Villainess Reform Project

The First Day Home

[ Guess who's alive and ready to write!
Sorry for my random if not worrying disappearance from most of my works and Wattpad in general. Just been having quarantine blues, y' know?
But I'm back and ready to write better than ever! ]

The energy of the Dubannes household was at an all-time high. Well, it often was around Midwinter time. Even the strictest of households would get lax during the Midwinter Festival.

It felt nice to walk down the carpeted hallways of the Dubannes home to Ophelia's room instead of down the dormitory hall. It just felt nice to be back to the usual routine. Waking up and getting ready in the room with mother and the other girls, greeting the other servants, eating breakfast with everyone, and then heading off to start the real work. A servant's day started much earlier than the master's.

I arrived at the door of Ophelia's room and knocked three times, as requested, and per usual there wasn't any reply. Ophelia had never been a morning person and I'm pretty sure that it's genetic from the complaining of the Lord's servant. I believe his name is Thomas.

"Young Miss, I'll be letting myself in."

The first thing I did when I entered Ophelia's room was always to open up the curtains to let in the sun. Not only did it help wake Ophelia up, but it also lit up the room and helped wake me up as well.

"Young Miss, it's time to wake up," I said cheerfully, pulling down Ophelia's covers to reveal her still-sleeping face. I could just rip them all away and have her wake up with the cold but even that won't wake her up. "you have a busy day ahead of you."

Ophelia let out a grumble and rolled over to avoid the sunlight. She still wasn't a morning person in any way, shape, or form. I suppose that's part of her charm.

"Ophie, come on. It's your first morning at home! Get up so you can have breakfast with your family!"

No reply.

"The usual then."

Frankly speaking, I didn't expect anything different from Ophelia's morning routine. The playing of my flute had always been the beginning of her mornings and the only thing that was truly effective in getting her up and moving, although I didn't fully know why. My flute skills are quite subpar, nowhere near good enough to play in an ensemble, but it's the thought that counts.

With deft movements, I took my flute out from its compartment and settled it into position before beginning to play Ode to Morning, and like usual Ophelia began to begrudgingly open her eyes. By the time I finished, Ophelia was sitting up in bed and watching me with sleep still floating around in her golden orbs.

"Good morning, Ophie."

"Morning..." Ophelia rubbed her eyes and blinked rapidly, letting her eyes adjust to the light streaming into her room. 

"The bath is already warm and ready for you. Try not to fall asleep in it again." I smiled as I helped her out of bed, her steps stumbling a bit here and there. "Any requests for today's outfit?"

"Pants, please."

"Do you intend to be doing any exercise today?"

"Brothers... play..." Ophelia grumbled out the words as we finally reached the bathroom and I handed her over to the good hands of Lia, Mia, and Tia. To this day I couldn't believe that the three of them were in no way related, they just happened to have rhyming names. Crazy how coincidences happen.

Closing the door to the bathroom and heading over to Ophelia's closet to choose her clothes was the second order of business. The request for pants was easy to fill, but I didn't know what kind of pants would be best for playing outside and inside, as there were so many types of pants that could fit the bill.

Ophelia had three younger brothers, both in the canon and now. From oldest to youngest, there was Noah, William, and Ethan. Noah was a quiet child, preferring the arts over any type of outdoor activities while in contrast, William was the most rambunctious child I've ever met. Ethan was rather in the middle, having a love for the outdoors and all its flora and fauna. They were all lovely children though, and Ophelia's fondness of them had always been prevalent. Her worry for their futures even played a part in her ultimate demise at the end of the book series. Yeah, I still don't see why anyone considered Ophelia to be the villain of the story.

I eventually decided on a pair of navy blue leggings like pants and a simple white button-up shirt just as Ophelia came out of the bathroom looking much more awake. I always hate this part of the routine. Why can't rich people dress themselves? It would do wonders for my psyche. However, my job must be done, I'll just put myself in a different headspace. Dress quickly and then it's over. You won't have to do it until it's time for bed. With those thoughts in mind, dressing Ophelia for the day was a breeze. 

"Any specifics for your hairstyle today, Ophie?" I asked, sitting her down at the vanity and beginning to diligently brush her hair. It didn't get as healthy as it is today by praying, you know.

"Tied up, please." Ophelia sat still obediently as I did my work, eventually tying her hair up into a ponytail using a white ribbon. I smiled and lightly pat her shoulders to show that I was done as she inspected herself in the mirror before smiling as well.

"Ava always knows just how to fix my hair," Ophelia turned to look at me with a teasing look in her eyes. "so when can I fix Ava's hair?"

"Ophie's hunger must be getting to her head, let's go down for breakfast."

"I'm completely serious."

"So am I. Time to go eat."

Ophelia clicked her tongue to show her displeasure but got up and left the room with me in tow, walking down the stairs with quick steps to reach the dining room to fill her stomach. As expected, she was the last one to the table. Lady Ysabelle, Lord Walter, Noah, William, and Ethan were already sat down and breakfast had just started being served. The first one to notice her presence was William, who jumped out of his seat and came running at Ophelia full speed for a hug. William looked a lot more like his father, with curly brown hair on his head and darker skin, but he had the trademark cat-like golden eyes of Lady Ysabelle.

"Opie!"

"Ah, good morning, Will. You're just as energetic as ever." Ophelia giggled and rubbed William's head gently, an indulgent look on her face. As soon as the other boys heard their sister's nickname and voice they were up and crowding her as well. It was a silly but heartwarming scene. 

Noah was practically a little male Ophelia with his black hair and gold eyes while Ethan had only the pale skin, brown hair, and blue eyes.

Oh god, they're all so cute. It's taking me back to the days when Ophelia was this young. Good times, good times.

"Boys, stop bothering your sister and let her sit down." Lady Ysabelle scolded them, but the smile on her face showed she wasn't truly mad. With small whines and groans, they all got back to their seats and I pulled out a seat for Ophelia and pushed it in before retreating to the wall with the other servants, one of them being my mother.

"Excitable as ever, aren't they?" I couldn't help whispering. She gave me a smile that only said 'you have no idea'.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what playing would look like after breakfast was finished.

[ I'm keeping the next couple of chapters kind of slow so that I can give the rest of the Dubannes family some screentime and characterization! This arc of the story is supposed to be more chilled out anyway, so I hope you guys don't mind! ]