Edit: THANKS AMINO because of the word limit I just now noticed that a chunk of the story is missing, thanks for making me look like an *idiot*
I've edited both parts so hopefully it makes more sense now
Forgive me, I have sinned
Apparently Amino has a post word limit, so this will be separated into two parts :flushed:
This is written in a way where both men and women can enjoy the story!
How long did you bet it would take for me to make Mont into a Yandere
This is my longest story yet ladies and gents, the final count being *21* pages. Believe me when I say, this story was just supposed to be the first 2 opening paragraphs and the last 2-ish pages, the rest was just supposed to be just a few lines describing what happened, but it turned out to be so much more than that.
This took me what...3 weeks to write? I probably could have been a lot faster with it, but I got really stuck at some parts and didn't know how to continue. I realized about halfway through (since I started playing War of The Visions a bit more) that I may have gotten Mont's character all wrong, but it doesn't really matter to me. I'll do better next time.
I really really like this, and I enjoyed writing it a lot, so I hope that you do too!
As always, any comments/criticism are appreciated!
There's a small Genshin Impact reference in here. Can you find it?
WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS MENTIONS OF BLOOD
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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: War of The Visions
(Yandere!)Mont Leonis x Reader
With Me
“Klara, please don’t do this!” You pleaded, your hands gripping the black bars as the brown-haired maid fiddled to put the golden key she had in the lock. Her hands trembled, the key constantly clashing on the sides of the iron keyhole but somehow never managing to enter inside it. She looked back over her shoulder time and time again, her heart beating as quickly as a rabbit’s, praying to every Esper known to man that she wouldn’t get caught. She filled her lungs with a shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the key as she finally pushed it inside of the lock. Her throat bobbed with nervousness as she swallowed dryly, her stomach somersaulting so quickly within her that she felt bile rising to her throat.
Tears started brimming the edges of her eyes, shaking her head as she turned the key to the left, the loud metal click making her heart leap into her throat. “He’ll kill you like he did all of the others! Please don’t do this, it’s not worth your life!”
“No…” She spoke lowly, pulling the key out of the door and pushing it into the sleeve of her uniform. “I-I can’t bear to see you like this anymore!”
You were in one of the most horrifying predicaments imaginable, one you wouldn’t wish upon your own worst enemies. You were only just a simple adventurer, traveling the world in hopes that you would find your true calling, your true purpose in life through your journey. You decided to rest for a few days in the famed kingdom of Leonis before continuing onwards to wherever your feet would lead you next. You trudged uphill on a wide grey cobblestone street towards where you had been told was the nearest inn, happening upon a large crowd gathered at the sides of it, jumping and cheering loudly. You groaned audibly, your pounding headache becoming that much stronger as you made your way through the mass of people, using your last shreds of strength to gently push them aside and apologize. They all suddenly roared in excitement, making you turn your head to the left to see what everyone was raving about.
Your eyes fell upon a young fair skinned boy, strawberry blonde hair tied in a french braid that was draped over his right shoulder. Wearing a black suit of armor with even darker arm guards and boots paired with white pants and a red cape with white fur around his shoulders, you could instantly tell he wasn’t an ordinary civilian. Standing on top of an open dark oak chariot pulled by two white horses with plush red seats and gilded decorations on its side, he waved to the crowd, grinning and laughing heartily.
“Who’s that…?” You asked aloud subconsciously, talking to yourself rather than anyone else.
“Why, that’s Mont Leonis.” Replied a fairly old man from beside you. “Today’s the day the royal family will present the future leader of the kingdom.” You glanced at the boy again, watching as he waved in your direction. By a stroke of pure luck, you both made eye with one another. For a split second, his joyful demeanor fell, breath freezing in his chest.
You furrowed your eyebrows, for with your next blink, he was suddenly all smiles again, the horses having trotted far way enough to where you could only see the back of his head. You shrugged whilst rolling your eyes, continuing to push your way towards the nearby inn, not wanting to get involved in a foreign land’s politics. Little did you know that that singular moment would be the beginning of the end.
It had all started with an honest little crush, with him having one of his royal guards search for you to find whichever inn you had chosen to spend the next three days in. He showed up at the bottom of your window the next night with a brown hooded cloak to mask his true identity, rousing you from your sleep by chucking a pebble at the glass. You didn’t expect anyone to come looking for you here, much less the prince of Leonis himself. You threw on your most decent looking clothing and leapt out of the window, not wanting to disturb either the still snoozing people or the kind old lady at reception. When you questioned him as to how he had found you and why he was here at this late hour of the night, he stumbled awkwardly over an apology, saying how it was Leonis tradition to welcome any adventurers into their kingdom by offering them a grand tour around the capital. He apologized once more when saying that the tour should have happened earlier, but that he couldn’t find the time with the parade that day. Normally, a royal guard would have been sent to show you around the city on behalf of the royal family, but Mont decided that he would make up the heinous oversight by taking you around himself.
He officially introduced himself to you after that quick explanation, royal titles and all to which you only chuckled in response saying that you already knew who he was. It was ittedly a bit weird that he would come to do this now when he could have left it for the next day, though that only made you realize how bad he must have felt for not taking you on this little tour earlier. Even weirder still was the fact that it was even happening at all; most kingdoms would just overlook the regular people who entered their territory and leave them be as long as they didn’t cause any trouble. You hadn’t heard of a place that welcomed them with a tour. Were you the first ordinary person to be treated in such a manner? Just the thought alone made you feel important.
The moon continued sailing across the black ocean of the sky on its boat of powdery white clouds as Mont made small talk with you, both of you quietly walking on the rather empty city streets. He didn’t delve too deeply into your personal life, not yet anyway, merely asking simple questions like where you were planning on going and where you had come from, yada yada yada. He suddenly piped up in the middle of you answering a question he had asked, grabbing your wrist and beginning to pull you off somewhere. Upon questioning where he was taking you, he laughed and said that you’d see. After taking you through a few tight and winding alleyways, he led you into a small thicket. You opened your mouth to speak and almost as if he could read your thoughts, he told you to hang on, this wasn’t what he wanted to show you. He took you up a hill, urging you to be careful and watch your step.
Emerging from the trees, his hand slipping from your wrist into your own without you noticing, your eyes widened with an inward breath, the entire kingdom spreading out before your vision. Mont moved to sit, tugging you down with him. He let go of your hand, pulling his legs into his chest and laying his head on his knees, rocking gently back and forth.
“This is my favorite place to go, you know.” He whispered. “Whenever I feel down or lost, this is where I come.”
“From the way you’re talking about it, it must be a very special place.”
“It is.”
“Have you taken other adventurers here?”
“No.”
“Why take me then?”
“You’re special.”
You both sat atop that hill for a long while, simply enjoying each other’s presence and the comfortable silence. You yawned, to which Mont jumped at the opportunity to escort you back to the inn, apologizing for keeping you up so late and stating how he didn’t want you to get too tired. Once you were standing in front of the entrance, he asked how long you would be staying in Leonis. You responded, making him breathe a sigh of relief, the blush forming on his cheeks obscured by the shadow of his hood. It was an odd action, but you instantly forgot about it the moment he took your hands into his, raising them between your chests. “Does that mean I can see you again tomorrow?” Your eyes drifted from staring at his own to looking at the orange beige colored wall of the inn beside him. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his smile crumble, his hands squeezing tighter. With a pained hum, you nodded hurriedly before you could change your mind. The smile returned to his face, saying how great that was. He bid you goodnight, citing that he hoped you enjoyed the tour and was looking forward to spending more time with you.
You would spend your two remaining days wandering the streets of the town, popping into any stores and stopping at market stalls that were selling things that you thought you might need for the rest of your journey during the day and spending a few hours together with Mont at night. On your final day, just as you were about to stand up to return to the inn, he grabbed your wrist, looking up at you from where he was sitting on the grass with his blue hues mirroring the stars in the sky above. “Please stay.” He begged. “Just for a couple of more days?” You blinked dumbly in shock.
“Mont, I-”
“Please, (Y/N)! You’re the first one outside of my family who looks at me for me and not just because of my royal heritage. You’re the first one who doesn’t want to use me for selfish reasons, to take advantage of me! So please…” His head was hung down now, hand still firmly gripping yours. “Please don’t leave me…” You heard the quaking in his voice, like he was trying to hold himself back from breaking down in front of you. You stayed quiet for a moment, unmoving. You breathed out harshly through your nose.
“Fine.”
That one word would seal your fate for the foreseeable future, if not for the rest of your life; until you drew your final breath. Your shoes clacked on the wooden stairs as you made your way down them, ready to greet the old lady at reception before going outside for the day, only to find Mont standing at the desk in front of her, a white feather pen waving between his fingers as he signed some papers. Placing down the pen and pushing them forward to her, he reached to his side and pulled open the strings of a small leather bag, taking out a generous amount of golden coins and putting them on the table.
“You didn’t see me.” He spoke lowly, the lady looking at him with scared eyes and nodding slowly.
“Mont, what are you doing here?” You queried after they had finished their little exchange.
“(Y/N)!” He smiled, coming over and pulling your body into his in an embrace. You squeaked, your muscles tensing even more when he began to pet your head. “I’m letting you stay at the castle for the last few days that you’ll be here!” He pulled back from you a bit to see your face, though still held you close.
“Mont, I can’t-” You paused, trying to gather your thoughts. “Is that…even allowed?” Mont chuckled, stroking the back of his hand across your cheek.
“Of course it is. My parents and brother left the day of the parade for a trip, so I’ve been all alone.” You parted your lips to protest, but Mont only placed a finger over them to prevent you from speaking. “And before you say anything, no, you’re not bothering me, imposing on me, or whatever else you’re thinking of. I insist.” He hugged you again, his nose brushing against your neck. “You can even stay in my room if you want.” He purred, the words practically vibrating through your skin. You laughed awkwardly feeling a drop of sweat rolling down your brow as you patted his back, trying to distance yourself from him without being rude.
“I-I don’t think that will be necessary.” Mont pulled away from you, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout.
“Aw…I thought it would be fun! You know, like a sleepover!” He giggled innocently. He shrugged as if to say ‘oh, well’ and took ahold of your hand, dragging you outside of the inn and beginning to take you up the large street towards the castle.
“Wait! Mont, my stuff is-”
“I’ll have someone come and pick them up for you.” He waved his hand nonchalantly. “Now come on, hurry up! I have so much I want to show you!”
You were (thankfully) given your own room which was so fancy you were afraid to even step foot in it for fear of breaking something, much less walk around and sleep in the gargantuan king-sized bed that Mont had set aside just for you. You told him you could stay for another two days after which you had to leave; you couldn’t afford to stick around in one place for too long. After all, you still had a long journey ahead of you. Despite being given permission to freely roam around the castle, you didn’t stay there more than you needed to. You figured Mont had his duties to attend to, just as you had yours, so you never really saw each other outside of dining together for breakfast and wishing each other a good night before going to bed. Regardless, he made sure that you felt his fondness towards you, even if he couldn’t be there to show it to you directly. He had ordered the cooks to pack you lunch before you left the castle every morning and leave some food out for dinner for when you returned at night. He had a maid hand you a bag with as much money as it could hold, all this just so that you wouldn’t spend a single gil and save the money you had for the rest of your trip.
The day before you were supposed to leave, you were preparing to go out into town to do some last-minute shopping, checking over the list you were holding before you heard Mont call out your name from behind you.
“Going to go pick up a few more things before you leave tomorrow?” He questioned, leaning forward slightly with his hands clasped behind his back. You hummed in response, tucking the slip of paper with all of the items you needed in your pocket before facing him to return his gaze.
“Just small things like Hi-Potions and Phoenix Downs. I know some stores are out of stock at the moment so I might have to get some things custom made at an alchemist’s which could take a while, so I was thinking of hitting a bar while I wait.” Mont chuckled, looking down at the red carpeted floor beneath his boots.
“About that…” He trailed off, looking at you meekly through his bangs. “There’s supposed to be a ball that will celebrate me becoming king soon…” He paused again. “And, I was wondering if…” He struggled to get the words he was thinking out of his mouth, as well as trying to keep his cheeks from heating up. “you’d like to come too?” You sighed, shaking your head.
“You know I can’t do that. I told you I’d only be staying here for two more days. As interesting as that sounds, I’ve still got places to be. Plus…” You glanced to the side, hand raising to the nape of your neck to rub it shyly. “I don’t think I’m cut out to go to such an event anyway.”
“But you don’t have to stay any longer. You can still leave tomorrow, just like you planned. The party is today.”
“Today?!” You jolted backwards. You waved your hands by your chest, your head shaking. “Oh no, no, no, then I *definitely* can’t go. I-I don’t have any kind of fancy outfit, I certainly don’t know any higher-class etiquette, it’ll be a total disaster!” Mont only giggled, placing the tips of his fingers on his lips.
“Don’t worry about any of that. I’ve already asked the maids to get their things together to make a custom outfit for you. And if you’re worried about not knowing how to act, I’m going to teach you.”
You wouldn’t forget that night. The mountain of stress you carried on your shoulders was crippling, to the point where you couldn’t even enjoy yourself. You barely visited the refreshments table, let alone the large buffet that had been laid out on what was likely the longest table you’d ever seen. All you thought about was if you were doing everything right, following Mont’s instructions to the T. It probably didn’t help that he paraded you everywhere around the room like a prize, insisting that he introduce you to anyone and everyone. Of course, he knew that this would cause a stir among the higher class until it spread throughout the entire land, rumors that the prince of Leonis was seeing someone, but he couldn’t find a single shred within him that cared. He danced with you way into the night, congratulating you on how well you were doing often and regularly. He’d sometimes lean in close, whispering honeyed words that had your body tensing even more than it already was.
“Everything is going to be okay.”
“I think you’re perfect just the way you are, even if others don’t think so.”
“I can be myself around you, it feels so special.”
“You make me feel safe and special and wanted and loved.”
“I used to imagine moments like these. But they’re so much more perfect in real life.”
“No one in the world understands me like you do.”
“You’re the one…”
You expected to wake up the next day sleep deprived, but were very glad to find out that it was the opposite. You had tired out your body so much the night before that you slept like a baby, leaving you with a bountiful amount of energy to drain for your adventure. With a wide smile, you hoisted your pack over your shoulder, patting yourself down for a final check-up to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything before heading out of your room, shutting the door behind you and descending the stairs towards the castle entrance. You didn’t get the opportunity to buy the rest of the things you needed yesterday, so you would have to stop by a few shops again to get them. Hopefully they had restocked by now.
Shallow, quickened breaths, followed by a hiccup thereafter. You paused, twisting your hips to look behind you.
“Mont…?” He sitting upon the throne in the castle’s throne hall, his right arm draped over one handle, the other covering his eyes that bled salted drops of sorrow. “Mont?!” Your voice was laden with panic now, dropping your pack to the floor and running up to him, jumping over the two stairs that led to where he was sitting and falling to your knees, taking his free hand and holding it between both of yours. “What happened?!” You gave him a moment to recompose himself. He took in huge gulps of air, lips and body quivering. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, but the tears continued to flow anyway.
“My mother…” His voice shook. “my father and my brother, they’re…” He broke down completely now, his wails echoing through the walls of the castle, his gut-wrenching sobs tearing your heart apart as if a wild bear was digging its claws into it.
“Oh no…” You mumbled, already having connected the dots on what he was trying to convey to you. It would be inhumane to leave him now, especially since he didn’t have anybody else to lean on anymore. You weren’t entirely sure how you were going to help or how effective your presence would be in his time of need, but you would do whatever you could to him. Your own family was still waiting for you back at home; you couldn’t imagine what it was like to suddenly lose them in the blink of an eye. You decided to stay just for a while longer, until he was able to function on his own again.
You let go of his hand, standing up. “I’ll…give you some time alone.” You made some distance between you both with a backwards step. With a quick motion, he reached for your hand, squeezing so tightly you heard your fingers crack from the pressure.
“No!” He exclaimed, more tears beginning to fall. “Don’t…leave me…” You nodded carefully, taking a seat on the top stair in front of the throne.
For the next few hours, Mont told you everything about his family from memories he shared with them in his childhood to their little quirks that made him love them more than words could describe. All of what he said was mixed in with intense emotions, smiling and laughing through his tears when recounting the happy moments with them and sobbing harder when recounting the unhappy ones. He used you as an open letter of sorts to pour his feelings into, telling you things he wished he had said to each of them when he still had the chance, ranging from praise and iration to apologies of how he treated them at certain times. He told you that his biggest wish was to carry on his parent’s legacy and take care of the kingdom’s people in their place, just like they would have wanted. You said nothing throughout all of this, simply absorbing his words into your system.
Despite how much he had cried that day, producing so many tears to the point where his eyes stung and body slumped from not having the energy to weep anymore, he continued diligently doing his royal tasks. You could only guess how much pain it brought him as he had nothing but his own judgement to rely on now, nobody to turn to for advice to ask if what he was doing was right. You ired his strength to continue to carry on like life was normal, like his family were still on that trip but their arrival back home was just delayed for some unknown reason. You stayed by his side as much as you were able, urging him to eat three times a day and drink plenty of water to keep himself healthy, reminding him that you were free to talk to at any time, even if it was in the middle of the night.
Over a period of just a couple of days, you noticed small changes within him. Mont began to smile more, the missing sparkle from his eyes beginning to reignite, his voice rising more and more in excitement whenever something good happened during the day, no matter how small it was. You were so proud of how quickly he had managed to recover from his loss. Only five days had ed since he had received the news and already, he was back to his motivated and ambitious self. So, there you stood again at the bottom of the stairs, your eyes looking to various parts of the throne hall, letting out a sigh. You had grown rather comfortable here in the castle, but it was finally time to leave. You made a mental note to write a letter to Mont apologizing for not saying goodbye properly; you simply didn’t want to disturb
and distract him from his work. The sides of your mouth pricked upwards in a small smile, nodding once as a silent farewell to the castle and all who were in it before grabbing the golden handle of one of the large double doors. “(Y/N)?”
Before you could pull open the door, Mont’s voice reached your ears. Turning, you noticed he had just now walked into the room, holding a long piece of parchment with one hand holding the top and the other the bottom.
“Oh, Mont!” Your smile grew wider, watching as he came closer, rolling up the paper he was holding. “I didn’t expect I’d get to say goodbye to you like this, I thought you were too busy. I was going to write a letter to you as an apology.” You laughed nervously. “Anyways,” you quicky changed the subject, gripping a strap of your pack to prevent it from falling off of your shoulder, stretching out your other hand to him. “I’m very happy that I got to meet you Mont Leonis. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me.”
Your smile caved inwards when he didn’t return the gesture. He just stared at you blankly, completely silent. “Mont…?” You questioned, an unnerving feeling starting to bubble inside of you. He shook his head.
“No (Y/N). I can’t let you go.” A surprised noise sounded from the back of your throat.
“What…” Your eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know what happened to my parents and my brother, (Y/N). Don’t you see? The world is a dangerous place, full of monsters and murderers and thieves that will stop at nothing to see you dead. I couldn’t possibly let you go out into a world like that. You’re much too naïve to be able to survive on your own.”
“Hey!” You took that last statement to heart, placing a hand over your chest. “You know from how far I’ve come to get here and nothing bad has happened to me, what makes you think something will on the rest of my journey?!”
“You’ve just been lucky thus far, (Y/N.)”
“Even if that were true, the possibility of danger is something that’s always been part of an adventure, that’s the thrill of it! All you have to do is be careful, take safe paths and know what to do in a bad situation!”
“(Y/N), you don’t know what’s it like out there. From here onwards, the monster hoards are larger, the murderers and thieves more bloodthirsty. It’s not safe enough for you.”
“How would you know?” You countered, teeth clenching. As much as you liked staying at the castle, you had had enough of being there. It was due time that you took your leave.
“I don’t know, ask someone in my family.” He deadpanned. Your face scrunched as you cringed, wishing you could take that last sentence back; it must have cut deep. Taking in a breath to recompose yourself, you continued speaking.
“Look, I know what happened to them Mont, but I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself.”
“Oh yeah? And they didn’t?” He crossed his arms over his chest, foot beginning to tap impatiently against the black tiles. “(Y/N), they had three royal guards when their carriage was attacked. My father and brother know how to use swords and they still died.” He grabbed onto your arm, yanking you away from the door. “You’re staying here.”
“Hey, Mont, let me go!” You used your free hand to try to loosen his grip on you as he began dragging you back to your room, though he only tightened it.
“I said. You’re. Staying. Here.” Having reached the door to your room, he drew it open and roughly pushed you inside, closing and locking it before you had the chance to escape. Your pack falling to the floor, you pressed your body against the door, banging your fists on it.
“Mont, let me go!” You screamed, your pounding becoming louder and louder with each ing second.
“I will (Y/N), I promise.” Even if the door was shaking from how hardly you were hitting against it, he continued leaning on it with one shoulder, a hand pressing against the dark brown wood. “I’ll work endlessly day and night just to make the entire world a better place for you. And who knows…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “by the time I’m done, you might not even want to leave here at all.”
Ever since that day, you had tried to find any way out of castle. Using some linens you had found in a closet in your room, you bound them together to make a rope and tossed them out of your window. You were found within minutes. Those same linens were taken to a furnace and burned; a precaution to make sure you wouldn’t try that again. The next day, two guards were placed underneath your window. When you thought Mont wasn’t nearby, you dipped into the back entrance of the castle only to run headfirst into him. You spluttered out an excuse, saying you were just looking around and happened to get lost. He rolled his eyes, clearly seeing through your lie and taking your arm again, hauling you back to your room and locking the door. The next day, two guards were placed by the back entrance of the castle. He only let you outside of your room for two hours each day to roam and you were constantly under his supervision when you were brought down to the dining room to share a meal. Whenever he forcibly placed you inside your room, you asked why he was doing this and you always received the same response.
“I’m not done making the world a better place yet.”
You were beginning to question how much longer you could hold your own around here. You were now pacing back and forth in your room, trying to keep your breathing in check. Your hands, though clasped together by your lips, were trembling violently. One of the gardeners had found the bodies of Mont’s family buried underneath the flowers in one of the castle gardens, the wounds they had sustained surely fatal. It looked like his mother was the first of the three to die; all she had was a gaping hole in her chest, right between her breasts. His father was the second, bearing only a few minor cuts here and there, two large openings in his stomach. His brother was the one who had suffered the most, having not only deep cuts, but also bruises and a myriad of stab wounds all over his body, haphazardly scattered around his arms and legs, but the majority of them where on his torso; there was one even by the side of his throat. What made this discovery all the more shocking was that one of the maids had found a blade stashed underneath Mont’s mattress that had faint blood stains on it which led to everyone theorizing.
There hadn’t been any kind of fighting, either within Leonis itself or the surrounding nations. He hadn’t been sent out on any trip since before his parents and brother left. He wasn’t the type that would take sparring a bit too far on accident. He wasn’t the type to go hunting either. The stains were too fresh to have been left from any other possible activities.
‘He murdered them.’ You thought, your brain trying its hardest to reject the very idea but to no avail. Having heard the same theory from the maids and butlers didn’t help. ‘He must have.’ What other reason could there have been for them to end up underground at the castle, when they had supposedly been killed in the woods, without a burial service no less. Perhaps he had asked their bodies to be sent so he could bury them himself for fear of causing widespread panic, but that didn’t make sense either. Not only was there his sword that would counter that theory, but there was no order to the way they had been buried. They had all been stuffed into the same hole, not in separate graves, not to mention the lack of any markings to indicate that there was anyone buried there at all.
“(Y/N).” He drew out your name in an innocent manner as he addressed you. His voice from the other side of the door to your room broke you out of your thought process, your form freezing in your next step. You heard the door clicking open as he walked in, giving you a wide smile.
“Did you kill them?” You clapped both of your hands over your mouth, your heart headbutting your rib cage once you had blurted out the question. His smile fell, replaced with a look of confusion. He let out a breathy laugh.
“What…What are you talking about?”
“Your parents and brother…” You drew your hands away from your mouth to say this. Despite your inner voice screaming at you at shut up, to not say another word, full well aware that you were wandering into dangerous territory, that you were provoking him just by asking about the subject, your mouth refused to listen. It was like it was actively ignoring your inner thoughts. “Did you kill them?”
“How…” His face twisted from confusion to hurt. “How could you say something like that?”
He came closer, your staring fearfully into his eyes making you miss how one of his hands had tightened into a fist. “You can’t just throw baseless accusations like that at me, you have no right!” The heels of your feet twitched as a physical warning for you to take a step backwards, but it was like your fear had manifested into invisible chains that kept you bound in your place. “You don’t have any evidence, so perhaps you should think before you speak!” He scolded.
“But your sword-”
“Oh, what *about* it, (Y/N)?” He was clearly becoming vexed by your words, yet you stupidly continued onwards.
“The bloodstains on it-”
“I’ve been in many a war, (Y/N), of *course* bloodstains will still remain on it.”
“But they were fresh.”
“That’s not true!” He argued. “They only *looked* fresh because I had just polished it that morning!”
“But that’s not how-”
“Bloodstains work?” He finished for you. “As if *you* would know, (Y/N). You’ve never picked up a weapon in your life!”
That much was true. You grew silent, now starting to question your own suspicions with this newfound information. But there was still that tiny voice in your head that kept telling you something wasn’t right. ‘Doubt, doubt, doubt.’ it said. ‘Doubt everything he tells you.’ “You *know* what I’ve been through, (Y/N).” He told you. “I wasn’t the one that buried them there. The monsters that had killed them dragged them all the way here so they could be found later just to torture me.” He loosened his fist to put his hand on top of his chest, holding back tears. “You don’t know what it feels like to wake up one day and find out something like that.”
“Then how did you know that they were dead?” You countered. “If they really were killed by thieves, then how did their bodies get here faster than the guard who reported that they had died?” ‘Wait…’ You blinked dumbly, something clicking in your head. “Mont…you told me that there were three royal guards with them. You said that they all died. If none of them survived the attack, then how did you find out about it…?” Too much evidence was stacking up against him.
“Does it matter?!” He yelled. “My family is *dead*, (Y/N), dead! And nothing I can do will ever bring them back, do you even understand how *painful* that is? I’m the only one left from the Leonis bloodline. If something happens to me, Leonis is finished. There will nobody to lead the people and everything will fall into chaos; is that what you want, (Y/N)? For people’s lives to fall apart?” He was avoiding the question, trying to distract you and lead you into a different direction, trying to make you forget the point of your questions, trying to make you stop doubting him. Unfortunately, it did work. Your mouth which had been open agape like a fish out of water slowly closed, shaking your head as a response to his question. Turning around, Mont walked towards your door. “I’m not letting you outside of your room today.” His fingers curled around the door knob. “You put me in a bad mood.” Pulling it open, he exited the room, closing the door behind him and locking it.
You ran up to the door, shouting to get his attention. “Mont, wait!”
“What?” He asked sourly.
“Tell me, *please*. Why are you doing this to me? Why won’t you let me go?”
“I’ve told you before, (Y/N). I haven’t finished making the world a better place yet.” You shook your head from behind the slab of wood.
“That’s not enough for me. You need to give me more reasons.” There was a moment of silence.
“Let’s just say…I have a very deep infatuation with you.” Even if they were quiet, you heard his steps across the red carpet in the hall, indicating that he had left.
You were as still as the water in a cup on a table, however, your thoughts were crashing against one another like sea waves on a stormy night. The puzzle pieces were finally coming together, forming a rather hellish picture. He hadn’t used the traditional three words that all of the fairytales talked about, but basically itted to loving you. No wonder he kept you locked up in a room for hours and hours on end, kept you under his watchful eye, kept you from talking to any of the staff who worked in the castle, kept them from talking to you, had guards placed at every possible escape entrance that you had uncovered. It was all done to keep you with him. You sat down on your bed in a state of shocked realization, your fingers gripping tightly at the duvet underneath you. How had you not come to this revelation sooner? You had seen the signs, yes, but you felt there was nothing else you could do but go with the flow.
You went back in your memory, counting all of the times you had tried to leave this place. Your last real chance you could have left was the day after the party, yet you squandered that opportunity to help Mont cope through a difficult situation that he himself created that was only a ploy to get you to stay with him longer. He had taken advantage of your kindness and good-nature and used it against you to lure you into his trap; and you had fallen straight for it.
This only left you with more questions though. Why you? There wasn’t anything particularly outstanding about you. What did he see in you? Your adventurous spirit? But you weren’t the first adventurer to come into Leonis and you were sure that you were the first person he’s treated this way. The time you spent together? It was only a week and four days by this point, definitely not enough for him to claim that he loved you as deeply as he did. Did it really matter though? It didn’t look like his feelings towards you had any modicum of sense.
Things only got worse from there; people started going missing, and in relatively large quantities at that. You were able to manage one final escape attempt on your own, but ultimately it failed. Whilst you were having dinner with Mont, you gestured to your empty glass of water, asking if he would allow you to get more. His first instinct was to tell you no and summon a maid or butler. Unfortunately, he had sent them on a break just as he always did once they were done cooking for the two of you and didn’t want to go back on his word. Pinching the bridge of his nose with an outward breath he nodded, waving you off with his other hand. You thanked him hurriedly and grabbed your cup, hearing him call after you “Only because you’ve been really good lately!” The kitchen staff were still in the kitchen despite being on a break, munching away at any good food scraps they had managed to find hidden in the back corner of the pantry or small meals they had fixed up for themselves.
Everyone at the castle knew about your various escape attempts, yet there was an unspoken rule between them that it was never to be discussed within a short radius of the prince of Leonis; there was to be at least one empty room of space before people could start talking and even then, some of the staff considered that to be too risky, so there were usually two rooms of empty space. The maids, butlers, and cooks only tracked you with their eyes as you walked through the room and beelined straight for the larder, engaging in small talk amongst themselves and acting like they had seen nothing when in actuality, their hearts matched yours in its quickened and fearful pace.
Your body shuddered when you entered the larder, the cool temperature within the room making your muscles tighten. You knew larders had windows that kept large slabs of meat cold to prevent them from rotting whilst also not allowing flies to enter the room and ruin the meat. Maneuvering past the squishy red and brown chunks, you followed the faint rays of the moon to the window. The tips of your fingers pushed between the crack of the window and the wall and pulled it open, some chips of dried paint sticking to them. The beating of your heart only accelerated; there was a tightly woven metal net placed inside of the frame of the window, which must have been used to keep flies out. The gaps between the metal wires were much too small to fit your fingers through and try to pry it away from the window. You pressed a hand up against the net and pushed. It didn’t budge. You hurriedly turned around, hoping there was enough time to go into the kitchen and grab an object that would aid you in your escape; you had already been in the kitchen long enough; Mont would start to get suspicious. Just as you were about to make a break for the kitchen, something hard brushed against your shoulder. Turning to the left, you saw that there was a butcher knife sticking out of a piece of meat.
You cried out a mental thanks to the Espers, snatching it and coming up to the window. This was their sign that they were on your side, wasn’t it? You pulled your hand back to stab the knife into the side of the net, repeating the motion to try to get the tip to pierce into the net so you could cut your way through. Apparently not. You cursed aloud as you dropped the knife, your shaking hand losing its grip on the handle despite how tightly you had held onto it. You bent downwards, your hand stretching to reach out for it, but a voice from behind you made you stop, as well as the sound of a sword being carefully drawn from its sheath. “You won’t pick that up if you know what’s good for you.” Your eyes scrunched, your breath stopping in your nose. The jig was up. “Lest I slice your head off of your shoulders!”
Your heart jumped within your chest. You had never heard Mont speak in such a manner to you, much less threaten you with a weapon. Your fingers squeezed into a fist, signaling that you weren’t planning to defy him. You slowly raised your body from its bent over position, careful not to make any sudden movements. “Good.” Your gaze was glued to the grey concrete floor, your fingers fiddling with one another, listening as he slipped the blade back into its place by his hip. He sighed, coming up to you and holding your chin with his thumb and index finger, raising it so you would look at him. “(Y/N), haven’t I treated you right?” The mask he chose to don this time was full of hurt rather than the anger that you were expecting. “Haven’t I given you more than was necessary? Your own room in the castle? New clothes? Proper meals? Why would you choose to betray me like this?” You said nothing, Mont letting you go.
“I’m sorry…” You whispered in a downtrodden tone. With a light hum, Mont cupped your cheek, stroking it with his thumb.
“Did you have enough to eat?” He asked with a small smile. You nodded weakly. “Let’s take you to your room then.” Holding your hand, he led you into the kitchen. Everyone that was there immediately put their heads down into their food the moment you walked out of the door. As he was walking in front of you, you didn’t notice the dirty looks Mont was giving the staffers that had the audacity to breathe in his direction. The next day, three of them were reported missing. Terrified whispers began to circle around the castle halls, people speculating that it was all the prince’s doing, that they had all died by his hand just like his parents and brother. But it was much worse this time. No bodies were found, nor any evidence of what kind of weapons he could have used. The only thing they had to go off of was that one of the butlers noticed that the furnace had been used for a few extra hours than normal. Whether the bones that were inside were from the boar that had been skinned and cut for its meat for the previous day’s meal or the bones of the three missing staffers, nobody knew.
Now, only the truly brave stepped forward to try to help you from your plight. One of the guards that had been placed outside of your window slinked into the castle in the middle of the night, telling you that he and the other guard had plotted a scheme where you would jump out of the window and let the guard still standing outside catch you, where they would then escort you into the deep woods beside the castle. You quickly agreed, gathering all of the stuff you had brought which had been discarded in a corner of your room up until now and tossed them out of your window, having the guard catch them and set them on the ground before you jumped out of the window yourself. He caught you neatly in his arms, helping you fasten your pack to your back hurriedly. He stood in front of you protectively, his spear pointed in front of him as you both waited for the first guard to return. Even though you were standing behind him, you heard the metal clinking of the armor on his fingers and the tip of his weapon was wavering. The other guard returned, out-of-breath, urging you through his gulps of air to run and not look back.
You did as you were told without asking questions, making a break for the nearby trees. Once you deemed you had gone deep enough to not be discovered by anyone, you turned around to express your thanks to the guards but they were gone. You gulped, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat. Had Mont come after them already? But that was impossible, how could he have known? Your back was only turned for a few seconds bare minimum, if not a minute at maximum. You drew back a step, feeling a squeezing pain in your chest, like someone had reached in and seized it with a death grip. Your spiraling thoughts were quickly halted when a blunt object hit the back of your head, sending your body crashing down to the floor.
You woke up in your bed the next morning, comfortably tucked in. Who had you brought you back here? Was it really Mont who did this or was it the thieves and murderers he had told you about? No, that wasn’t possible. Why would they bring you back to the castle? It was all Mont; everything was his fault. He only told you that to keep you here with him. You had to remind yourself of that. You couldn’t fall for any of his tricks.
You decided not to bring up anything of what had occurred last night, though you questioned what would have happened even if you did. There was no way Mont didn’t know about your attempted escape. Either he was the one who stopped you or someone from the castle staff did on his behalf. There were many conflicted people within the castle; people who wanted to help you run away, people who knew this wasn’t right but were too cowardly to lend a hand for fear of being the next victim of a murder so they felt like they didn’t have a choice but to follow his instructions and seize you whenever they caught you trying to escape. As they were dragging you back to your room, they would apologize profusely, telling you in lowered whispers how bad they felt for being so cowardly. You completely understood, never once blaming them for not helping.
As time went on, the amount of brave souls started dwindling. Two maids formulated a plan to have one of them distract Mont whilst the other led you out of the castle from a special entrance that was made just for the staffers. She begged the two guards that had been placed there to let you go, but they shook their heads saying that they couldn’t allow that. In the middle of their whispered squabbling, the prince walked by and caught you all discussing your escape. The next day, four people were reported missing. The staffer’s next attempt was bolder. Whilst Mont was reading a book in the castle’s library, a butler came to offer him wine (which he declined) and knowing that he would do just that, the butler would begin listing off other types of drinks that he could have or maybe some snacks if he preferred that instead. In the meantime, another butler would lead you into his room and have you climb out of the castle through his window by a rope made of sheets, just like you had attempted over a month ago now. Their logic was if they happened to get caught, he could use the fact that he was a butler as an alibi and say that he was just going to take the bedsheets to have them washed. This didn’t work either. You were detained and brought back into your room again. The next day another four were reported missing.
What you thought to be the final attempt on saving your life was the boldest of them all. One butler went as far as to slip some sleeping medicine into Mont’s drink for that day’s dinner and surely enough, whilst he was talking to you, his speech gradually grew slower, only responding to what you had said with absentminded nods and hums. He had leaned his head on his closed fist, his eyes beginning to close before he would catch himself and raise it up again. His thoughts became hazy, like a thick white mist had wrapped itself around his brain, making you and your words sound far off as if carried away by a breeze. You were unaware of this of course and just assumed that he had been overworking himself.
With all of the murders he’s been committing.
You shook your head, pushing that afterthought out of your head. You *had* been seeing him less and less as of late though.
“Sire, I brought-” A butler with lightly disheveled brown hair tied in a ponytail walked into the room, carrying two small plates that had a slice of cake.
His joyful expression fell inwards, mumbling an ‘Oh.’ before sighing and placing the desserts down on the end of the table, walking up to Mont and gently shaking him by the shoulder. “Your Highness, are you alright?” Mont nodded weakly.
“Fine…” He muttered. “Just…a bit tired…” He covered his mouth to stifle his yawn. The butler patted his arm gently, ushering him to stand up. Once he had done so, he took hold of Mont’s arm and placed it over his shoulder, beginning to lead him out of the dining room and up the stairs to his quarters.
“W-Wait…!” He exclaimed. “What…about (Y/N)?”
“Don’t worry, (Y/N) will be fine. I’ll have someone escort them to their room.” Mont moaned tiredly in response, leaning his body into the butler. The man turned his head to look at you, his piercing yellow eyes glaring into yours. He nodded silently in your direction.
“I…shouldn’t be this sleepy…” You heard Mont speak from outside of the dining room door.
“You should take care not to overwork yourself then, your Majesty.” Their conversation grew distant after that and you could hear nothing more. Meanwhile, the gears in your head were starting to turn, trying to make sense of the sign that the butler gave you. Was it just a nod of reassurance that he would make sure Mont would be alright, or was it something more? Was this another plot to help you escape? You decided not to go anywhere should that butler return to see you.
After waiting in your seat for almost an hour, the brown-haired man came back, standing outside of the dining room whilst holding onto the door. “Come on.” He said lowly, waving his hand for you to come forward. You stood up from the dining chair, your shoes clacking on the orange-beige tiles. Once you had gotten close enough, the butler grabbed your wrist, pulling you through the halls of the castle.
“I drugged the prince.” He answered your burning question of ‘what’s happening’. “He should be asleep for another two to three hours.” You both finally reached the throne hall and the large black double doors of the castle. The butler had chosen this specific time because he was aware that there would be no guards at the front gate to stop you since they were changing shifts. Letting go of you, he placed his hands flat against one of the doors, grunting as he pushed it open. “That should give you more than enough time to run away.” He took both of your hands into his, squeezing them. “Please, get as far away from Leonis as possible. Do not return.” He gave you a hopeful smile, making your lips turn upwards into the same expression.
You could feel your heart racing. The moment was finally here. You would finally be able to leave this place and go back into the real world. No longer were you going to be stuck within the same four walls for what felt like an eternity, and it was all thanks to this one man and the giant risk he had taken. You squeezed the butler’s hands back, feeling tears brimming the edges of your eyes.
“Thank you.” The tears began to fall, your throat beginning to close in on itself as you let out a choked hiccup. “Thank you for everything.” The man nodded, pulling you into his arms for a quick hug.
“Now come on, go!” He quickly pushed you back, not wanting to keep you here anymore than necessary. “Good-” Both of your breaths locked into your throats suddenly, you feeling something wet falling against your cheek. You clapped your hands over your mouth, your scream coming out as a squeal when you noticed the wide piece of metal that was protruding through his body.
“Your dosage was too low.” Mont hissed from behind him. “Next time, I advise you add a bit more.”
Your tears that had once been made of joy became corrupted and transformed into ones of fear and horror instead, the tears only flowing hotter when the butler’s mouth started pooling with blood, some of it dribbling down the side of his mouth. He choked on the liquid, more of it splattering across your face. With deep, labored and shaking breaths, he looked down at his chest, seeing the bloodied tip of a sword sticking out of him, droplets spilling onto his uniform. He looked up at you, his eyes glazed over in terror.
“luck…?” His eyes only opened wider when the offending object was drawn out of him, standing straight up for a second before toppling onto the floor on his side. You couldn’t hold in your shriek; you felt your vocal cords stretch themselves to their limit from how loud it was. Mont rolled his eyes, flicking the blood of his sword and placing it back into its sheath.
“Oh, would you stop it?” He derided, scowling.
“Stop it? *Stop it?!*” Your voice raised in pitch to show your fear. “You just *killed* someone!” Mont shrugged. You couldn’t understand how he was so nonchalant about this, and you probably never would. By sheer force of will, you were able to manifest your feelings of distress and hopelessness into courage.
“No.” You shook your head. “No!” Throwing your hands up into the air, you began stomping your way outside. “I’m done with this.” You had barely ed underneath the door frame before your arm was grabbed. “Leave me alone!” You cried, wriggling from Mont’s grasp, trying to force him away from you. “I don’t want to be here anymore! I hate you!”
“You know what?” Mont’s nails dug into your flesh, making you wince. “I’m getting tired of you always trying to run away from me.” He yanked you back, making you almost trip. You yelped when your back hit into his chest, his breath warming your neck. Your next breath got stuck inside of your windpipe when a large amount of pressure was applied to your larynx, trapping it between your vocal chords and making you choke. Your hands instinctively grasped at the arm Mont had coiled around your neck, using his other to restrain you to prevent you from fighting back. The amount of air that entered into your body came in small bursts; nowhere near enough to keep you conscious for much longer. A small trail of spit dribbled out of the side of your mouth, your inhalations becoming quicker and quicker. Your lungs cried out from within your body, demanding their fix of oxygen. Your eyesight began to blur; you were starting to lose the battle with your consciousness.
“M-” A harsh cough prevented you from finishing the word. Your head began to loll to one side, tipping into the crook of his arm. His grip on your throat began to loosen. “…ont…” Unfortunately, it was too late.
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*Art is made by taeruko!
Read part two here
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