An Empire for two | Nightmare sans x reader

♔CHAPTER TWO♔

"Yup! You've been good this week, and if you keep working hard..." You gestured for her to lean in, and once she was close enough, you whispered in her ear. "I'll get you a new dress"

"A NEW DRESS?!" Lilith burst out with joy, her heart set aflutter at the mere thought of getting into something other than her dirty, sewn-together clothes. You placed the apple in her hands with a polite nod "Mhm, but you need to make sure you don't get into any trouble. I can't hear anything from Mama Julie for a week"

You looked at her with a semi-serious glare. Lilith was known to be quite the troublemaker, which was the main reason you befriended her in the first place. The various pranks and stunts she'd pull around the orphanage reminded you of yourself when you were her age. So, you decided to take her under your wing and become a mother-figure of sorts. You taught her the best morals you knew and gave her an easy way out of poverty.

The last thing you wanted was for her to turn out a criminal like you- a person who was always on the run and dabbling in the worst parts of the world. It was the life you chose, but if you had an option out, by god would you take it. And so, you got to your feet and watched as the girl began devouring the apple.

You could go another day without breakfast.

»»————-　♔　————-««

"I understand Mama, I'm sorry."

It was the evening and you were resting on one of the many cheap couches in the living-room of the orphanage. Because of your job, you had developed a rather nocturnal sleep schedule. This resulted in you taking many naps throughout the day to prepare for a round of night-crime. But it was because of this, Mama Julie, the caretaker, was waiting impatiently at your feet.

"All you do is sleep, then return back home at the break of dawn doing god knows what!" The old lady folded her arms, her dull grey eyes seething with suspicion. "You may pay your stay here, but I don't want any funny business. I raised you better than that!"

It was a rarity, your position. After wandering the streets all your prepubescent life, you were finally accepted into the loving arms of Mama Julie, an ex-nurse of the Moon army. Julie was a bunny-like monster with a mother's natural touch. Her soft cream skin was padded with scars, and she was almost never out of stories for them. She had earned your respect long ago, not only for her bravery, but also for her want to still do good, even after she lost so many comrades.

That was why you found it so hard to lie to her whenever you snuck out. For Julie to find out that her child was one of the biggest crime lords in the kingdom would not only shatter her fragile but-somehow-strict heart, but also put the orphanages morals to shame. So what made you different? What caused you to still take the path of crime despite encouragement otherwise? Well, it was because you were 'saved' too late.

At the mere age of 10, you already had a debt to pay to the streets, leaving you with a bounty over your head from the day you left. That debt only followed you, and as you grew so did it too. Yes, you payed off some of your debt as an adult, but it was at the cost of making a lot of enemies.

You rubbed away the sleepiness from your eyes and sat up from the couch, ready to recite the alibi you've been practicing for weeks "I'm sorry for worrying you...I've been doing some jobs here and there"

You fidgeted with your plain tank top nervously. If there was one thing you learnt on the streets, it was how to lie flawlessly "I'm nearly twenty two, so I'm trying to save up enough money to buy my own place instead of renting all the time"