[color=lightgray][center][h3][color=F0E399]Duchess Victoria Edwards[/color], [color=AFDCE0]Count Landon Monet[/color], [color=F5C8A0]Duchess Antoinette Petit[/color], [color=F8A4C6]Countess Melanie[/color] & [color=teal]Countess Liliane[/color][/h3][/center]

[sub][right][color=F0E399]Interactions:[/color] [@Helo] Callum[/right][/sub]
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[color=00F8FE]"... And Duchess Edwards, I almost didn’t see you there.”[/color]

A hush grew over the table as all eyes slid to Duchess Victoria. Her eyes widened abruptly, and her facade momentarily faltered. It was as though she was a tea kettle on the verge of boiling as her emotions began to quickly rise below the surface. Her brows arched in astonishment, and her lips, which were initially poised in a self-satisfied smile, quivered with an unspoken indignation.

Count Landon held up his hand as if to alert the women he needed to speak first. He hesitated though as he watched the Prince begin to untie his shoes. Then with a forced but somewhat charming smile, he acknowledged Callum's greeting with a nod. [color=AFDCE0]"Ah, Prince Callum, always the [i]eloquent[/i] one... "[/color] He had some difficulty maintaing the pleasant tone as he reached the word eloquent; they all knew that was indeed not the case. Out of all of Edin's sons, Callum, who obviously was dropped on his head as a babe, was the one to come to their table.

[color=AFDCE0] "Hm. Well. We appreciate your kind words...Charity, you say? We'll consider supporting your cause if it aligns with our interests. Tell us more."[/color] His brows furrowed and a deep scowl started to slowly form on his face.

Antoinette, meanwhile, had gestured to an empty seat with a beaming smile, [color=F5C8A0]"Oh, Prince Callum! Come sit, sweetie. What a pleasure it is to see you!... A charity event? How wonderful! I'm sure we'd be more than happy to offer our support-Oh... Wow! What are you doing, dear?"[/color] 

Melanie's attention was shifting between Duchess Victoria and Prince Callum. The gears in her head seemed to be spinning as she recalled the paper this morning. As he slipped out of his shoes and socks, Melanie tried to subtly shake her head at him to persuade him otherwise,  [color=F8A4C6][i]She's not the lady you wanna start with right now, Callum.[/i][/color]

Duchess Victoria's brow twitched with irritation, her foot tapping impatiently beneath the table. After a tense moment, she abruptly stood, her chain sliding back noisily against the pavement. Her chin lifted defiantly and a glint of determination formed in her eyes. Countess Melanie attempted to slide a plate her way.

[color=F8A4C6]"Duchess Victoria... Have you tried the scones?"[/color]

A dark, chilling smile played at the corners of her lips as she spoke in a voice as smooth as silk but with a distinct icy undertone. [color=F0E399]"Please, do excuse me for [i]just[/i] a moment."[/color]With a deliberate motion, she practically kicked Callum's shoes out of her path as she made a determined beeline for King Edin. In her haste, Duchess Victoria nearly collided with Countess Liliane, who was returning to the table with a  plate of cucumber sandwiches. Countess Liliane let out a startled gasp as she stumbled backward, her plate of sandwiches tilting dangerously for a moment.  Once she righted herself, her gaze fixated on Duchess Victoria's leaving figure. 

Countess Liliane returned to the table with a concerned expression. Her eyes fell on Prince Callum's bare feet momentarily then slid up to his face. She smiled at him and held the plate out toward him, [color=teal]"Hello Your Highness! Sandwich?"[/color]
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