#event024.

“ so, i uh— ” hands shamefully slip into the pockets of his sweatpants as he approaches the bedroom. “ i made breakfast, ” and somehow managed to not succeed in whisking eggs into an omelette. “ how hungry are you ? the coffee is good and i’ve cut up some fruits. ” it was a back up plan he hadn’t intended on using. he places a peck by her temple before sinking into the foot of the bed. “ what’s winter like in hungary ? ” the follow up was not for the faint of heart. “ i was thinking we can drive up to the ice hotel tomorrow. i miss the cold and there’ll be proper chefs. what do you think ? ” ( @tvkla​ )

tangerine and coral hues paint the backdrop of their beach trip, a sanctum away from public appearances, charity work and siblings. not that armani desired time away from her own, but luciana and natalia had unconventional familial relationships. the salt in the air has her blonde locks tousled into beach waves, that she pushes behind her ear as she faces the other girls. “ okay you two, move a little closer together. ” the polaroid is held to her eye with one hand, the other gesturing the girls towards the centre of her shot. ( @nataliademarquis​ & @lucianabxlla​ )

he pushes a glass into her hand as soon as her company leaves her side. “ listen, i’m gonna need a huge favour from you, ” his words are rushed — time is of the essence, with the older woman fast approaching his turned back. “ in a few seconds, the duchess of tuva will be by my side, ready to pester me about how disappointing it is for me to be thirty one and still single, ” a quick pause before his proposition. “ but she won’t, because you and i have been happily dating for almost a year now. ” it was a big ask from someone he barely knew, but it was not a conversation he could endure again. “ i’ll make it up to you, just fake a smile and consider it acting. ” ( @lenakatarine​ )

“ giselle ! ” bold of him to forego formalities with a frenchwoman, but he had no intention of uttering titles and shaking hands with egocentric nobles any longer. the name slipped from him the moment he saw someone younger than thirty in attendance. “ kostya, ” he stretches out an arm, hopefully for the last time this night. “ have we been here long enough to call it a night ? i’ve heard all good things about paris and yet, every time i’m here, i’m only granted the thrill of seeing the interiors of your banquet halls. otherwise it’s the louvre or the arc de triomphe, ” he hopes his accent in the pronunciation hasn’t offended her. ( @giselledorleans )

“ i got a couple of hours, i think. ” the small talk may just be the worst part of it all. it was something he could entertain with any duchess, any lord, any monarch, but not with xue. it simply wasn’t her style — she had more important things to do than to contemplate sleeping patterns and cloud cover. it was reserved for the most foreign of strangers. and although he was sat in the comfort of a chair he himself had worn down, within a room that held the ghosts of their memories captive in each fixture, he felt foreign. like a stranger. “ you know i shouldn’t stay, ” though strained, warmth still lined his words. “ it’s our first holiday season without— ” their father. but appearing vulnerable in front of her would be unwise. he clears his throat. “ — yeah, irina’s expecting me back today. ” ( @jin-xue​ )

the sharp rap of knuckles against ebony snapped her out of her daze, despite knowing full well who’d be on the other side. “ shh.. shh, ” armani hushes, through the fraction of the opening that the door had been pulled. “ léopold is in the spare room knocked out and your noise is giving me a headache. ” ( @louisedebelgique​ )

a warm, rosy glow flushes her cheeks as a languid finger drags the crystal glasses within closer reach. “ one more ? ” a beat, and then she’s pouring a shot of beluga in each. “ i’m so relieved that last exam was easier than i expected. anyway, another semester finally done ! to us— ” how many toasts were they now up to ? ( @lconor​ )

“ i hope you don’t have plans for tonight, because i’ve got two tickets to see the sleeping beauty at the mariinsky and one of them is meant to be yours. ” ( @invri​ )