(Agh, sorry, I thought I had responded!)
(And then beautiful chaos would ensue lol)
The white-haired man had spotted his new bride the moment she had started to make her way over to the refreshments table, but he didn't really feel like acknowledging her in that moment. Talking with Grae always drained his energy, and he was also getting married to the worst shrew in the entire kingdom. Making sure no one was looking in his direction for a moment, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. And then he grabbed a flute of champagne and downed it in one swallow, letting the burn rush through him and fizzle in his insides. And then he placed the empty glass down, turned to Reesha, and smirked.
He held out his hand, a smirk stretched across his features. "My dearest. May I have this dance?"
He heard a couple sighs coming from the direction of a group of girls nearby and his smirk widened, before he etched a little bow. "Please? For the publicity? You know you'll regret it if you don't."
Reesha had been trying her best to ignore the worm she now had to call her husband, and for a moment there was mutual agreement to ignore each other. It was nice, calming even.
And then Haven spoke and the silence was broken. She regarded him with something close to hatred in her eyes, but it didn't show on her face as she finished off her glass of champagne. Setting the empty glass down slowly, she heavily debated dancing with him. Not only did it sound horrid to do, but the last time they had danced she had almost died. Literally.
"Fine," Reesha finally responded, under her breath of course. Plastering a happy smile on her face, she took his hand and spoke again, this time loud enough that others could overhear, "You may." As she walked with him to the dance floor, she muttered to him, making her hand heat in his, "Touch me wrong and I will personally cut off your hand and feed it to you. And remind me after the dance to go get something stronger than champagne if I have to deal with you."
"Cut off my hand? Sweetie, you wouldn't do that to me, would you?" He made puppy eyes at her and spun her in a circle. The second part of her sentence made him grin, and he opened his mouth to say something lewd… before he realized that the other dancers on the dance floor were getting closer, and some might overhear. He couldn't have that.
So he spun her around again, according to the music, and leaned over, whispering in her ear, "There are several things stronger than champagne that I can think of at the moment."
Leaving it at that, he continued to dance with her, making sure to stay within the bounds of what she had given him, just so that he could say that he wasn't doing anything provocative to her.
She shot him a sickly sweet smile and hummed out a fake laugh, "I would take great pleasure in cutting off your hand. Don't test me."
As much as she hated having to dance with Haven, she had to say, he was a good dance partner. They worked well together, following the dance and spinning when the music called for. If it wasn't for his damn voice, she could almost imagine she was dancing with someone she actually could get along with…like one of the guards, or even one of her former suitors. Reesha though, was well aware of the fact that it, unfortunately, was Haven.
Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as she heard his voice in her ear, but they opened as soon as he pulled away. At the next point in the dance, she asked him in a quiet but interested voice, masking her words with a dreamy smile, "What did you have in mind? Something that will make me forget I ever had to marry you?"
A moment later, the dance shifted, and they were pulled apart, sent to dance with different partners momentarily. Reesha got stuck with some older gentleman, who smiled at her with clear disgusting intent that she met with a sneer. As soon as the dance changed again, she was back with Haven, and though she wouldn't admit it, she preferred him over the old man.
Reesha managed to keep up with Haven's incredible dancing skills, much to his surprise. He had even done a little bit more of the fancy, complicated stuff, and she followed his lead without a question. Her question made him laugh quietly and say, "I guess that's one way to put it."
The next dance was with the person to their right. Haven got a beautiful young girl who spent most of the time making eyes at one of the palace guards, a newer recruit. He smiled slightly and twirled the young lady around. "I don't think I caught your name, my lady," he said warmly.
The girl mumbled something, eyes still fixed on the guard.
Haven bit his lip to hide laughter before he said, "That guard over there that you're making eyes at? His name is Daine. I think if you went over there and offered him a drink, he'd appreciate it. After all, standing around and watching other people dance while not being able to do anything sounds pretty awful."
For the first time, the young lady looked at him. Her eyes sparkled, and as soon as the song was over, she was away.
He looked at his next dance partner. And, of course, it was his beloved wife. He bowed to her, as all the other gentlemen did to their partners. "I see that I have to deal with you again?"
"Unfortunately, you do, no more chatting up the other pretty girls in the room," She replied smoothly, dipping into the slightest curtsey like all of the ladies did. This dance was slower, a more graceful dance that required too much close contact and looking into your partner's eyes. At least in Reesha's opinion. Still, she acted like the princess she was and didn't fry Haven to a crisp when she stepped close to him, resting one hand on his back and the other holding his hand. She was standing much too close for comfort, but she did her best to ignore it as the dance began with graceful smooth steps.
Reesha met Haven's eyes, faint annoyance present behind her constant soft smile. "How long until I can leave and find a better dancing partner and some drinks?"
Even if it was their wedding reception, she was already ready to go. Both away from her husband and away from the numerous people present that she only knew through the politics of the nobles. Many of the guests were simply people she had to entertain to keep the peace in the capital. And frankly, only a few of them caught her eye or spent enough time around the drinks table to be interesting to talk to.
"If you don't want to make a scene, I think you'll have to wait for at least another few hours." He swept her into a bow, bending her over backwards before helping her up and spinning her around. "Unless you want to sneak away now. It will give you the reputation of a lovestruck newlywed. but you'll also be away from the crowd." His smirk was more than a little provoking. "Do you want to do that, Reesha darling?"
He knew that she would say no. As much as he knew she wanted to get away, he also knew how conscious she was of her image, especially because she was now the Crown Princess. She had to be careful with her actions in a way that he was glad he didn't. Making a reputation for himself as a rogue and a player made it all the better.
She didn't respond right away, annoyance shimmering in her eyes as she gave the slightest shake of her head. "Being painted with that reputation would be worse than staying around. Stop calling me darling as well, or I'll bring out the nicknames." Frankly, she would give just about anything to have the same freedom to leave and appear at parties as her brother did. But as the future queen, she had to give the nobles no reason to deny her the role. She had to play the part perfectly, just like she would have to learn how to play the part of a lovestruck woman who adored being around her husband.
The song continued to play, and copying the movements of the others involved, she pressed closer to Haven. Though unlike most of the other ladies who looked simply happy to be close to their partner, she forced a new, playful smile over the other one she wore. "Besides, leaving early would simply add to your…wonderful…reputation. I wouldn't want you to become known for slipping away with royalty whenever and wherever."
(Hey! Sorry, it's been a while… do you still want to continue this? I would love to, if you're down for it! And, also, the other three we're in… XD)
(Holy shit it’s been forever! It’s nice to see you again! Lmao I would love to continue them)
(Ikr? I've missed writing with you.)
Reesha's first words made Haven realize - possibly for the first time - that reputations were actually important. He knew that, of course, but the reputation he relied on was more of a mask than anything else, designed to keep the country safe, not only himself. But as the future queen… well, there was a lot more expected of her than he had thought.
Not that it mattered. He would just have to align himself to the role of queen's husband the same way he had done as a major flirt.
He didn't say any of what he was thinking, instead choosing to spin her around once. The two moved with such grace that there were more than a few nobles out there who stared at them in awe. He didn't notice, especially not when she pressed closer to him and spoke.
He grinned at her words, leaning down to whisper, "Then I guess I'll just have to be more discreet, won't I?" He pulled back enough for her to see his insufferable smirk, before he pulled her into a smooth rotation.
(I have too! Sorry for the wait on my part lol…getting stuff ready for another year of college is chaos lmao)
Reesha let the smallest of glares pass her face when he smirked but she plastered over it easily, putting just enough force into the spin that it could make him stumble into the next step if he wasn't careful. She meant nothing more behind it than to throw him off his game, even slightly. He was insufferably good at getting on her nerves, and even better at dancing it seemed. She could hold her own on the dance floor though, even in her dress.
"You know this will never work out, right?" She whispered as she neared him again, smoothly transitioning into the dip the song required. "I want to burn your face off. And not in a nice way." Letting him pull her back up, she ran a trailing hand over his arm almost flirtatiously before resting it on his shoulder. The setup for the final move of the dance, and a silent challenge to see how he responded.
Knowing Reesha as he did, it wasn't hard for Haven to predict her childish - though effective – move to get him off guard. Not that it worked on him, but a lesser dancer would have stumbled. The fact that it didn't inflated his ego immensely, which it didn't need more of. He helped her along, dipping her low and moving his face close to hers, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Of course I know, darling," he said softly.
He spun her around, the final move coming into play. "And it's admirable, your self control. You should try to be more civil to me next. See what happens. I know, it would be rather difficult."
The dance finished, and he bowed to her, low, swooping, graceful. And then, feeling eyes on them, took her hand and kissed it, a glint of challenge in his eyes. "And I would look rather ravishing with another scar. You wouldn't be able to keep your hands off of me."
