Chapter Text
Professional.
Is how you'd describe your Marriage to the Knave to anyone that would ask. Though you preffered to use the word 'Loveless' when no one could hear you. And to describe her? You clutched the needlepoint. One should not get you started. The songs of hate would pour out of you as if you were a robin in the morning hours, sitting on someones window sill. You pricked the needle back in, soon enough the picture would be finished. You chuckled, going over the 'No Bodies, no worries' stitching with your free hand.
The door opened. No knocking, no other warning. The Visitor was obvious.
"What is it?", you asked, crossing your legs, not stopping your very important task. You had been 'allowed' to stay in Sneznaya, aslong as you would mind the business with the Orphanage, which you had no problem with, you had something against Arlecchino and not the Children after all. They were quite adorable, actually.
"We were invited by the Tsaritsa.", you saw the piece of paper between two of her fingers and crocked a brow. She handed it to you.
You groaned as you read the first sentence.
Lord Arlecchino & Lady... ok, it could've been worse. They could have called you her wife. You are hereby formally invited to the annual Winter Ball. Due to status, your presence will be required.
Formal Attire is a must.
You can see the schedule on the back.
We will be happy to expect you this Friday in the Zapolyarny Palace.
You held the needle as if it was a knife, ready to plunge it into her eyes-
You notice her gaze, stood up, but you didn't let go of it. You remembered the ball from when you were younger, you've always loved going.
"I don't wish to go."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Then I will drag you along.", she took a big step forward, coming nose to nose with you. "Our presence is required, you know that. You can read.", she tapped the required on the letter.
"I'm not saying that I am not gonna go, I'm saying that I do not wish to go. You know the difference, you're not deaf.", you watched her eyes sligthly darken.
She leaned further in, which made you instinctly lean back, but she resorted to towering over you untill you fell back onto the chair. "We talked about your mouth work before."
You blushed and instinctively looked away. "Talking is far fetched..." you mumble, feeling her hands all over you once again. This arrangement has been going on for about half a year, half a year of not flirting with many just because they were to afraid of your Husband. So who could blame you if you fell into her arms every now and then? You are just a woman, after all. "I just returned the insult.", you hissed, looking half back at her. She didn't seem truly mad, if she was, her pupils would glow. You've seen it before. It was rather...you didn't want to think about it.
She closed her eyes and sighed. The sound of her fingernails tapping against leather sounded to your ears for a few seconds before she removed them, standing back, fully composed. You smirked, as always when she got mad. Atleast you've figured out how to push her buttons, or else this would get boring real fast.
"I will come late to the event. I have business to attend to that day, but I expect you'll wait for me in the Foyer."
Great, you'd bore yourself to death. Again. Unless you took a book with you, sneak one from her office and not return it. Preferably one she was reading rigth now. That would annoy her.
"Don't."
You crock a brow, still grinning. "What?"
She looked at the various points in your face. Which made you fix it quickly. Had your expression told her too much? "Just don't.", she squinted, before turning back to the door, half waving at you, as if she was dismissing you. "I will take my leave now, go back to what you were doing before."
"I was planning on that anyways...", you mumbled, waiting untill she closed the door fully...only to scramble to your desk, taking paper and a quill to write.
You'd have to write a great deal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That was quite the change of scenery, in such a short time too.", the maid said as she buttoned your dress up.
"I wrote to my uncle, he said it was a communication issue.", she handed you a pair of gloves. "I was quite confused when I continued to think about it, since he and even my husband have told me that there are renovations going on in the grand hall." The Knave probably thougth that they had fixed it by now. But they have not. Maybe it was because of all the weird incidents that have accured during the build.
She nodded along, taking a mask fitting to your dress from one of the drawers. "I heard they had to unrequest people."
"It is better this way.", you tell her, pocketing it. "It was a more private event when I was younger anyways.", you thougth carefully about your next words, running them through your mind once or twice, turning to her "So, you can imagine that I am in favor of less people.", but she was to busy marveling at your pockets to listen. It made you chuckle. "Amazing, aren't they?"
"The mask just evaporated!"
You pulled out a whole book -the one you've stolen from the Knaves desk- and watched her gape. "My parents teached me how to sew them in.", you smiled, putting it back, between some other knick knacks. "They are quite practical."
You turned back to look at yourself in the mirror, your hair and make up sat perfectly, complementing your features and dress. "Your work is flawless, as always.", you compliment, spinning, only to notice how stiff she was standing all of a sudden. You groaned, looking at the door, already knowing who it was.
"I thougth you said you'd join me later."
"I wanted to see how you look in the dress. See if what I will wear is truly going to match."
You huffed, pinching the space between your brows. How corny.
"It's etiquette, you know that, doesn't matter if you like it or not. You have to do it."
"I'm not saying I'm not gonna do it, I'm just saying that I won't like doing it.", you huff, lifting your chin up, refusing to look at her. She paroted your huff.
"I'm sure you won't love it.", the door sqeaked "I'll see you in a bit.", she mumbled after a few seconds. Then it shut. And your maid chuckled. Fucking chuckled.
"You truly are newlyweds", she helped you down from the podest. ", I remember when I and my spouse still had that much tension."
"I want to stab her sometimes."
She chuckled. "Oh, I said the same."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The carriage ride had been shorter than if you would've gone to the Zapolyarny Palace. The castle you would go to as a replacement was also 'shorter' though it was still owned by her royal highness, of course, it was just a bit further down, sligthly hidden in the woods. More secretive. You sighed, leaning back.
It was better this way. Maybe your family wouldn't come. You chuckled at the thougth, holding your legs close, rolling yourself up into a ball, ever since your father died five months ago...it hasn't been easy. It was a must for your uncle to be there, but... he was pretty cool. He didn't pressure you, or he just wasn't that obvious. He knew you needed your time.
The carriage stopped out of the blue. You sat straigth up as if pricked by a needle, lifting the small curtain. There it was. You gulped. It had all been planned to the dot, your uncle had been quite annoyed by the fact that you didn't ask him about it sooner, but he wasn't mad, and atlast, had the proper schedule send to you just last evening.
Another tick of yours. It calmed you to know the schedule.
"My Lady, we've arrived.", the cold poured inward as the carriage driver opened the door and you shivered sligthly, before taking his warm hand. You thanked him, waving as he drove off, to then lift your dress and climb the stairs. Considering all the people around, it seemed you have come a bit earlier than expected. The man at the front crossed your name from his list. There were just about fifteen gone. You tch'd, maybe she'd come just on time.
"Where's the Knave?", he asked.
"Hom- at the mansion still. She will come after...in about half an hour."
He nodded, crossing her out, no line like yours, but a cross. You crocked a brow, but shrugged it off and went inside. Only to hear the room quiet down. Your family was gathered on the couches. Your sister, your old mother and her brother, as for some others. He wasn't the uncle you adored. He was the bad uncle, as you'd like to call him. Looking around, you didn't see anyone you knew, which meant that it was hard to avoid them, esspecially when your sister beckond you by lightly patting the place next to her. This would be a...conversation. They were silent as you settled down, their gazes on you, expecting you to speak first.
"It's not that easy-"
"It's been six months.", your uncle interrupted you. "It didn't take me that long."
His daugther sighed, stroking her pregnant stomach, she was dressed in a sad black. "None of us."
You clutched onto your pocket, the book.
"You care to much for her. It could be so easy.", your uncle said, shaking his head. His daugther copied him like a puppet.
Your mother coughed.
"I do not. And even if, it would have nothing to do with that. It also is not my fault that father died less than a year ago. I was in mourning. What do you suppose I do just-"
"Yes.", he said and a part of you broke. "Also quiet down, there are people around."
You stood up from your seat, nearly pushing it back. "You brougth it up!"
"You have to think of our mother.", your sister finally spoke up, taking your hand. Her voice was unusually soft, her touch also. You breathed in and sat back down. Your eyes slowly diverted towards the old woman, the small child at her side. She giggled as it told her something. An uncommon sound these days. "Think of our family.", she mumbled and everyone looked at you expectantly. You wanted to dissapear into the ground. Evaporate. Maybe die a bit, your hands grabbed along your pockets, smothing out folds and you felt the letter opener you used as a bookmark through it. Your family would call you insane, but they all had nice paper ones. Weird people. Best description for your family. Weird.
Then the whole room fell silent. Truly silent. You sighed, knowing why, knowing why they broke out into whispers shortly after. They could still recognize her, despite the mask she was most likely wearing. "Go to your husband.", your sister breathed. You turned away from them withouth another word, having to face someone worse now.
"Your family? They weren't cut?", she extended a polite arm towards you, lowered it however when you stepped away.
"No. Courtesy of my uncle. My other uncle will go with the children however, or take care of them. What do I know..."
She nodded, her arms crossed, looking out of a window, seemingly more interested in it than being in a conversation with you. You huffed. "Seems weird that he came along then. Has he missed you so terribly?"
"He likes pressuring me..." you whispered, taking your mask out of your pocket. It sat perfectly, though it didn't match hers. Hers, with its intricate design of red, gold and black diamonds.
She side eyed you "About what?"
"Nothing that concerns you.", you spat. She shock her head, then went back to her very interesting window.
"We should go in.", she stated after a while.
You crock a brow. "Doesn't it go after a certain order anymore?"
She interlocked your arms withouth a warning and without answering your question. It made you squeel, stumble over your own feet. Oh how you wanted to insult her, but it'd be stupid in front of all these people. "There'll be more people in there..." she mumbled, rather to herself.
You knew that, but to you, avoiding them took presidence. This did not matter to her, of course, you did not matter to her. And this was for the best. You were standing in front of the big door, which was slowly parting before you now. A sliver of ligth washed over the both of you, bathing you in white ligth.
"Tell me whenever you need a break.", she sighed. You pulled sligthly away as you were introduced to the room of people.
It left her to suck in a sharp breath. "Could you please leave your stubborn attitude at home and behave for five minutes? You make us and your family look bad."
It stung. The same way as your uncles words did and you were taken back to that talk, their accusing words and those sharp gazes. She eyed at your face, your gaze which was on the stairs, those red lips you were biting. An unreadable expression crossed her face as you mumbled a soft
"Okay..."
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The evening went by as fast as your heart was beating. First slow and steady, then fast and irregular. You blamed it on the people and on the overall passing of time. Going home would help. Letting yourself go would help. Finally giving your family what they want would help. You cursed them and your family obligations as you stood in front of your uncle. The good one.
"May I kidnap your wife for a dance, Knave?"
You shock up from your daydreams, watching her shrug. "She was your niece first.", her nonchalant expression changed not one bit. So she really did not care. You huffed, taking the hand of your uncle as he carefully placed one at your waist.
"If you're here to pressure me, I'm afraid I'll have to scream into your ear Uncle Pierro."
He smiled. "No, I think your uncle has already talked to you."
"Ah, that man sucks me dry whenever I
look at him. I strongly believe his existence was solely created just to annoy me!"
He laughed, a deep rumbling sound. Then he spun you to the sudden pitch in music. "Yeah, I thougth the same when I saw him for the first time.", he just pulled you in again, watching the woman on his rigth spin further to her left. The dance repeated. "But you are well? You have all you need?", you think back to your pockets, a book, a book mark, the letter of how the evening would go, other knick knacks.
"To finish this evening? Yes."
He chuckled, kissing the crown of your head. "That's a good woman. Always has the rigth attitude and the perfect timing."
Your shoulders dropped, relieved. "Thank you, uncle."
The dance finished with a last high note, leaving you to step away to courtesy, or in his case, to bow. He gave you a quick nod to the clock. Your eyes went straigth towards it. A quarter before ten. You sighed and a smile formed on your lips. Soon, it would all be over and you could go home to cuddle with your husband, she'd let you into her room for a reason you couldn't get behind and- you shook your head. No. What were you thinking? About this stupid, stupid person. You were stupid. You huffed, turning towards the devil who...had her eyes glued on you, similar to a hawk. Even her eyes were squeezed. A shiver went down your spine. But she didn't scare you. You moved towards her.
"I'll go to the toilet."
"I'll wait.", she simply stated, not moving her eyes an inch from you as you slowly moved out of her vision.
You fell onto the wall rigth when you were after the corner, the sound of the people was densed by the door, though not completely gone. You slipped down the wall, breathing in and out, to then cover your ears. It would all be well, you told yourself. It would all be ok.
Something boomed in the grand hall, you hid behind a pillar and ripped your eyes open along with the door. Peoples screams sounded in your covered ears, together with a constant ringing. "Fuck. Shit.", you cursed, trying to catch your breath as you were trembling. Of course this kind of thing was happening while you were the one so close to it that it would damage your ears. Your pupils looked for any opening, away from the noise, the people and you ended up running towards the big new hole in the wall, despite your trembling, despite your mind telling you to look for your family. The gardens were fine. They were perfect. Like it stood in the rules. Go to the gardens first. You thougth this was a good plan. It didn't take long for you to find a good place, behind a hedge. This was safe no one would see. It was perfect. Your heart was exploding and you still felt the need to run. Despite there being nothing to run from. You took a long breath, held it as you went through your pockets. Most things were still there. Perfect, you had lost nothing important at the impact. But a candy bar, you'd yearn for it at a later point. When you breathed back out, you leaned back against the hedge. Ok. It was good for now, your uncle would come for you. Arlecchino too. You sighed, to then hear their voices. You held your breath again.
"...I just saw her running into this direction.", he said.
The Knave huffed. "I saw her going rigth, you try it, I'll stay here."
Your breathing shortened, concentrated, regular. Perfect.
"Your rigth, maybe she'll come back, or others will get here, take care Knave, I'll see you."
She huffed and you saw his coat, swaying behind him as he went away. You were alone, clutching your book, holding it close as you peaked at the Knave, focused on the fire pot, the flame. You hid back behind the hedge. Your blood was still pumping with adrenaline and your shaking hands fumbled out the 'letter opener' from in-between the pages. You unsheated it, heaving yourself up. You revealed yourself to the ligth of the flame, to which her gaze was set towards. Your footsteps were quiet, like those of a mouse. Then you lifted your arms, clutching the dagger, ready to plunge it into her back and throw her into the bowl.
What was that they say? No body, no worries?