Street Mouse [Yandere Archduke x Female Reader]

29. Attempt to Flee the Unfleeable.

The next two months passed with the master of Castle de Crivell scarcely being seen outside of his bedchambers. Though the other residents of the castle were beginning to worry for him, there was nothing much they could do seeing as he had forbidden them from bothering him.

Another bright summer was fading into autumn, and the many mountain trees were covered as though on fire, in the vibrant colors of fall. Y/N had taken to wandering the mountains alone, considering that Frosino was now avoiding her entirely. At first, she was very sad about that, but Tola's strange medicine seemed to have worked as she no longer got those strange feelings, but she didn't know if it was because Tola had cured it, or if it was because of the fact that she hadn't seen Frosino in the past two months.

It was on the eve before Frosino's departure that Y/N sought the comfort that the wilderness provided. As she watched the squirrels collecting nuts in preparation for the coming winter, and the last of the songbirds in the trees, she was unaware of the pair of indigo eyes that watched her from the third floor of the castle, that had been doing so for the past two months.

Frosino looked out the window in his bedroom that granted him a perfect view of where Y/N would go walking and as such had become his favorite vantage point. He had locked himself away to be sure that he would bring no harm to Y/N in the final months he was there, but he couldn't resist the temptation of admiring her from afar, knowing that after tonight it would be three years until he saw her again.

He wished that it was not so, he dreaded leaving for so long, but he dreaded more the thought of any harm coming to Y/N. He knew that he had to leave, and hoped that distance would cure his unholy feelings.

Turning his gaze from the window, Frosino saw with a heavy heart the many traveling trunks that had been sitting, waiting to be packed, but he had avoided doing, hoping that the day of his departure would never come. But it had, now he really needed to do the packing that he should have done over the past two months.

Frosino dragged his feet as he started to fold his clothes neatly into one of the trunks, the next was to be packed with supplies like paper, ink, envelopes, books, and spare glass pieces for his reading. The last trunk would be packed with food preserves and dried meats seeing as Frosino detested seafood, and the voyage would last at least three months.

He had been packing for nearly two hours when there was a knock at the door, knowing that he had sent for Tola to pack the trunk with preserves, he had left the door unlocked. "Come in," he called, not bothering to turn around.

The sound of the door creaking open could be heard as Frosino continued collecting items from his room to pack. He was forced to a halt when a pair of arms snaked themselves around his waist. He couldn't turn to look at the person clinging to his back, but he could tell that from the large hands and the Môercik tattoos on the pale forearms that it was Tola.

"So ya actually are leavin' yar Grace," Tola spook as she continued to hold onto Frosino. "Ay 'ave been so lonely ever since my husband left, please say that you will stay here... With me."

Frosino, preoccupied with his packing, gently removed Tola's strong arms from him, and continued his packing. As he did so he said: "It must have been so hard for you when he just up and left like that. But I must go, but I will not be gone forever, it is only three years after all."

"Ya are nothin' like him, yar Grace," Tola muttered as she bowed to Frosino. Then she took the last trunk with her as she exited the bedroom.

He sighed sadly. His tongue had tasted a lie both when he told the other residents of the castle that this trip had been mandated by the king, and now when he told Tola that three years would not be forever. He knew that it would feel like an eternity for him before he could again see Y/N.

. . .

Tola and Y/N stood atop the staircase overlooking the courtyard the next day to see Frosino (and Ilidoro) off before they left. Alfonse brought the dark blue carriage around. Once it came to a halt the three men spent the next few minutes attempting to load all of the luggage into the carriage. After lots of shoving and a few stifled curse words, it was time for goodbyes.

Ilidoro crouched down to give Y/N a quick hug. "Remember to practice your dancing you clumsy thing," he teased her good-naturedly. "And I expect you to have mastered five aria accompaniments when I return."

After saying his goodbyes to the girl he nodded quickly to Tola, before skipped down the stairs, and clambering excitedly into the carriage.

Frosino took a bit longer with his farewells than his wayward cousin did. He started with Tola, and after a few minutes of deep conversing, he came went to say goodbye to Y/N. At first, they just stared, both unsure of what to say, then she suddenly threw her arms around him.

"Please don't go, I will miss you so much!" Y/N cried out as tears started to spill from her eyes.

Frosino's heart was being torn to pieces at the sight of his darling girl sobbing like that, he was sorely tempted at that moment to haul all of his trunks from the carriage and stay, just to stop Y/N's tears, but he knew that it would be selfish of him to stay given how he felt about her.

Getting down on one knee so that he could look Y/N in the eyes, he placed his hands on her shoulders and told her: "please don't cry, it is only three years that I will be gone, and you need to be strong and look after the Archdiocese while I am away."

Her lower lip started to tremble and tears continued to pour from her E/C eyes. "B-but what if something goes wrong... What if y-you don't come back."

Frosino wiped away the girl's quickly falling tears before he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I promise that I will return to you in three years' time, no matter what. I have ordered many gifts for you from Bocio to make this separation easier for you; that should arrive in the next few weeks."

Y/N was too distraught to protest against such expensive presents the way she normally would. She only continued sobbing as she held onto Frosino.

The Archduke stroked her H/C hair comfortingly, finding the thought of being deprived of her company almost too much to bear. "I must go now," Frosino said as he pulled away from Y/N and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I will write to you. Take care of yourself while I am away."

After saying that he turned out his heel, and quickly descended the stairs before he entered the carriage and joined his cousin. Frosino eyes were far from dry, but he wiped his hot tears away quickly, not wanting Ilidoro to see that he was crying.

As the carriage pulled away from the castle, Frosino was grateful that even if his traveling companion noticed his wet eyes, Ilidoro didn't say anything about it.

. . .

Meanwhile, somewhere within the capital city Bocio, a carriage loaded with parcels, was being boarded by two unexpected passengers. Their week-long journey had begun, and their destination was a remote castle in the Makio mountain range; Castle de Crivell.

A/N

I am calling bull on the fact that Frosino left because of his feelings for Y/N, we all know that he just wanted to jump ship before she stopped being cute and turned into a moody teenager. (I'm just kidding. ^~^)

On to a more serious topic, who do you think is on their way to Castle de Crivell? Let me know in the comments below, and,

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

~J. C. Coltt.~