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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

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Mistletoe Manor - Part 1

Summary: Christmas is the most important time of year for all those who live within Mistletoe Manor. From the staff to the Hawthorne family themselves, everyone works hard to ensure that the festive season is a success every year! We invite you to see if everyone can pull off another magical Christmas at the manor this year.

Pairing: Park Seo Joon, Bang Yongguk, Brian Kang, Jung Daehyun, Jung Jaehyun, Lee Taeyong and OCs.

Genre: regency au / romance / christmas au

A/N: Becky ( @noona-clock ) and I wanted to create a magical Christmas for everyone and what better way to do that than at Mistletoe Manor! Because of the nature of having several idols, we chose to work with OCs and we hope you love them as much as we do.

Mistletoe Manor will be posted daily at 10am NZST / 4pm EST daily.

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With an estate title of Mistletoe Manor, it was evidently expected that Christmas was the most eventful time of the year. Although the leaves had only just begun to fall now that the summer sunshine had moved on, preparations for the end of the year were well underway. Staff were buffing up the finest silver, examining the most expensive china and preparing long in advance the types of food that would be served over the entire month of celebration. Mistletoe Manor was home to Lord Hawthorne, his wife and three daughters, Cassandra, Evie and Josephine, all in whom helped with the running of the township below.

The celebrations would last for a month, and with the annual winter festival to also prepare for, it seemed there was an increased flurry of events for everyone.

Except there was one member of the family who wasn’t quite ready to celebrate Christmas again.

Last year had been the first time Cassandra Hawthorne had felt overwhelmed by the festivities. Not only did she participate in organising the entire winter festival, but Christmas had even more guests than usual to entertain as she was to be married come the start of the New Year to Earl Daehyun. Along with his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Steerbury, Daehyun had travelled to stay with the Hawthorne’s. It hadn’t been nearly enough time to learn much of the man she was betrothed to and she had spent most of their stay just reminding herself to keep breathing when it all felt too much.

“Cassie, why are holed up in a corner here?” Josephine questioned, looking down at her eldest sister in confusion. “You’re being quiet, whatever is the matter? The most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us and we have so much to do!”

Some days, Cassie wished to live a much simpler life. Although she had faced her own set of hardships with her status, she longed for a journey much different than this. Her hand gripped at the letter she had read for the fifth time since receiving it yesterday, and the subtle movement caught her youngest sister’s attention.

“Have you heard from your husband again?”

“I have.”

“And when will he be back from his expedition?” she inquired, her gaze softening when Cassie didn’t immediately respond. “He will be back in time for Christmas, won’t he?”

“I do not know, Joey,” Cassie answered, her voice shaking ever so slightly. She attempted to smile, heaving herself up out of her chair. There was plenty of time left to dwell over Daehyun’s return. Taking the hand of her sister, she gestured to the exit of the parlour room. “Come, did you not say we have much to do?”

If anyone had told Cassie that this time last year she would be anxiously awaiting the return of her husband, she would have thought them as mad. Her parents had only wanted what was best for their daughters, and although all three girls were raised to strive for their own goals in life, an arranged marriage could be likely for any of them. It was a trend during these times, true love being left for fairytales. Of course, there were exceptions to every rule and had Cassie been actively looking for a suitor, perhaps they would have left her to her own devices.

Marrying the Earl looked wonderful on paper. As a business transaction, both families unifying together was prosperous. It would bring more revenue each year to Mistletoe Manor, which would help fund the ongoing agricultural woes the farmers were having with their crops.

Within the affluent circles, it would lend Cassie a lot of power as well. Daehyun was known to support a lot of communities, and that would put her at the forefront of organising events in their name.

And yet all the good that came with marrying Daehyun meant Cassie would give up her quest for true love. It was foolish really, to desire to fall in love with her choice in a husband. She had dreamed ever since she was a little girl that the man she married would love her wholeheartedly. She hoped for sincerest confessions and whispered intimate moments where love blossomed even in the harshest of winters.

Whilst Daehyun was very agreeable, she barely knew him before becoming his wife. And when she would have been expected to move into her new home, Daehyun had been given orders by the King to join his expedition for almost a year. Back then, Cassie had been grateful for this sudden change whilst everyone else lamented.

“How will your marriage even begin if your husband is overseas? Had we known, I wouldn’t have agreed to this!”

“Mother, it’s fine. Daehyun will return and then we can get properly acquainted. I’m not aged yet either so there is plenty of time for us,” Cassie assured with a smile that felt too reckless for a newlywed. She should have been more forlorn, worried about the distance put between them so quickly.

Cassie was relieved to not have to play wife to a man she barely knew five facts about, and all in which she had learned as information from others.

“Still, waiting for an entire year before you consummate the marriage feels a bit-”

“Prudent?” Josephine offered, trying to keep a straight face as she half-heartedly worked on a cross-stitch across the room. She soon abandoned it with her growing glee, looking towards her other sister reading a book. “Evie, you’re awfully quiet over this. What do you think of Cassie’s situation?”

“It’s only a year apart.”

“So much can happen within even a month!” their mother exclaimed and Evie sighed, returning her attention to the book. “What if he finds himself lonely and takes a-”

“Mother!” Cassie implored and the woman lifted her handkerchief to her mouth dramatically. The eldest daughter moved over to take her hand in her grip. “I promise I will fulfil all that is expected of me in due time. Please, stop fussing when it was only just a week ago where you were complaining about my departure from the manor. Surely, this is a good delay, yes?”

“She’s right; you were a blubbering mess. Isn’t that so, Evie?” Joey pointed out with a laugh and Evie barely nodded in acknowledgement.

Cassie couldn’t hide the pleased expression upon her face at the sudden change in her predicament at all. Choosing to continue on at Mistletoe Manor until her husband returned had definitely eased her worries upon hearing of the news the night of her wedding. She had feared living in some large estate all by herself, except that of the staff, and she wouldn’t even have the ability to take her lady maid Lydia with her either. Here, she could continue her studies and improve her merits before wistfully leaving the place she had known as her home for all of her life.

Another year of freedom felt deliciously wonderful.

As the wintry air warmed with the calling of spring however, Cassie was not as exuberant about her situation. She had started to entertain many thoughts of what her life would truly be like when she moved into Daehyun’s grand estate. He had seemed every part of a gentleman whenever she had crossed paths with him during his stay, and the brief moments she spent alone with him had been less awkward than she expected. However, she longed to have a better understanding of her husband and how she could best support him. Cassie had no desire to be an accessory to Daehyun’s accolades; a wife who did her best to silently promote her husband never suited her. And yet, she didn’t know whether Daehyun would care to hear of her thoughts. Even if it weren’t a marriage built on love, she at least hoped to compliment her husband to the best of her abilities.

This newfound worry led to many sleepless nights and fitful dreams in where she found they had nothing in common, or worse, barely spoke two words at one another. Had she signed herself up for a lifetime of misery, looking the part of a well-groomed wife and daughter of such a prestigious family, but inwardly dying from lack of fulfilment? These thoughts plagued her day and night and soon she fell ill, concerning all those within Mistletoe Manor.

“My Lady, it’s not like you to be this weak,” Lydia condoned as she placed a damp cloth to her fevered skin, cooling upon contact. “Whatever has worked you into such a state?”

“I’ll be fine, Lydia.”

“And I know that you will be,” Lydia agreed, despite her grim expression. “Yet, I don’t fancy being the one to tell your husband either. He’ll worry over you.”

“Will he?” Cassie whispered, blinking back her emotions.

“He looked enamoured by you, My Lady, why would his wish for such a beautiful bride to fall this ill?”

“I hope you are right,” Cassie murmured, closing her eyes and wishing for the return of her willpower. Right now, she was weighed down with too many doubts to even know where to begin to solve them.

Her answer came two days later, thankfully a day after her fever breaking. She had heard Taeyong’s voice long before she had even laid eyes upon the footman. Usually, it would be up to Percy to deliver mail in person to any of the family members, and so when she noticed the way in which her childhood friend had rushed inside, she knew he would get a scolding later for ignoring protocol.

Still, Cassie was intrigued, especially when Taeyong held out the letter in a breathless state. “Why, it must be important if you ran throughout the house to locate me.”

Ignoring her teasing, Taeyong thrust the letter forward repeatedly. “Surely, a letter from your husband should ease your lonesome heart, My Lady.”

“From my husband?” Cassie echoed, barely acknowledging Taeyong’s farewell as she sat down in the closest chair, pulling out the letter hastily.

As she read over his words, her smile grew. Daehyun came across as nervous in his letter; he even stated it at one point, mid-sentence. Cassie found his little additions to his sentences endearing and as soon as she reached the end of the letter full of questions and a promise to provide for her as her husband, she gathered up the pieces of paper and then hurried to quarters, picking up her pen and putting it to paper immediately.

Letters travelled back and forth regularly between them, their uneasy beginnings soon bringing forth great laughter and a sense of understanding. Daehyun wrote fantastical tales of his journey and he equally held no qualms in divulging his feelings. It didn’t take Cassie long to shyly reply with her own, with each letter received, her heart would thud in her chest more erratically and she would send off a piece of it along with her response. Daehyun’s sentiments, even sent as far away as he was from Cassie were sincere.

He wanted to fall in love with his wife and from how their written relationship had transpired so far, Cassie was certain this could be a reality for them both. She would often lay awake rereading their correspondence, clutching at moments where her heart felt as if it would burst out from her chest with how much his words affected her.

But that was all she had so far, words. Would being in one another’s company after the expedition feel as intimate as writing to Daehyun did currently? Would he utter his feelings as earnestly as his pen wrote them? A new wave of emotions had risen within the eldest Hawthorne daughter, and she hadn’t expected any of it.

Plans for the winter festival were well underway. For the village of Mistletoe Manor, this festival meant everything. It not only rewarded all who had worked hard year-round in their livelihoods, it also signalled the beginning of Christmas. On the twenty-fifth of November, the festive lights would be lit around the Christmas marketplace and the Hawthorne’s would announce the start of the magical month ahead.

It was important to Cassie to ensure everything went according to plan, especially since her father had handed over the responsibility of running the event to Cassie and her sisters last year.

After helping Josephine and Evie earlier until supper was served, Cassie had forgotten about Daehyun’s latest letter. Perhaps, she had filed it away in her head and heart for that time, knowing it wouldn’t serve her to be distracted whilst busy making plans. Her cousin Grace would be arriving within the week to help with the festivities and before bed, she had managed to ensure all was set up in the room she would use before retiring to her own.

It was after Lydia had left her to her own devices when Cassie finally moved back to her desk where she had left the correspondence from Daehyun, her eyes falling to the last page as she chewed on the bottom of her lip. With a sigh, she moved towards her bed and climbed under the covers, hopeful that her mood would brighten enough to reply tomorrow.

I fear the King wishes to extend his tour out here and we may not return until the flowers bloom. My love, please know I am trying everything to get back in time for Christmas. I know how much this time of year means to you, and since spending last year in your company, I long to be there again for this year’s festivities.

Until I am truly yours,

Daehyun.

_________________

Part 2

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