Daughter of the Night [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 4

Y/N let out a long sigh, gently pushing open the door to her room. She shut it behind her and leaned back against the wood, her head going slack as it rested against the door. It had been a long day of classes, and avoiding the young prince who seemed more than determined to follow her like a puppy in hopes of talking to her.

'He never could take no for an answer and leave it well enough alone,' Y/N thought to herself. She kicked off the low-heeled ankle boots that had become a part of her uniform and pushed herself from the door. She swung off her bag and allowed it to clatter to the floor next to her bed. Then, just as the bag flopped onto the ground, her pens and other stationery spilling out of the open flap, Y/N allowed gravity to claim her and pull her down onto the plush duvet adorning her bed. The midnight fabric was a welcome feeling against her cheek, which was quite red and sore after leaning on it all day.

"I never thought classes could be so boring," she muttered, rolling over and sprawling out like a starfish across the surface of her bed. She would have enjoyed reading an encyclopedia more than listening to Trein's boring recaps of historic battles. Though she didn't look it, Y/N was centuries old, just like Malleus and Lilia. She had been there for most of what they spoke of in class, so while it was interesting to learn it from the perspective of someone who had not been there, it was all a bore. The one upside was seeing a picture of her, Malleus, and Lilia fighting in a battle in one of the textbooks. Or rather, Luna and Nox had been fighting in her place.

There was a knock on her door and she sat up, groaning as she felt one of the muscles in her shoulder tense. She rolled her shoulder back to stretch the muscle as she approached the door.

A young Diasomnia student stood on the other side, looking nervous as he dug around in the pack at his side.

"Can I help you," Y/N asked. She didn't quite understand why the boy was so nervous.

"This is for you, Miss Y/N," he all but shouted. He shoved an envelope into Y/N's hands and spirited off down the hall before she could thank him. Y/N frowned and stared after the boy for a moment, but then she shrugged and entered her room.

She gently bumped the door shut with her hip and strode over to her desk, picking up the letter opener that sat in the first drawer. She drew it across the top of the envelope and pulled out the letter. It was no surprise when she saw her mother's neat scrawl on the other side of the parchment, and the familiar seal of her house shutting the envelope in ebony wax. She set the letter aside and flopped down into her desk chair, flipping over the envelope. She hated seeing her noble title written on the face of the parchment, and she chucked it into the roaring fire of her room, listening with a smirk as the paper crackled as it fell victim to the angry flames. Serves her mother right.

With the envelope burned, Y/N turned to the letter. It wasn't a pleasant read.

My dearest daughter,

Y/N scoffed at this. Her mother only ever called her 'dearest daughter' when she needed something, or she wanted to remind Y/N of her duties as the heiress of House Umbra.

I am sure this letter is taking you by surprise, as you have only been gone for a little over a month. The manor has become almost disturbingly quiet with you gone, and the two young women you can sometimes become. There are times when I treasure the silence, as it provides me with long expanses of time to think, but there are times when I wish that you were back here, livening up the halls with your laugh.

Y/N had not laughed freely in those halls since she was a child. She rolled her eyes at her mother's pathetic attempts at emotional bonding. The two women had never had an emotional moment together, and Y/N saw no reason why they should start now.