Hey, it's platonic anon again, I hope you don't mind me asking, as I have been feeling a little bit insecure lately, if you do one with alcina + daughters separate reactions to a fem head maid reader slowly getting deeper in depression because she has a little pudge that she doesn't like, but it just makes he look like a teddybear, and the maids have been making fun of her recently, and then she stops showing up to work all together, staying in her room and only eating one meal a day?
-platonic anon
Awhh, this is hella adorable, absolutely! :) Imma have to remove Alci though, hunny, I don't write for her though might occaisonally include her in pieces when I feel like it
Also oops, this got way longer than I thought it would, so imma have to split it into 3 parts. This one’s Bela’s
Let's get into it! :)
Masterlists found at pinned; rip, my linking is busted
Bela
Being involved with the maidens by far more than her sisters, professionally so even, Bela notices when you don't show up for work immediately
And at first, she's willing to turn a blind eye to it, thinking that maybe you're simply too tired too work, or in need of a vacation
She does admit, there isn't all that much of that at the castle
But, she likes you
And as such, she's willing to ignore that you aren't working as you should be
That is, for the first two days, at least
She is sure: you know to come to her when in need of a break
It's not like she won't grant you one, so long as it isn't harvesting season or the beginning of winter and all staff members are needed
But it isn't, and your disappearance starts to feel a little...odd
Now, she wouldn't describe herself as someone caring for the maids, head maiden or not
But, she likes you
A kind, loving, hard working woman
Someone she finds: she enjoys spending her time with, and someone she has enjoyed getting to know
Not showing up to work is so...unusual for you. So out of character
And as such, despite what she's sure her sisters would say, she seeks you out
Knocking on the door to your room- despite not having to knock at pretty much any door in the castle due to her status- she waits patiently until you open the door for her
What she takes in has her gasp in surprise and take a step back momentarily
Your room is warm, yes, but the air has adapted a strange scent that has her scrunch up her nose. She never thought she’d want to open a window
You’re curled in bed, underneath the blankets, but she still sees the thick clothing covering you
Briefly, she worries this might be too warm for a little human, but drops the thought again
- temperature wise, you seem well and healthy enough
She takes a step closer again, her golden eyes finding yours at last
You seem…off
Yet now that she stands in front of you, she seems at a loss for words, unsure what to say
It’s not like she’s used to cheering up anyone but her sisters
Glancing to the side, she sees multiple plates by your nightstand
One for each day you spent in your room
Is that all you’ve eaten?
In her mind, she recalls: humans are supposed to eat three days a meal. Especially those hard at work
You don’t speak, only stare at her, as if too tired and drained to do much
For once, she doesn’t mind the lack of respectful bows and what not
For once, she supposes she can let this be a casual, friendly conversation
Still unsure of what to say, she sits by your bed, her flies buzzing anxiously
You look up for a moment, your eyes trailing across her face, down her neck and to her exposed collarbone, her chest and slim hips and waist
You can’t help but fiddle with the blankets, can’t help but compare her build to yours
Normally, you don’t care
But the words from the maidens, the mockery aimed at you, hurt recently
You almost wish you could be like Bela, so confident, so strong, so strikingly beaufiful
You only ever want to be that, you think
“Did…something happen?”, she asks eventually, frowning slightly, as if unsure about her words
She really isn’t sure about this, or how to go about this, and just hopes her awkward words come out right
For once, she wishes she was a little more like Daniela and could effortlessly keep this conversation up and ask whether you’re alright without this awkwardness
You gulp, pulled from your thoughts
It’s a little unusual to see her like this- so…out of her element, almost
Still, you treasure her company, and see what she’s doing
“I’m fine”, you lie, pressing your eyes shut and refusing to whimper
You don’t want to lie to her
You want to tell her all about it, want to even throw your arms around her and cry
Bela’s just always had this aura about her that made you seek her favor and praise
At the same time, you don’t want to drive her away now, don’t want to “bother” her with your problems
She frowns, confused. Hearing your heart quickening and picking up the scent of your sweat, she’s hardly fooled by your answer
Only does she not quite understand why you’d lie. Especially to her
Instead, she does what she often does when her sisters lie to her and she sees through it. She stays quiet
You whimper as her golden eyes stay on you, a gentle gaze, but one that tells you she’s awaiting your response and giving you the opportunity to correct yourself
And, wise enough, you do so
You feel tears welling up in your eyes as you pull away the blankets and pull the hoodie covering you up just slightly, just enough to show her the small pouch at your belly from under your top
Alas, she doesn’t react, unsure what this means
While having been taught to express herself always, Bela is almost a stranger to insecurity- at the very least as it comes to her body
She’s never felt worried about the way she looks, paying little mind to it
You envy her
Then, just when you cover yourself up again, she asks again;
“Did something happen, little one?”
You crack
The nickname is enough for tears to run down your cheeks and- to your surprise- you feel her arm wrap around you
You’re pulled to her, sniffling
You pick up her scent, her elegant perfume and the metallic scent of blood lying underneath, only picked up this close to her
And briefly, just briefly, you have a dark thought, wishing she could just kill those that treated you so unfairly
With her arm around you, you feel impossibly safe- likely unlike most others that are this close to her
You begin to talk, begin to tell her of everything
Of the mockery, of the laughter
Of the little, stabbing comments made here and there
Of the looks
Of the mean glances and words
Of your insecurities and the growing feeling of anxiety and emptiness in you
And Bela?
She doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t talk. She only listens to you, humming occasionally to let you know you have her full attention
It’s a wonderful feeling
As you elaborate and cry a little more, she holds you tighter
She seems a little less awkward now, as if used to hold someone when they cry, and briefly you feel a strike of envy, wondering if there’s other maidens held by her and comforted like this. Then, the feeling fades when you figure; it must be Daniela, her younger sister, who you know cries easily from own experiences of holding and comforting the young woman after one of her episodes
You find, Bela offers the best hugs, though, and likely quite the rare ones
You stay close to her, breathing out a sigh of relief when you finish talking
It’s almost like speaking about it helped
She doesn’t quite understand their behavior, writes it off to the general behavior of scum
She finds, as such, they deserve to be treated just as certain way, too
You’re granted another day of staying in your room until Bela insists you return to work
More surprisingly, though, you find a maid, one of the newer ones, a little shy, but friendly, bring you a meal three times a day that day
She doesn’t say a thing, too nervous in the castle still, but you’re certain she was tasked to do so by Bela
And when you do return to work, anxious and dressed in slightly bigger clothes than normal, as if you could hide away, you find no trace of those who mocked you
Perhaps wickedly, you wonder what happened to them, whether they’ve been dragged away, killed, mauled, toyed with my the sadistic Dimitrescu sisters
Whether Bela in particular killed them. Is killing them. Is hurting them
But it’s like they never even existed, instead
You hear no screams at night. No whispers of what might have happened at all
It’s almost like your problems dissolved into thin air…
And you know you have none other than Bela Dimitrescu to thank for it
