Street Mouse [Yandere Archduke x Female Reader]

4. Into the Mountains.

After he got a ways away from the bakery Paety turned around, checking to make sure that Y/N was close behind him. His caramel-colored face widened in surprise when he saw that the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

Panicking, the ten-year-old boy began to run around in desperate search for the H/C girl, leaving the pastries that he had grabbed abandoned in the dirt. After a lot of frantic running, Paety stumbled into the village square just in time to watch as a finely dressed nobleman called to his driver to take them home, then boarded his carriage.

But what Paety saw next caused his heart to skip a beat and a chill to run down his spine. Cradled in the rich man's arms was the unconscious form of a girl. Paety stood rather far away, but he could tell with absolute certainty that it was Y/N.

The young boy clenched his fists, as he felt his blood boil at the thought of all the things that wealthy man could be planning on doing to her.

He had heard the nobles of his old country doing the same thing. They would snatch a child of the street that no one would miss, and torture them in horrible ways, at least that is what his parents had told him. He was terrified that Y/N would meet the same awful fate.

Paety looked down at the simple wooden ring he wore on his middle finger, and remembered how he had promised Y/N that he would take care of her. It was time for him to act on that promise. The clattering of the horses' hooves, and the squeaking of the ornate wheels alerted Paety that the carriage had begun to move.

The white-haired boy rushed to follow the carriage, as it turned to the north, gaining speed. The little boy chased after the speeding carriage, but it was no use, after several minutes the vehicle had vanished entirely, leaving Paety alone at the base of the northern mountain road.

However, Paety was not discouraged in the slightest by the fact that he could no longer see the carriage, because he knew that the winding road led to one place, and one place only, Castle de Crivell.

Sighing, he began to walk resolutely up the wooded mountain trail, he would have to walk through the night, avoiding being eaten by wolves, falling off steep cliff edges, and being attacked by mountain bandits, but it was the only way he could hope to save Y/N.

With that thought in mind, he began following the road into the mountain, unaware that he was starting what would turn out to the longest and most arduous journey of his life.

. . .

The uneven and rocky terrain of the seldom traveled mountain road, caused the carriage to bounce and sway unpleasantly as it made its ascend. The Archduke stared out the window pensively, trying to ignore his faint motion sickness. He sighed, knowing that he would have to endure three long hours of this.

Resigning himself to that fact, he turned his attention to the little girl that lay fast asleep on the silver cushioned seat next to him. He questioned again why he was going through all this trouble for a child that he did not even know. He, the man who had fired all but three of the workers at the castle just because he preferred being alone was suddenly taking in a street rat out of the kindness of his heart; the idea would have been preposterous if not for the fact that it seemed to be what was happening.

No no, the Archduke thought, glancing away from the girl. This is merely an act of pity for my housekeeper, she has been morose ever since her husband left her, and having some company aside from myself and Alfonse will be good for her. It is certainly not that I desire companionship, or want to raise the child, the Archduke snorted at the ridiculous notion.

Looking down at the H/C girl, he noticed that she was shivering from cold. Frosino knew that even though it was a warm day in spring, it still was quite chilly in the shadow of the mountains, knowing that it would only get chillier when night fell, Frosino hastened to take off his finely embroidered traveling cloak, and wrap the little girl up its folds.

Placing the remainder of the cloak over his lap, Frosino rested his head against the upholstered sides of the carriage, and allowed himself to doze.

. . .

The Archduke awoke to see that the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and the few lingering strands of twilight were all that luminated the night sky. Frosino scooped the girl, still wrapped tightly in his traveling coat, into his arms and hastened to exit the carriage.

Stretching out his stiff legs, the Archduke stepped down from the carriage, signaling with a wave of his hand for the coachman Alfonse to continue on to the stables. He now stood alone in front of the castle. Though it was built out of dark graey stone the mountainous wilderness that surrounded it was such a harsh environment that the castle did not need much in the way of a defensive architectural design.

It was rectangular and stately in design. It stood three floors high, and was built on an open side of the mountain. From the large balcony that protruded from the front of the house one the second floor you could get a clear view of the village in the mountain valley below.

He hurried up the grand flight of stairs that led up to the large pair of ornately carved wooden doors. The unmistakable figure of Frosino's middle-aged housekeeper stood at the top of the stairs, awaiting the arrival of her master.

"Welcome home Yar Grace," the woman stated in a hollow kind of way.

"Thank you, Tola," the Archduke said in his normal, stoic tone that was still able to convey his affection for the woman.

Pulling back the folds of his traveling cloak, Frosino revealed the sleeping face of the young girl to his housekeeper. Tola drew back in surprise, but quickly recovered herself, and turned her attention to the Archduke questioningly.

"I want you to get her changed into a clean nightdress, and put her to rest in one of the rooms in the servant's wing," Frosino said, handing the girl over to Tola. "Then, You will raise her to be a fine lady."

"Yes, Yar Grace," the housekeeper said, taking the little girl into her arms.

"And remember to keep her from getting in my way," Frosino ordered sternly before striding through the front doors.

A/N

Well, stuff happened I guess.

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~