Tamed || Wriothesley x Reader

Final Part | Chapter 44

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Wriothesley finished off signing a couple of reports and wrapping a gift box on his desk. He had been fairly busy, especially because of what was occurring on the surface.

The Fortress of Meropide had been crafted by those who were exiled by the long and gone former Hydro Archon, and for that reason, the truth was only known to few people.

One of those few people was Wriothesley. Being the Warden came with knowing the truth— and for that reason, he tended to keep his words short and to the point. People feared him because of his authority, which is why he tended to tease and joke around. But nonetheless, he was strict and stern when he had to be; especially when it came to the business of the Fortress.

Today was rather a special day. Well, for one person. To him, he had long been dreading this day for over a month now. Especially since he knew his heart wouldn't function correctly after saying his goodbyes.

People come and go from the Fortress of Meropide. Some had even been there longer than Wriothesley himself. He always tried to address the Fortress as his "home away from home", but in reality, a home takes more than just words to be built upon.

Sighing, Wriothesley stuck the gift box into the pocket of his coat. He stood up and rested his palms on his desk, taking a deep breath.

Over the course of a very short three months, he had found himself exposing the true "Wriothesley". He thought that he had locked that side of himself away ever since he murdered his foster parents, but for some reason that was still unknown to him, it broke through the shackles and came to reality. All of his panic, worry, fear, and depression that developed over years of pent up trauma had been publicly released from the confines of the Fortress. One would think that this would tarnish his reputation; instead, it boasted it. People feared this "new" side of the Duke, and because of that singular reason, the crime rate in the nation had decreased. Who would want to go to a place where there was a Warden who would nearly kill a prisoner?

The Chief Justice had immediately called Wriothesley to the surface to hold a meeting. Wriothesley knew exactly what the Iudex wanted to discuss, and because of that, he feared that his long and hard earned reputation would cease.

But in the back of his mind, he thought that it wouldn't be all so bad.

Because if he was no longer the Warden, that meant he could stay above the surface, doing whatever he wanted to do.

No responsibilities, no reports to sign off of, no troublesome business...

Just someone to live his life with.

There was a soft knock at Wriothesley's door, which made him snap out of his trance. He cleared his throat, calling out to the guest.

"Come in."

He listened as the door opened and closed, and then for the sound of footsteps on the metallic stairs.

"...Oh?"

"Hey, Wriothesley!"

Wriothesley composed himself, crossing his arms and straightening his back. Even though the truth was out, after years of putting on a facade, he naturally made it a habit to appear presentable in front of others.

"Greetings." He looked back at Sigewinne holding a milkshake in her hand.

"How have you been holding up?" She placed the milkshake down, giving him a soft expression.

He chuckled. "I should be asking you that question."

Sigewinne had her hands tied behind her back with loads of work. Not just in the Fortress, but on the surface as well. Apparently, something bad had occurred in Poisson, causing many casualties and even deaths across the area. Sigewinne was summoned there, and thankfully, she managed to make use of her skills.

"I've been fine. Without the help of the Fatui, I don't think I would have been much help at all..." Sigewinne replied.

"The Fatui?" Wriothesley asked.

She nodded. "Mhm. Poisson was completely out of supplies and I had to start improvising. Thankfully, some members of the Fatui showed up, including a harbinger. They lended their help, and together, we were able to temporarily solve the crisis."

"...I see." Wriothsley looked away from her. "How many casualties were there?"

Sigewinne sighed. "Quite a few. Many dissolved into the water that flooded Poisson. Some were inflicted with it, and others were traumatized by the event."

"...It may be time to pay a visit to the Forbidden Zone." Wriothesley said, quietly. "Given the unfortunate circumstances."

Sigewinne rubbed the back of her head. "...Are you sure something as old as that would work?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." He looked down at the milkshake. "...Why does this look... normal?"

Sigewinne scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, why does it not look like a unicorn threw up on it?" Wriothesley joked.

"Hmph." Sigewinne puffed out her cheeks. "Y/N asked me to give this to you. She said it was good when she tried it, so she wanted you to try it as well."

Wriothesley's cheeks heated up. "...Where is she now?"

"Finishing up paperwork at the front desk. I ran into her on my way back here, and she was holding this in her hand. She said she would have given it to you herself, but she didn't want it to melt since her paperwork is taking longer than usual." She explained.

"Is she reading the terms and conditions or something? It doesn't take long to sign off on a few sheets of paper." He said.

"I don't know. When I saw her, it looked like she was reading. Which is weird, because I never took her as the type to be interested in something like that..." Sigewinne put her finger to her lip.

Wriothesley smiled to himself. It sounded to him like you were stalling.

"How do you feel about her leaving?" Sigewinne had broken a small bit of silence that Wriothesley didn't notice.

"...That's a good question. It all depends on her promise." He replied.

"Promise?" She asked, tilting her head.

"She promised that she would visit me. Well, at least try to... actually, scratch that. Either way it goes, she's leaving and there's nothing I can do about it. So, to answer your question... I feel terrible about it." He smiled.

"Y/N is the type of person who is true to their word. She's a very... interesting person. If you had to ask me, I would say she would definitely try her best to come see you." Sigewinne smiled back.

Wriothesley closed his eyes, taking a very deep breath. When you told him that you were going to return to the desert for a short while, it felt like his heart had shattered. He thought that after your release, you would just remain in the Fortress with him. But he knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as that. He couldn't get an exact date out of you for when you would return to Fontaine, nor could he make you stay here. If he was being honest with himself... he was scared.

Scared of you moving on and forgetting him.

Chuckling, Wriothesley reopened his eyes, looking down at the milkshake on his desk.

"...I'll choose to believe that."