031:- Petals on the Floor

Alexander was suddenly plagued with a vision of Cielo's face with red drooping eyes and little sharp teeth, and it made him take an unconscious step back. "The pleasure is all mine," He muttered with a grimace, no longer interested in getting to know more about the skittish Vampire.

The final addition to the pew was Luka, the son to the Grand Duke. The tall Vampire wore a scowl as he approached them, saying not even a word of acknowledgment to the others he joined on the chair.

Prince Elio looked over with amusement in the depths of his dark eyes, "Did my mother have you thrown out?"

Luka looked over, his red gaze sweeping past the Biancis by the Crown Prince's side. "That's for me to know," He muttered sourly.

Alexander was a little lost, sitting in between Vampires. He wasn't as inclined to hold a conversation with them as he was last night, sitting stiffly. Luka was clearly in a terrible mood, and Prince Elio was too absorbed with his betrothed to pay attention to much around him.

Luna Bianci broke the unsociable air at the pew, her clear voice speaking up. "Cielo, why don't you sit with Prince Alexander and Lord Luka?" She suggested, a harmless scheming in her pale blue eyes. "It's no fun sitting next to two lovers."

Cielo wore the look of trapped prey at his sister's words, which had attracted the attention of the entire pew and most of the grand hall as well. "I don't want to impose."

Alexander felt like he had to say something, he would also prefer the mousy Vampire sitting next to him than a dangerous-looking Luka. "You wouldn't," He reassured, making a show of adjusting a bit to make space for Cielo Bianci.

The gold chairs were spacious, even while seating five, with quite a distance between them, there was still space for more. The attention returned to Cielo Bianci once more, the frazzled Vampire had somehow gotten even more pale, it had Alexander wondering if he should have stayed out of this. It looked like the Vampire would faint dead away before he could make his way over, it made him relax a little bit, Cielo really did look harmless.

Cielo shot pleading eyes at his older sister, he would do anything but sit next to Lord Luka. She pretended not to see his furtive glances and he resigned himself to his fate, meekly rising to his feet.

Luna caught his wrist and tugged him down to whisper something in his ear, whatever she said made him color up, it brought a new kind of beauty to his previously pale face. He walked over and sat as close to Prince Alexander as was socially acceptable, keeping a wide berth between himself and Luka.

Alexander glanced down at the fragile Vampire next to him and wondered if supporting his sister to bring him here was detrimental to him. Cielo Bianci stared right ahead, his long lashes were also pale, it made the faint color in his irises stand out. What kind of conversation could he possibly hold with him? Alexander was deathly curious about why the Biancis stood out from other Vampires.

Vampires didn't have a last name, but they did, he hadn't heard either Luna or Cielo be referred to by a title, yet they seemed to have quite the influence. Crown Prince Elio doted on Luna Bianci, it almost seemed like she was the one doing him the favor by being his betrothed.

"Do you like weddings?" Alexander finally decided on a line of conversation, it was harmless and fitting with the scene.

Cielo Bianci looked over to him with surprise on his features like he hadn't expected to be addressed, the eye contact only lasted for a few seconds before he hastily looked away. "They're pleasant. I don't attend a lot of them."

Alexander had to lean in a bit from how softly Cielo spoke, "Do Vampires not get married often?" He continued the conversation. It was stifling just sitting under the watchful gaze of the entire hall, speaking to someone distracted him from that for a moment.

"Weddings are common," Cielo responded, it was he who didn't attend them. He was only here because this was a Royal wedding, and he couldn't avoid it, he didn't do well in social gatherings. "They're a bit too noisy."

Alexander had to remind himself not to lean in too close. Vampires had perfect cold beauty, he was easily drawn in by Cielo's delicate and pleasing features. "You don't fancy events?"

Cielo fiddled with his fingers, despite holding a conversation with Prince Alexander, his attention was on Lord Luka beside him, it felt like sitting next to a sleeping beast. "There's just so many people," He murmured, staring down at his hands.

Alexander chuckled, enjoying the simple conversation despite himself. "I can't dispute that." He turned over to Luka to include the other Vampire in the conversation, unaware of Cielo's palpable horror. "What's your opinion on events, Luka?"

The red-haired Vampire looked over in disinterest, red eyes dropping momentarily to Cielo who was staring at him with wide panicked eyes. "A waste of my time," He gave a flippant answer.

Alexander's lips lifted on one side in a tilted smile, "Even the wedding of Prince Alessio?" His smile fell off his face at Luka's ferocious expression, not quite sure what was wrong with what he said. He was of the opinion that Luka was quite close to Prince Alessio. "You don't need to answer that," He corrected himself hastily, returning his attention to Cielo Bianci, it was clearly a terrible idea to try to strike up a conversation with Luka.

Cielo was back to staring at his hands, he was deflated, his shoulders slouched. His vision blurred over for a moment and he blinked rapidly to dry up the tears, considering taking the lifeline his sister offered him just before he came over.

"I rather like weddings," Prince Alexander's voice shook him out of his sad spell. Lord Luka's fixation on Prince Alessio was well known by the court, as a matter of fact, it seemed like the only one unaware was Prince Alessio himself, and no one dared mention it to him.

"The ceremonies can be a bore, but the celebrations after more than make up for that," Alexander went on, unaware of what just transpired right under his nose. "Will you stay for the celebrations?" He asked, realizing that he hadn't seen the Vampire at dinner the night before.

The arrival of King Vatore and Queen Nadia spared Cielo from giving a response. He had come to the welcome dinner the night before but he had only stayed for a short while and refused to go over to the center table where the Royal family were seated.

The guests in the hall rose to their feet, the King and Queen would also be sitting on the pews. The chairs were arranged in an octagon in the circular hall with pathways in between each row, so the pew beside them was quite a distance away. This was where the King and Queen sat, the King of Asten joining them.

The hall settled down once more after the Royal family sat, the musicians playing a number as the ceremony was slotted to begin.

In the side room, Alessio had begun to doze off. The official that came to retrieve them didn't wear formal robes, and was instead dressed like any other guest. In a bright blue overcoat, he looked like a fop.

Silvan rose to his feet when the Vampire showed up, he had lost track of the time while sitting by the window. The effects of the wine were beginning to wear off— he never imagined he would have such a thought, but he could quite see why wine-drinking was popular.

Alessio rose as well, albeit reluctantly, like he would like to sleep a bit more. They followed the official's lead, the side room was truly right next to the grand hall, and it had a number of entrances. The official had used an inconspicuous entrance, but now he threw open grand doors that were hidden behind flimsy white curtains, which opened to the blinding white hall with all of the guests already seated.

The official's flamboyant actions caught the attention of the hall, curious eyes immediately trained on the grooms for the wedding ceremony, the music reaching a scintillating peak.

Silvan stood tall, absently rubbing the inside of his wrist with a thumb, it was almost like he could already feel the teeth in his skin. He was closer in height to Luka, so Alessio was a head shorter than him, the Vampire walked by his side, his black hair messy from his brief nap.

White petals littered the floor beneath their feet, it took Silvan back to the night before, on the balcony with the moon in the lake. It was strange, the white flowers trampled underneath his feet jolted him back to reality. This was his wedding— he glanced to the side in time to catch Alessio stifle a yawn, his red-stained lips pursing alluringly. He was getting married to a Vampire.