Emiel Regis x Reader

Eighteen

Regis was a surprisingly good teacher. With calmness and a lot of patience, he had already spent the whole day teaching you how to sit properly, giving you advice on what to tell at the table and what not.

Now you were standing very close to him, one hand on his shoulders while holding his hand with the other. He led you on, dancing slow at first, then a little faster.

It wasn't a particularly difficult dance, just an ordinary waltz, but somehow you couldn't help but stumble over your own feet sometimes. Regis always kept calm, smiled tortured when you stepped on his feet over and over again and had to laugh when you started cursing.

"Don't worry.", he said, pulling you a little closer to his chest. "We still have all day to practice. And maybe you don't have to dance at all. Orianna is always very spontaneous. If she feels like dancing then we will do so the entire night. And if she doesn't, we won't."

He looked at you with a smile.

When saw up to him, you blushed again. The feeling of warmth spread throughout your cheeks. Gods, you felt like a nervous child, whenever you looked at his face, with its sharp cheekbones and the strong jawline. You wondered how he would react if you would place a kiss on his exposed throat.

"Ugh, this is torture, Regis.", you complained, hitting your head against his chest in defeat. "I don't want to do this anymore. My feet hurt."

He chuckled, amused.

"Oh come on. Stop crying, it's really not that hard."

"But exhausting. Don't your feet hurt already? I've stepped on your toes so many times they must bleed by now."

"Can't feel them anymore.", answered dryly. "I'm immune to your attacks now."

The way he joked around made you laugh. It felt so natural to laugh with him. In his presence, life was more lighthearted, less sad and less oppressive. The thoughts of what was to come, they were beautiful dreams and much less like nightmares. But reality would probably be less rosy.

You wish you hadn't wasted your time dancing and preparing for a feast.

Of course, it was nice to think of something else. But at the same time, it felt like you were wasting time. Precious time that could probably save Regis life. The sooner the mystery of your existence was solved, the sooner he would be able to get rid of you and not have to deal with questions that had no answers.

You guessed he was already annoyed that he had to teach you something new every day, even though it was as simple as sewing on a button.

A sigh left your lips as you thought about it like that. Suddenly, you felt so guilty and so bad. It was unfair to Regis to be such a burden to him. He did not deserve to suffer. Especially not because of you.

Smiling tiredly, you freed yourself with gentle force from his grip, put a hand on his chest, and brought some distance between you two.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to spoil your good mood.", you sat down at the table to rest a little.

Dancing was harder than you expected. Especially with a partner as talented as Regis.

For a moment there was silence between the two of you. It was the unpleasant kind of silence, as if everyone wanted to say something but didn't dare.

Then, finally Regis decided to sit next to you.

"If you insist, I'll tell Orianna we're not coming.", he said, looking at you. "You're not being forced to do anything."

"No!", you opened your eyes right away. "No, I want to meet her. She's important to you, so it would be good if I get along with her. But... I've never done anything like this before. I can't dance. I don't know how to speak properly. I can't eat with a fancy knife and a fork. I don't even have the right clothes."

Surprised, his eyebrows raised, as Regis listened to you complaining.

"Is that all you worry about? Your clothes?", amusement lay in his voice, as he smiled, lips pressed together.

You shrugged, thinking he was making fun of you.

"I mean... yes. Why would I not? I can't go to a dinner looking like this...", you pointed down at You, dressed in simple brown leather boots, some farmers pants made of cotton and a white shirt. "I look like a construction worker."

Regis shook his head with amusement, smiling. He seemed to find it particularly funny how important it was to you to be properly dressed.

"Oh (Y/N). Why didn't you say so sooner?", suddenly, he got up, grabbed your hand and dragged you along with him.

"Where are we going?", you stared confused at his back, which he had turned towards you.

"To a friend. He owes me a favor. He'll help."

Without protesting, you let him guide you through the cemetery, past the rivers where toads sat on their banks trying to catch dragonflies. Birds with colourful plumage, singing strange songs passed by the blue sky.

People were walking around, harvesting grapes or build houses, that seemed straight out of a fairy tale. Everything looked so colourful and dreamy. Almost too good to be true.

Toussaint was almost more beautiful during the day than at night.

It was late afternoon when you and Regis arrived at the tailor's shop.

The sun had set, the sky had turned red and orange, as if it were bleeding. A warm breeze stroked through the strands of your (H/C) hair. For a moment, you closed your eyes, enjoying the perfect spring day. You've never felt anything like this before.

"I'm sure you'll like something in it. And don't be shy, you won't have to pay anything for it. Neither do I.", Regis nodded. "You go first."

Hesitantly, you let your eyes wander through the small street. It was a pretty place, quite and not very crowded.

"Are you sure? I really don't want to cause you trouble.", you said.

He rolled his eyes.

"Please, (Y/N). I insist."