A/N - hey everyone! Sorry it took sooo long to get this updated. My homework is murder! I'm also sorry if it's short or boring etc. Remember to Review! Thanxz!!
Chapter 5
The contraption that her aunt had laid out was a new beige corset, along with a light green dress, that must have weighed a hundred pounds, or at least that's what it felt like on Leopold. She patiently stood while her maid, Gisela, pulled and prodded on the corset, closing it tighter and tighter around Leopold's waist. Once Leopold cried out that she couldn't breath properly, and Gisela told her that if she would wear then regularly she would be use to breathing in one. Leopold responded that she didn't need to wear one, because they only weigh her down when she raced with her cousins. Gisela argued that she shouldn't be running around in the woods with a bunch of boys, but she should be inside working on her studies or embroidering. Back and forth the argument went while Gisela got Leopold ready for dinner.
Leopold leaned against a small table that had been placed in her room, while Gisela made some last minute pulling on the corset. The door flew open and Leopold's aunt walked in carrying a light blue dress and a pair of slippers that were covered in dried mud. Leopold grimaced, half in pain and half in the pain she would be in once her aunt got done yelling at her. Last week she, Craig and Darren had gone to the lake at the other end of the forest, and took a swim. They had a lot of fun, but on the way back it had started to rain, and Leopold had repeatedly fallen in the dirt, which was then mud, because her dress had been weighing her down. When they had reached the mansion, all three of them stripped down to their undergarments and hid their dirty clothes, meaning to wash them later, in an empty barrel outside. They then snuck back to their rooms and changed into fresh outfits without her aunt knowing.
"Oh," Leopold said softly as Gisela frowned and pulled the ends of the corset, tying it off.
"What is this?" her aunt hissed shaking the clothes towards Leopold. Leopold would have responded, but at that moment Gisela made her lift her arms so she could put the dress on. Leopold stuck her arms through the arm holes and cringed as Gisela yanked the rest down over her bodice. Gisela glanced at Leopold knowing she had only prolonged the answer to Leopold's aunt's question. "Well?" her aunt urged.
"I fell down" Leopold responded with a small half smile, remembering the line she had over heard her older cousins telling the younger ones to say every time they got in trouble. Leopold hoped it would work on her aunt as well.
"Of course you did." her aunt said clasping the two objects together and dropping them on the floor. She wiped the mud off her hands and stood in front of Leopold inspecting her as Gisela finished tying the dress. Leopold smiled at her aunt, hoping to receive a smile in return. Her aunt didn't smile back, but her eyes told the truth. Though she was furious at Leopold for not acting like a proper lady should, she loved her and was proud of her, not matter what decisions she makes. Of all the aunts Leopold had stayed with during her life, her aunt Carlotta was her favorite. The two had bonded the first night Leopold came, her aunt treating her as the daughter she never had, and Leopold treating her aunt as the mother she never had. Her aunt had shared many secrets with Leopold, including the wild and crazy things she had done as a child and with uncle Anthony when they were in their teens.
"What am I going to do with you Leopold?" her aunt said sighing as she directed her to sit in front of the table which held a medium size mirror that both she and her aunt looked into. Her aunt started brushing out her chest length blonde hair, and fixing it into spirals on the top of her head. Leopold sat in silence while her aunt worked, not wanting to upset her any more, and wondering what her aunt would do with her. She would be leaving in a few days, to go live with another family of relatives, and she doubted she would see her aunt again for quite some time. The next time she would see her relatives together in one place is if one of her cousins get married sometime soon. And on the most part she doubted her cousins would be getting married any time soon.
Her aunt worked swiftly, and with the last apply of face paint, she declared Leopold ready to go. She herself was already ready. Leopold stood and followed her aunt out of her room, as the two headed down to dinner. She took small steps, following her aunt down the hallway that seemed to go on forever. It took them at least fifteen minutes to reach the top of the grand staircase, which they then had to go down one at a time, holding onto the banister and not sliding down it. Leopold doubted she could climb onto the banister with the corset she was wearing, there was no room for bending at the waist. Once they reached the bottom of the stair she followed her aunt to the small dinning room that was used every day for meals.
They entered as Leopold looked around the table to her seven cousins. All of them lifted their heads as the doors opened and smiled at Leopold and her aunt. Their uncle sat at the head of the table, and to his left sat Craig, Darren, Sebastien and Eryk. To the right sat Emery, Ace and Xavier, and an empty seat next to Xavier told Leopold where she was sitting. She quietly took her place, while her aunt sat at the end of the table across from uncle Anthony. Leopold's uncle welcomed the two and started grace before dinner. He thanked Mithros for everything he had been given and for the health of his family etc. Leopold only half listened to her uncle drone on for a few minutes, as did her cousins. She could see Eryk and Sebastien stretching across from her as they tried to get in a comfortable position on the hard wood chairs.
Leopold became aware of the prayer ending as her aunt cut in and ended it. The first course was served and the conversation started.
"So Emery," her uncle said picking up his fork and digging into his meal "I hear you are traveling to the North to help those cities you can from the raids?"
"Yes uncle" Emery replied as Leopold once again stopped listening as all the men got started in on the subject of the war. She slowly ate her food, flipping the fork around in her mouth and sliding it back out, knowing it angered her uncle. She continued eating like this the entire meal until her uncle commented on it during dessert.
"Leopold, why must you anger me so?" her uncle asked trying to stay calm as he took a rather large gulp of wine.
"What ever are you talking about uncle?" Leopold asked setting her fork down and batting her eyelashes, making her look like a stupid young child.
"Your fork!" her uncle said pointing towards it "You keep flipping it around in your mouth every time you take a bite of food, and you know that bothers me! Leopold we've been over this a million times!"
"Anthony calm down!" Aunt Carlotta said setting her cup down and turning towards Leopold. "What your uncle I failing to say, is that we know you can use the proper manners and we know you have the potential to use those manners which you have been taught. What we don't know is why you won't use them? Suppose we were to have important guests here at dinner with us, and they had sons that were intersected in you! Even though you know the proper way, it's not always easy to remember to use it when important company is here, now I know your cousins aren't classified as important people that can help your future, but it would be appreciated if you would use the proper manners either way! You're never going to find a husband at the rate your going Leopold!" her aunt finished.
While her aunt had been talking Leopold had folded her hands in her lap and bent her head staring at them, soaking in the speech she heard her aunt tell at least three times a day. She heard her cousin shaking with laughter beside her, and held back the urge to hit him. Instead she held her head up and stared at her aunt.
"Fine," Leopold replied standing and dropping her napkin on the table. "Then I refuse to get married!"
With that she stormed out of the dinning hall, leaving her cousins in fits of laughter and her aunt and uncle steaming with anger.
Chapter 5
The contraption that her aunt had laid out was a new beige corset, along with a light green dress, that must have weighed a hundred pounds, or at least that's what it felt like on Leopold. She patiently stood while her maid, Gisela, pulled and prodded on the corset, closing it tighter and tighter around Leopold's waist. Once Leopold cried out that she couldn't breath properly, and Gisela told her that if she would wear then regularly she would be use to breathing in one. Leopold responded that she didn't need to wear one, because they only weigh her down when she raced with her cousins. Gisela argued that she shouldn't be running around in the woods with a bunch of boys, but she should be inside working on her studies or embroidering. Back and forth the argument went while Gisela got Leopold ready for dinner.
Leopold leaned against a small table that had been placed in her room, while Gisela made some last minute pulling on the corset. The door flew open and Leopold's aunt walked in carrying a light blue dress and a pair of slippers that were covered in dried mud. Leopold grimaced, half in pain and half in the pain she would be in once her aunt got done yelling at her. Last week she, Craig and Darren had gone to the lake at the other end of the forest, and took a swim. They had a lot of fun, but on the way back it had started to rain, and Leopold had repeatedly fallen in the dirt, which was then mud, because her dress had been weighing her down. When they had reached the mansion, all three of them stripped down to their undergarments and hid their dirty clothes, meaning to wash them later, in an empty barrel outside. They then snuck back to their rooms and changed into fresh outfits without her aunt knowing.
"Oh," Leopold said softly as Gisela frowned and pulled the ends of the corset, tying it off.
"What is this?" her aunt hissed shaking the clothes towards Leopold. Leopold would have responded, but at that moment Gisela made her lift her arms so she could put the dress on. Leopold stuck her arms through the arm holes and cringed as Gisela yanked the rest down over her bodice. Gisela glanced at Leopold knowing she had only prolonged the answer to Leopold's aunt's question. "Well?" her aunt urged.
"I fell down" Leopold responded with a small half smile, remembering the line she had over heard her older cousins telling the younger ones to say every time they got in trouble. Leopold hoped it would work on her aunt as well.
"Of course you did." her aunt said clasping the two objects together and dropping them on the floor. She wiped the mud off her hands and stood in front of Leopold inspecting her as Gisela finished tying the dress. Leopold smiled at her aunt, hoping to receive a smile in return. Her aunt didn't smile back, but her eyes told the truth. Though she was furious at Leopold for not acting like a proper lady should, she loved her and was proud of her, not matter what decisions she makes. Of all the aunts Leopold had stayed with during her life, her aunt Carlotta was her favorite. The two had bonded the first night Leopold came, her aunt treating her as the daughter she never had, and Leopold treating her aunt as the mother she never had. Her aunt had shared many secrets with Leopold, including the wild and crazy things she had done as a child and with uncle Anthony when they were in their teens.
"What am I going to do with you Leopold?" her aunt said sighing as she directed her to sit in front of the table which held a medium size mirror that both she and her aunt looked into. Her aunt started brushing out her chest length blonde hair, and fixing it into spirals on the top of her head. Leopold sat in silence while her aunt worked, not wanting to upset her any more, and wondering what her aunt would do with her. She would be leaving in a few days, to go live with another family of relatives, and she doubted she would see her aunt again for quite some time. The next time she would see her relatives together in one place is if one of her cousins get married sometime soon. And on the most part she doubted her cousins would be getting married any time soon.
Her aunt worked swiftly, and with the last apply of face paint, she declared Leopold ready to go. She herself was already ready. Leopold stood and followed her aunt out of her room, as the two headed down to dinner. She took small steps, following her aunt down the hallway that seemed to go on forever. It took them at least fifteen minutes to reach the top of the grand staircase, which they then had to go down one at a time, holding onto the banister and not sliding down it. Leopold doubted she could climb onto the banister with the corset she was wearing, there was no room for bending at the waist. Once they reached the bottom of the stair she followed her aunt to the small dinning room that was used every day for meals.
They entered as Leopold looked around the table to her seven cousins. All of them lifted their heads as the doors opened and smiled at Leopold and her aunt. Their uncle sat at the head of the table, and to his left sat Craig, Darren, Sebastien and Eryk. To the right sat Emery, Ace and Xavier, and an empty seat next to Xavier told Leopold where she was sitting. She quietly took her place, while her aunt sat at the end of the table across from uncle Anthony. Leopold's uncle welcomed the two and started grace before dinner. He thanked Mithros for everything he had been given and for the health of his family etc. Leopold only half listened to her uncle drone on for a few minutes, as did her cousins. She could see Eryk and Sebastien stretching across from her as they tried to get in a comfortable position on the hard wood chairs.
Leopold became aware of the prayer ending as her aunt cut in and ended it. The first course was served and the conversation started.
"So Emery," her uncle said picking up his fork and digging into his meal "I hear you are traveling to the North to help those cities you can from the raids?"
"Yes uncle" Emery replied as Leopold once again stopped listening as all the men got started in on the subject of the war. She slowly ate her food, flipping the fork around in her mouth and sliding it back out, knowing it angered her uncle. She continued eating like this the entire meal until her uncle commented on it during dessert.
"Leopold, why must you anger me so?" her uncle asked trying to stay calm as he took a rather large gulp of wine.
"What ever are you talking about uncle?" Leopold asked setting her fork down and batting her eyelashes, making her look like a stupid young child.
"Your fork!" her uncle said pointing towards it "You keep flipping it around in your mouth every time you take a bite of food, and you know that bothers me! Leopold we've been over this a million times!"
"Anthony calm down!" Aunt Carlotta said setting her cup down and turning towards Leopold. "What your uncle I failing to say, is that we know you can use the proper manners and we know you have the potential to use those manners which you have been taught. What we don't know is why you won't use them? Suppose we were to have important guests here at dinner with us, and they had sons that were intersected in you! Even though you know the proper way, it's not always easy to remember to use it when important company is here, now I know your cousins aren't classified as important people that can help your future, but it would be appreciated if you would use the proper manners either way! You're never going to find a husband at the rate your going Leopold!" her aunt finished.
While her aunt had been talking Leopold had folded her hands in her lap and bent her head staring at them, soaking in the speech she heard her aunt tell at least three times a day. She heard her cousin shaking with laughter beside her, and held back the urge to hit him. Instead she held her head up and stared at her aunt.
"Fine," Leopold replied standing and dropping her napkin on the table. "Then I refuse to get married!"
With that she stormed out of the dinning hall, leaving her cousins in fits of laughter and her aunt and uncle steaming with anger.