And I'm finally done! The angst is finally here oh boy- Honestly, I can't tell if the angst is good or bad :,)) I'm pretty sure there are some typos too but my brain cells are too dead to do anything ahaha- I hope you readers will be able to still enjoy it-
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"What is this...?" The young man stares at his desks which were piled up with letters from several different noble families who were hoping to get into contact with him. News of Joseph rejecting both Beaufort and Lilian as his future wife spreaded like a wildfire within the nobles's circle and many took this as an opportunity to have their daughters engaged to the Desaulnier's son since he was available now. What they didn't know was that he and his family had already chosen a new candidate to be his fiance, regardless of their status.
"These are invitations sent by many different families that you have connections with, Master." (Y/N) bluntly explains, somewhat amused by the huge numbers of letters that Joseph has received within a few weeks. It was more than she had expected. "Shall we read through them?" She added on, turning to look at her master for his instructions and was met with an irritated look. "There's no need. Let's move onto the paperworks for today." He says with a click of the tongue. 'He's really not pleased...' Keeping her thoughts to herself, she proceeds to put the letters elsewhere just in case he decides to have a second thought.
Just then, a letter with a specific stamp caught her attention. Upon having a closer look, she realised that it belonged to Beaufort's family. "Ha, what a stubborn woman. Has she not been embarrassed enough?" Joseph's sudden voice from behind caused her to jump slightly as she was not aware that he was looking at the letter she was holding as well. "Would you like to read the content that's inside or should I discard it?" Her eyes rested on his face, observing a frown that had slowly crept up onto his face. "Her matters are no longer mine to deal with, if you see any letters belonging to the Castina family, please throw it away." He spoke in a monotone, gently taking the letter from (Y/N)'s hand and crumbling it in a matter of seconds.
They then return their focus back to the paperworks Joseph has to finish for the day, unlike before, Joseph was much more efficient and was able to complete his task without getting too distracted. Usually, he would try to find topics to speak with her while working and forgetting about it during the process to which she would have to remind him. Unbeknownst to (Y/N), the only reason why Joseph was working so hard to complete his job was to ensure that he would be free for tomorrow's evening and afternoon so that he could spend his time meaningfully with the person he admired so much.
'From what I have heard from the maids, (Y/N) should be free for the day for tomorrow as well. It may be a good opportunity to bring her to the town, it has been awhile since we last went out together.' Joseph's mood got better the more he thought about his plans with her tomorrow, many different scenarios and memories of him at a younger age were swarming through his head all at once. "Master?" An angelic voice snapped him out from his trance, making him realise that his hands had stopped writing.
"Shall we take a break? You have been working non stop for the past few hours." His eyes widened slightly in shock, he didn't even believe her words until he raised his head and felt how sore his neck was. He was surprised at himself for being able to work properly without making any mistake while daydreaming. "That sounds like a good idea." He agrees with her idea as one of his hands reached to the back of his neck to massage it. His eyes then wander to (Y/N) who was preparing his tea, she had been working diligently by his side just as he did. 'She must be tired as well.'
"Why don't you join me?" He suggested, wanting to have an opportunity to have a conversation with her, not just about their schedules and work. These days, they had been so busy that it was somewhat difficult for them to have a simple chat, he could have asked her to come to his room to chat during the night but that would be unwise, even if the maid appears to be unaffected by the sudden huge amount of work they had to do, she must be hiding her exhaustion due to her strong sense of professionalism. He never really understood why she was so dedicated but he still respected it. There were times that she would be open but it was rare.
Noticing how hesitant she was to accept the offer, a sigh escaped from his lips but his charming smile still remained on his beautiful features. "Please? There are some things I wish to talk to you about?" He politely asks, his eyes were similar to a look of a puppy to the maid which made it harder for her to refuse his generous offer. Well, he has a point. It was true that they still see each other everyday thanks to her position of being his attendant but they never really held conversations that would allow them to be 'closer' in a way.
"Thank you, I'll take a break as well then." With a defeated sigh, she returns a bright smile. There was no way she could win an argument against Joseph especially when he brought out his special 'technique'. Honestly, who could say no to that face? Besides, there was something important she needed to discuss with Joseph anyways so this was a good opportunity for her. She wasn't too sure how he would react though so that made her feel somewhat anxious.
"I heard that tomorrow will be your off day, do you have anything planned out?" Silently praying that she was free for tomorrow if not he could kiss his dreams goodbye. When the maid replied with only a simple nod, the excitement that glimmered in his eyes started to dramatically fade away slightly, "Oh..." Anyone could hear how dejected he felt from the tone he was using. Joseph curses himself for missing the first and most important step, which was choosing a day that they were both free and instead of doing that, he went all out to plan everything for it to be torn apart instead.
"Only in the morning though." And with that, his glowing blue eyes immediately returned within a second as his head shot up to meet her pretty (E/C) eyes. (Y/N) did everything she could to hold back a giggle that almost came out of her mouth, everyone who had met Joseph would have described him to be charismatic, a perfect kind gentleman who could charm any lady at first sight.
While those characteristics do stay when those two are alone, (Y/N) was able to see other sides of him which most could not and that made her feel special in a way. Of course, she kept in mind that Joseph was only treating her as a family member since they have known each other for so long. There was no way Joseph would favour her in any other way right? Well, those reminders of hers started to waver slightly for the past few weeks since Beaufort's incident. She could never get that scene out of her head. Her conversation with Lilian did affect her too. 'No, no! Don't even think about it!' She scolds herself, hoping that her cheeks had not turned pink from her own thoughts, she hated how easily flustered she could get.
"That's wonderful!" Joseph exclaims out in happiness, he then realises how loud he had been and clears his throat in embarrassment, a hint of blush could be seen on his cheeks for a brief moment. Unfortunately, the maid was too dense to notice anything particular. "If that is the case, would you mind accompanying me to the town? I thought it would be nice to get some fresh air once in a while."
"That sounds nice. But I'll be in my own outing clothes though. Are you fine with that?" If she had to wear her uniform during her break then so be it, she was willing to do anything for Joseph. It had been a very long time since they had gone into town together anyways, she didn't want to miss this opportunity just because of her attire. "Oh no, please wear what you would find comfortable." He insisted, he had seen (Y/N) in the same exact attire for months so it would be nice to see her in other clothings.
"Then I will do just that, what about you though?" She wonders if Joseph would be wearing his former attire or something less flashy to capture the town's folk attention. She was familiar with what clothes he would wear since she was familiar with his closet. As Joseph's attendant, one of her simpler jobs is to choose what attire would suit him best for the day or some certain events that he would have to attend.
'If he's wearing something from his closet...then he'll definitely catch the attention of the town's folk no matter how simple his clothes are.' She ponders what she can do to assist him in this situation, (Y/N) has known Joseph for a long period of time to know that he would sometimes despise being in the center of the attention. Noticing that his attendant was occupied in her thoughts, his gaze softened and his relaxed smile still remained on his features as he made his way towards her. 'She must be troubling herself with something so trivial again, what should I do with her?' He chuckles.
"ma chérie." With his right hand, he uses it to tilt her chin upwards slightly in order to get her attention. "M-Master? Wh-What's wrong?" (Y/N) accidentally stutters out due to his sudden action which caused her to be extremely flustered, she had yet to forget how affectionate Joseph was the other day when Beaufort had scalded her hand. Her face went bright red at how clear her memory was. 'Dear lord what do I do?!' She panics once again, unable to make eye contact with him.
Recently, Joseph found out how shy the maid could get even at the slightest touch. He found it adorable and wondered if she had shown these types of reactions to anyone else other than him. 'Cute. If only I have my camera right now to capture this moment.' His eyes were so lost in her features that he had already forgotten what he wanted to tell her in the first place. "M-Master?" She called out once more, while he was busy 'observing' her face, he didn't realise he had been leaning closer to her. If he had gotten anymore close, she could have ended up fainting from how hot her face had felt.
"I...No, nevermind." He then retreats his hand away from her chin and takes a small step back to make sure that there was enough space for her to cool down from his slight teasing. He chuckles once again at the confused look that (Y/N) had on her face. "I'll look forward to tomorrow, ma chérie~." He says in a teasing tone, giving her a quick kiss to her hand, hoping that would be able to distract her for a moment as he turned his face away just in time for the maid to not notice the blush that had slowly crept its way up to his face.
'If she didn't call...I wonder what I would have done...' His right hand reached up to cover his mouth which had almost touched her soft looking lips, whenever the maid would turn incredibly shy or flustered, Joseph found that he would be unable to control himself as he wanted to see this side of her more and slowly from that point onwards, impure thoughts would start flowing into his head. 'You were raised with etiquette and manners to become a gentleman, not a beast! Get a hold of yourself.' He lectures himself before it would get worse.
~
"M-Master is that you?" She couldn't help but raise her voice out of shock when she was greeted by Joseph who was in a commoner's outfit. She never expected him to trouble himself by digging out clothes that would match what anyone except for the nobles would wear. If either of his parents would see him in this attire, they wouldn't be too pleased about this. "Goodness! You look absolutely stunning, ma chérie!" Ignoring her outburst, he held back all his willpower to prevent himself from giving his attendant a hug and proceeded to throw her endless amounts of sincere compliments at her.
"M-Master please, these are only my outing clothes. I'm sure you have met other ladies that have worn better attires other than mine!" Before (Y/N) could continue any further, Joseph shook his head in disapproval. "Joseph." Was the only thing he said after she kept her lips shut for her master to speak. "Pardon?" She raises both her eyebrows, unsure of what to do. "Starting from today onwards, I want you to call me Joseph when it's just the two of us." He simply commands with a bright smile while (Y/N) on the other hand had her eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar.
'What is he planning this time?!' The poor girl could barely handle teasings that she would often receive from Joseph for the past few days, he had been oddly affectionate towards her even out in the open where maids and butlers could witness it. She didn't mind him at all, she was only afraid that his actions would lead to punishment not just only for her but for him as well. "But you are my master and I am only your attendant, calling you by your name would be...rude." She tries her best to explain so that Joseph would drop whatever ideas he has in his mind. "You worry too much." He simply comments. 'And you're too lackadaisical!' As if she could say that to his face.
Just by simply looking at her face, Joseph could tell that she was still bothered by his answer and released out a sigh. "If you are that concerned about how you should address me, wouldn't commoners find it weird if you call me a master? They may find out that I am a noble in disguise, we can't let that happen now can we?" He retorts to her argument by giving a proper answer this time round.
"I...You actually do have a point." She admits, her voice was laced with a hint of surprise. She didn't expect a concrete reasoning from Joseph since in her point of view, she had jumped to the conclusion that he was only fooling around if not being careless. "Why do I feel hurt by that." He pouts dramatically, bringing a hand up to his chest. "It's most likely just your imagination." She laughs softly at him.
"So it's Sir Joseph then?" (Y/N) confirms with him.
"No we sound too distant." He immediately rejected it.
"Mr Joseph?" She suggested it once again but he shook his head in disapproval.
"Are you doing this on purpose~? ma chérie?~" He asks in a sing song tone, she somehow felt threatened by it.
"I'm sorry, I'll call you Joseph then." She quickly decides to stop being so stubborn, giving into Joseph who had a cheeky grin on his face.
~
After having a good meal from their long walk around the town, the area was starting to be filled up with people as time passed. Not wanting to get separated from (Y/N) among the crowd, he firmly held onto her hand so that she wouldn't get swept away. "J-Joseph?" She stutters out nervously, turning to look up at him. "Let's go somewhere less crowded." He suggested, having the perfect place in mind to show his attendant what he had bought for her.
"Okay, ah-" Someone had accidentally stepped on her shoe while she was walking, causing her to trip and almost fall onto the floor if it were not for Joseph. He reacted very quickly and stood in front of her, wrapping his free arm around her waist to secure her. "Sorry." The man mutters a soft apology before walking off in a hurry after witnessing the young man's terrifying glare. "Th-Thank you." She sheepishly bows her head in order to hide the blush evident on her features.
"Is your leg okay?" He asked in a concern manner when they arrived at the venue. "I'm fine, he just stepped on my shoe that's all." She assures him, taking a seat down on an empty bench, patting down on the seat next to her for him to sit. It was weird, they had only spent a couple of hours in the town and she was already this comfortable around Joseph, it was as if she had completely forgotten the fact that he was a noble due to his outfit and outgoing personality. She was still having a little bit of difficulties in calling him by his name though.
"Here, I got this for you." He pulls out a small box which contained a pendant, one that he had caught (Y/N)'s attention. "Are- Are you sure?" Her face heats up and her palms start to turn sweaty, if her suspicion is correct, that would be wonderful news to her but if it was wrong, she would be making a fool of herself and that would probably harm the relationship she has with her master. "Th-This is pretty, shouldn't you be giving this someone who you fancy?" She forces her words out of her mouth, well there wasn't any point in thinking too much so she may as well ask right? 'This is fine, I'm not asking a weird question. He wouldn't find out, would he?' The young maiden convinces herself, mustering all the courage she has to meet his blue eyes which she adores so much.
To answer her question, Joseph places the box carefully on the bench, he uses both his hand to hold hers. His confidence started to build up when (Y/N) didn't move away from him, she looked comfortable with what he was doing so he decided to take another step further, leaning towards her as his hands moved away from her hand to envelope her into a hug. "Je t'aime, (Y/N)." He whispers, giving a small peck on her forehead.
~
His eyes then fluttered open to reveal a ceiling that he was familiar with. 'Was that a memory...?' The uncomfortable feeling in his chest returned, his fists were clenched so tightly that his nails were digging into his skin. Joseph then got himself off the bed slowly, approaching his desk to open a drawer. Inside it, there was the gift that he had given to (Y/N) when they were in the town, a box which contained two rings and a photograph of them standing next to each other. 'What's this...' His eyebrows furrowed and his frown became deeper when he realised that there was a letter in there as well. It wasn't there the day before, was someone playing a prank on him? Nevertheless, he was going to open the letter and find it out for himself.
'This handwriting...(Y/N)?' His hands began to shake once he knew who the sender was.
"To my beloved,
If you are reading this, it must mean that I am no longer standing by your side. I wish that it didn't come to this but fate can be cruel. I truly regret that I will not be able to serve you anymore . The days that we spent together were enjoyable and it brings a smile to my face.
You can be a handful to deal with sometimes but it was worth it. There wasn't a single time where I found it to be dreadful around you, ever since I stepped into the mansion, there was not one time where you would allow me to be unhappy and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work under such a wonderful master and to be able form a much closer bond with you.
My absence must be causing you to grief now and it may have even caused an emotional scar. I am deeply sorry for being the cause of yet another ugly scar. I want you to know that you will be able to get through this, just as you had done when it came to Claude. I won't be there to support you this time, it won't be easy, but I believe that you will be able to overcome this, you are no longer alone anymore.
I love you too, Joseph. Please, do not dwell on the past for too long, do not blame yourself for what has happened.
From your loving wife,
(Y/N) Desaulniers"
Every emotion that he had bottled up began to spill out, the paper was getting crumpled from his grip and dampened as well due to his tears that had leaked out from his eyes and fell onto the piece of paper. The pain in his chest got worse, he felt the need to scream but his throat was already hoarse.
Ever since the day that (Y/N) had been taken away by that very same illness that had taken away his dearest brother Claude, he fell into despair. The next person that was precious to him had been lost yet again, no matter how much effort he put into making her safe and happy, the result was still the same. His eyes no longer reflected the clear blue sky, it was hollow now. His radiant smile was long gone and it no longer held any meaning.
Joseph Desaulniers was never the same charming and bright young man again since the day that his wife had departed.
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I felt better in my head when I wrote this I swear, I hope the story wasn't too cheesy :,)) Please feel free to drop down a comment on your thoughts, you can also drop down a requests too if you have any uwu
Next up is Eli uwu it's gonna be a fluff don't worry-