[color=lightgray][center][h3][color=Burlywood]Duke Gideon Edwards[/color] & [color=F0E399]Duchess Victoria Edwards[/color][/h3]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/6yZrd18.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/QVcLBPe.png[/img][/center]

[color=Burlywood]Time:[/color] 6pm
[color=F0E399]Location:[/color] Castle Dining Hall
[color=Burlywood]Mention:[/color] [@TpartywithZombi] Ariella [@Lava Alckon] Drake [@Tae] Thea, Kalliope [@Apex Sunburn] Sjandehk
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[color=F0E399]“Embarrassing?”[/color] Victoria echoed softly, slowly setting her wine glass down with a soft clink. Her smile was  untouched by warmth. [color=F0E399]“Darling, I wear shoes in public and know how to enter a room without looking winded and lost. Between the two of us, I assure you—I’m the lady.”[/color] She reclined slightly in her seat, gaze icy. [color=F0E399]“And as for hatred, no, dear. It’s not hatred. It’s disappointment... dressed appropriately.”[/color]

She took a slow sip of her wine, and with a flick of her fan, she ended the exchange like the snap of a guillotine. Instead, Victoria's gaze shifted to the exchange between Thea and Drake, then she leaned slightly toward Gideon, whispering behind the rim of her wine glass. [color=F0E399]“Of all the women, he is interested in her?”[/color] Her eyes didn’t leave Thea, narrowed like a hawk spotting something unpleasant in its garden.

[color=F0E399]“That girl’s been clinging to a nasty sort since her father died. Every party, every event—there she is, lips on a hard drink or someone’s son.”[/color] She gave a soft scoff as she continued to whisper, swirling her wine. [color=F0E399]“She’s not a suitor. She’s a souvenir.”[/color]

With a sigh, she shook her head slightly, as if mourning the death of her son’s standards. [color=F0E399]“You really ought to speak with him after this, Gideon. ”[/color]

Gideon's expression grew angry visibly, but before he could speak, the doors creaked open. 

[color=F0E399]“Oh,”[/color] Victoria suddenly murmured, squinting. [color=F0E399]“Look Gideon, he's carrying her. Like a sack of flour.”[/color]

Gideon followed her gaze, arching a brow at the striking red-haired woman and the man who seemed admirably committed to his role as steed and shield alike. 

With a loud thud, the pair suddenly collapsed in the middle of the grand hall in a tangle of limbs and swirling fabric. A gasp rippled through the banquet like a breeze through lace curtains. Gideon instinctively sat a little straighter, while Victoria’s eyes lit up with scandalized delight.

[color=F0E399]“Oh my stars,”[/color] she whispered, loudly enough for nearby nobles to hear. [i][color=F0E399]“Do we clap?”[/color][/i]

[color=Burlywood]“Victoria,”[/color] Gideon warned softly. He watched the man twist protectively, absorbing the fall entirely to shield the woman in his arms. It was...unexpectedly noble. Gideon’s gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer than it should have, eyes narrowing not in disdain, but in curiosity.

[color=Burlywood]“That wasn’t clumsy,”[/color] he murmured to his wife. [color=Burlywood]“That was instinct. Trained.”[/color]

[color=F0E399]“Or desperate,”[/color] Victoria retorted, fanning herself rapidly. [color=F0E399]“Who is she anyway?”[/color] she hissed under her breath, eyes narrowing as Kalliope adjusted her dress. [color=F0E399]“Because I don’t recall ordering a cabaret dancer to perform in the foyer.”[/color]

[color=Burlywood]“She was afraid and fell,”[/color] he said quietly. [color=Burlywood]“You saw her face.”[/color]

Victoria waved her hand dismissively. [color=F0E399]“Oh please. Afraid of what? Being fully clothed for five minutes? She practically straddled the poor man in front of all of Caesonia. And he just laid there like it was a nightly ritual.”[/color] Her voice turned syrupy with mock pity. 

But Victoria wasn’t done.

[color=F0E399]“She looked like she’d climb the nearest chandelier if it meant someone else’s husband would look up her skirt.”[/color] [/color]