[color=lightgray][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FVPEy13.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/NVSCwCf.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/jv5Pcmc.png[/img] [h3][color=teal]Part 5[/color][/h3][/center] [color=4C93C2]Time:[/color] 2nd Ignis, Evening [color=4C93C2]Location:[/color] The Damien Estate [hr] [color=gold]“You’ve asked your questions. Now, I believe it’s my turn, and I’d like to start with the most curious of us at this table.”[/color] The attack was warm and friendly. [color=gold]“You must tell me how the courtship between you and Lady Vikena is going? I mean, her father might be a lunatic, but Charlotte is…”[/color] He made an uneasy face. [color=gold]“[i]Plain[/i] is probably the best word, which probably makes it that much easier for you, being a Damien. You could probably do better, but the Duke of Vermillion’s daughter that everyone overlooks might be a great choice in the longterm. I might be lucky enough to see a Duke Damien in my time.”[/color] Cassius finally allowed his gaze to slip away from Marek as Alexander addressed him. The man’s comment about Charlotte was an obvious barb meant to stir the coals within him. He did not give Alexander the satisfaction of a response outside of the slightest scoff of a chuckle escaped him. Marek’s fingers stilled against his glass, the smile at his mouth thinning as though something inelegant had just been spoken aloud. [color=palevioletred]“Does it not have a nice ring to it? Duke Damien,”[/color] Lianna repeated with a thin smile. [color=gold]“It’s the D’s, I think.”[/color] Alexander nodded to his wife. [color=palevioletred]“Yes, the D’s. It’s quite nice.”[/color] Calbert shifted back in his chair, the wood giving the faintest sound beneath him. He had been about to speak up, but his wife beat him to the punch. Lily had smiled suddenly, folding her arms on the table. [color=teal]“My, my,”[/color] Countess Damien said pleasantly, folding her arms atop the table. [color=teal]“I have indeed noticed the way Cassius looks at Lady Vikena.”[/color] Her smile did not falter. [color=teal]“Which makes it rather interesting that you should raise the subject at all, Mr. Deacon—considering how frequently your own name has been whispered alongside hers of late.”[/color] She tilted her head, as if recalling the details. [color=teal]“The art gallery, in particular, seems to have inspired quite a bit of discussion.”[/color] Her eyes met his, bright and curious. [color=teal]“Rumors, of course. But care to enlighten us anyway?”[/color] The ironclad grip Cas had formed on his composure slipped ever so marginally as he listened to Lily’s insinuations. His grin all but fell away; the eyes that had been calculatedly softened by that smile hardened as they broke from Alexander and moved instead to his plate of food. The thought of a vile thing like Alexander alone with Charlotte began to heat his blood. Though curiosity festered within him like a nagging wound, he dared not wait to hear any revelations. It was time for him to remove himself from the moment. [color=lightsteelblue]“Please…continue on with such fascinating conversation, however I must excuse myself for the moment. I fear the holiday’s [i]sporting[/i] has finally caught up to me. I’m in need of a bit of fresh air.”[/color] Cassius spun the narrative with charm, though inside his blood was not far from reaching its boiling point. He did not wait for permission or response as he walked away from the table in the direction of the front door. [Color=gold]“Hmm,”[/color] Alexander let out, vocally marking Cassius’ departure. It was good for the young man, and an even grander opportunity for himself. He and Charlotte were now placed into center focus, with not a soul around to speak for her. Violet’s gaze followed Cassius only briefly, crimson eyes tracking his retreat until the front door swallowed him whole. Her fingers curled subtly in her lap. Instinct urged her to rise, to follow, to offer some quiet word or simply stand near him until the worst of it passed. But she stayed. Cassius was not a man who unraveled under watchful eyes, and an empty chair at the table would speak louder than any concern she could voice. Space, she knew, was sometimes the kinder choice. Charlotte however, seemed to be a common concern of his, not just passing interest. Not a mere rumor. There was something deeper there than Violet had understood, something raw enough to crack Cassius’ carefully cultivated armor. She drew a slow breath and straightened, lifting her chin as she turned her attention back to the table. [color=slateblue]“If I may,”[/color] Violet said calmly, her tone composed but firm as her gaze settled on her mother. [color=slateblue]“They were only rumors indeed.”[/color] Her eyes flicked briefly to Alexander before looking at her mother. [color=slateblue]“Lord Ravenwood and I were both in attendance at the gallery,”[/color] she continued evenly. [color=slateblue]“We spent the evening in quite pleasant conversation with Mr.Deacon and Lady Charlotte. Mainly discussing the displays and the artists before we all departed.”[/color] She allowed a faint, polite smile to surface. [color=slateblue]“Art has a way of encouraging speculation where none is warranted,”[/color] she added lightly. [color=slateblue]“Sometimes I feel people are less interested in the art on display and more interested in the people who enjoy the art.”[/color] She took a sip of her wine. [Color=palevioletred]“Spoken with wisdom beyond her years…”[/color] Lianna replied with a pleasant smile. [Color=paleviolet]“But I believe Alexander mentioned something occurring between himself and Lady Vikena.”[/color] She nodded, positive that her revelation debunked Violet’s testimony. It even provoked Alexander to blanket her hand with his own, as if he was preventing her from striking with a phantom blade in her grasp. [Color=gold]“Lianna, please…”[/color] Alexander frowned, shaking his head at her as if she could see it. [Color=gold]“Charlotte was-”[/color] [Color=palevioletred]“She was being young!”[/color] Lianna cut in with a humored and easy tone. [Color=palevioletred]“I’ve outgrown jealousy, my love. It is a feeling we [i]wives[/i] must set aside when our husbands are so [i]handsome[/i]. I’m sure Countess Damien would back me up.”[/color] The comment drew a giggle out of the countess, as Lianna laughed lightly into her hand, before continuing, [Color=palevioletred]“Charlotte is just… playing the field. It's likely why she jumped at the opportunity to participate in this morning’s dating auction.”[/color] [Color=gold]“Lianna…”[/color] Alexander's voice dragged almost harshly, his face rather stern. [Color=palevioletred]“That tone is undeserving.”[/color] She tilted up her head in playful defiance. [Color=palevioletred]“I was simply answering the question posed by the countess, dear.”[/color] Marek watched the exchange between Alexander and Lianna with faint, academic interest, but his eyes often shifted over to Calbert as he enjoyed seeing the gears turn and the emotions cycle in the man’s gaze. But eventually, he grew tired of the game and set his glass down with just enough force to alert the room. [color=7D2933]“Despite such…quaint conversation. I find,”[/color] Marek said mildly, rising from his chair, [color=7D2933]“that I have seen all I intended to this evening.”[/color] The movement itself was unhurried, elegant even. As though the dinner had now ended precisely when he decided it had. [color=7D2933]“Count Damien,”[/color] he continued, inclining his head just enough to be respectful without being deferential. [color=7D2933]“Your hospitality has been… illuminating.”[/color] His eyes flicked briefly to the table. To the food untouched by Violet. To the tension still coiled in the empty chair Cassius had left behind. [color=7D2933]“Let that boy of yours know that I look forward to our next meeting, but for the rest of you… I trust you will continue to enjoy your evening.”[/color] Marek turned then, the hem of his coat whispering against the floor as he began toward the door. He was nearly at the threshold when he stopped and stood in complete stillness for a beat. He then turned back around ever so slowly that the room seemed to tilt with the motion. His gaze found Violet with unnerving precision. [color=7D2933]“Lady Violet.”[/color] The way he spoke her name carried authority, almost as though he owned it. Though there was charm there still, an antiquated sense of effervescence that felt almost alien. [color=7D2933]“Should you ever wish to meet the man who put the axe in your head,”[/color] he said, voice smooth, conversational despite the heaviness of the topic. [color=7D2933]“you need only ask.”[/color] He paused there for maybe two seconds before turning and continuing his stride. From the threshold of between the dining and beyond, he said his final piece. [color=7D2933]“I know exactly where he is.”[/color] And with that, Marek Delronzo turned and walked out, his presence peeling away from the room like a shadow retreating at dawn.[/color]