Black and Red | Kuroshitsuji | Sebastian Michaelis x OC

Bad Dogs

Upon waking up the following morning, Thalia briefly forgot where she was. After all, none of this had been part of the plan. What had begun as a determined goal of jumping headfirst into the next cart out of this godforsaken town had turned into conversation, then dinner, and then an offer to stay the night. For some unfathomable reason, both the young earl and his disconcertingly attractive butler seemed dead set in preventing Thalia from leaving.

Sighing, the woman sat up and rubbed the crust of sleep from her eyes. Linen bed-sheets caressed her thighs, and she couldn't help but bask in the luxuriousness of the fabric. Thalia couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so comfortably.

No. Hands curling into fists, she quickly forced herself to sit up straight. She couldn't allow myself to get used to this, especially when she wasn't certain of why she was even here. 

The maid's bed – Mey-Rin's – was next to hers, and a brief glance revealed that it was empty. The sheets were smoothed over, the duvet neatly folded, and the bed had been completely straightened out. Irritation flashed through Thalia's chest – why didn't I get up earlier? What happened to not getting used to sleeping in? – but she shrugged it off with a yawn. There was nothing to do about that now.

A joint in her back popped as she stretched and climbed out of the bed, kicking the covers into a pile in the centre of the mattress. She had slept in the same clothes, sans the coat of course, and so her outfit was completely rumpled. A few splashes of water from the basin helped, but not by much. Thalia bent over to pull on her boots and frowned when I noticed how tattered they were. The tip of her big toe poked out from a hole the front. The walk yesterday must have really done a number on them.

The three servants that she had met yesterday were in the castle kitchen drinking tea with Angela. Thalia paused for a second in the doorway, wondering if she should even mother entering or if she had already outstayed her welcome. Besides, if she did go into the kitchen, that would be in closer proximity to the maid. 

Seated at the head of the low wooden table, Angela giggled at something Finnian said, and Thalia stifled the urge to shudder. Her smiles were so perfectly demure, as though sugar wouldn't dare insult her by dissolving on her tongue.

Ultimately, the decision was eventually made for Thalia. "Hey, good morning!" 

Thalia blinked in surprise at the cheery greeting from the scruffy blonde. Bard grinned invitingly at and made space at the edge of the bench, which she took with some gratitude that belied a heavy dose of caution. 

"We were just taking to Angela," Bard informed the newest arrival. "Did you know that she's the only maid in this whole castle?"

"Hm, really?" Thalia hummed politely, completely uninterested in that tidbit of information. She was far more focused on not making eye contact with Angela the Maid, while eying up the tray of bread buns and apples in the centre of the table. "Must be difficult."

To the side, Angela ducked her head modestly and smiled bashfully at the tabletop. "I am nothing so grand," she protested feebly. "I do nothing but make mistakes all the time."

The false modesty grated more than it ought to have. Thalia twitched in her seat, and then plastered on a polite smile, temporarily diverting her attention from the food. "Oh, I'm sure you're not half as bad as you make yourself out to be ," she crooned in a mockingly soothing tone. "After all, there are many young, able-bodied women in this village. If Barrymore needed a new maid to help you, I'm sure he'd get one."

"That's true!" Mey-rin beamed at Thalia, the sarcasm flying right over her head. "Miss Thalia, you're so nice!" 

"Haha, maybe," Angela tittered back. However, the moment the redhead turned away, her mask dropped. Jewel-sharp eyes narrowed and flashed with something adjacent to hatred. And then the moment passed and she was right back to bobbing her head like some perpetual motion toy.