Chapter Text
Lenore quickly caught the woman before her head hit the ground, sighing in relief as she wasn’t hurt. This was the third woman today that she had to catch, they kept fainting when she used fake tears like Duke instructed her to. It was working well but they might get a lawsuit at this rate if any of these noble ladies actually hurt themselves.
Lenore raised the young lady as she woke back up, helping her fix her hair and school uniform. “Are you alright, miss? Though I’m flattered you’ve fallen for me it’s quite dangerous”, she helped the now stuttering and blushing patron up, honestly, these customers were too much sometimes.
Lenore started to dust herself off, jolting when she felt a rather soft hand tap her shoulder. She flipped around, seeing Morella, and a huge crowd of girls behind her who were watching the whole time. They seemed to be fanning themselves and blushing as well. Did they get off to her breathing or something? These patrons confused her, but perhaps it was simply because she was a newer host.
“Sir Leo, I hate to bother y-you but-”
Lenore leaned in closer to Morella, touching her waist gently with a confident smile on her face. She still had to perform after all. Besides, Morella was a sweet paying customer whose time was interrupted by another young lady fainting.
“You couldn’t bother me if you tried Morella.”
She winked. Morella’s face looked like it was about to burst in to flames, poor thing, perhaps she should get her water. The other girls in the host club swooned at Lenore’s words, completely drawn in by her charm. Some of them started to fan themselves more rapidly as they watched on with hearts in their eyes.
Lenore took a few steps back, gently guiding Morella back to her seat. She couldn't believe Duke was right about her being a good host. They just had to fix her hair, give her the name Leo and she was all set to be one. She never understood how much pretty privilege she really had until posing as a man.
Lenore plopped down on the couch once more, sending a warm smile to her customers. She grabbed her cup of tea and sipped it slowly as she entertained her clients with retellings of her weekend out in the city. Tall tales about her brother, as usual, the occasional dramatic acts of flirtation.
It was a repetitive process to keep these noble ladies entertained, but whatever got her more clients she supposed. She was recently cut off from the family fortune (temporarily) for her rather, criminal acts back in the countryside. But how on Earth was she to know that leaving a stove alone for 3 minutes would burn the mansion down?!
Finally, Morella’s session came to a close and Lenore had to switch out for her one-on-one session with another patron. She stood up from the couch, bowing slightly in farewell of the ladies. Stealing another heart or two before she left of course. Leaving was always the hardest part of these sessions, the ladies tended to get quite grabby when it was time for her to go. There were always desperate attempts to get her to stay for just a bit longer.
"It is always my pleasure to serve you ladies." She said with a polite smile as she was off to find the next lady she was serving. It was a new patron according to Prospero, and a very important one at that. Prospero had lectured her all evening about leaving a good impression, and doing whatever the patron asked of her.
She walked around the host club for a bit, looking up and admiring all of the beautiful decorations. The silk curtains kept the room dimly lit with the occasional dim light from a candle illuminating fellow hosts. Their beauty cannot be seen in the dark after all. Lenore always questioned why Duke insisted on keeping it dimly lit at night, but perhaps it just added to the mood.
Lenore eventually found her way to a balcony near the back of the club, as that was where Prospero instructed her to go. She noticed that there was a noble lady sitting alone on one of the tables out there, quietly sipping from a cup of tea and seemingly waiting patiently. She seemed so focused on whatever it was that was holding her attention in the distance that Lenore felt slightly embarrassed for interrupting her when she approached.
"Excuse me, my lady." She bowed slightly, "I believe you are my client for today, I am Leo."
The noblewoman smiled softly as she looked up at Lenore with kind eyes before gesturing for her to take a seat across from her.
As Lenore did so, she felt a bit uneasy, nervous would be the better word. Lenore was not one to get easily flustered, especially not at her job, but the woman she was serving was gorgeous. Exactly her type, she wished Prospero had given her a proper warning. Lenore had to let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding before slipping back into character.
"I am Annabel Lee, from the Whitlock household, it is a pleasure to meet you." She said softly the moment Lenore was seated, reaching out her hand to Lenore, who instantly took it and kissed it. Annabel smiled sweetly in response before breaking into soft laughter that sent Lenore's heart racing.
"You really are quite the charmer aren’t you?" Annabel said, one of her gloved hands near her lips.
“Naturally, though I’m honored to be charming to such a beautiful lady.” Lenore replied with one of her more flirtatious smiles, though she kept her gaze steady and held back the urge to giggle nervously like an idiot. Annabel blushed lightly before a small sigh escaped her lips, a lovely but soft sound that burned in Lenore’s ears.
“It’s been quite the day, wouldn’t you agree? I’m sure being a host is tiring.” Annabel said as she reached for her cup of tea, only to realize it was empty. Lenore noticed the empty cup and immediately stood up, bowing respectfully.
"I apologize for the oversight, my lady. May I get you another cup of tea?" she asked, her voice smooth and polite.
Annabel smiled warmly. "Thank you, Leo. That would be lovely."
Annabel watched as Lenore went back inside to get her a refill of the tea she had earlier. She sighed dreamily, raking her eyes over Lenore’s back and a bit lower before she left. She had to thank Prospero for adjusting the host club outfits to be more tight fitting later.
Annabel had missed Lenore greatly, despite the time they had spent apart. She had hoped that Lenore would remember her, but was not surprised that she did not. After all, it had been years since their last encounter, too many years.
Annabel then returned her attention back to the now moonlit rose garden below. She wondered why she had chosen this spot in particular, it wasn’t the smartest decision on her part.
Lenore had always hated flowers.