The warm glow of morning illuminates your skin, making it look almost flawless. Sebastian had woken you an hour ago, bringing you tea and toast. You'd been even more surprised than you were yesterday. Why is he being so nice to you? It must have something to do with the ritual. Either that, or he's finally realised just how cruelly he's been treating you for months.
Nope. Definitely the ritual.
You finish your breakfast, and he picks the tray, preparing to take it away. Before he does, he speaks. 'My, what a hungry whore you are. I'll have to make sure to fill you up more often.' He smirks at you, hinting at his double meaning. You smile sweetly at him, spreading your legs as do. His smirk grows wider.
'If this were any other morning, I'd take you up on your offer. However, I am an extremely busy man today. I do have a very special treat for you though.' He reaches into his pocket, producing a wad of notes and a bag of coins. He hands them to you, and your eyes widen in shock. 'Go into town today, and treat yourself to a few things. You can use every penny that I've given you, so long as you're satisfied with your purchases. You may also spend as much time out as you'd like, but I do ask that you return to me before supper.
'I'm placing a great deal of trust in you. If you betray that trust, the consequences will be dire. As you well know, I do not take kindly to such things. Do you think you can follow my instructions?' His eyes stare into your very soul. You can seldom believe your ears. He's letting you leave the manor unaccompanied (except for the driver) for a whole day? You're delighted, but this only adds to your paranoia. Why has he stopped being so cruel? You decide that now is a good time to ask.
'Yes, master. I'll follow your instructions to the letter! If I may ask, what's brought on all of these kind deeds? It's not that I don't appreciate them, but they seem rather… out of place? Is it something to do with the ritual, master?' You're expecting him to lash out, to strike you for such an impertinent question. All he does is nod his head.
'You've seen right through me. How marvellous you are. We are now entering a new phase of the ritual. The first phase is all about me asserting my dominance over you. This next one is about me convincing you to be more… confident. Having you totally passive is one thing, but the thought of you asking for it is enough to make me ache for you.' He strokes your thigh, and for a moment you think he's going to reconsider your earlier offer.
Alas, his touch is but a fleeting one, and he quickly retreats, heading towards the door. He leaves you with a few parting words.
'Your carriage shall be ready in half an hour. Have fun.' His smile is almost sinister, and it feels like you're walking into a trap…
You choose to ignore those feelings, and start to get ready for your day out. Trap or no, you're not about to waste this opportunity to question a certain someone about last night.
-t/s-
The carriage arrives in central London a little before eleven. Your first destination is a boutique, specialising in all manor of undergarments. You purchase a present for Sebastian; a jet black corset with crimson laces and trims. Well, it's not technically for him, but you know he'll be overcome with carnal desire when he sees you in it. After all, those are his colour. Seeing his woman dressed up in his colours is sure to stoke his possessive instincts into overdrive.
Corset paid for, you start to look more for yourself. You've been desperate to buy yourself some new clothes, as the ones you have aren't things that you've chosen yourself; rather, Sebastian had bought them all for you. It's not that you're ungrateful, but it would be nice to wear things that you've chosen for a change. With that in mind, you step into another shop, determined to return to Sebastian with as many things as your arms can carry.
-t/s-
A few hours later, you leave what is to be your penultimate shop. Your arms really have become ladened with clothing, to the point where you've stop shopping out of necessity rather than desire. You've only managed to spend about half of the money you were given, which illustrates just how generous Sebastian has been.
You have bought;
one corset (for your master's enjoyment).
Three pairs of knee-high stockings (because one pair just isn't enough).
A pair of stupidly high heels (they make you feel attractive beyond measure).
Two new dresses (one in red, and one in lilac).
A thick nightgown (the nights are getting colder now, even with Sebastian warming your bed every night).
Finally, you've just bought yourself some new underwear (which you doubt you'll be needing, given Sebastian's ravenous sexual appetite).
You deposit all of your items into the carriage, before instructing the driver to head to one more destination; Undertaker's shop.
You see, you've finally figured out the identity of your mystery visitor. Well, you think you have at least. There's still a degree of uncertainty in your mind, but you're pretty certain that he is your mystery caller. After all, he'd offered to patch your legs up in the day. He could easily have been the one who tended to your injuries. Your main reason for visiting is his voice though; you need to hear it again in order to compare it to your visitor's voice.
You enter his shop cautiously, assuring the driver that you won't be too long. You begin to look around, ever cautious of your surroundings. You're certain he's going to jump out of one of those coffins at some point, so you make sure to keep an eye out for any movement within the coffins.
Suddenly, a voice appears from nowhere.
'So, have you finally decided to rid yourself of that noxious beast Sebastian? Just say the word and I'll help you.' You eyes scan the room, searching for the source of the noice. Before you can scan the entirety of the shop, he appears at your side, grinning like a maniac. You jump back in shock, hip knocking into his desk. You have to take a moment to compose yourself, mouth unable to form words. Instead you stare at him crossly, trying to get across your irritation. He seems oblivious to it, which is rather frustrating.
Finally, you regain the ability to speak. 'I've decided no such thing, sir. Instead I've come to discus something that happened last night.' He looks at you, head tilting to the side in confusion.
'What is there to discus, dear? I snuck into your bedroom, treated your injuries, and reversed your state of paralysis. I know it's rude for a man to creep into a lady's bedroom, I shan't deny that. You just looked so ill that I had to help you. You wouldn't let me, but I decided to do so anyhow. How are your legs today, by the way?' Unbelievable. He's not even going to deny what he did? If Sebastian ever finds out about him sneaking in, he'll kill him! The Undertaker might act like a creep, but you can feel that his concern is genuine. You don't want Sebastian to hurt him. The best thing to do is tell him where he can stick his concern. It's the best thing for all parties involved.
Instead of just telling him though, you need to think of a way to really get your point across; you slap his face, regretting your decision the moment you hand makes contact with his cheek. It's no way to thank him for being so kind, but in a way, you're doing him a kindness in return. He just doesn't know it.
He rubs his reddened cheek as you begin to shout at him. 'How dare you do such a thing! My room is my private sanctuary, and you violated it. I told you yesterday that I didn't need your help, and I meant it, so just leave me alone!' You storm out, fighting the urge to drop on the floor and beg his forgiveness. You permit yourself a single glance in his direction, and that's all it takes to almost destroy your resolve; a single tear is trickling down his cheek.
You somehow fight the urge to go back, mind telling you over and over that it's for your own good.
As you enter the carriage, you feel your own tears fall as you return home.
-t/s-
You hurry straight to your room when you return, determined to tidy away your purchases as quickly as possible. With that done, you venture downstairs to eat, knowing that the servants will be eating dinner now.
Sure enough, the smell of warm stew hits you as soon as you reach the kitchen. Bard stands up as soon as he sees you, dishing you up a huge bowl of food before returning to his seat. You can see in his eyes that the incident from a few weeks ago is still fresh in his mind; he's looking at you like you're about to keel over.
Dinner is a mostly quiet affair, with the occasion bit of small talk about work and manor life. You eat your stew at a leisurely pace, knowing that Sebastian won't be in your room until later. You still manage to finish yours first however, and you place your plate in the sink as plan out the best way to wait for Sebastian today. You definitely want to wear the corset, but you're not sure what else. The blindfold was popular last night, so that was a good bet. Underwear was a no-go, as Sebastian isn't a fan of things that stop him from getting what he wants. Maybe you could wear some stockings and those heels? That would be the perfect way to get his blood flowing down below!
Plan sorted, you say goodnight to the household staff before returning to your room, giddy with the thought of your kinky surprise. However, as you open your bedroom door, you discover Sebastian has a surprise of his own; he's waiting for you, arms crossed and arms full of rage.
You're reluctant to walk in, but you know you have no choice. As you as you close the door behind you, he strikes, wrapping a hand around your throat and forcing you back against the door. Your hands grasp at his, trying to pry him off. He's having none of it, your resistance only causing his grip to tighten.
He finally speaks, his words sending cold shivers down your spine. 'You went to visit the Undertaker today. When I release you, you'll have fifteen seconds to tell me why. If you lie to me, or if I am unhappy with the truth, then I swear I will make tonight the worst night of your life so far.' He releases his grip, and you fall into a heap on the floor. You struggle to breath straight away, but you notice him looking at his watch. He's counting out fifteen seconds, you're sure of it.
How are you going to explain your way out of this mess?