"Chris." /Chanlix/

-Chapter 2-

perfect calligraphy, fine music; indulgence

Somedays, Christopher forgot he was married. It was easy, very easy in fact, probably the easiest thing in his entire life. It was precisely for him to be able to forget the ring he carried that he had requested for his partner to have a specific characteristic, after all.

Some other days, however, it was very hard for Christopher to brush off the weight on his finger and the stares that pierced his back. Not impossible, just a tad bit hard, especially at times like that morning.

The carriage was in front of him, ready to depart and bring him to London, but he couldn't bring himself to get into it as a pair of eyes were glued to his back, judging yet again his departure. With a tired sigh, he turned around, not surprised to find his spouse's figure at the top of the stairs, right outside the front door, still dressed in his bed garments. Truly, Christopher was amazed at how the other never got ill, despite having never seen him in more than flowy and thin robes, walking around with just a pair of soft slippers while everything around him turned cold and rainy, just like that morning.

«Get back inside sweetie, you are going to catch a cold in this weather dressed up like that» he scolded him, turning around.

It wasn't like it bothered him to leave the young man alone, he had been doing so for the past two months after all, but it seemed like the other was becoming as insistent as he could be with his behavior. Still, he ignored him as best as he could, climbing the steps and getting into the carriage, his spouse glaring at him from on top of the stairs. Christopher simply sighed and tapped the ceiling of the carriage with his walking stick, signaling for the driver to depart. His eyes lingered for a bit on the other's candid figure, up until a servant scurried him inside, placing a robe over his shoulders. With that, Christopher sat back, relaxing his shoulders and closing his eyes. He could surely use a nap, seeing that he didn't work well in carriages and the last time he had shut his eyes it had been two nights prior.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

London was, as always, majestic and utterly disgusting at the same time. Perhaps it was just the contrast created between the aristocracy, the poor people and the immigrants, but it wasn't that important when, at times, the stench invaded Christopher's senses even from inside the carriage, making him wrinkle his nose and hope to get to Buckingham Palace as soon as possible. The view wasn't all that great either, but looking around was a thing that Christopher always had to do, both for his safety and the country's. Nothing too out of the ordinary was happening in the muddy streets and, soon enough, it all gave in to the large parks and the beautiful mansions, the majestic part of the capital. The Crystal Palace, still in its early construction period, sparkled as they passed by Hyde Park, the sun having just shyly come out to beam on the glass. The first World Great Exhibition was going to be held in it, the next year, organized by their King, and, because of that, Christopher was going to be busier than ever. People coming and going created immense chaos, the perfect environment to strike, either towards a fellow businessman, men of the aristocracy or the royal family itself. As a matter of fact, Christopher had already been swarmed with work related to the business he owned, one of the Empire's most renowned ship trading companies, however he quite enjoyed it, as he never had to sit with his hands for himself.

Finally, they arrived at Christopher's final destination, the carriage passing through the grand gate and stopping near the main stairs. It was gloomy as Christopher stepped out of it, but it wouldn't have rained any soon, however he still hurried into the palace, stating his status and matters to the royal guards. He knew his way well to his Queen's office, so he refused a servant's humble offering to accompany him. On his way, he caught glimpses of other important figures of the aristocracy, who he curtly greeted but didn't stop to entertain, at least until he was mere hallways away from his destination.