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You had been working for the Duke for quite a while now. He took you in in your time of need and had been made an apprentice of sorts in the art of trading and bargaining.
You’ve met your fair share of oddities while settled in the village and running errands, including but not limited to: A man who can control metal and electricity on a whim, a talking doll who lives under a waterfall, and the numerous wolf-man hybrids that lurked around the vicinity. They were what most may consider crass company – at least, that was what the Lady of the castle would say.
Lady Alcina Dimitrescu was a frequent customer and a business partner of the Duke’s, helping her in the sale of her vintage “wine” to intrigued buyers. This also meant that the two of you were frequent visitors to the castle on the other side of the village proper – a vast estate that was entirely too large for just four women to occupy (even if one of those women happened to be nine feet tall).
Miss Bela was always the more polite and civil of Dimitrescu’s daughters, offering a simple greeting whenever you would come by. When it was appropriate, she was always be her mother’s side and paying attention to how meetings between the older adults would proceed, like a student eager to learn from the best. You figured that, as the oldest sibling, she might take over the business someday. You weren’t sure exactly how that would happen, given what you knew of the family, but you really shouldn’t prod anyway. At least, not now.
Miss Cassandra was more closed off, so to speak. It always seemed like she would barely acknowledge your presence in the castle, talking only when it was necessary and immediately leaving the room once she was allowed to. However, you would feel a prickling in the back of their neck when she wasn’t around, like you were being watched from the background – prey at the mercy of their predator. But every time you turned around, there would be no one there, not even a sound to indicate escape. A part of you thought you might have been pulled into some unwitting game, wondering what would happen if you did catch the perpetrator in the act. You weren’t sure you really wanted to find out.
Then, there was Miss Daniela, whose attention seemed to lie in… other prospects. Like Bela, she offered warm greetings whenever you would stop by the property. Unlike her sisters though, who never really bothered with the Duke’s apprentice, she always tried to entertain herself with your company. You had a friendly enough rapport with her that you could relax in her presence as well, so it was nice. You figured it was mostly because they rarely ever got outside company, and since the sisters stay in the castle a lot of the time, she always welcomed you with enthusiasm. And a smile. And a wink. And some passing remark about how nicely you dressed that day and that you must have been trying to impress her.
“I could just eat you right up,” she would say with a giggle and a playful growl.
You’ve never been too sure what to make of her – she always seemed to have her head in the clouds, only coming back down at the behest of her mother or when her sisters were persistent enough. You also never knew how to respond to her flirting apart from flustered silence, which only seemed to spur her on even more. It was like she was just trying to get a reaction from you, making a game of it. It was far different from the one her older sister seemed to be keen on playing, but a game nonetheless – how far could she push your buttons and make you implode from embarrassment?
Honestly, it seemed to be working.
You had been well-socialized thanks to your training under the Duke, and of course the man himself was charming and likeable so a part of you liked to think it may have rubbed off as he raised you. But that was when it came to formalities and negotiations – maybe banter, if you could really push it. You’ve thought about responding earnestly, but flirting was another ball game all on its own, one that you don’t really play on purpose, and you frequently found yourself floundering at the face of it. Especially when that face was as pretty as Daniela’s.
It wasn’t like you thought she liked you that way or anything – you genuinely thought she said all those things for fun, to amuse herself with how hot you got or how you would sheepishly shrink in on yourself. But you weren’t going to deny that she was cute and that you may have just a small crush on her. Just maybe. Not that you would ever admit that out loud.
One winter day, the Duke entrusted you with meeting with Lady Dimitrescu on your own. She was informed of his absence beforehand – something about attending to Lord Heisenberg’s business – and so you were left to take care of updates. In the meantime, you kept yourself busy in the guest area, perusing the dusty books in shelves that definitely needed some cleaning. It seemed like the castle could never have enough help.
As soon as you were left alone, with only your notepad and thoughts to keep you company, you felt the hairs at the back of your neck stand. You slowly looked to the side, eyes trained on a dark corner of the room. The light from the fireplace didn’t quite reach that spot, making it quite the hiding place. Was something (or someone) moving from there? Are your eyes playing paranoid tricks on you? Was it Miss Cassandra playing her one-sided game again? Perhaps… you shouldn’t interfere then.
You turned your attention back to the book shelf, looking high above you, wanting to take a closer look at the selection. You dragged a stool and a few stacked cushions to the shelves and slipped your shoes off, praying to whoever was out there that Lady Dimitrescu wouldn’t find you like this. Oh, the scolding I’d get from Duke about manners – you’d never hear the end of it. Stepping carefully onto the plush surface – a few feet from the ground – and finding your balance, you start to pick something out that had an interesting title.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Y/N,” a voice echoed in the room, catching you off guard.
You jumped in surprise and lost your footing, falling backward as the cushions slipped from under you. Oh yeah, this was gonna hurt! But before you could make contact with the hardwood floor, a hand reached out and grabbed you by the waist, catching you in a rather precarious position.
“You could’ve hurt that cute little ass of yours,” the voice cooed. Daniela seemed to have materialized from out of nowhere, wearing a mischievous grin and holding onto you as she practically hovered over you. Oh god, she was so close, you don’t know where your body heat ended and hers started.
“Miss Daniela,” you greeted, finally finding your voice. “Um, thanks for the save.”
She pulled you up to standing on the stool and raised an eyebrow at you, smirking amusedly, “And what exactly were you doing so high up in the shelves? Aren’t you supposed to be waiting here like a good little one?”
“I was just… looking at the books,” you replied softly, “And falling for you, I suppose,” you added as a joke, chuckling as you shook off your nerves from earlier. You were a little surprised she didn’t start off with that line honestly, given how easy–
Daniela’s smirk dropped at your response, eyes widening as she stiffened. Uh oh… did you say something wrong?
She blinked at you, mouth hanging open slightly as if she was trying to find the words. It looked like she gave up though, just looking away and stepping off the stool. Were you imagining that her cheeks just turned pink?
“Mother’s waiting for you at the meeting room,” was all she said before quickly making her exit.
It took a while before the wheels in your head started turning again.
The next time you came to the castle with the Duke, it was a warm day in spring. On these occasions, sometimes Lady Dimitrescu would be more open to a different venue of meeting than inside the castle – “for a change of scenery,” as she would say. The two of you met her and her daughters at the main garden at the back of the property, the sun shining generously on all forms of life.
When Daniela spotted you, she seemed almost caught unaware, but she quickly regained composure, throwing a smirk and wink your way – her usual greeting. You couldn’t help but duck down shyly, but nonetheless waved and smiled back.
The older adults took their business elsewhere, leaving you alone with the daughters at the lobby; well, more like a daughter, since Cassandra had already left before you can say another word and Bela had excused herself soon after. It was normal for you to be in the company of the redhead at this point. Not that she seemed to mind.
“Been a while since you’ve been back here. Betcha missed me, huh?” Daniela said, a charming smile curled on her lips. She stood next to you, seeming intent on leading you on a little walk around. Hey, you’d take any excuse to spend time with her.
You laughed softly, “Quite, Miss Daniela.”
“You’re still sticking to those formalities, Y/N? Come on, you can drop the ‘Miss’.” She sidled up closer to you, nudging your side. “You can even skip 'Daniela’ altogether and just call me yours.”
You unconsciously covered your mouth as you glanced her way – she was being more straightforward than usual. You don’t know if you were just trying to hide the blood rushing to your cheeks or trying to stop yourself from smiling too widely, but seeing the smug look on the other’s face, you knew she succeeded yet again in flustering you.
“What’s wrong? Did summer come early? You’re looking kinda warm,” she teased, bending down slightly to your face level. “Then again, you are hot enough for the both of us.” Damn, she was too good at this. “You’d give the sun a run for its money, honey.”
You gave yourself a few moments to collect yourself, standing up straighter and clearing your throat. Your eyes looked up to meet hers, showing a half-smile as you spoke with as smooth of a delivery as you can muster, “I’d always thought you would be the sun’s rival, given how easily you brighten up my day.”
Daniela nearly tripped when she took another step, only managing to catch herself on a nearby bench.
“Are you–”
“I’m fine! I’m fine, just, uh… stubbed my toe on something. Stupid rock.”
There were no rocks on the path you two were walking – unless one counted the flat rock ground. (It didn’t.)
The rest of the day carried on as it normally would – Daniela distracting you from the uneasy feeling of being watched from a proper walk with her usual demeanor, batting her eyelashes and telling you how she simply must teach you to dance some time. “Maybe then you’ll learn to loosen up around me.” But in return, you would sometimes reply with your own quips – “Well I wouldn’t be opposed to being closer to you, Miss Daniela.” You weren’t about to question where this newfound confidence came from; you may as well own it, right?
It was only after that visit, replaying the day in your head like you wanted to remember it for as long as you could, that a realization came to you – the way her cheeks tinged pink and averted her gaze, how she was rendered speechless whenever you replied in the same way that was usually expected of her…
She’s not used to being flirted back to.
Her self-esteem allowed her to accept most straightforward compliments with grace, so flattery did not faze her in the slightest – but when it came to using disarming words? When charm and wit were used right back at her?
She floundered almost as much as you did.
Suddenly, you weren’t just a prop in the game anymore – you knew how to play it now. You knew uttering such sweet (and occasionally cheesy) phrases could make the youngest Dimitrescu blush harder than a maiden being courted. And by god, did she look adorable when she did.
You kind of understood why she did all that now – watching someone get flustered and knowing you were the cause of it was fun. It was weirdly thrilling seeing her react like that, but then again you might be confusing that feeling with different kind of fluttering in your chest whenever you were alone with Daniela. Who knows?
One thought lingered at the back of your mind though: How long would it take before one of you broke and asked the other on a real date?
.
.
.
(Cassandra materialized behind Daniela as you bade her farewell for the day. She had been observing the two of you interact for a while, monitoring the redhead’s “progress”. She knocked her sister out of her faraway thoughts with a smack to the head. “So are you gonna admit you like them yet?”
Daniela seemed almost offended at the insinuation, “I would nev– I mean how dare– I don’t like– they’re just– I–”
The brunette only raised an eyebrow.
“They’re…” She thought back to you, that cute little smile you wore whenever she tried to flirt with you, and how you suddenly rose to the challenge of using her own tactics against her earlier. It was kind of hot. “Okay, I guess. They’re okay. They’re fine.” Quite fine. “That’s all I’m gonna say.”
“Suuuure…”)