Chapter Text
Dion
Dion Agriche and Jeremy Agriche, the first and third ranked heirs of Agriche were standing beside a door. There was only one person they would both be escorting.
The silver bells in her hair tinkled, their ears traced the source and eyes followed. Her long blond tresses spilled down her back, half-pinned up with pearls and sparkling silver bells that tinkled softly as she stepped, her own hypnotic melody.
Roxanne, the Princess of Agriche.
Dion was dressed sharply in a dress uniform, full military style. His pitch-blach overcoat was cinched beautifully with looping ties, and a belt sword with guard to form a dangerously sweeping curve at the waist.
"You're stunning", he said quietly, stepping beside her, the scent of steel, smoke and expensive cologne faintly present around him. The heat of his body warmed hers. His dark leather gloves slid against her cheek as he gently tucked her hair behind her ears.
She laughed and smiled fondly at him.
Jeremy approached from her other side, and they turned to regard him with identical ruby-red gazes. He wore a silken shirt with a vest and intricately embroided overcoat of black and gold.
His blue eyes were devotedly set on Roxanne as he offered a delicate silver bracelet for her wrist.
Her eyes curved. She raised her wrist and he gently clasped it around her wrist.
She sweetly said, "Thank you, Jeremy." Then stepping so close, his eyes widened, his blood hammering in his ears, she adjusted his loose tie, her fingers brushing the slightest against his throat.
Their gazes met briefly and she smirked.
The music drifted from the main banquet hall, it was almost time for them to be announced. Time to ruin the female lead's debut, she smirked dangerously. Her half-lidded eyes lowered, hiding her the gleam in her eyes as she entered the banquet hall with her brothers flanking her.
She was beautiful, enchantingly so, and moved with sensual deadly grace as she descended down the marble steps. Under the glow of the candles, she appeared like a vision, her golden hair tumbling artfully down her back and ruby-red gaze that shone with temptation.
The room slowly hush as people turned to look at her and became utterly distracted. Then whispers started as more heads turned to stare as they walked across the room.
Roxanne rested her hand on Dion's elbow as they came to the Agriche pavillion, one of five pavillions set in the center of the ballroom, one for each Great Noble House.
The sheer white obscuring silks swayed with the night breeze, the nobles could only see a hazy vision of her, but they peered and whispered anyways. The rarely seen Beauty of Agriche. The short glimpse and their imagination would arouse more interest in her than any actual effort from her really.
She hummed lightly, as she contemplated her plans. It was mostly 'distract from female lead' and along the lines of 'be pretty, deadly and utterly unforgettable' but also 'don't talk to psycho male leads'.
This was a really twisted R-19 novel, the male leads were all disturbing psychos. Except perhaps Jeremy? She considered, actually no, Jeremy was only cute when he was with her. He was very much an Agriche.
She sent Jeremy to go socialize - read, check what people were saying about her. - and Dion stayed with her, it wouldn't do to look alone, the psycho male leads from the other Great Noble Houses might actually approach her.
Either way, Agriche didn't really appear at such events often. They were the 'dark' house, with their disturbing lack of morals and associated with all the dangerous illegal acts.
Though honestly, the other Great Noble Houses were pretty twisted too. Except perhaps the Pendelian's? They didn't have a psycho male lead because they had the female lead - who later became a psycho too. Hopefully Cassis being alive dealt with that.
She sighed.
Dion scanned the crowds through the silks, and then regarded her. "Why did you decide to come here?"
The only reason Agriche attended this ball was because she demanded it after all.
She smiled wryly. What was she supposed to tell him? She wanted to ruin Sylvia Pedelian's debut, but she didn't really know for certain if that was this ball. It was definitely this year but the exact ball might have changed and she only really needed to set aflame the imaginations of the aristocracy. From the reaction they had to her? She would be the talk of the season.
Actually since no one could actually hear what they were saying, she smirked up at him. "Naturally, I wanted to see you dressed up so handsomely."
He laughed and looked at her disbelievingly.
She continued, "I'm planning on stripping this off you, layer by layer, and then tying you up with that belt. So I can-"
He flushed to his ears and quickly covered her mouth.
She looked at him oddly, and swatted his hand away. "Not now. We are in public. Behave."
He made a choked noise and turned away from her.
Heh. Sure she misbehaved a little but at least she appeared like a good little heir that was just chatting with her brother because she was shy.
The actually shy Prince of Agriche was still ignoring her though. Ok so that might have been a bit mean.
"Dion~" she whined and tugged at his arm.
He huffed and regarded her with his exasperated pursing of lips. His ears were still pink though. Heh. Teasing Success!
She smugly grinned. Who knew he was so shy in public?
Her eyes lit up in mischief. She should help him get over that. Because she was really kind. So, how else should she tease him?
She peeked up at him and suggested, "Or you will fuck me right here?"
He sucked in a breath and glanced at her in disbelief.
Hehe was that Dion Agriche actually looking scandalized?
He narrowed his eyes at her recognizing her subtle expressions. "Do you really want to do this, Roxanne."
Pffft! She would take that challenge! Her gaze flitted away to the crowds and she mused, "Agriche does have a certain reputation. But that is a lot of nobles, Dion. I don't think the curtains will really hide all that much."
His jaw clenched and he gazed at her dangerously, just daring her to keep going.
Hmm usually by now he would have acted. Yet he stood there politely, like she wasn't teasing him within an inch of his tolerance. Dion really did feel rather restrained in front of the entire aristocracy, didn't he.
She leaned closer to him and whispered, "Well if oppa really insist on utterly disgracing our house, I can only helplessly surrender to your will."
He was shaking- in rage? frustration? outrage? The urge to kiss her till she stopped talking?
She laughed out loud.
The whispers from the crowds intensified and Dion moved all the way across the pavillion now.
Ok she really should stop. Who made him so easy to tease. Being both so very dangerous and shy should be illegal.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop." She coaxed and cast around for something else to tease him with.
He glowered at her. How to appease...
She brightened. "Didn't you want to know why I came here?" Her head tilted to their surroundings.
"If you continue, I will actually do you right here." He replied.
Her eyes widened and then flickered across his body. Hmm. He was serious.
"No, no. I won't" She raised her hands up innocently.
"I'm just here to debut." Roxanne smiled at him beatific.
He glanced at her and said, "What for?" That was hardly a thing that Agriche women did. Mostly because they were insanely twisted, there was a reason that most 'married' in to Agriche. Living outside of Agriche would be pretty hard, it would be like shifting to another world and understanding the norms there.
"For marriage." She stated boldly. Hah.
He laughed lowly.
She turned to look out at the other pavilions and said, "Did you know that at the last banquet, Noel Vertium, the Prince of Gold sent me courting flowers?"
His hand was clenching so tightly at the pillar, she could see the crack forming.
"Roxanne." He growled and breathed deeply.
She should stop. Really. The structural integrity of the pavillion depended on it. But god he was hot when he was angry at her. The dangerous glare he was sending her sent tingles down her spine. It cursed her to burn in the seven fires of hell and also promised to fuck her till she saw heaven. How could she possibly resist?
"He has such pretty gold eyes," she waxed like a maiden in love, "Apparently he fell in love with me at first sight."
Dion's glare was smouldering. She had never seen him so incensed before. She could sense the formless killing intent radiating from him.
But she haven't even got to the main part yet! She pouted.
He exhaled and tried his best to suppress the seething possessive rage, she provoked in him. Why did she do this?
"Don't provoke me, Roxanne." He warned.
She peeked at him. Hmm this might have been a bit much. Did she just kill off the male lead?
She promptly decided to leave him to calm down. She strode over to the sheer curtains and gently batted them aside to glimpse at the crowds, and the other pavillions. It looked like Noel Vertium might actually be here. The Pedelian pavillion was still empty.
He came up behind her and gripped her wrist that was parting the curtains roughly, "Are you actually looking for the Vertium?" he rumbled.
Her eyes batted at him and she leaned against him "Would you rather I look at you?" she said. "You were the one who told me to stop."
He cupped her cheek, bent his head and kissed her hard.
Wait the crowds? She gasped and he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Mmm no was he actually going to fuck her here?
She pushed against his shoulders. He bit her lower lip and then finally broke off their kiss.
"Didn't you want this, little sister?" He was laughing at her.
Really? He was- They just-
She made incoherent muffled noises as she glanced frantically at the crowds. She couldn't see faces or really hear the whispers, but was it just her or was the crowd actually hushing.
This- this was terrible. Oh god, the scandal would definitely blow Sylvia's debut out of the water but no- she won't be able to ever face another noble again.
But it was ridiculously hot, she could still feel her heart about to beat out of her chest. No, no, bad Roxanne! She needed some self-control.
She scampered to the other side of the pavillion. Suddenly five feet didn't seem to be enough space between them. He was just arrogantly smirking at her, looking ridiculously attractive in his military overcoat, as he strode towards her, she needed an intervention.
Her eyes flickered past the curtains. There he was, entering the hall.
"My prince is here," she muttered to Dion.
Dion turned to follow her gaze, his jaw tightened, Cassis Fucking Pedelian approached.
"Time for you to go." She smiled sweetly at him.
His ruby-red eyes glowed dangerously.
"Go be the Prince of Agriche. Socialize." she told him.
Smirking, she coyly traced her fingers teasingly in the ends of her long golden curls and said, "Enjoy your night, I'm going to enjoy mine. Throughly."
He was so cute when he seethed with jealousy. Tonight was going to be fun!
She ignored the dangerous tightness of his jaw. Patting his arm amused, she walked toward the Prince of Blue, patiently waiting at the entrance of the Agriche pavillion.
The crowd of nobles were awash with gossip, by the next day, all of the aristocracy will have heard that the Pendelian Prince was betwitched by the Beauty of Agriche. Objective achieved.