He was but a simple priest, following the lord's teachings despite the world being wrecked with poverty and the plague; when life failed him, his faith did not. He had always supposed himself to be a man of God, and had dedicated himself to the chur...
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_ 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟶𝟾 ; 𝚖𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 _
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 and scented with a perfume all to familiar to (Y/N). Neglecting to read from who it was sent which was labelled on the envelope's front, she already knew who had sent it and for what purpose. The paper roughly crinkled beneath her tight grip.
Dread was pooling in her stomach like food poisoning, but knowing she had to read it, she ripped the envelope open and pulled out the thick white paper within. It was simple yet subtly stylish, made from a rather expensive name brand that only high nobility bought from as a sign of status. Suitors would use it to send letters to their prospective fiances, ladies would use it to invite one another to tea parties, and families would sent secret treaties to one another on this paper.
Her eyes scanned the paper marked with smooth, calligraphic words that flowed from one to another like water, a familiar style of handwriting that could only be perfected through years of use with a fountain pen.
"Why... why now?" She muttered to herself, voice quaking and hands sweating. She had forgotten to the dues at which nobles tried to chase wealth, how fruitlessly and desperately they lusted for power--more than 75% of her wealth had been donated to the church within a mere month-long period, and yet...
Her fiance was still trying to proceed in marriage negotiations with her, despite the vile rumors surrounding her and how little money she had left. She had let those rumors fester for the sole purpose of driving him away!
"God damn it all!" She shouted, barely restraining herself from ripping up the letter. If only her wretched parents hadn't betrothed her to him before their deaths!
Huffing, she tossed the letter rather flippantly onto the table and glanced at the clock, getting even more annoyed when she saw that it was 8:00 in the morning. Today was a Tuesday, one of the days in which she would typically go to church--the tiresome task consumed at least half of her day--and at that she let out a sigh.
She felt like a school girl again, dreading having to do her homework but also fearing the wrath of her rather strict tutors. She had gotten herself into this situation, so she had to do what she had to do...
Walking back into her bedroom, she shuffled through her closet and grimaced upon remembering her designated attire was still mourning wear. She pulled the black dress out, changing out of her white nightgown and into the morose gown.
Letting out a sigh, she pulled on her hat upon which her veil was attached, equiping on her gloves and boots. She drummed her fingers against the rim of her boots, gazing to her right in thought.
Now, how was she meant to get rid of this irksome fiance of hers?
_
Ever since he had heard the rumors floating around high society about (Y/N), Lucius had felt oddly uncomfortable around her, despite how much he had been trying to interact with her prior. He wasn't sure if the feeling in his chest was worry or pity or something else entirely, but he couldn't look directly at her.
He felt awful for the unsavory, wretched questions forming in his mind about her, but with what Amanda had told him he couldn't help but wonder if the rumors surrounding (Y/N) had a bit of truth to them and if she had... done something.
Suddenly, lost in his thoughts, he realized that someone had wandered over to him: her. (Y/N) was approaching him first, at the one time in which he would've preferred her not to. He felt his breath catch in his throat and he couldn't look her in the eyes, her gaze feeling like it was peeling his skin off and seeing everything beneath the surface.
"Are you okay?" She asked, quite simply.
"O... Oh, I-I--"
Rather astutely, she let out a sigh. "Do you suddenly not wish for me to speak to you? Is it due to the rumors?"
"No, of course not!" He nervously replied, his voice a bit too loud and giving away how poorly he was lying. He probably wasn't used to lying, being a priest and all.
"They're false, you know. My family died from the plague. Although I do feel guilty for their passing, I didn't murder them! Out of everyone, I need you to believe that..." She took her hand in his, gazing up at him with her intense (E/C) eyes. "You said you believed me before--I thought I could rely on you. I can still rely on you, right?"
His mind was no longer focused on what Amanda had told him, but rather, the peculiar shift in her behavior and demeanor. Before, she had been acting like... well, what one would expect a young woman mourning the loss of her entire family to be. But all of a sudden, her demeanor was more assertive and loud...
However, Lucius did not question it further. In his eyes, this was her opening up to him and asking to be comforted. In fact, he felt even more guilty considering the awful things he had been considering about her earlier--he was a priest, and yet he was acting so judgmental. Perhaps Amanda was rubbing off on him...
"A-Ah... yes," he nervously replied. "Feel free to."
She let go of his hand, smiling. "Thank you, father."
He felt his face grow a bit warm, like the early onset of a cold, perhaps due to the beginnings of the winter weather. Perhaps it was due to the rare smile she had showed him, but he couldn't quite look her in the eye.
