𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆, regulus black

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟖: 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠

If she could have chosen, she would have asked Mr. Rosier to employ her, and she'd spend the rest of her life dusting the bookshelves. 

The day before Christmas, Rune set out with the Rosier family for robe shopping. 

The Christmas Ball was set to be hosted by The Nobel House of Black. 

Rune had asked if she could sit it out and remain at the Estate, but her answer wasn't the one she wanted. 

She was loitering outside the changerooms when a rack filled with designer dress robes was wheeled up to her. 

"Mr. Rosier says to pick one," said a shopping assistant. 

"Oh no no. Not for me." 

The assistant gave her a once over before turning and walking away. Just as Rune breathed a sigh of relief, the assistant returned with Mr. Rosier in tow. 

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking at the rack. "Are none of them to your liking?" 

"No, they're quite lovely. I just don't need anything. I have a dress." 

"You must get one," insisted Mr. Rosier. "I insist." 

"You've already been so kind to me," tried Rune desperately. "I don't—" 

"Just try on a few," interjected Mr. Rosier. He turned to the assistant and whispered something and then as he began to walk away, the assistant gently shoved Rune into the changerooms. 

The assistant handed dresses to Rune one at a time and before long, she'd tried on almost every one of the exquisite, expensive pieces of cloth. Each one was gaudier and more detailed than the one before. And every one of them earned a dissatisfied grunt from the assistant before she handed another one to Rune. 

As Rune stepped out of the changerooms again, she felt the air get knocked out of her lungs when she found Evan standing next to Regulus Black. 

"Have you found one yet?" asked Evan, but he might as well have not spoken because she didn't hear him.

Regulus was staring at her. 

Not just staring, admiring. 

The dress was powdery blue and had ruffled sleeves. There was lace detailing all over the bodice and its flaring skirt. It was exactly the kind of dress she'd wear to go running through a field of dandelions. 

She liked it best from all she'd tried on, but the way he was looking at her subconsciously made her like it even more. 

Regulus continued to stare at her as Evan asked, "You like this one then?" 

"I don't really need a dress," mumbled Rune. "Please tell your dad for me."  

"Nonsense. We always buy from here. He gets special prices; just pick one."  

"I have a dress." 

"Pick another one." 

"Evan!" she exclaimed, but he waved a hand at her dismissively as he dropped down onto the couch and stretched his feet over the coffee table. The assistant immediately ran out of the changerooms. 

Rune turned back to Regulus and when she found him still staring at her, she grabbed the curtains and used it as a shield to cover herself. 

"Do you mind?" she scowled. 

"What?" asked Regulus, slightly dazed.

"You're staring at me!" she exclaimed.

"I've never seen anything quite so atrocious as you in this dress," he said, with an infuriating smirk. "It's boggling my mind." 

"Never had access to a mirror before, have you?" she snapped. "Stand in front of one and you'll see something worse!" 

"I have to say," commented Evan. "Regulus has got to be lying. I just know he likes the dress." 

"You don't have to say anything because you don't know anything, Rosier," bit back Regulus. 

As Evan's mouth spread into a lazy grin, the assistant arrived with three cups of piping hot coffee. 

When she saw Rune, she gasped happily. "I believe this is the one."  

"No." Rune held out her hand. "I don't like it. I'll take another." 

"Are you sure?" asked the assistant unsurely. "This one looks beautiful on you. It's a perfect fit." 

"I don't like it."  

Once another dress was handed to Rune, she made sure to sneer at Regulus before flinging the curtains shut. 

At the end of the shopping experience, she was coerced into buying one, so she settled with choosing the cheapest option of the lot. It was by no means cheap but there was a significant difference in the hundred's column of the price when compared to the others. It was a plain corset-style white dress with puffer sleeves. 

It would do. 

The Rosier's had urgent business to attend to on Christmas Eve and after a rushed dinner of turkey, roast lamb, potpie, grilled vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and trifle, the father and son were off.

Rune settled into one of the comfortable sofas in the library as she started the novel The Shining by Stephen King. It was a horror masterpiece and she'd grown so engrossed in it that Hattie had to physically force her out of the library at 3am to retire to bed. 

Just as Rune changed into pajamas and made her way to bed, she caught sight of a large white box laying in the center of it. 

It was plain and had no note attached. 

She shook it first and when it made no noise, she carefully opened the lid. 

As soon as she did, she figured out exactly who it was from. 

Her hands involuntarily dug into the box, and she lifted up the same blue dress she tried on earlier that day in the shop.

She could picture Regulus so clearly. 

His smug smirk, his overconfident eyes, the condescending manner in which he would have asked the assistant to bring out the dress, the snark as he paid for it from his own vault, probably providing a hefty tip just because he could. 

It angered her more than she could have thought possible. 

She did not want the dress and she especially did not want it from him. 

She shoved the dress back into the box it came out from and once it was packed away, she shoved it into the cupboards.

Rune decided that when she saw Mr. Rosier again, she would ask him to return it.