Demon's Delicacy - Charlotte Katakuri x Reader

Chapter Three

One Month Later

I held two dresses in front of the mirror. Both were acceptable for the weather, but they were different colors and styles. "The f/c one will look better." A familiar voice chimed from my mirror. "Thank you, Brulee. Do you happen to know what Katakuri prefers in a woman or what colors he prefers?" She emerged from the mirror and sat on a footstool by my bed. "I can't say that I know all that much about my brother. We were close as kids, but not so much now." Sighing I threw the second choice onto my bed and changed into the f/c dress. It had short sleeves with a horizontal neckline and fit comfortably around my waist. The end of it billowed out like a skater skirt, exposing my legs from the knee down. "You look beautiful Y/n." Brulee's comment felt sincere, but I had my doubts if she would think the same if knew what was under the magic. I smiled modestly and sat down by my vanity. "Thank you again, Brulee." She didn't respond as I touched up my face. The stress of everything was causing my skin to break out in odd places. So far I have been able to talk to Katakuri periodically throughout each day. He seems to be growing a bit on me, I really appreciate that he doesn't berate me with questions 24/7 like his sisters. Pudding invited herself into my room, not bothering to knock, I only knew she was there when I saw her sit on another stool beside Brulee. "So I heard about all the mix-up with your sister and our brother. How come you were so willing, as a recluse, to offer yourself instead?" I closed my eyes and tried not to let Pudding's words get to me. "My sister is a lot younger than me. She is not yet mature for a marriage, let alone an arranged one. Also, if I were not to take her place, I wouldn't ever leave the castle. This arranged marriage forces me into a new setting and will further set my family's bloodline one day." 

Pudding's and Brulee's jaws dropped open as I opened my eyes. Both of them were stumbling over what to say to my answer. It was half of the truth, not quite a lie. "B-but you weren't afraid of being married to a stranger who is also a pirate?!" I shrugged my shoulders and smiled slightly. "Better a quiet pirate than an abusive prince. Better me than my baby sister. I have to look at the bright side of it all. And besides, Katakuri really isn't that scary." I swatched lip-gloss over my lips and continued "Albit intimidating and mysterious, but not really scary." They shared a glance before one of them spoke up again. "How can you be so brave?" I zoned out from them and thought over it myself. "I got a lot more from my mother than just her looks I guess. She wasn't afraid to step forward for someone else." I stood up from my vanity and faced the two. "What do you think?" Both of them nodded, they seemed a bit lost for what to say after our discussion. I clasped my mother's necklace around my neck and left the two in my room. I opened the door only to be met with a familiar face. 

"Perospero, what do I owe the pleasure?" He grinned at my words, leaving an unsettled feeling in my gut. "Mama wants you to have lunch with her." His eyes roamed my body as he backed up from the doorway. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be down in a minute." He shook his head with a laugh. "Mama wants me to escort you so you get there on time." I quirked a brow up. "But lunch is not for another hour." "Anything less than an hour early is late in Mama's book." I nodded and followed him. 

When we arrived, Mama was nowhere to be seen. Her tea room was unusually vacant. Even the homies were not in the room. I walked past Perospero, refusing to blink in his presence. I saw Daifuku emerge from one corner, and Oven from another. In seconds, the door was slammed shut and the three men circled me. I felt a boiling sensation in my gut, telling me to run or fight, but I stood still. They left me no escape, and there was no way I could take on all three at once. "We know there is something under the surface with you Y/n, and we refuse to let you fool Mama and our beloved sisters with your witchery." I kept a straight face as I felt my eyes sting from dryness. I saw Perospero lean his cane towards me and Oven heat his hand as they reached for me. I clutched my arms around my body and squeezed. In a cloud of blackened feathers, my body erupted. In the cloud of feathers, my bird form was able to evade their attack. I flew into the nearest curtain and watched their reactions warily. 

"Gah! What the hell?!" Daifuku was spitting and swiping at the feathers that were still fluttering. Perospero was covered in my feathers, they were sticking to his body as if he had glue on himself. And Oven was frozen with rage. "She escaped!" "What do you mean-" Perospero was frantically kicking the pile of feathers around looking for me. "Find her! Find her now!" Daifuku started to lose his temper. I looked around the window behind the curtain for a way out of the room. In the very top corner of the glass pane was a small hole where the window had been cracked. Without hesitation, I slipped out and fluttered off to safety. I flew around the castle looking for another entrance far from where I had originally fled from. I saw a few cooks returning to the kitchen and fluttered in behind them as stealthily as I could. I followed the corridor down to the first open room I could slip into. Three chefs left a large tray of various desserts and hastily left the room. Heavy footsteps alerted me that danger was still near, so I fluttered up into the top of the curtains. Hopefully, I could remain safe and find someone that can talk some sense into those three imbeciles. 

Word count: 1,071