Devils in Disguise (possessive royals x reader)

2.5 The Silence Before The Storm

After the disagreeing word left your mouth, you fled the time scene without ever turning to look back. You were too scared and too sure that what you would find had you turned around, would be that dark pair of eyes staring right into your deepest being.

Running while holding up your skirts to make it easier until upon reaching your house, where you quickly shut yourself in. Chest heaving up and down erratically from the run, you forbid yourself from ever thinking about what happened. You probably won't get to see the prince ever again, anyway. He'd surely forget you in no time, with way too many other worries and responsibilities on his shoulders, as you imagined the royal family to have.

As you strolled into the kitchen, you found no one in there.  If your father was not in the kitchen, there was only one other place in the house he'd spend time in; sitting by your mother's side.

Exiting the kitchen, you entered the room next door, the room in which your mother had been dwelling for all this time. As expected, your father was sitting on a stool beside her, watching as she slept peacefully.

The prince and the day's events left your mind at an instance upon seeing the sight in front of you. As always, your mother's sickness preoccupied your whole mind.

When your father saw you stand in the doorway, he motioned for you to come inside. Suddenly, all the troubles were left behind in the other rooms. In this room, the only thing you had ever thought about was your mother. Sitting down next to your father on another stool you pulled closer to the bed, you did not dare break the silence and risk waking up your mother from her painless slumber. You watched her together in silence, watched her chest slowly rise and then fall back down, watched her eyes flutter underneath her eyelids as she dreamed.

At least in her dreams she could be in a better place.

Staying there for a moment, you finally left her as the dark was beginning to replace the light of day.

“Did you get the bread?” inquired your father eagerly after you settled at the kitchen table.

And once again, the whole day's events fell down on you. Sighing softly, you shook your head regretfully just as a knock could be heard rattling on your door. The gentle rapping was rhythmic, yet sharp.

When you opened the door, the big baker filled the doorframe with his body, apron tied tightly around his waist and a basket in his hands, underneath the white cloth covering the basket a bulge.

“Good evening! Here is the bread for you, eh, yeah? As I promised, eh,” said the baker, pushing the basket into your hands. As he had said, when you held up one corner of the cloth, your eyes were met with a goldish brown crust and your nose filled with a delicious smell of crusty, soft bread. “Have a good night, I say, bless you folks,” he said at last and before you could even have the chance to thank him, he was gone and well down the road.

Then a thought struck you. Did he give the bread to you because the prince ordered him to do so?

“ Why'd you say you didn't get it, kid?” your father's voice brought you back to reality. “Let me have a bite, yeah? Want some as well?” he asked without actually waiting for your answer, already pulling the basket away from you and tearing away a piece of it to eat. You were hardly realizing what he had asked or did, not really paying attention to your surroundings.

Why did the prince even ordered him to do it? Why'd he even care?

Moreover, why would he want me to become his maid?

You almost slapped yourself; you vowed not to think more of the matter and yet you were standing in front of the still open door and gazing out into the distance, nowhere in particular while your father was munching on the second piece already.

༺☆༻
After a few days passed, you completely forgot about the prince ever visiting your village; you had far more important worries to dwell on. And you continued on with your life as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. You were back to the ordinary life as soon as the prince left, back to the peaceful routine of it, although quite busy and still worrying about paying back all the debts of your father. Even the other village folk seemed to forget about the honor of the prince's visit. Even if it was only a few days into the past, it was still past nevertheless. No one expected it to happen again, and no one appointed much meaning to it.

Besides, what good would it do to think about him?

Even though you were still curious as to why he even stopped by in your little village in the first place, it just naturally left your mind the more time passed. You thought you wouldn't ever see him again, anyway.

Oh boy but were you wrong.

As you left your house one day to fetch some wild berries into the forest nearby, something happened because of which you never even managed to get to the forest. Something because of which you never even returned home.