The Butterfly Bracelet [Yandere Prince x Female Reader]

35. Like She Never Left.

Y/N awoke to the sound of birds chirping merrily. She sat up and at first, was confused as to why her body ached so much and why she was hearing birds when Ilidoro's chambers were so far from the gardens.

Opening her E/C eyes, Y/N looked around the cozy little kitchen she had been resting in and everything came flooding back. She had run from the castle the night of the ball after Ilidoro forced himself on her. She had returned to her family's home and had been allowed to return to work as a servant, (Reluctantly on her father Dollo's part.)

It had only been a few days, and Y/N was already settling back into her old way of life. She stood from the blankets and stretched until she heard a satisfying pop from her shoulders. After that, she brushed the soot from her plan graey work dress and tied an apron around her waist.

Y/N stoked up the fire in the cookstove and began making a hearty breakfast for the four other members of the household. She cracked eggs into the frying pan and began to hum her grandmother's tune, but she faltered and stopped.

The lyrics of that song spoke of a king who married a common girl. Y/N had always liked the story because it showed that love could transcend all differences, but now it made her feel queasy. The image of Ilidoro's deranged face as he proclaimed his love for her flashed crystal clear before her eyes.

She shuddered at the memory and leaned over the stove to steady herself. If that is the only love capable of saving me from my family than I want no part in it, she decided firmly.

Y/N jumped when the bells on the wall all started ringing at nearly the exact same time, signaling that she was late in serving breakfast to the rest of the family. She rushed to finish making the food and put it on the old trays she used.

Walking through the kitchen door into the rest of the manor house Y/N thought, I'd rather be here, I'm home, I'm happy.

. . .

Smack

"You useless girl! How can you be so stupid that you can't even serve tea right!" Lord Dollo yelled angrily, the hand he had used to strike his daughter still raised.

The force of the blow had caused Y/N to go tumbling to the floor of the parlor. Y/N clutched her burning cheek but didn't attempt to get back to her feet. She knew she would receive an even worse beating from her father if she did.

"We take sugar with our tea in this house," Dollo sneered as he reached down and pulled Y/N up by her hair. "First you are late in serving breakfast and now this? Tut tut, you've lost what little competence you had."

Y/N gripped at Dollo's fingers which were imbedded deeply in her hair, trying to pull herself free without scratching Dollo. Her life would be worse if she did.

Wait, why am I putting up with this? Y/N asked herself as her eyes began watering from the pain in her scalp. She looked around the parlor and saw her stepmother and stepsisters all sitting there with indifferent expressions on their faces. Why don't I just run away?

"I don't know how a halfwit girl like you managed to survive working at the castle for three months," Dollo scoffed as he suddenly released his grip on Y/N's hair, causing her to fall back to the floor. "You're so stupid I am surprised that you didn't get yourself executed in your first week."

That's right, the castle, Y/N thought as a wave of apathy washed over her. She stayed were her body had fallen, her face pressed against the fine mauve rug. The last time she tried to escape her family she ended up at the castle, what if she tried again and ended up somewhere even worse?

"Come, my beautiful flowers," Lord Dollo said as the three other women in the room began to get to their feet. "I bought gifts for all three of you. They're in my study." He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders caringly as he led the way out of the parlor.

Y/N stayed on the floor until long after the sound of her family's footsteps had disappeared into silence. Y/N slowly got to her feet and brushed her skirt off. She could feel the side of her face where she had been struck starting to swell. I'd rather be here than risk ending up at another place like castle. I'm home, I'm happy.

. . .

Y/N continued her work for the rest of the day in a trance. The right side of her face was stinging where she was hit, but Y/N convinced herself that it wasn't that bad. The pain was better than the fear she felt when Ilidoro took advantage of her. The pain was better than facing the unknown and trying to leave again. At least if she stayed at Magnifico Manor she would know where the dangers lay.

Y/N felt completely numb by the time she finished her work for the day and returned exhausted to the kitchen. The only light in the room came from the dwindling fire in the cookstove, and as the sound of rain and thunder was suddenly heard Y/N felt a strange sense of Deja vu.

It had been on a rainy night just like that one when Y/N had first met Ilidoro. Maybe it was all just a dream, Y/N thought with a combination of longing and sadness. Even though she knew it all was real, for a brief moment she actually believed that it was a dream.

Looking down at the pile of blankets that served as her bed, Y/N saw her single golden slipper resting there. She picked it up and examined it before turning to the smoldering fireplace. If I destroy this I will be able to pretend that my time at the castle never happened, she thought.

She raised her hand to throw it in, but something stopped her. After several moments of just standing there, trying to understand what was keeping her from destroying the shoe she gave up and set it back on the ground by her bed.

She curled up into a little ball on the blankets and rested her gaze on the dainty shoe. Y/N had given up on hoping for a better future. She had accepted that she would be nothing more than a servant in her own home for the rest of her life.

Destroying the shoe would have put the last nail in the coffin of Y/N's hope, but she couldn't do it. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't just pretend like her life at the castle had been a dream. She saved the shoe because deep down, she still had the faintest glimmer of hope.

She reached her hands out and wrapped them around the shoe. It was a reminder of both her suffering and her joy at the castle. Memories of her friendship with Dandini and Ilidoro before he lost his mind consumed her thoughts. If keeping the good memories meant she also had to keep the bad ones than she would do it.

Tears started to spill from Y/N's E/C eyes. Even though she was crying Y/N still told herself, I'm home, I'm happy. As Y/N continued to cry, she eventually drifted off to sleep. The golden slipper clutched against her chest.

A/N

More of a filler chapter, but not everything can be yandere action, (unfortunately.) The good news is that we finally get to see some yandereness from the prince in the next chapter so stay tuned for that, and

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~