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Wicked Steps

Fantasy

Emberlee Ortega was born and raised to be her Mother's Heir; the Marchioness of their March and the symbolic Shield of her Nation, Xutia. But despite being Blessed, tragedy and intrigue conspire to force Emberlee to engage in the deadly game of Impe...

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All except Oberon the Monolith who'd made it clear that he wanted her gone.

Since Emberlee had been warned repeatedly that she could only trust the bonds she forged herself, that left her needing to ascertain the few connections she'd made. Titania should react predictably, but she's surprised Emberlee with the spell. Oberon the Monolith should see Emberlee wearing Titania's colour and draw erroneous conclusions from it, but since it was such an obvious manipulation he might not react to it at all. Oberon the Pretty at least got to see her attire before they departed, so he was granted a modicum of privacy to react to it before the other spouses.

"This shouldn't surprise me," he pointed to her Adaban blue shift dress, "and yet I am dazzled by your beauty and cruelty."

"Cruelty?" Prince Damien had also worn his Adaban finery, though he wore the Pretty's teal, white, and black. His new red eye was distinctly striking looking in contrast.

"Your eye can See now, so you've seen the teal in the air around me. The blue your Bride-to-be currently looks so fetching in is Titania's colour," Oberon easily explained and Emberlee realized that whatever they'd gone through together to get the Relic in Damien's eye had cemented their friendship.

Damien had been born and raised in the heart of Xutian High Society, he knew the Game being played when he saw it; even before the Eye. "Here the colour of your Magic determines the colours you display," like a poisonous frog warning all in its ostentatious hue, "but in Xutia it is one's Family that has set colours." Prince Damien's smile was teasing. "Marchioness Ortega is entitled to silver and blue due to her family Name. My lineage has white and gold as our mark, and yet here white would be considered Méabh's colour, no?"

Oberon the Pretty was wearing white and teal, an obvious acquiescence to his place as Méabh's husband, and it wasn't hard to predict what the other spouses would be wearing. In Adaba there were colours aplenty, but the social constraints limited one on what colours they could or should wear. Wearing your colour was a display of dominance, wearing someone else's was a declaration of belonging. As outsiders both Emberlee and Prince Damien were excused the colours they wore, but that didn't mean it couldn't still be utilized, which was why Emberlee had elected to wear Titania's colour. They were attending a dinner and discussion at her palace, but it was Oberon the Monolith's task they were discussing.

It didn't matter what colour she wore but being socially exempted from Adaban implications didn't mean she couldn't strategically use the impact of it to her advantage. "We are selecting which Adaban candidates are capable and worthy enough to become a permanent resident in Xutia, it is a good idea to keep it in mind that the selected Envoy will have to be able to adapt to Xutia," she reminded instead of explaining.

"Don't be surprised if the other Oberon tries to insist that I keep the role," Oberon the Pretty led them to the Mirror so they could transfer over to Titania's palace, "he's been trying to get rid of me since Méabh first noticed me."

"Can't understand why," Damien's tone was teasing and Oberon grinned at him for it.

"I know, even you've been taken in by my charm," Oberon hooked an arm with both of them, "but still he resists."

"Such a tragedy," Emberlee agreed with her amused smile.

The Mirror came into sight; Oberon's Palace was all graceful curves and peacock hues, and Méabh's Palace had been grown from crystal, but Titania's Palace was a wonder to behold. The structure was more of a pagoda style, tall and towering into the sky like an exclamation point built to live in, and it was entirely tiled in gradients of blue and white. It was almost serene and somewhat aqueous and yet there wasn't a fountain or pond in sight. Instead, Titania had surrounded her palace in a sea of white blossoms; from roses to orchids, day and night blooming gardens. And the Mirror also revealed Titania waiting for their arrival in an almost identical blue to what Emberlee wore.

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