Motheaten Memories [Yandere Prince x Enemy Princess Reader]

9. Marvelous Madder.

Y/N and Lady Cascia chatted absentmindedly as they both waited impatiently for Issi to return with the requested materials. It was late afternoon by the time the tranquility of the chamber was finally disturbed by the doors being pushed open. Issi entered, laden with several large paper parcels containing what Y/N assumed to be the dyes and fabric she had requested.

The maid was followed by several burly men carrying two large troughs filled with water that they appeared to have great difficulty maneuvering without spilling. Y/N directed everything to be laid out on the floor to be sure that she had all she needed. Once that was done Y/N had to shoo the young men away as some were trying their luck flirting with the blushing Issi and such distractions would rob them of precious time.

Once it was just the three women in the chamber Y/N set to work on the fabric while both Issi and Lady Cascia watched her with pure curiosity on their faces. Y/N started by building a small fire under the first trough, thankfully the floor was stone so there was little chance of the fire spreading out of control. While she waited for the water to heat she added the white cotton sateen to the second trough of water and allowed it to soak.

Cotton sateen was considerably cheaper than authentic silk, while still retaining the shine that Lady Cascia was no doubt accustomed to in her garments. By this point, the water in the other trough was hot enough for the large packets of ground madder root to be added to the water and mixed in. Almost at once, the water turned a deep rich red, resembling the color of blood.

Y/N let it simmer for a while, constantly stirring as the fumes from the steaming water filled the air. Once she was satisfied with the brew she stomped out the few embers that still blazed with life and crossed to the second tub where she began the laborous task of dredging up the soaked white lengths of fabric and transferring them to the dye bath.

"I want to help if I may," Issi spoke up timidly, getting to her feet after noticing Y/N difficultly maneuvering the long fabric on her own.

"Oooo!" Cascia squealed, jumping up and down as she got to her feet. "So do I! So do I!" She rushed to grab the tail end of the fabric and bring it to the bath.

"Alright, just be mindful not to-", Y/N started.

"YAY!!" Cascia exclaimed, depositing the last of the fabric in the pot with such vigor that the crimson liquid surged up, splashing over the sides of the trough and splattering all three women with dye. "I've never done anything like this before!!"

"-Splash the dye out of the pot." Y/N finished her statement, looking down at her splattered red front with a sigh.   Her clothes weren't new by any means, but the fresh stains were certainly unfortunate.

"Whoops," Cascia said with a giggle as she looked at the spilled dye. Despite her happy-go-lucky personality, it was clear that she felt bad about the mess.

"Never mind, just be more careful in the future if you can my lady," Y/N said with another sigh, letting go of the accident and focusing on the task before her.

The water had cooled down from the addition of the fabric to the point where it would be much easier to stir it by hand than with the stick that Y/N had previously been using. So, without much hesitation, Y/N plunged her hands elbow deep into the red water and began pushing the fabric around.

Emboldened by her example, the two other women followed suit, and before long all of them were chatting and laughing as they working together at dyeing the fabric. They continued working, oblivious to the fact that afternoon was turning into evening.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door and the three girls froze as before they could do anything the chamber door was thrown wide open. "-Cascia I came to return that book I borrowed last week," prince Abeloni called in a cheery tone. "It was quite enjoyable although I must admit that I found the protagonist's actions a bit far-fetched-"

He stopped short and his blue eyes went wide as they drank in the image of his cousin and her two handmaidens bent over a large trough with charred wood at the bottom, their arms coated in a bloody substance up to the elbows. "-I'll just come back later," he said, his face pale as he stepped back out of the door and shut it quickly behind him.

"HA! Did you see the look on his face?!" Cascia giggled, bending double as she was rocked with fits of laughter. "Why'd he runoff?" She asked in a confused tone once she had regained her breath.

"Look at the water," Y/N pointed out with a bemused chuckle. "He probably thought that we are making a blood potion out of virgins to retain eternal youth or something similar."

"Ha, you're hilarious Y/N!" Cascia dissolved into fits of laughter again.

The fabric had to be left alone in the dye for several hours, so the woman took the time to dry off and clean up. Y/N thanked her luck that the sleeves of her white blouse had been stained pink, otherwise her scars would have been on full display through the opaque white fabric. She actually quite liked the colorful sleeves, even though they had been an accident.

The sky was beginning to turn graey with the first light of the morning when the fabric was finally finished. In her excitement, Lady Cascia had insisted that they stay awake for the dyeing process, promising that the two maids would have the next day off to rest.

"There," Y/N said with a satisfied smile as she hung the fabric up to dry in the sea breeze coming in through the windows. "It just has to dry now, and then it will be ready for the tailors to work with."

"How did you ever learn to do something like this Y/N?!" Lady Cascia asked with an incredulous smile on her face as she looked at the fabric which was now a striking blush color. "It's amazing!"

"I used to work dyeing wool and thread before I started working at the Palace," Y/N answered truthfully.

"No way!" Losing some of her previous pep she looked down at her hands. "You're so much smarter than I could ever be, Y/N."

Y/N was suddenly struck with a strong sense of Deja vu as she remembered that she had said almost the exact same thing to Enicia not long after the woman had become her governess. It was strange to think that somehow over the years she had come to stand in the position of the woman that she so admired.

"I don't think that's true," Y/N replied, offering the lady a kind smile as she took hold of her hands and smiled warmly. "I just have more experience at certain things, but I'm sure that given time you can be just as smart, my lady-"

"-You can just call me Cascia," She interrupted, her green eyes filled to the brim with kindness and graduate. "After everything you've done I think it's only fair."

A/N

Abeloni did the big nope 😂

But I'd have probably done the same if I walked in on a scene like that.

I forgot to mention this, but this story is going to be a slow burn, but I'll do my best to move the plot along as swiftly as I can, while still adhering to some amount of realism.

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

~J. C. Coltt.~