Street Mouse [Yandere Archduke x Female Reader]

21. The Passege of Time.

Spring turned to summer, which turned to fall, and then to winter. The cycle would continue, again and again. The inhabitants of Castle de Crivell were so caught up in the joy and prosperity that had befallen them since Y/N's arrival that it seemed almost unbelievable that five years had already past.

It was spring again, and Y/N was thirteen years old now. She still was like a child in many ways, but with her new hight and gangly limbs, she was vulnerable to any tripping hazard in the near vicinity. Even with her current clumsy state, it was clear to everyone, but the maiden herself, that she would grow into a beautiful woman. Though no one said anything about it, everyone was excited to watch the girl bloom into a beautiful flower of elegance and grace.

As for Y/N herself, she was the lest convinced of any of it. She looked at herself in the mirror that now hung on the wall of her small bedroom as she brushed through her tangled hair. Tola was always telling her to put her hair up while she slept, but Y/N never did, which resulted in her waking up to a tangled H/C rats nest on top of her head in the morning. After a few minutes of struggling to pull the brush through the knots, she eventually decided to quit while she was ahead.

She took a clean white slip from the chest of draws and pulled it on over her head. Although Y/N still did not wear a corset, Tola had suggested that they order one as Y/N was starting to mature into a woman, and it would take several months for it to arrive.

Y/N took a sky blue overdress, with light beading and embroidery on the bodice, and tugged it on. She then used one of her belts to cinch in the waistline of her dress.

Looking at herself in the mirror on last time, she pulled the necklace chain that she had received from Frosino for her last birthday, and let it hang down over the front of her dress. The chain had the little ring strung on it, Y/N's fingers had grown too large for the wooden band but she insisted on keeping it. Even though her memory of Paety was starting to fade, she would never let herself forget about her old friend altogether.

Exciting her room, Y/N walked down the servant's hall, and entered the kitchen. Over the past few years, the kitchen had not changed much at all. The fireplace still burned cheerfully, and the pots and pans were still hung from the low ceiling.

The only real change was the porcelain dining set. Y/N had broken so many pieces of the previous one that a new one had to be ordered and she was now no longer allowed to handle them.

"Good morning Tola," Y/N greeted, smiling at the woman. "Would you like me to help with breakfast?"

Tola reached out and patted Y/N's cheek affectionately, "Ya sweet girl, still offering to help with the chores. Yar too industrious to be the ward of an Archduke."

"But I like helping," Y/N protested as she skipped around the kitchen table to help Tola with the cooking, but she tripped, and ended up knocking a bag of flour onto the ground. The bag burst as it came into contact with the stone floor, and a cloud of flour erupted all over Y/N. She coughed and sneezed as she tried to rid herself of the white powder that now clung to her like a second skin.

"Oh, Y/N," Tola sighed, as she went to grab the broom. " ya've gone and done it again."

"Let me help clean up!" Y/N said quickly, wanting to make up for the accident.

"Nah, it's alright, ay can handle it," Tola stated as she began to clean up the mess. "Ya best clean yarself off if ya don't wanna be late for yar lesson today."

"Oh right!" Y/N exclaimed while she hurriedly brushed off as much of the flour as she could, then bolted through the kitchen door.

. . .