands you the letter.

You support yourself on the bed as you take the cream-colored envelope. The intricate seal imprinted on the blue wax indicates that this is the Guild's response. "They responded quickly," you mutter to yourself as Epel simply hums in reply as he enters the bathroom to draw you a bath.

Leaning over to your nightstand, you open one of the drawers and find a small silver letter opener. Leaning back on your pillows, you use the tool to break the wax seal and quickly read the contents:

To Mx. (Y/N) (L/N):

Thank you for contacting us. We understand the situation and the reason why you had to leave, so don't worry, know that we will always welcome you back if you want to work in the hunting department again.