Notes:
This idea came to me after watching Jane Eyre (2011). Besides that, I'm also a sucker for period AU.
So, here you go, a Levihan Victorian AU that no one asked ;) P.S if you are like me who needs visual references, just search on google (1870s outfits) and work your imagination from there :D
May Update: I made a Pinterest Board for this story! See it here: pin()it/5HBk426 (change the parentheses into dot)
DISCLAIMER:
Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan belongs to Hajime Isayama.
ACT I
A NEW BEGINNING
CHAPTER 1: THE GLOOMY MANOR
It was the first week of March, and the year was 1871.
A horse was galloping along a dirt pathway in that early afternoon as it pulled a cart filled with hays and wooden boxes. There was no one around except an old man with a worn-out flat cap and a rusty pipe in his mouth as well as a young woman who sat on the rear of the cart facing the road on the back.
She was wearing a maroon cloak that would expose a hint of the purple dress that she wore underneath every time she made a small movement on the cart. A small straw hat with a purple ribbon could also be seen resting on top of her head.
The young woman leaned sideways against a wooden box and hummed happily when she felt a warm breeze grazing over the strands of brown hair that framed her face. She smiled as she could also smell the sweet fragrance of flowers that were brought by the winds.
It was spring, at last!
Eventually, her little amusement had to come to an end when a pair of wrinkly hands tugged on a string of rope from around the horse to halt it.
"Miss, we have arrived," the old man spoke before pointing at a smaller road on his left, "That way, hidden behind those tall trees."
The woman nimbly hopped down from the cart onto the ground. She patted her bustle from the dirt and hays before grabbing her leather baggage from the cart. She walked toward the front where the old man sat and thanked him. She gave the old man her untouched pack of sandwich as a token of gratitude. He raised his hat to her as he wished her good luck before turning his cart to the right.
After she saw the old man disappear from her sight, she continued on her journey toward the lush pathway on the left. Contrary to the brownish muddy dirt that was on the main road, this side of the road was greener and covered in grass, as if it was rarely used by anyone.
Suddenly, she felt her heart thumping inside her chest.
Calm down!
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she walked past the tall trees. She tried to mute the loud sound of her heart by focusing on the rustling of the leaves that danced on the trees.
Then, it was quiet.
She slowly opened up her eyes and felt her breath leave her lungs when she was welcome by vast pastures that gleamed underneath the clear and bright blue sky.
As she drank at the sight in front of her, she noticed that the road she was currently walking on would eventually lead her toward a building that stood tall on top of a small hill.
From where she is now, the building seemed so small, but as she walked closer, it started to grow bigger and bigger. The building was surrounded by stone fences that stretched out endlessly as if to mark the wide land that they own. She walked past a big steel gate that was already opened and arrived in front of a manor. A big two-story country house that was wide enough for her to know that she couldn't measure it by hand.
She swallowed her breath.
The grey walls of the manor also didn't help her much either. In fact, it made her even more afraid. Despite the bright afternoon sun, the manor looked dark and uninviting.
She shook her head and slapped both of her cheeks.
Don't quit on me now! You are already in Trost! It's now or never.
Immediately, she walked forward toward the entrance before knocking on the door.
No answer.
She knocked again, this time more hastily.
Still nothing.
She wanted to knock again but she decide to just wait. Although time sure felt so slow when you were anxious, she thought to herself.
Then suddenly it dawned on her. Would she make a great first impression? Would she met the master of the house right away? If yes, then what did they look like? Would they be older or younger than her? Would they be mean or kind? Ah, she should've asked Erwin for the details before she accepted this offer, but alas she was too excited about this opportunity that she just accepted it without question. Wha—
Her thought was cut down when the tall mahogany door opened itself, and from behind the door, stood a young man with light brown hair who donned a clean black suit. He smiled politely at her.
"Good afternoon, may I help you?"
His voice was soft and he looked so kind and welcoming. His presence made her instantly lower her guard as she smiled in return, "Hello, my name is Hange Zoë. I'm the new governess."
The young man opened his mouth slightly, "Oh!" he exclaimed.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Zoë. Please, welcome in." He said with the same smile as before, he moved away slightly from the doorway to give Hange access to enter the house. She stepped into the foyer and took off her hat and cloak.
Immediately, she noted that there was a big fancy mirror with an intricate golden sculpted rim hanging on the left wall of the foyer. She glanced toward the mirror and saw her dishevelled hair. It was supposed to look like an updo with hanging curls on the back—that Ilse helped to style last night—but hours of travel in the rain left her hair looking like she hadn't known how to brush her whole life.
Not only that, but she could also see some wrinkles on her dress and dried mud sticking on the hem of her dress.
She wasn't a fashionista or even someone who cared enough about her own appearance.
But still, she was still a mannered young lady who understand the importance of one appearance. Therefore, she knew that she already failed in the first impression department.
Good job Hange Zoë. She muttered to herself as she quickly tried to put all of her hair into a neat bun.
"Excuse me, Miss Zoe." A voice called. Hange glanced from the mirror toward the young man who was gesturing to her luggage as if offering himself to carry it.
"Oh, I could carry this myself. But, thank you for the offer…." She replied and intentionally hung her words while still focusing on her hair.
"Uhm... Your name?" She finally asked after she finished fixing her hair and realised that he just stared at her like she grew a second head.
"Oh!" He widened his eyes, "It's Moblit Berner, Miss."
"Pleasure to meet you, Moblit!" She smiled right at him, "I think you just became my first friend here— and please, call me Hange."
Moblit, who had already widened his eyes, continued to further widen his eyes. Out of shock? Out of confusion? He looked like he didn't even know anymore.
"Wh— What? I can not!" He exclaimed.
"Why not?" She nonchalantly asked.
"Well… You are older, and you clearly have a higher position than me, Miss."
"How are you so sure I'm older than you?" She asked innocently, and it made him panic.
"What?! I don't mean you are old— Well, I mean, I'm only 20, so I guess a governess that looks so intelligent like you would be… older than me. N-not that I'm saying you look older or anything, please don't take it the wrong way..." He explained, at least, he tried. The sight amused Hange, she liked him already!
"Oh, a detective aren't you? You are absolutely correct! I'll turn 23 this year—and relax, I know you didn't mean to say that I look like an old lady," Hange laughed, "Putting that aside, I get what you are saying. But, I don't see myself as higher than you, I mean I'm not the one who pays you right? In the end, we are the same, just two ordinary people who work in this big house just to get by each day. Am I not wrong?"
Moblit blinked once or maybe thrice before opening his mouth, "You are right, Miss Hange."
"See? That wasn't hard, right?" She grinned at his attempt, "Well then, nice to meet you Moblit—Now, where should I go?"
Moblit led her to a grand door at the end of the foyer.
As she stepped into the room behind the door, she was welcomed into a humongous hall—she wasn't even exaggerating—that was decorated with various paintings and sculptures. The floor itself was made out of shiny light marble while the wall was lined with white, black, and gold wallpaper.
At the end of the hall, there was a grand staircase that branched into two smaller stairs, one led toward the left upper hall and the other one led toward the right upper hall. The railings were made of expensive black wood that was intricately carved on its surface.
She looked up to the high ceiling to see a grand big crystal chandelier hanging in the centre of the hall.
Words could not describe how majestic that entrance was.
Hange could work every day until she died and would never be able to afford the whole room.
Bloody rich people.
However, she also noticed how empty and quiet the whole room was. No, actually, the whole manor felt like it existed in a vacuum of time. No one seemed to be around. If it wasn't for the cleanliness of the manor, Hange would think she just entered an abandoned house.
Moblit called her name softly as he seemed aware of Hange's sudden silence. He then led her to one of the many doors that surrounded the great hall. She arrived at a drawing room that was decorated with many green and golden pieces of furniture. Even the walls were plastered with the same colour of both green and gold wallpapers.
The room was spacious and filled with so many chairs, couches, and sofas. In one corner of the room, she could see a grand piano.
Moblit instructed her to wait there for a few minutes while he informed the other of her arrival and so Hange decided to wait by sitting on one of the couches.
From where she was seated, she could see a large painting hanging on top of the fireplace. It was a portrait of a young woman wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress. Her black hair was parted in the middle, and there were big curls hanging on both sides of her face. A white rose flower crown was worn on top of the hair as if to complete her look.
She had a sharp jawline, a thin pointy nose, and protruding cheekbones. At the first glance, she could come across as someone mean.
But, she wasn't like that at all. Her dark hooded eyes actually sparkled with much vigour and brightness. There was also a sweet smile painted on her thin lips.
In Hange's eyes, she looked kind and beautiful. Must she be—
Creak.
Hange quickly shifted her attention to the source of the sound from the door.
As the door opened, Hange saw Moblit re-enter the room with an older woman in a black dress. Hange could spot a few strands of grey hairs in between her knotted blonde hair but the sharpness of her eyes clearly told the message that she wasn't someone to be messed around with.
The old woman didn't waste any time when she immediately introduced herself as Mrs Weiss, the housekeeper.
As Hange stood up from her seat, she could tell that Mrs Weiss was scanning her from up to down.
She could also tell that Mrs Weiss appeared to be unpleased with whatever sight she saw in Hange.
She didn't need to say anything for Hange to understand the meaning.
Mrs Weiss sighed before opening up her mouth to speak.
"I'm here as the representative of Mr Levi Ackerman, the head owner of this estate. He left me with a message, saying that he was sorry that he could not welcome you here by himself, as he has urgent business in the capital. But, he had already written me information that he would actually give to you if he met you in person."
Hange was surprised and relieved at the same time when she knew that whoever this Mr Levi Ackerman is, he would not be present on her first day.
"Be grateful now Miss, that the master wasn't here to see your—lack of professionalism in appearance." Mrs Weiss said with a soft yet mocking voice.
Hange wanted to protest but she knew that she had to endure this.
At least for now.
"We'll talk about your appearance later," Mrs Weiss said as she pulled out a stack of papers from her pocket.
Hange had a bad feeling about that.
Mrs Weiss cleared her throat, "Miss Hange Zoe, I welcome you to the Ackerman Manor. As you know, you will work here as a governess for my younger cousin, Mikasa Ackerman. You will work from Monday to Friday from 7 AM until 8.30 PM. You may do anything on your day off, that is Saturday and Sunday. Also, I may not be there when you are working, but I have eyes everywhere in the manor, so don't ever think of slacking off."
Hange had to stop herself from laughing at the silliness of the deep voice that Mrs Weiss did for impersonating the master of the house.
"When you agree to do this job, I take that you are also prepared for any rules that are set in this house. Listen here now! First, do not touch anything. Second, do not come into any room in this manor without approval from Mrs Weiss. Third, do not come into the manor with dirty shoes or dresses. Fourth, related to point number three, make sure to clean yourself before entering the manor. Fifth— "
Hange already lost it by the fifth point.
It wasn't her doings though, it just happened. Her brain decided to shut off.
"Miss Zoe!"
"Yes!" She exclaimed, startled by the sudden mention of her name.
"Do you have any questions?" Mrs Weiss asked.
"Uhm… no." She answered, trying to sound as convincing as possible. It seemed to be working as Mrs Weiss smiled, although it came more like a smug.
Mrs Weiss grabbed another thing from her pocket, it was a small book.
That pocket must be so deep.
Mrs Weiss gave the book to her. Looking closer, it was a thin book that was made full of paper, even the cover, and tied by a simple binding.
'Ackerman Estate Book of Rules' was written on the cover.
Mrs Weiss said that everyone that lives in the manor has that book. Like what the title implied, it was written by Mr Ackerman himself. There are 132 points of rules that had to be obeyed by everyone.
In retrospect, Hange had just ignored Mrs Weiss' explanation of the said 132 rules.
At least she heard five of it, no, four of it.
Yet, she couldn't fathom the thought of someone willing to compose 132 rules and consciously making a book out of it. Although, from the look of it, it was more of a bible.
Violation is equal to sin with the master as the God.
"Now Moblit will show you your room. If you need anything, just ring the bell." Mrs Weiss said, gesturing to Moblit before leaving the room.
Hange nodded and followed after Moblit. He led her up to the grand staircase, toward the right wing of the manor. She walked along a very long hallway before arriving at a door at the end of the hall.
Moblit opened the door and the room was beyond Hange's imagination.
Truth be told, this was not her first time working as a governess. She had slept in many guest bedrooms of some wealthy family's manor and they were decent, but this room!
Saying the room was nice would be an understatement. The room was clearly the epitome of a guest bedroom where you would let people stay just to flaunt your wealth.
The room was big, even bigger than her own room back at home. It could fit a big fluffy bed, a table and a chair, two armchairs, a fireplace, a cupboard, and two bedside tables, while also still giving the room enough space to walk around.
She had to ask Moblit five times, just to make sure that he didn't give her the wrong room. Each time, Moblit would answer that the room was directly chosen by Mr Ackerman himself.
Not only he was rigid with his bazillion of rules, but he also had to be snobbish.
She hadn't met Mr Ackerman yet, but so far her opinion of him was pretty much unpleasant.
That evening just before dinner, Hange finally met her student for the first time, the Young Miss Ackerman.
If Hange could describe her appearance, she would say that she looked like a walking gothic porcelain doll.
Except for her pale complexion, everything about her is black and dark. From her hair, her eyes, her dress, her shoes, and even the way she talked and walked.
No wonder she lived in this gloomy manor.
Apparently, she learned that just turned eleven last month.
Although, by the look of her two obsidian orbs, she was definitely much older than that. She also didn't show a lot of emotions when Hange tried to talk to her.
Therefore, Hange couldn't help but wonder of what might have happened to this child, because usually, you would only wear dark clothes during the period of mourning. But Hange knew better than to ask what seemed to be a private matter.
Albeit her seemingly unwelcoming attitude toward Hange, oddly enough, Hange found herself instantly taking an interest in this girl.
Other than meeting Miss Ackerman, she also met the lady's maid, Nifa.
Nifa was responsible for accompanying Miss Ackerman to wherever room or nook of the Manor she decided to be.
Nifa herself seemed to be a sweet girl. Although she was still 18 years old, she took her job very seriously. She always made sure that Miss Ackerman is well provided, whether physically or mentally.
After the awkward and very quiet dinner with the girl, Hange excused herself to her room. She saw no point in rushing to get to know her student, she didn't want to make the girl feel uncomfortable too by this stranger who suddenly showed up in the manor. Instead, she just told Miss Ackerman that she would be there tomorrow to have breakfast with her.
When Hange returned to her room, she quickly took off her clothes and changed into her nightgown.
After blowing the candles off, she laid herself down on the bed and stared at the dark ceiling. She found herself remembering the tour that Moblit had given to her earlier that day.
She couldn't see any speck of dust on every corner of the Manor. Everything had its place in this manor, be it the objects or even the servants.
In short, it was a textbook definition of a perfect home.
Yet, it still couldn't diminish the dull and eerie atmosphere that came out from every wall of the manor.
It may be a perfect home, but it was not a perfect house, particularly for a growing child.
Miss Ackerman would not be able to learn a lot of things in this kind of atmosphere, especially not when she was left alone in this big manor by her supposed cousin and guardian.
Hange sighed before closing her eyes. It seemed like this new job would be tough as well, even worse than all of her previous ones.
However, she would do anything to stay in this job.
-Chapter 1 End-
Chapter End Notes
After two years, alas, a new fanfiction project!
Thank you for tuning by! Any comments are very much welcome! ((I intend to finish this before April,,,, wish me luck!))