Tamed || Wriothesley x Reader

Chapter 4

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"This is insane..."

Wriothesley stood at the entrance of the infirmary, examining all of the occupied beds. Gardes were standing inside, interrogating everyone.

Sigewinne grabbed the end of his coat, pulling him into the room.

"What happened?" He asked a Garde, causing them to jolt and spin around.

"Y-Your Grace!" She saluted, making Wriothesley let out a deep breath.

"I asked what happened." He repeated.

"A-Apologies..." she started. "All of the prisoners here grew sick after eating at the cafeteria. We already questioned Wolsey about it, but turns out, he wasn't at the cafeteria today."

"Does he have proof of his leave?" Wriothesley asked.

"Yes... he provided us with a statement from some people on the surface, and they confirmed he was out on his monthly trip to stock up on groceries."

Wriothesley sighed. Another problem he had to take on. "Give me all of the names of the people present at the cafeteria when this happened."

"Of course..." The woman ripped out a piece of paper from her notepad, handing it to Wriothesley.

He walked out of the infirmary, holding his throbbing jaw. As he approached his office, he couldn't help but remember how the girl he fought really did a number on him.

Entering his work space, he sat down in his chair and held his nose. He could still smell the blood seeping out from it, so he grabbed a tissue and tried to hold it back as he looked down at the torn piece of paper.

"Shit." He silently cursed to himself as a drop of blood landed on his pants.

A soft knock sounded at his door, making him toss the tissue paper aside and hide the bruise on his jaw using his hand.

"Come in."

Wriothesley heard the small steps of Sigewinne as she approached him.

"I'm going to need to stock up on medicine for the next few days. Everyone is complaining of serious stomach aches, and a lot of vomiting has occurred..." Sigewinne's gentle voice made Wriothesley's muscles relax.

He sighed. "Alright. I'll approve of it when it's transported down here."

"You're no exception, Wriothesley." Sigewinne walked over to him, placing a first aid kit down on his desk.

Moving his arm away from his jaw, she gasped at the bruise that was lying on his cheek.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself..." She opened the box and pulled up pads and small vials of alcohol.

"Because I want to." He replied, feeling the cool yet burning sensation on his skin. "It helps me relax."

"Getting hurt is your way of relaxing?" She asked, examining his body. "You have bruises everywhere!"

"I have scars as well. You going to treat those?" Wriothesley humored.

"Just hold still." Sigewinne's cheeks puffed out as she fixed a bandage on his jaw.

"Jokes aside, I'm fine. This happens a lot. I wouldn't have all these scars to tell stories about if I didn't do what I like." Wriothesley held back a wince as she pressed an alcohol pad on his chest.

"She really roughed you up." Sigewinne said.

"She didn't win." He protested.

"I didn't say she did..." She replied.

The memory of the girl asking if she had won the match played back into his mind. Of course, it appeared to everyone as if she had won. But he simply told her that their fight was on a momentary hold.

However, he couldn't shake the feeling that she actually had won.

"There. All done." Sigewinne stepped back as if she was examining her work on Wriothesley.

"...Thanks." Wriothesley buttoned up his shirt, pulling his coat back over his shoulder.

"Oh, I also brought someone along with me." Sigewinne smiled.

"And who might that be?" He asked, placing his gloves back onto his hands.

"Your new assistant!"

Wriothesley watched as a girl stepped into his office. Had she been here the entire time?

"Hello." She waved slightly, smiling at him.

Well, that was one way of an introduction.

She was covered from head to toe in a typical researcher's outfit. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she wore a striking red lipstick that matched with her clothing. Her eyes were a soft green, as they looked into Wriothesley's.

"...Greetings." He said. Looking at Sigewinne, he waited for her to finish up with the formalities.

"Wriothesley, this is Chronie, a Fontaine Institute researcher. Chronie, this is Wriothesley, the Duke of the Fortress."

"I know." The woman, Chronie, smiled and kept staring at Wriothesley. "I'm affiliated with this place all too well."

"So you've been here?" Wriothesley asked.

"Yes. I ended up doing some short time here... you probably don't remember, but you actually served me a good dinner one time." She blushed, making Wriothesley tilt his head as he tried to recall his memory.

"Ah, that's right." He nodded his head. "That makes things a lot easier for me."

"Alright, I'll leave the two of you alone now. I have a room full of patients to take care of. Be well!" Sigewinne waved, skipping out of the office.

Chronie took a seat on the couch next to his desk, looking at the tea that was sitting on the table. "You like tea?"

"Yes. And you?" Wriothesley looked at her as she crossed her legs.

"...Yes." She replied after a moment of hesitation.

"Then help yourself. I'll give you the run down of your job."

Wriothesley watched as she struggled to pour the tea into her cup.

"As of now, you're just going to be handling paperwork. That means reading and signing off on things I approve of. I'll give you a list of what I approve and what I don't approve."

"Sounds good." She lifted the tea to her mouth, only to find that it was bitter.

"You're also going to report any information you hear within the Fortress to me. That includes gossip." Wriothesley brushed his hand over his jaw, feeling the soreness as he spoke.

"How often will I be able to see you?"

He was taken aback by her question. "...As often as our work allows."

"Then, I can come in here freely?" She asked.

"...I suppose. Only if I'm here, though." Wriothesley continued to watch her struggle to sip on the tea.

"Wonderful." She smiled, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I'd love to have dinner with you again."

Wriothesley felt the atmosphere grow too... awkward. Standing up, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"I have business to attend to. Best you leave and come back in the morning."