Magic of the Marriage Market

Edwina's heart was racing long before Lord Daro started his speech. From the moment she donned the southern style gown Duchess Zappeas had gifted her, Edwina knew she'd be under intense scrutiny, and yet it took Lord Daro's mere presence to set her heart into frantic paces. Given the origin of her attire, Edwina's gown was a masterpiece of almost translucent fabric, ruching at the bodice in the white Edwina had always preferred, but in a gradient going down that quickly transitioned to her ruby encrusted shoes. She loved the southern style of ruffled but shorter skirts that allowed for air and movement, and since she was already so tall it felt like a celebration of her height.

Since the dress left her shoulders and collarbone completely bare, Blair had insisted she wear a multistring pearl choker and matching earrings with her hair pinned up with ruby and pearl to suit. With the shoes, Edwina all but towered over Blair, even in her own heightened shoes, but she was grateful for her older sister's efforts. She felt beautiful, and supported, and Edwina had to ignore how much her foolish heart wished this event wasn't Lord Daro's way of saying goodbye. But that was the purpose of this feast, for all that everyone kept claiming it was to celebrate her becoming Master Gentileschi's apprentice. Because her having a new Master meant Lord Daro was no longer her mentor, no longer a part of her life. Her heart was breaking because she was getting everything she had ever wanted and worked hard for, but it was costing her the man who'd quietly laid claim to her love. And he didn't even know it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lord Daro's melodic voice claimed all the attention in the room, "thank you for coming out today to celebrate the success of my only student, Lady Edwina Briggs." She demurely curtsied as everyone applauded her before Lord Daro continued, "I knew from the moment I met Lady Edwina that she was a talent like no other, far greater an artist than I could ever hope to be." She couldn't help the blush unfurling across her skin at his focus on her, "and to this day I continue to learn as much about art and being an artist from Lady Edwina as I could ever try to teach her. We are all here to honour the fact that Lady Edwina has surpassed what I could impart and found a place under Master Gentileschi's guidance. So let us toast to Lady Edwina Briggs, a Master in the making."

Lord Daro's dark eyes glittered with pride as he saluted her with his wine glass, and Edwina nearly drank her cup dry in an attempt to recover. Having a crowd of mostly strangers applaud her didn't help her settle any either, though she was grateful for Hida's down to earth, "go Winnie."

"Thank you my Lord," she managed not to sound as breathless as his attentions left her feeling. "There is no doubt that your excellent tutelage and support are why I was blessed with Master Gentileschi's favour; any regard I may one day earn first started under your diligent care."

Given the toasts that had just occurred, Edwina knew it was customary for the attendees to circulate so as to give her their personal congratulations. Her elder siblings had all stepped back with their respective partners, and Gavin was with Eniola, so only Hida remained at Edwina's side like her own personal Knight. Lord Daro was with his own siblings, likely receiving their congratulations and allowing her a moment to receive adulations as independently as possible.

She was being treated with all the due respects given an adult, and still her foolish, greedy heart wished Lord Daro could see her as a grown woman instead of just a talented student. It was the childish whimsy she would have to put away now that she had an apprenticeship to complete. There would be no time or energy left to give over to such fantasies, so perhaps it was for the best that this would be their last farewell.

A strange side effect of all these guests that Edwina didn't know was having almost no opportunity to actually speak to Lord Daro directly. Edwina had seen him with his siblings, and ever since he'd been guided by his brother, Count Adam Korolenko, while his sisters, Ladies Bogna and Celestyn circulated in the guests and brought an inordinate number of young bachelorettes over to him. And while Edwina smiled at the polite strangers that hadn't come to the Korolenko Estate to praise her work, she noticed how very unimpressed her own family members seemed to be about it too; at least those that would notice that kind of thing. Gavin, Hida, and Derbie all seemed to be in good spirits still.

"I have a question for you," Hida waited until Edwina was left alone by well wishers, and Edwina looked down at her baby sister's serious expression.

"What is it Pinky?" she used the name as a source of comfort to them both.

"You're in love with him, but feel you cannot tell him," Edwina looked around in alarm but despite Hida's bluntness, she'd spoke only once no one could overhear, "would you tell him if you knew he loved you back?"

"I don't...it's not...Pinky you cannot just say these things," Edwina didn't often find herself unable to speak clearly. "I'm just a foolish little girl who has fantasies in her heart, but its nothing more than that. It can't be."

"Unrequited love," Hida sounded impossibly sad and mature for her baby sister's brief age. "To love someone you cannot be with, or whom cannot be with you, so instead you'll accept whatever version of love they can give you."

"Have you been reading the red covered books in the library again?" Edwina gave a scolding laugh, shying away from the melancholic feeling that somehow Hida knew from personal experience.

"Blair wrote annotations in the one about an Ice King, but I didn't understand her shorthand," Hida gave her a smile, as if she'd never gotten serious before.

"That's probably for the best, you're a little young for some of those acronyms," Edwina would have to find that 온라인카지노게임 in the library later, to confirm her hypothesis only of course.

"I'm going to be a Knight, a Royal Guard, I don't think I'll ever get married," Hida didn't seem sad at the idea, but she was still young. "It's not in me to do or create the beautiful things that come so naturally to you, to have a love that can be everything the romances says it could be. And I know your heart is anything but foolish, its grand and generous and full, so if you want me to make a distraction so you can grab your Lord Daro's hand and run, I'm ready."

Edwina wasn't often moved to obvious emotional displays, she left that up to Blair and Derbie, but she couldn't help grabbing Hida and hugging her tightly. "Oh Pinky, please don't make a scene for me. Could you imagine the scolding Alaric would give you?"

"He won't yell at me, at least not until the scar stops being so red," she pointed at her lace covered neck and Edwina managed not to flinch at the reminder.

"No, thank you," she firmly settled the matter, "although I would like to thank Lord Daro and Count Korolenko for hosting this feast, I can do so despite the crowd of...guests."

She sounded so sure, so certain, but for all she tried to naturally, casually approach Lord Daro, somehow he was always moved away or a guest intercepted her. It felt almost like Lord Daro was avoiding her, except he looked frustrated at his brother's careful interference. Edwina could only ever meet his gaze across the room, saluting each other with wine glasses but never a direct conversation. And then they were all summoned to sit and feast, and Edwina had to applaud Count Korolenko's clever planning. As the one being presented for accolades, Edwina should be sitting at a place of honour, next to Lord Daro and his hosting family, only she found herself next to Count Korolenko and her brother Alaric; Lord Daro on the far side, beyond even his sisters. Outside of the collective greeting, she hadn't had an opportunity to get close to her former mentor, and even Edwina wasn't ignorant as to why the Count had seeded the guest list with so many eligible women. Her time with Lord Daro was over, and the Count wanted the youngest Korolenko focused back on his familial duties.

"Are you enjoying the feast Lady Edwina?" Count Korolenko smiled, for all appearances the charming host.

"Quite," she smiled politely, "the food is excellent and I appreciate that so many young, single Ladies are here to see the artworks I created under Lord Daro's tutelage." She lifted her wine glass to salute him." I may even end up selling some of the paintings because of the exposure your gallery has graciously provided."

"I'll consider that a resounding success then," he looked so pleased with himself.

"I'm glad my success could benefit your family in so many fashions, Count Korolenko," Edwina suspected that her response wasn't what Lord Adam expected from a girl who hadn't Debuted yet.

"As you were able to benefit from Daro's talents as a teacher, it is only due course that your success elevates his reputation," Count Korolenko didn't seem admonished at all. "He is the last of my siblings to find a Suitor and settled into a stable lifestyle; my sister Bogna is married to that gentleman from Seong, and Celestyn is currently engaged to a Merchant Prince of Yang."

"And you own lovely wife introduced herself to me before retiring for the night earlier," his wife had the robust build of her Hinikia heritage, but she also had several children under the age of 4 to contend with; exhaustion had all but dripped off the woman.

"With your elevation to Master Gentileschi's apprentice, Daro is suddenly a valuable husband to even the nobles here in Taroton, although I doubt one of the Higher families will sacrifice a daughter," he was so economical about it that Edwina wondered how Lord Daro had grown so artistically in this family.

She wanted to argue that Lord Daro had value as a husband long before Edwina had received a Master's favour, that he was a kind and considerate man who was always respectful, but also still compassionate. That she would have gladly been his brief if only he had seen her as a woman instead of a student. But Edwina was smarter than that, had more self preservation than reckless abandon, and kept her truths to herself. It wouldn't be appropriate, and it wouldn't help resolve the fact that she wasn't actually an adult yet. She'd kept her love for Lord Daro as concealed as possible, though so very many of her siblings had long ago figured it out. "Then let us raise a glass to Master Gentileschi and the opportunity I have thanks to Lord Daro's expert teachings."

She couldn't hold her heartbreak against Count Korolenko, many nobles treated the non-Heir children like trader's tokens, exchanged no for love but connections. Her own parents were married that way, and now none would doubt the true love and passion they had grown. But Edwina felt oddly grateful that she'd be at the university and not forced to see the love of her life marry another. Maybe if he had a love of his own she could tolerate it, but Count Korolenko had made it clear that was not the fact.

The meal, although exquisite, suddenly tasted of ashes and Edwina couldn't wash the taste of it from her tongue. She wasn't technically an adult, but no one seemed to mind that in regards to the wine being poured, so Edwina carefully paced herself out. For once Blair's tendency to jokingly fill an unsuspecting sibling's glass with anything other than water had been to Edwina's benefit; she knew how much wine she could drink before getting silly.

And to Edwina's surprise, after the meal had concluded a large artwork under a velvet drape was set up, and Lord Daro once again stood to make a speech. "As part of Lady Edwina's testing by Master Gentileschi, she was expected to complete a Masterpiece in less than a week. As many of you know, a proper portrait takes far longer than a week, but I had the distinct pleasure to sit for just two days while Lady Edwina was able to paint a base, that in another two days became this," and he pulled the covering away. The portrait was larger than Lord Daro himself, and Edwina had been able to complete it so precisely simply because he was so inscribed on her heart. Something she suspected Master Gentileschi had known as it'd been the elder woman's suggestion to use him as the subject. The end result being an almost perfect replica of Lord Daro, the only discrepancy being the size of the portrait; if her magic could compel the image into real life he'd have stood eight feet tall.

Everyone focused on the portrait Edwina had impressively completed in just over four days, a visible demonstration of her hard work and natural skill on display for all to see and judge. It'd been good enough for Master Gentileschi, that was all Edwina cared about, but she also know that's make jealous souls more critical of her efforts. But even those shrews wouldn't be able to find much to critique, Edwina was impressed with how well it'd come out; the benefit of painting someone she loved. But now also the standard she'd set for herself. Edwina let the guests crowd the portrait, ironically ignored in favour of the work she'd completed.

Except for one person, as she felt a pull of magic tug her from her lingering and out onto the balcony close by. As the curtain fluttered closed in an approximation of privacy behind her, Edwina found herself facing Lord Daro. "At last, the Lady of the night," he smiled, and Edwina had a near overwhelming urge to throw caution to the wind and just kiss the man. He looked so beautiful, the metal frames of his glasses reflecting the firelights and bathing the warm tones of his eyes with an ember's glow. He seemed to have the rosy cheeks of slightly too much wine, that or perhaps the efforts of evading his ever vigilant siblings. "I wanted to toast you, Edwina Briggs, Master Gentileschi's apprentice," he flourished a wine glass at her and she tried not to gasp at the familiar use of her name, "but for some reason my siblings have been controlling my company all night."

"Count Korolenko has heavily implied to me that he's seized this feast as a way to entice a Taroton Suitor for you. Apparently it's only fair that my rise in reputation benefits you, as your tutelage has so clearly benefitted me," she took the wine glass and sipped it.

"I want to say I'm surprised, except I'm only surprised he felt bold enough to say that to you directly," he sighed, maybe more at ease now that they were in his home, and Edwina drank in the small details of him being this...unfiltered.

"It only surprised me in that he seemed to feel you had lacked value as a husband before hand, clearly he has a poor understanding of what is desirable to the woman of Taroton," her siblings' recklessness had infected her.

Possessed by his own unusual recklessness, Lord Daro took the wine glass from her, setting both glasses down almost roughly on the railing before he crowded her back against the railing quite deliberately. "You are a torment Edwina, everything I could ever desire and I am a terrible man because I know you are still to Debut."

And proving she was Blair's little sister, Edwina leaned in close to Lord Daro's mouth to whisper, "torment me then Daro, because I'm already ruined by you."

She heard the distant shatter of one of the wine glasses falling to the ground below, but Edwina was too absorbed in how he pressed against her, lips claiming hers finally. Edwina curled her arms around his shoulders, holding him as tightly back as she dared, the thin material of her dress making clear where the heat of his hands lay in return. Although Daro was an academic, artistic man, he kissed like one of the literary men in Blair's red covered romances; daringly filthy. And, perhaps, she was just as wanton as the characters, because the weight of him pressed against her thrilled her like no childish crush could ever achieve.

"I would ruin you Edwina," his voice was harsh and Edwina tried to catch her wits, "in ways neither of us would recover from."

"That's exactly what I want," she sounded so breathy saying it.

"Torment," he hissed the words against her lips before kissing her again. She could taste the wine he'd drunk all night, a heavy red that stained his lips as makeup had hers, and this time his hands didn't cling to her tightly but instead stroked along her body purposefully; exploring like a sculptor with clay.

Neither one of them cared that the well packed party was continuing on, just on the other side of a single curtain; all resistance implanted thus far failed utterly on this last night. Lord Daro's hands traced and teased, drawing sighs and sounds of delight from her that he greedily drank from her lips, a frantic need building in them both. Bathed in moonlight and clinging to each other, he smothered the sounds of pleasure and discomfort she uttered with his kisses, their bodies intimately locked together despite the risk of discovery. Edwina clung to Daro, the balcony and a fall at her back, as Lord Daro lived up to his promise to ruin them both.