「 ︎𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤 」︎➣︎ v. вαυdelαιre х reαder

тнe вad вegιnnιng: parт one

She pointed behind us, making us turn around to glimpse. In front of us stood a house, the grass dead and the building seeming unsteady. We trailed up the steps, leaving Justice Strauss to organize her groceries. While my nerves built up, Mr. Poe rang the doorbell hesitantly.

"That's weird. He specifically said he was quite eager to get his hands on you." Mr. Poe said, perplexed and oblivious. I lent Klaus a troubled expression as Mr. Poe rang the doorbell repeatedly. After a couple of seconds, the door swerved open, revealing two individuals.

A man with a unibrow and a tattoo on his leg said, "Hello, hello, hello children. I am your new guardian and a re-nowed actor, Count Olaf!." He peeked at us with a baffling complexion. "You're welcome."

I paused and mumbled, "Thank you." The uncertainty in my voice couldn't be withheld. His demeanor already inflated my suspicions.

"Please wipe your feet on the mat when you come in, so you don't leave any mud. Make sure not to forget your vast fortune." he greeted, striding out of the doorway. With his body out of the way, I noticed a girl. Her hair was down, and her face was written with fear all over her facial features. I smiled at her. Returning my gesture, she smiled, keeping her head down. She had delicate skin, stunning hair, and luminous eyes that seemed to glisten with an unreadable sentiment.

Walking into the filthy home, I scanned its characteristics. The house had small chunks of garbage all over the floor. Lifeless flowers were situated inside a vase, settled on a table garnished in discomforting dust.

"Welcome to your new home, orphans." he asserted with a minor monotone voice. "And... a man with a hat."

"Poe. I am Mr. Poe. We discussed this on the phone. I am from the bank. Mulctuary Money Management." Mr. Poe corrected.

"Ah, bank sounds familiar. Well, welcome to my house, man with a hat." Count Olaf said with mockery in his tone. Mr. Poe observed the house disdainfully while coughing repeatedly. He should really see a doctor.

"Well, it needs some cleaning." he coughed, brows furrowing in faint revulsion.

"Yeah. I understand it is not as clean and pretty as the Baudelaire mansion, but with their fortune, maybe we could change that." he said as he lifted his eyebrow, looking at us for an agreement.

"Oh, absolutely not. Their parents' will clearly states how the children are to be raised, in case of a tragic event." Mr. Poe declared.

"Oh, right. The tragic fire." he said with no sympathy. Dismissing the irritation simmering within me, my eyes darted toward the unknown girl, studying her tense behavior.

"The will states that they have to be raised by their closest living relative ─︎," Mr. Poe began.

"─︎ That is I. Count Olaf." Count Olaf interrupted, gesturing his hand towards himself.

"And every bit of the fortune is going to stay locked until Violet Baudelaire comes of age." Mr. Poe noted, which didn't make Count Olaf pleased.

"Which one is Violet?" he asked while staring at us, teeth gritted.

"The eldest." Mr. Poe answered, making Count Olaf growl slightly.

"Alright. I can only hope that I can be the father you never had." Count Olaf said after inhaling sharply.

"But we had a father." Klaus stated, hiding a frown.

"I know. You had a mother, too. Flammable. Well, Poe, as actors say in the theater, exit stage right." Count Olaf stated calmly, urging the man to vacate his home.

"Ah, okay. Goodbye, children. If you need anything or have questions, just call ─︎," he said as Count Olaf shut the door, cutting him off.

"Well, children, before we have the grand tour, there are some things we have to do." He said, "Behind me is another orphan like yourselves. Her name is Y/n. Do you know what this is?" He pulled out a long piece of paper, displaying it like a valuable heirloom.