[IC] Glass Shoes [GranoxFirewind/LalaKitty]

[Lala Kitty]

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Ellanor huffed. Hesitantly, she accepted Marken's outstretched hand and stood, her heart fluttering in her chest for a moment as their bare fingers touched. Goodness, he was actually pretty tall up close. Were all men so intimidating?

"You are using me as well, remember?" Ellanor reminded the prince, "You act as though I'm the only one with a hidden agenda. At least you got to choose who your first kiss went to." Ellanor looked a little forlorn as she stood in front of Marken now, her hands reaching up to hold onto the front of his dress coat for stable footing.

"I'd hoped that my first kiss came from someone who loved me," she admitted softly, "But instead, I'm practicing how to perform a convincing wedding kiss, with a man who doesn't even like me... I'm sure you can understand why I am hesitant right now."

Lord help her, she felt like crying now. Ellanor buried her face into Marken's chest without warning as she willed away the wetness in her eyes, refusing to cry in front of the man who was now her fiancé, more or less. Why was she being such a hormonal mess, anyway? It was just a simple kiss or two, nothing that should matter very much.

[GranoxFirewind]

Marken felt her soft skin in his hand, and he instinctively wrapped his fingers around her own, enjoying the feeling of her hand in his own. His face turned red for the briefest of moments when he realized what he had done, allowing her hand to slip out of his. He felt larger compared to her, more assertive. But, considering her reactions, he also felt a need to be protective.

"My first kiss wasn't exactly my choice. Call it a surprise birthday present." He remembered some random nobleman's daughter kissing him, he'd been shocked, everyone had been. He didn't see much more of her later, she seemed to avoid him from then on, and now Marken simply didn't see her at all. "I did like you, three days ago, before you threatened my life and tried to steal from my family..." At this point, his tone held no accusing words, just simple truth.

Suddenly, her face was buried in his chest. Without thinking, Marken pulled his arms around her, in what he guessed was his attempt at a comforting embrace. "It'll be fine..." He honestly didn't know what else to do, so instead he just held her to him until she wanted to pull herself away.

[Lala Kitty]

To Ellanor's surprise, the feeling of Marken's arms wrapped around her was oddly therapeutic and calming. And when he told her it would be "fine," she felt her stress easing away, like ice melting. Soon, Ellanor felt less overwhelmed and looked up at Marken, not fully comprehending how vulnerable she looked yet, simply because she really was vulnerable at the moment. She had to at least know that the man who would kiss her first didn't detest her very existence.

"You don't hate me, do you?" Ellanor asked softly, her voice more pleading than she intended it to be. As Ellanor awaited Marken's answer, her hands clung tighter to his coat and she leaned in hesitantly and closed the distance between them. She held in her breath and brought her face closer to his as she rose to the tip of her toes, her weight pressing on him a bit more.

Ellanor could feel herself getting dizzy as her heartbeat began to speed up, hearing it pounding away in her ears now. Was this a normal reaction to being close to someone else?

[GranoxFirewind]

Marken was honestly surprised that she didn't try to jerk herself out of his arms, but didn't question it. He liked the feeling of her form in his, some he attributed to hormones, though that wasn't too far from the true reason he guessed. It just felt nice to hold her, to be comforting for her. He saw Ellanors reaction to his words and hold, how she calmed down somewhat in his arms, and he pulled her tighter to him in response, to try his best to ease her tension.

When she looked at him, so vulnerable in his arms, he realized just how much this actually meant to her. It made him feel bad, considering what he was forcing her to go through. However, it was better, in Markens opinion, than a dungeon or something similar or worse, she would live. And not only would she live, she would live unharmed in his home, and after she left. That much, he did vow to stick to. "No, I don't hate you. I don't like your actions, but I don't hate you." He emphasized the last word, to make sure that she knew that it was her actions, not herself, that had put her here. He still felt the attraction to her that he had felt three days ago, preferring to imagine that she was someone who'd shown an interest in him as more than a rich boy.

When she started to lean up to him, Marken took that as a sign that... She was ready. He gently moved a hand to cup the back of her head, leaned his own down, and pressed his lips to hers. His other arm curved around to pull her waist to his, keeping her secure in his grasp. The first thing he felt was how soft her lips were, how he could just taste the faint aftertaste of the sweet tea she had enjoyed minutes ago. He kept his lips pressed to hers, though didn't try anything further than that, his grip on her soft enough that she could easily pull away when she wanted to.

[Lala Kitty]

Ellanor had figured she would get the kiss over with so she could move on with the conversation unaffected, but the moment Marken actually pressed their lips together, she forgot to breathe and grew completely rigid, her eyes wide open. This kissing business was much more pleasant than she had anticipated, forcing her to relax and become giddy at the same time. Her heartbeat became just as erratic, pounding wildly against Marken's chest as she willingly leaned into his kiss more.

The woman hadn't even realized that she had stopped breathing completely until the two pulled back a little and she exhaled and then gasped in more air. After breathing normally for a few moments, she closed her eyes and kissed Marken a bit more properly. She realized that she was allowed to breathe when she felt the air from his nose lightly tickling her face and copied him, now able to enjoy the feel of their mouths moving against each other more coherently now that her brain was getting oxygen. Finally, Ellanor had her fill of experimentally rubbing her lips against Marken's and allowed herself to pull back, her expression completely dazed as she looked up into his face.

She stayed like that until she sobered up, begrudgingly pulling herself from the prince's arms and walking with unsteady legs to the other side of the plush loveseat. She made sure to keep her face turned away and her body leaned back against it as she composed herself. No, no, no, no, this was very bad. There was no denying that she was attracted to the prince now, so she'd have to be more careful. She hadn't expected Marken to be so gentle with her, and good at it. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up shooting herself in the foot.

"D-do you think that was acceptable?" Ellanor murmured as her heart began to ease its pounding. Half of her wanted Marken to tell her they needed more practice, and she mentally kicked herself when she thought it. No, she couldn't foster such thoughts in her mind. They were using each other, and then Marken would leave her. Odd; it hurt a little when she thought of him leaving, rather than rationalizing their separation.

[GranoxFirewind]

The feeling was incredible, Marken hadn't expected her to be so... Receptive to it. He assumed she would be as uncooperative as possible, though with the way Ellanor leaned into his kiss more, that was clearly a mistaken thought. He was strangely calm as they kissed, having more control over himself than someone might expect, though internally, he was a wreck. His first kiss had been completely unexpected, and it was nothing like this at all, a mere peck on his lips. This though, was long, Marken thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. Atleast he remembered to breath, soft breathes coming in and out of his nose to allow the kiss to last longer.

When she pulled back, Marken took this time to catch his own breath. Breathing softly through his nose only went so far, though he wasn't the gasping wreck that it looked like Ellanor had turned into. What he wasn't expecting, however, was her to push her lips to his a second time. His eyes went wide for a moment at it, before closing again. His hand entangled itself into her hair, pulling her lips to his more tightly. It was clear to him that she was enjoying this, to some extent, and so he was determined to enjoy the act too. This second kiss lasted much longer, before Ellanor finally decided to pull back from his lips again, a light pop sounded as their sealed lips broke apart. He looked into her eyes for a moment, his face void of all emotion save simple surprise and... Disappointment? Marken was disappointed, yes, that the kiss between the two of them was broken, however it couldn't last forever. However, a small smile then lit his face up, as he looked straight down at Ellanor.

He allowed her to pull away, his arms coming to lay at his side as he sat down in his own seat, still looking at Ellanor. She certainly had surprised him with her eagerness to kiss, once their lips had actually locked. Maybe he'd misjudged the girl? If this was supposed to be done frequently though, Marken certainly had no issues with that. He would happily press his lips to Ellanors again, and enjoy the feeling of the sparks that seemed to fly between them. her question brought him out of his reverie, and he smiled more widely to it.

"That felt perfect..." The words came out shakily, as a surprise to Marken. He thought he had more control of himself than that, not expecting himself to be nervous as well. No, that wasn't nervousness, but what was it? "However... Two kisses won't be nearly enough preparation, I don't think. Not if we're to look so..." He came to a loss for words as he spoke, not quite sure how to finish his sentence. "Passionate. No, we'll need to do that again..." The last words he uttered sounded more like a request, than an actual statement. Marken leaned back into his seat, waiting for Ellanor say something to him.

[Lala Kitty]

Ellanor felt her stomach clench as Marken suggested that they kiss more, immediately battling out excitement and dread. This prince was going to have his revenge on Ellanor after all; there was no way she was going to be able to pretend like nothing happened after their agreement was carried out. Damn it.

“Well, know that I know that kissing isn’t uncomfortable, I wouldn’t mind,” Ellanor admitted, standing and moving back to her seat.

She poured the last of the tea pot into their cups and relaxed back into her chair, still calming her frazzled nerves. Would kissing Marken do this do her every time? She didn’t know if her poor heart could take all of that excitement. Speaking of excitement, she’d just realized how Marken had the upper hand, and how he may keep her from stealing his father’s secrets.

“This should be a given, but I have a feeling you have something up your sleeve,” Ellanor mumbled conspiratorially, her gaze actually a bit playful, “How much of my time will you be stealing, just to make sure I won’t be sneaking around?”

[GranoxFirewind]

He grinned to her words, glad that she was onboard with the idea of kissing again. It was an activity he could find himself enjoying greatly, almost as much as he enjoyed his wine. However, it would take quite the session to surpass a good glass of wine, with the way it simply flowed over your tongue. "Yes, I think I will quite enjoy our time together in public then, if this is one of the things that we're going to be doing in it."

He took his glass of tea and sipped at it for a moment, listening to her words as his grin faded to a light smile. "I think I'll be taking up enough of it. You're free to roam when I don't need to speak to you, of course certain areas are off limits." He would take a long drink of his tea, before looking at her with a wider smile. "My study included." He'd been preparing for this, for the three days they had been here. She wanted to rob him of information, and that task would be much harder. Documents weren't where they normally were now, and given the size of his palace, he honestly doubted she could search the entire thing to find them.

Sitting back into his seat, he suddenly took on a much more neutral face. "So, how are we supposed to practice if you're over there?" He watched her, carefully keeping the grin off his face that he wanted to have there. He doubted she would take him as seriously if he kept it on.

[Lala Kitty]

At Marken’s question, Ellanor's face contorted into a scowl, finishing her tea and putting her empty cup down onto the table. He was toying with her now, she could feel it. At any rate, ishe needed to be more careful from here on out. Ellanor realized that she would be lured in to move at Marken’s pace if she didn’t stand her ground, and moving at his pace would only mean trouble for her.

“I agreed that I would practice with you more,” Ellanor huffed at the prince stubbornly, “I never said that I would be your willing harlot. Please keep in mind that I’ve never been one to be comfortable with a man being so familiar with me. Suitors have been the last thing on my mind in the past years.”

Ellanor tried to be calm now and keep her expression neutral, but in truth, she was still nervous. As a prince, if Marken grew impatient, he could demand anything of her, and make her life hell. She could only hope that he would understand her situation. After all, he was only pretending to be deeply in love with her. Maybe she should just change the subject completely.

“Tonight…” Elanor continued, “Will I go home to my step-mother, or will I be expected to stay in the palace?”

[GranoxFirewind]

He laughed to her words, a smile coming to his lips again. "Of course you haven't, which is why I'm going to enjoy this so much. Do you understand how tiring it is to deal with fifty women ready to throw themselves at you in the single-minded hope of living in the luxury that I do? It's asinine. You, I'll be able to deal with. The physical feelings are wonderful, but I'll be glad when we have moments like this, where we can talk like normal people instead of being fawned over like a prize." He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back fully into his seat, putting down his now empty glass in front of him.

"I will expect you to be ready to satisfy these demands in public, considering we're supposed to be playing the part of two in love to the point where we can barely pull away from each other. However, behind closed doors, I won't force you to do things you don't want to do, as I've already stated." He suddenly kicked his legs up, all sense of nobility lost in a moment of pure relaxation.

Her next question took him off guard, and he thought about it for a moment. "You will stay in the palace, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Wouldn't look quite right if my soon to be bride didn't stay in her grooms own home, especially considering my rank." He nodded to himself after speaking, affirming the words to himself. Besides, he didn't quite want to see her gone. He did enjoy her company, even if she wasn't here to be productive to him.

[Lala Kitty]

Ellanor felt a little uneasy as Marken explained that she would be staying in the palace. She supposed that made sense, but how closely did he want to sleep? They wouldn’t have to share a bed, would they? After all, royals tended to have their own beds. Yes, he still had to follow rules of decency, after all.

“Where will I be sleeping?” Ellanor asked a bit more straightforward, “I can’t imagine very far from you.”

“You will be in the joined room next to his grace,” an elderly woman suddenly announced, making Ellanor jump in shock, almost reaching for her dagger. How long had the old woman been there? Who the hell was she anyway?

“Prince Marken, when will you be informing your father of your decision?” the woman asked Marken rather dismissively, “I believe it is quite obvious that you will not be able to elope. This woman has to go through proper training and a background check in order to be accepted as your bride.”

A cold sweat overtook Ellanor for a moment as the woman announced that Ellanor would be submitted to a background check. They shouldn’t find any evidence of her being a spy, but one never knew for sure how good an information gatherer would be.

[GranoxFirewind]

"You'll be sleeping i-" He was cut off by the voice of an attendant, "Yes, she's quite correct." He listened to her speak again, annoyed that she had shown up so suddenly. Hopefully, though, she hadn't heard too much about his earlier words, or their plan was already foiled. "I intended to tell him today, so that we could get the wedding planned as soon as possible." Her words did make sense, though that would likely only hurt Ellanors side of events. If they eloped, she wouldn't have to act as his wife at all, or very little, whereas stuck in the palace, she would be forced to cling to him, and him her. The thought made him smile.

The background check was an issue. He hadn't thought of it, but decided that it would be fine. The girl almost certainly had a 'legitimate' backstory for occasions such as this, and if that didn't work, he could always pull some strings, being one step below total authority in the kingdom. "Could you bring us a small bottle of wine? Nothing stronger than a dinner wine. Then you're dismissed." He would wait for the woman to do as asked, nodding when she left. He didn't necessarily enjoy being interrupted. He took the cap off the deep purple bottle, pouring himself a half full glass, before offering another to Ellanor.

"I imagine this'll help calm your nerves some?" It was clear that she was worried now, and as much as Marken enjoyed watching her squirm, he didn't like it, especially not when there was a legitimate reason behind it. "But yes, she is right. You'll be close enough to me, and in a guarded area of the palace as well." The last words were a statement, just to let her know that sneaking around wouldn't be the wisest idea. He, however, didn't say anything to directly dissuade her.

[Lala Kitty]

Ellanor accepted the wine and quickly drank it down, never being one to waste alcohol. This stuff was just as weak as the wine at the ball, so she felt it was safe to assume that Marken didn’t drink his wine to be a lush. The sly thought crossed her mind that maybe he couldn’t hold his liquor like her, someone who generally preferred whiskey or the imported absinthe her trainer used to give Ellanor in order to teach her how to operate even when she was drunk or drugged.

“Does that woman come in whenever she pleases?” Ellanor asked quietly, “I’m not very fond of nosy servants myself. When I cleaned- I mean, when I had a cleaning maid at the Winters Estate, she always minded her own business.”

Ellanor put down her glass, feeling like she should probably not drink anymore wine while she felt so unstable. She should be fine, she reminded herself, there was no way Marken hadn’t foreseen something like this happening, and if his plan was going to work, she needed to pass that background check.

But she was still worried, immensely so. So worried, she’d almost let her embarrassing years as her step-sisters’ maid slip out. Marken didn’t need to know something as humiliating as that. He’d probably just laugh at her trauma anyway. A prince like him probably didn’t even know what scrubbing floors and having blisters on his hands was like.

[GranoxFirewind]

"I imagine she came in to clean, and found us here instead. This palace is so massive, how is one supposed to know where people are at all times?" He defended the servant to an extent, to the point where she was atleast partially justified in what she did. He was glad that she was drinking the wine, it would help calm her down. There wasn't much alcohol in it, a weaker wine intended to be served at dinners for taste, being too early in the day for Marken to enjoy a stronger wine. Certainly not infront of Ellanor either, who he was certain would exploit it.

When she put down her glass, he was confused slightly. He heard her misstep in words, his eyes narrowing at them just slightly. "I'm sure." He didn't push the point, instead finishing off his glass of wine easily, while continuing to appraise Ellanor. So, she had cleaned, and given the context from before, she had likely done far more than something simple, like her own room. No, she had probably served as a maid, perhaps? Again, he felt bad for the girl. She didn't seem to have had things going for her, being forced to be his wife, for the time being, sharing her first kiss with him...

"If there's something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm going to try and make your experience here tolerable, considering it's going to be horrible enough for you in public, beneath the loving exterior..." His tone was soft and gentle, like it was earlier when he tried to comfort her.

[Lala Kitty]

“You make it sound like you’re going to treat me horribly,” Ellanor mumbled, making her words seem like a passing comment, “I don’t need you to buy my time, Marken, just treat me well and call me Ella. Ellanor makes me sound like an old woman, and the alias I gave you at the ball grates my nerves, in truth. And… I will not tolerate a mistress, do you understand?”

Odd, why did whether Marken had a mistress or not gather her attention? Ellanor tried to convince herself that she simply didn’t want people gossiping and snooping around if he had another woman, but to be honest, she knew she’d be jealous. Damn it, he was right after all. Being his wife was going to be tiring.

[GranoxFirewind]

"I do not intend to treat you badly, however..." He thought how to place his words correctly, to keep from insulting her. "You were ready to break into tears at the thought of sharing your first kiss with me, and you'll be expected to do so much more than that in public. I was imagining you would resent this internally. I figured the least I could do was make your life behind closed doors better Ellan- Ella." He had to correct himself in speaking her name, considering her preference. She was right, he decided, Ellanor didn't fit one so young.

Her next words caught him completely off guard, there being no context to justify them in the least. "A mistress? Where did I give you the impression that I intended to take one? Wait..." He smiled widely, looking at Ella with a different look in his eyes. "Would you be jealous if I had another woman to share my bed with? Despite the fact you're obviously so against it?" So, she did want to look at this as a relationship then. Perhaps he would be cheating in her eyes if he took up a mistress, not that he intended to. Still, it would be fun to tease her with that. He poured her a second glass of wine, holding it out to her. "Come, drink, relax. It'll be good for your nerves."

[Lala Kitty]

With an intense, burning anger in her eyes, Ella accepted the wine and relaxed in her seat again. She needed to calm herself, she thought quietly, it would do her no good to deny the prince’s claim at this point, and he’d already decided that she would be jealous of another woman in his bed.

“I would prefer your servants not gossip and begin to question our union,” Ella reasoned once she calmed herself enough to think straight, “It won’t do you any good to have people questioning our undying love for each other, right?”

Ella took a long drink of her wine but didn't finish it again, the liquor finally doing its job and easing her stress away. Besides, she shouldn't drink entirely too much with Marken right there in front of her, or he’d think she was some kind of bar maid.

[GranoxFirewind]

He noticed the look of anger in her eyes, and decided not to push the teasing any further. His tone had conveyed it as a joke, or atleast that's what he thought it sounded like, but she had clearly taken it much more personally than that. "I suppose that fits as well..." His voice sounded almost chastised. Marken was clearly more perceptive than Ella liked to give him credit for, noticing and putting together things much more quickly than she expected him to.

He finished his own second glass of wine, setting it down on the table and looking at Ella curiously. "Not going to finish a second glass? This is dinner wine, meant for the taste, if getting drunk is what you're afraid of." His tone was neutral, no teasing in it now. As fun as it was, if she would respond with only anger to it, than it simply wasn't entertaining. He wanted to draw out a flustered reaction, embarrassment, not anger.

Instead, he watched Ella curiously. He knew he would be forced to talk to his father about this sooner or later today, but he wanted to hold it back for as long as possible, so he would continue talking to Ella instead. She made decent conversation, if he was keeping himself from angering her that was.

[Lala Kitty]

"I'm not worried about getting drunk," Ella sighed before finishing her drink and then putting her glass down. She took note that keeping up with Marken while drinking was an acceptable practice, at least around him. She'd probably have to hold back a little around others, for the sake of modesty of course.

Damn it, she was so off base. Marken practically had her dancing in his hands right now, the littlest comments he said setting her off. She needed to calm herself, and to not allow her emotions to sway her. At this rate, she was just putting him off with her insecurity.

"Should I be present when you speak with your father later?" Ella asked Marken, getting back on topic. She rested her chin on her palm and forced herself to relax, her eyes closing for a moment.

[GranoxFirewind]

"Drink as much as you want, wine is meant to be enjoyed, not pushed away." It was clear by his tone that Marken enjoyed wine, though his opinion on other alcohols was left unstated. He was about to pour himself yet another glass before deciding against it. Two glasses was more than enough to enjoy for now, especially with the meeting coming soon with his father. He wouldn't make a good impression if he showed up intoxicated.

He was honestly getting tired of how erratic her emotions were. They were simply making her act so irrationally to anything he did. Her reaction to a mere joke was anger, she seemed to become provoked at any words he uttered. Yes, being wound up in her current situation was acceptable, but Marken still found it quite irritating.

"Yes, you will be. He'll want to meet you, and it will give us more, ahem, practice for acting in public. He'll probably want to see a kiss, or something close, from us..." He said the words with trepidation. A kiss behind closed doors was one thing, in front of his own father was another though. Perhaps he should have that third glass of wine after all...