Eternal Sins

•Chapter Seven•

The glow surrounding the candle lit balcony was beyond anything Eva had ever seen before. The magic here was thriving, bursting with energy, so well fed and taken care of. The magic of the castle she knew at home held nothing similar to it, Eva noticed it constantly.

She had come to see the castle as another home. She knew it's walls, it's creaks, the swell of it's life. She could feel now, how much of it's life was lost with white witches no longer occupying it's throne.

In fact, the past few days had been nothing but Eva counting how very different things were here. She had spent most of her time in the bedroom chambers, telling Cedris to gather her meals and reading supplies as she read up on this world's history.

She couldn't bring herself to interact with her supposed family, she feared it would be too hard to leave when the time came. Especially considering mother and Alice.

Eva did her best to avoid everyone, even Cedris himself. She needed time to reflect on what exactly was sparking between them and trying to stop it, doing whatever she could to forget it and bury it away. Her circumstance was strange, their relationship ever stranger. She couldn't allow something so idiotic to ruin her and Ben's life, more than it already had.

A familiar pit, a black grimace, welcomed such turmoil with thankful embrace. The evil in Eva continued to twist it's vines.

In a sleek black velvet dress, Eva stood beside Cedris on the ballroom floor, greeting people as they made obligated bows. The feeling was highly uncomfortable for Eva, as it was usually at home. But Cedris seemed to handle it well for the both of them, covering her awkward silence with a surplus of gratitude and merry reply. He was good at being gracious and kind. Eva could even sense excitement in him.

She knew he had faith in her, of all Eva's he may of come across, to save his wife. She knew that, as he had told her through some forced conversation he weighed was important to prepare her for the event. His expectations were live wire in Eva's messy, bloody hands. She couldn't remember the last time she saved a life instead of destroying it, Cedris supposedly drowning included. It would be a considerable thought that her poor Cedris at home had no clue what was really going on. He was just yanked into a magical wave, used for another's purpose. Eva could not fathom her Cedris would have so easily given in to this plan, had he known the full details.

Her hair had been left down, Eva refusing the company of any aid, the ache of missing Edana restricting in her chest. She left it to flow, running down to the cinched in waist of her dress.

For a moment, Cedris let his hand run over her clothed arm, pulling her in, "They will leave us be eventually." He offers this to settle her, her discomfort getting clearer in her face. Eva only nods, letting her eyes unfocus into the crowd. His eyes focus into her side complexion for a moment, yearning for her to even look back.

The rooms were decorated similarly to how they always were for Samhain. Dripping candles, the ropes lining the walls. Cedris had already told her of the mask ceremony, a tradition upheld. It was then, Eva needed to be on her toes.

The murmur of excited voices was muddled into the music of the band, dancing began. It was customary for the married couples of the royal family to innitiate the first dance.

People made room for them, Cedris holding his hand out to lead and Eva taking it with numb agreement.

Cedris matched her tastefully. He wore a black velvet jacket, with more casual black dress slacks and a deep green button up underneath with suspenders. Cedris wore them often, Eva noticed, he did not seem to be fond of belts.

Taking their place, Eva's mother and father looked on from the balcony, Persei and Tilly standing beside them. This was the first time Eva had seen Persei, or even seen Tilly in person at all. They looked happy, content, Tilly's baby bump on display in her tight purple dress. Eva wondered if she would survive it.