The sound of you working filled your office. Papers were flowing off your desk, empty tea cups surrounded you, and your stress was close enough to its breaking point to make you lose your sanity. Ever since the death of your sister, your stress has been everywhere at all times. It didn't help that both of your siblings were dead, meaning that you had no family left other than a distant one you hardly communicated with.
Well, if you count a lazy cat, a boring butler, and the servants who silently did their work, then technically you had the largest family in the world. You sighed and looked outside to see the moonlight from a small opening in the curtains, showing that you were once again overworking yourself to distract yourself from the turmoil that was clouding your mind.
Even though your second sister's death was only a few months prior, it still hurt to know that you truly were alone. Both of your sisters were dead, both by unknown reasons. The maroon dress that you were wearing signified the anger that you had bottled up. Your emotions felt like a lake. It was close to overflowing, and you often drowned in your own emotions.
You scoffed at your poetic thoughts and looked in the mirror that sat across the room. There you sat tall while wearing a frilly maroon dress with black accents, dark lipstick covering your dry lips that blocked the choked sobs from escaping.
With a small amount of light coming from a candle returning to the room, you looked at the door to see your butler, Hudson, standing there with a good friend of yours, Alea Whiteson. She was the daughter of one of the richest and most influential merchants in the region. It was only a matter of time until you became good friends.
"Miss Whiteson wishes to speak with you for a few moments." Hudson informed, a tired look in his concerned emerald eyes. Despite him being in his eighties, he insisted to serve you, so, you weren't one to correct him on many things, including the fact it would only take a few moments. You looked at Alea with concern and nodded, showing that you would allow it. "I'll prepare tea." He continued before dragging himself to the kitchen.
Alea gave a familiar smile and approached you, where you were standing up to greet her properly.
"I apologize for the lack of contact over these few months. I was incredibly busy." Alea informed, her eyes holding genuine concern. "I know you must be going through a lot, I heard the news about your sister."
You gripped a stack of paperwork in your hands and averted your eyes, but still answered.
"Thank you for your condolences. But I wonder what you have been so busy with." You responded. Alea gave a nervous smile and exhaled deeply, making you raise an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"
Alea nodded and once again took in a deep, slow breath. Her lips slightly quaked as she spoke.
"Yes, but I have some news to share with you." She informed. You gave her a curious look before setting down the stack of paperwork that you had been playing with, leaning forward to learn the secret, or secrets, that she had to share.
"Go on."
She sighed before finally spitting it out.
"I'm pregnant, and I will be moving to America with my new husband." She said, tears filling her eyes as soon as she saw your expression. A heartbroken expression crossed your features, and you gulped in order to get your thoughts in order, but it didn't work. You stood up and looked at her with disgust and heartbreak.
"And you couldn't tell me sooner?!" You asked. She raised her head in confusion.
"Huh?"
"You heard me! You couldn't tell me that you had a husband, that you were expecting a child, or were planning to move to another continent?!" You barked. Your tone was laced with venom as you looked at your long term friend. "I think I deserve to know! I don't think that is requesting much, Alea! Especially when you're my best friend!"
She looked at you with slight anger.
"Well, I'm sorry I have an actual love life! At least I'm still not grieving over both of my sisters' deaths!" She shouted back.
You bared your teeth and clenched your fists, trembling from anger. You stomped your foot and moved your hand briskly, effectively slapping her in the face. You looked at her in disgust.
"How dare you bring up my sisters!" You barked. Your eyes held true rage as you pointed a finger at her chest.
Alea widened her eyes and attempted to speak, but not before the door opened to reveal your butler with a confused but concerned look on his face.
"Care to explain what has happened here?" He questioned, setting the tea onto a nearby bookshelf temporarily.
You glared at your butler in irritation and pinched the bridge of your nose, your teeth still clenched from irritation and stress.
"I'll be taking a stroll. Follow me and you won't be happy or healthy. And you wouldn't want that!" You informed, grabbing your coat and slamming the door on your way out.
Rain pattered down on the cobblestone streets as you almost ran down them, the red dress getting soaked in the heavy rain as tears of irritation streamed down your cheeks. It didn't help that so much stress was building up with work and the grieving process. Even though the death was months ago, it still hurt. It hurt that there was nobody that you can hug anymore. Even your best friend was leaving you for America, for a man that you had never met. A man that you had no idea about. And a child she didn't mention once.
Choked sobs escaped from your lips as your legs trembled, causing you to run into an alleyway and sob. While the heavy rain was able to mask the heartache that was coming out, all you could hear was your thoughts.
Why?
Why was she leaving you alone with the bastards that wanted to wed you? What about the times that the two of you would sneak back to your manor after a boring party to a game of chess and chatter over a glass of tea?
You desperately wiped the tears that streamed down your face, but they kept coming back as memories flowed back into your head. You were soaked as you sobbed into the red dress you wore, the gold jewelry that your sister had given you before she died glimmered at the flickering light above you.
Finally, after an hour or so of crying, you rubbed your eyes to get rid of any stray tears when you heard an umbrella opening, and the familiar feeling of rain had concluded, resulting in you to look up in curiosity. There was no way in hell that the rain had stopped that quickly.
When you looked up, you saw a long haired person with striking red hair and sharp teeth, their emerald eyes shining in the moonlight.
"Who the hell are you?!" You asked, fear lacing your tone as you caught sight of their teeth, making you saw as you saw their emerald eyes.
They rolled their eyes and flipped their hair, looking at you with a look that held many emotions.
"I am only the most fabulous woman to live! And I believe a thank you is in order for the trouble I had to go through!" She responded. You raised an eyebrow and looked them over, not aware of what gender they were. They appeared to have the appearance of a man, but they seemed to dress in a feminine manner and refer to themselves as female.
"W-well, thank you. I'm not sure why you would assist me as well, considering the trouble that you went through." You said, catching their attention.
She grinned and leaned in front of you, eyeing your dress before speaking once more.
"Nobody who is this beautiful deserves to cry, in this nonetheless. In that glamorous red dress, especially." She enlightened.
You gulped and looked at her once more.
"One more question."
She looked at you with a curious glint in her emerald eyes.
"And what would that be, darling?"
"What kind of trouble did you have to go through?" You asked, leaning against the brick wall that you were sobbing against a few minutes ago. She sighed and gestured to her bright red hair, as well as her umbrella.
"First, I got my precious red hair wet all for the sake of seeing that fabulous dress, and my umbrella is soaked." She responded, pinching the bridge of her nose as her emerald eyes scanned you over once more, a satisfied smile creeping onto her lips, resulting her to reveal their pointed teeth once again. "But I suppose it was worth it."
YOU ARE READING
That Fateful Evening: Grell Sutcliff x FEM! Reader
FanficAfter a mountain of grief, stress of being a noblewoman, and an argument with a long-term friend, you took a stroll to clear your head. Rain poured onto the London streets, successfully covering the frustrated tears that streamed down your face and...