Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

Beneath the Surface

I was woken by the sound of drapes being pulled back and streaming sunlight suddenly hitting my face.

I groaned and jerked the blanket up over my head, trying to shield myself from the bright light, before I realized that someone was making noises in the room, and not subtly.

The wardrobe door banged open and I angrily threw the blanket off of myself, coming upright as I squinted into the morning sunlight coming in through the window and growled under my breath, "Who the hell....."

"Oh, my lady! You're awake!"

The overly cheerful voice rang loudly in my ears and caused me to wince, as I realized that I now had a headache coming on. I swiveled my head toward the far side of the room, my eyes still slitted against the light, and noticed for the first time who had been making all of the racket.

The girl, her shockingly pink short hair peeking out from underneath her maid's cap, her large coke bottle glasses reflecting the sun like a spotlight, hurried to the side of the bed. She dipped a clumsy curtsy as she bowed her head to me and said, "The young master has sent me to ready you for the day and bring you down for breakfast."

I finally unfurrowed my brow and allowed my eyes to open fully as I watched the girl come to her feet in front of me, her hands tucked neatly in the pockets of her apron, as she waited for me to respond. I cleared my throat, still thick from sleep, and then asked, "And who are you?"

"Oh!" The girl flushed a bright red and dropped back down into another curtsy, her movements flustered. "How rude of me, very rude, yes! I am Mey Rin. The young master has assigned me to assist you for the time you're here with us, Lady Bellamy!"

I scoffed under my breath, quietly enough that the maid wouldn't hear. Of course Sebastian had remembered me mentioning Bellamy and had used the name as my disguise. Hopefully for him, and for me, Old Bells didn't actually have any nobles in his family lines, or we'd all be in trouble when he got whiff of the "Lady Bellamy" hanging around London.

I realized I had been silent for a few moments too long, lost in my thoughts, and that things between us had grown awkward as the young maid waited for my next instructions. I swung my legs over the bed, stretching my arms and gloved hands above my head as I stood, and then motioned to the girl. "Well then. I guess you'd best help me get ready for the day."

Mey Rin nodded so vigorously I thought her glasses might fall from her face, but they remained securely in place as she dashed to the attached bathroom door and opened it for me, motioning inside as I walked toward her. "Yes, yes! I've already drawn you a bath. Please take your time."

The steam from the bathroom washed over me as I entered the room, smelling of lilac and rose, and as Mey Rin entered behind me, I had to remind myself that I was playing the part of a noblewoman. A noblewoman would not gape at the large, marbled bathroom before her, the deep porcelain tub that took up an entire corner of the room, filled to the brim with steaming water and floating petals. No, to a noblewoman, this would be an everyday occurrence, routine, a bore even.

I tried not to stare at the splendor that surrounded me as Mey Rin helped me out of my night clothes. When she moved to remove my gloves, I pulled my hands away from her, the sudden movement startling both of us. I tried to recover the moment, giving her a small smile as I hurried to come up with an explanation for my odd behavior. "I always prefer to remove my gloves myself, Mey Rin. They were a special gift from my father. They're very precious to me." The lie fell from my lips as easily as if it were the truth.

Mey Rin nodded, seeming to have recovered from her shock, and watched as I pulled the gloves from my hands, folding them carefully before placing them delicately on the table beside the tub.