It was under rare circumstances in which (Y/n) was required to wear a maid's uniform, considering she wasn't a maid at all, but instead a gardener. But this night was one of few where the guests were notably distinguished compared to Lord Phantomhive's regulars, such as Lao and his sister in law, or his fiancé Lady Elizabeth.
However, that night, Lord Phantomhive was having her majesty's butlers over, likely to discuss sensitive information on her majesty's behalf. (Y/n) didn't know very much about them, only that they wore silver uniforms and had a very distinctive appearance. Though admittedly, she wasn't thinking about the matter too hard. No, her mind was with Ronald, and seeing him that same night after this dinner party - or meeting, if you will.
Sebastian had noticed her change in behaviour, naturally. He asked Finny about how their trip went that afternoon, and was furious to hear that she had split from him and he had made barely an effort to try and keep her from disappearing with this awful man which had tainted his beautiful daughter. He was scolded, though not too harshly considering that Sebastian wasn't able to provide him with the full context, and he composed himself for the guests to come. He would deal with this after dinner.
As a carriage drew near the entrance, the servants of the Phantomhive manor lined the door, and Sebastian would be the one to open it, welcoming the two guests who were easily recognizable.
(Y/n) watched as the two men entered, barely acknowledging the servants or even Sebastian who was so kind to let them in. They both had fair skin, and silver hair, a symbol of their status and wealth while their uniforms were a symbol of their loyalty and servitude. They exuded an air of authority as they stepped into the grand foyer. Their presence demanded respect, and (Y/n) couldn't help but feel a mixture of intrigue and intimidation as she observed them from a distance.
Sebastian, ever the consummate butler, greeted the two men with a polite bow and guided them toward the dining hall where Lord Phantomhive awaited. Bardroy, Finny and Tanaka excused themselves as Sebastian directed Mey-rin and (Y/n) to follow himself and the guests toward the dining room.
Dinner had been prepared shortly beforehand, so everything was still hot and fresh from Bard's reckless yet efficient skills as the manor's chef.
The guests took their seats, and Mey-rin would pour the two men a glass of wine each while (Y/n) brought Lord Phantomhive the cup of tea he had requested. Then, Mey-rin was asked by Sebastian to leave the room, though (Y/n) was made to stay, likely to ensure that should Sebastian need the extra assistance, that he had someone on hand who wasn't forbidden from hearing certain sensitive information.
(Y/n) had come to learn the names of these two men: Charles Grey, and Charles Phipps. Supposedly, one of them was an Earl, while the other was a knight. It was peculiar to her to know that an Earl would practice something like servitude, though her majesty's case was certainly a special one that required the utmost skill, skill that she was certain he and the other man would reflect.
"Gentlemen," Lord Phantomhive began, after having greeted them with dinner from his end of the table, "I appreciate your presence here tonight. I presume this visit entails matters of utmost importance."
"Indeed," Lord Grey nodded, beginning to dig into his food, "we have come to discuss a matter that requires your immediate attention."
Charles Phipps, a man of few words but great loyalty, added, "the queen has received intelligence indicating the presence of a clandestine organization operating within the heart of London. They go by the name of 'The Silent Shadows,' and their activities pose a significant threat to national security."
"The Silent Shadows," Lord Phantomhive repeated, his voice laced with concern. "What do we know about their operations and their objectives?"
Lord Grey leaned forward, his voice low and intense.
"Their network spans across multiple criminal enterprises, involving smuggling, espionage, and even assassination attempts on key figures. Their ultimate goals remain elusive, but it is evident that they seek to undermine the stability of the crown."
"We suspect that there are traitors within the royal court aiding The Silent Shadows," Phipps continued, "their ability to operate undetected and gather sensitive information is alarming."
"I see," Lord Phantomhive nodded, his chin resting upon his ringed knuckle thoughtfully, his eyes focused on the two men. "This is a grave matter indeed. The safety and security of the crown must be upheld at all costs. I assume you have devised a plan to counteract the threat posed by The Silent Shadows?"
Charles Grey's gaze hardened as he replied, "Indeed, Lord Phantomhive. We have been working tirelessly to gather information and identify the individuals involved. We have managed to infiltrate certain aspects of their operations and gather valuable intelligence. Our plan is to strike at the heart of their organization, dismantle their network, and expose the traitors within the royal court."
Lord Phantomhive nodded approvingly.
"Very well. I trust in your abilities to assist myself with handling this matter with the utmost discretion and efficiency. My resources and the Phantomhive name are at your disposal, as always."
The three of them engaged in a strategic discussion, sharing insights, pooling resources, and formulating a plan to dismantle The Silent Shadows. Lord Phantomhive's sharp intellect and unwavering resolve were evident as he dissected every piece of information provided by Charles Grey and Charles Phipps.
Dinner passed by successfully, and everyone in the room had eaten. Alarmingly to (Y/n), Lord Grey had gone through quite a few plates of food, seemingly having a large appetite with a fast metabolism considering he had a slim figure. Though she made sure not to allow this judgement to show, especially since she was nothing but a servant.
"(Y/n)."
The woman looked toward her young master at the sound of his voice calling her name, ready and obedient as she always was.
"Clear our guests' plates away, and call Mey-rin to assist with dessert," he ordered, the girl muttering a quiet, 'yes my lord', as she walked over to the other side of the table.
She reached out to grab one of many stacks of Lord Grey's plates, though as she did, he seemed to drop his fork on the ground in front of her. He didn't apologize, nor acknowledge it any more than a brief glance between her and the fork. Without a word, she knelt down on the ground to pick the silverware up, though as she did, she felt a cold, moist sensation hit her chest as somewhat of a realization set in.
Lord Grey had knocked his glass of wine over, the red liquid spilling out and over the table and soaking the white part of her uniform, across her chest, making the material somewhat translucent and exposing a generous amount of her cleavage. (Y/n) couldn't move for a moment, dazed and embarrassed by the obviously intentional action.
She ripped herself out of this trance as she stood up, the fork in hand.
"Goodness, I'm so sorry," Lord Grey apologized, his voice condescending and insincere as his face bared a devilish smirk, "I hadn't seen you there."
(Y/n) could feel his eyes gazing at her chest, wettened by the wine, as her face flushed red at the humiliating situation. Before she could continue cleaning up after Lord Grey, Lord Phantomhive spoke up.
"(Y/n), you're excused for the night," he told her, a sour look on his face, "go change."
Without a word, she gave a polite bow before excusing herself from the room, asking Mey-rin to take her place on her way to her bedroom. Feeling a mix of embarrassment, anger, and vulnerability, (Y/n) hurriedly made her way to her room. The wine stain on her uniform seemed to amplify her discomfort, a devious reminder of the unwarranted humiliation she had just endured. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath, trying to collect herself and push aside the negative emotions that threatened to consume her.
The first thing she saw when she wondered over to her mirror was how red her face was. It was only natural, the mixed colour of embarrassment and rage tended to come out in a red hue. The next, obviously, was the plum red stain across her chest, and seeing it in the mirror she realised she was much more exposed than she had initially thought. She couldn't believe this - she had been humiliated by the upper class many a times, of course, it was a sad reality but she was used to it. But this, never in her many years had something this humiliating ever happened to her. She'd kill that man if she could, but she wouldn't - it really wasn't worth her energy.
Just as she reached up and unbuttoned the first button on her under dress, she heard a knock at her window. Instinctively, she cast a glance over toward the noise, and naturally, saw none other than Ronald, waiting patiently for her to meet him for their agreed upon "date". He seemed quite nonchalant and happy at first, though he seemed to raise a brow when she spun around to face him and walk over to the window, spotting the massive red stain on her chest.
Carefully, (Y/n) opened her window and helped Ronald inside, though before she could greet him he was already at her with the questions.
"Now what have you gone and done to yourself, doll?" he asked, referring to the stain on her chest.
"I haven't done anything, it was that godforsaken guest of my master's that did this to me," she huffed, turning toward the mirror and continuing to unbutton her dress. "Augh, I'm so angry! How humiliating! I hate to speak like this of my betters, but really??"
She turned to face him a moment, noting the way he began to undress her with his eyes, his cheeks burning bright red at the sight of her cleavage he had not yet seen. It was easy for her to forgive him of all people for the way he behaved, she could even find it quite flattering, since no other man had behaved like that around her - appropriately, that is.
But there was a time and place, and it certainly wasn't now.
"Turn around, won't you?? I'd like to change without you gawking at me."
His eyes widened a moment, since he hadn't really realized the way he had been staring at her - he couldn't help it. Though, on her request, he murmured a quick 'sorry' as he spun around so his back was to her and he was facing the corner of the room.
She sighed, feeling the heat radiating off of her face as she quickly began to undress and dress back up again.
"I'm sorry Ron, I don't mean to take out my ire on you," she suspired frustratedly as she shuffled out of her maid clothes. "It's just so difficult to be a woman in this day and age."
Ronald snorted, though not in a mocking way, more in agreeance.
"You can say that again. Women aren't even allowed to lead a family, only fellows, which is ironic considering our queen is a woman," he said thoughtfully.
"I'm glad you, at the least, understand," she huffed, pulling on her evening clothes with impressive speed, "as a man, that is."
She finished her outfit with great haste, and when she was done, she walked over to Ronald and grabbed his arm, spinning him around so he could face her.
(your chosen dress ladiessssss)
Even when she was irate, he still thought that she was the cutest thing in the whole wide world, and couldn't help the dorky grin that came to his face when he took her in again - her (h/c) hair all out and sprawled over her shoulders (unless you have short hair lol), the residual red hue from her outburst moments ago still present on her cheeks, and that dress...though no matter what she wore, he still thought her stunning.
She obviously picked up on his silly smile, and tried not to smile herself on account of her sour mood, trying to act irritated even though it was impossible to around this man of all people. She placed a hand on her hip, and furrowed her brows.
"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, or are you going to take me away from this awful place?"
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