The next few nights, Y/N didn't show up outside on the bridge to read in peace. Not even when she lay awake until late at night and racked her brains over all the things. The place where she had always sat and read before remained empty.
And Lesso had also noticed the absence of the other. The first few nights she had sneaked outside as usual, knowing that Y/N could catch her at any time, but when she had stepped out of the door, there was no trace of the young woman. The nights that followed also remained unfulfilling for the Dean, and all at once she was much colder again, as she had been before the Ever's arrival. And at some point, Lesso had given up on it and her gates also remained locked during the nights.
The only times Y/N and Lady Lesso crossed paths was at meal times together, but they never spoke a word to each other, only exchanging scattered glances.
And for Y/N, a terrible emotional chaos began and everything was related to Lesso. She was the one who was constantly buzzing in Y/N's head and it was her looks that sent a shiver down the young woman's spine. God, Lesso had way too much power over her now. Her and her copper colored hair and slightly rosy lips.
"Y/N? Earth to Y/N." Dovey's voice filtered through to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Mhm? I'm sorry, what did you say?" She had been lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed Dovey talking to her. The woman eyed Y/N with a worried look, of course it hadn't escaped her notice that her friend's mind had been elsewhere quite often lately.
"Are you all right, dear?" she asked in a soft voice, settling down in the chair across from Y/N. She nodded quickly, after all there was really nothing wrong with her and she couldn't very well tell her that she had been sneaking outside night after night to read and had run into Lesso. That would get both her and the other woman into trouble and that was exactly what Y/N wanted to avoid.
But Dovey was not to be shaken off that quickly and she looked at Y/N with that look that she knew something was wrong. "Now don't look like that, Clarissa. There's really nothing wrong. My mind's just been somewhere else lately, that's all." Well, rather, her thoughts were on someone else. The dean finally sighed softly. "Okay, okay. If you say everything is okay, then I'll believe you. Just know that you can always come to me if something is bothering you. We're good friends, after all, and I can help you."
It was sweet that Dovey was so concerned about her well-being, but Y/N knew she couldn't tell Dovey. After all, she couldn't very easily say that she was starting to develop a crush on Lady Lesso. It was just wrong and inappropriate. A Never and an Ever... That would never be acknowledged by the others and besides, she dared to doubt that Lesso really liked her. If Y/N was honest, she wasn't even sure if there was anyone Lesso liked at all.
Fortunately, Dovey then left it at that and continued with her real topic. The Everball was scheduled for tomorrow and there was a lot to do before then. Y/N had offered to give Dovey a hand and here they were. In the almost fully decorated ballroom that would be filled tomorrow with gowns, tulle and newly in love princes and princesses.
Over on the other side, at the School for Evil, Lesso stood at the large tower window looking out, her tall stature leaning against a hard stone pillar. She was preparing for the next class, and she could already hear the door opening and the students entering to settle into their seats. But Lesso did not react. She didn't say anything or start her lesson. The only thing she did was to continue staring out the window in the direction of the School for Good.
"Do you think she's planning anything?"
"Nah, I don't think so. She looks a lot more like she's thinking about someone."
"Who, for that matter?"
"I don't know. Her secret lover, maybe?"
"Uh, we're the bad guys remember? We don't have lovers, dummy."
Quiet murmurs had broken out among the students, while their gazes were all on the Dean. And though she was lost in thought, Lesso caught every word her students said. Anger rose in her, all these loud voices were slowly but surely driving her mad and so she did not hold back much longer and turned to the students with quivering anger. "Shut up already!"
No one said a word and Lesso made her way forward, her cane making loud noises on the hard floor. "If I hear so much as another peep from any of you, I will send every single one of you to the Doom Room, do you understand me?!" A unified nod went through the ranks and no one dared to make even the slightest sound. Because even though they belonged to the bad guys, they still didn't want to incur the disfavor of Lady Lesso. That woman was more than just scary when she was beside herself with rage.
...
Quietly, Y/N sat at a small desk in her room, a pure white quill in her hand and an inkwell open in front of her. On the floor were already several sheets of paper, some of which were written in a fine and filigree handwriting.
The red of the evening sun shone in through the large window she had opened to let fresh air into her room, while she racked her brain over a poem she planned to write.
With this poem Y/N wanted to express her feelings and everything that was bothering her at the moment, since she couldn't talk about these subjects with anyone else, not even with Dovey, one of her closest confidants. What would happen to the poem when it was finished? Would Y/N eventually be able to gather the courage to hand it to Lesso? Probably not. She would probably hide it somewhere and make sure it never got out to the public.
Time passed and the only thing that could be heard from the young woman's room was the scribbling of the pen on the fine paper. Y/N was completely absorbed in what she was doing, slowly but surely the poem took shape and with each successive line another small burden fell from Y/N's heart.
She stopped only when her hands hurt so much that she could write no more. Y/N put the quill aside and looked at the work of deep black ink. Over and over again, the young woman read over the lines that were written down on the paper. Lines that described her innermost self and her deepest feelings. Feelings she should not have had, for it was morally irresponsible to lose her heart to a Never. Especially when that Never was Lady Lesso herself. The dean of the School for Evil, a villainess that Y/N really shouldn't have liked at all.
But those eyes. Those goddamn eyes that looked at her every time and made her forget that she was a princess and facing one of her biggest rivals. It couldn't and shouldn't be, yet that was what made it all so enticing. Would she take a chance if it came her way?
Again, she read over the poem and a slight smile settled on her lips.
I wish it would be night
So I can sit on that spotless bridge, hoping in vain
To see your sparkling eyes, that gave me light,
And to wish for no longer being in pain.
I can't get you out of my head,
Your hair, like a sensational creation of Eos
and how you are driving me slowly mad
Causing a lasting chaos.
How much I wish for making you mine,
Tasting your sweet and rosy lips
Until our fingers will intertwine
And for you to lay your hands on my hips
So we can dance around under the sky of night
Satisfied, Y/N rose from her seat and was about to pick up the attempts she had not been satisfied with, when suddenly the door to her room was pulled open and Dovey entered with a beaming expression on her face. "Y/N, I have wonderful news!" she exclaimed cheerfully, but her entering the room caused a gust of wind to whirl up the sheet with the poem and carry it out the wide window.
"No!" Panicked, Y/N had jumped up and was now rushing towards her window to catch the sheet of paper, but it escaped from her hands and the young woman had to watch her poem being carried away by the wind, away from the castle, until it was no longer in sight.
A slight twinge spread through the teacher's chest, who had put so much work, time, and most of all emotion into this little poem. And now it was gone. Hopefully it had fallen into the river where no one would ever read it.
"Oh no, I'm so terribly sorry. I hope it wasn't anything too important." Dovey sounded dismayed when she saw what her entrance had wrought. Immediately she stepped closer and seemed to struggle with the words, not knowing what to say. Y/N merely let out a soft sigh and turned back to her friend. She forced herself to smile and simply shook her head. "It's all right, Clarissa. It wasn't all that important." Maybe it was just as well that the poem was gone now. Y/N had been able to write down everything that was on her mind at the moment, and now she finally seemed a little more liberated.
"So... out with it, what did you want to tell me that was so important?" Dovey still looked a bit dismayed, but Y/N was able to assure her that it really wasn't a big deal, so the dean very quickly went back to the real topic of why she had been here. "They just let me know that our dresses for the ball tomorrow night are ready and we can try them on now. Isn't that exciting?" Y/N saw the glint in Clarissa's eyes and couldn't help but laugh softly. "That's wonderful. Well then, what else are we standing here for? Let's try on the dresses."
Y/N had already disappeared from the room, Dovey however turned one last time to the pile of crumpled papers lying on the floor and she began to wonder what exactly it was that had flown out of the window, she was after all a rather curious person, but now that it was gone she probably wouldn't be able to find out. And so Dovey followed her friend after she closed the door of the room.
However, what they didn't suspect was that the little poem was making its way over to the dark castle. One of the wolves standing guard there saw the piece of paper fly down and caught it before it could land in the dirty water.
He took one look at the contents of the paper and couldn't help laughing out loud. He immediately showed it to one of his comrades, who also began to laugh at the words of the poem.
"What exactly is so funny here?" Lady Lesso's voice made the two guards freeze and they immediately turned to their mistress to hand her the sheet of paper they had picked up. "We found it, probably one of the princesses who wrote this for her prince. The words are incredibly cheesy" one of the guards finally enlightened her.
Lesso raised an eyebrow and accepted the piece of paper before she too turned her eyes to it and read word for word. Immediately, as she finished reading the poem, her eyes wandered up towards the brightly lit castle. Could it really be that...? Yes, there was no doubt about it.
If I knew writing a poem would be so hard I would've thought twice about that idea haha😭 But anyways here we go, pls don't judge I've literally never wrote a poem before especially not an english one but I tried my best. Again, hope you like it and be prepared for the next chapter, I've already planned a big step for both of them hehe✨