"The ravenous fire that crackled in your souls was one and the same, stoked by repressed fear and the overwhelming desire to survive in a world that only valued material power."
In their desperate battle to survive the harsh aristocracy, the desire...
So bored that he found the point of his boot against the marble more interesting than the conversation happening around him.
It was neither riveting nor important, and Hyunjin knew that he should at least pretend to be invested in what his mother and the heads of House Carmine were saying, but their voices only droned in the background of his thoughts.
It was the second day of the annual tour of the branch houses, a ten-day-long affair that was meant to strengthen ties between them and the main house.
House Amaranthine had six branch houses located throughout the major cities of the kingdom. They provided a network of informants and allies, ensuring the spread of Amaranthine's influence across Greria. They also supplied soldiers, consorts, and heirs should the main house lack. Hyunjin knew, for his own mother hailed from House Vervain, the branch based in the far north.
Normally, he would find respite from the dreary palace walls in these visits, but he only felt restless now. As though he would rather be doing something else.
And he would.
It had just begun, but Hyunjin was counting down the days until he could return to his room and study his magic further. Being around the Ērmār and under the scrutiny of members of the branch houses all day meant that he didn't have the privacy to experiment with his magic.
He was beginning to miss the tingle of it at his fingertips. And he missed something else, a small voice in his head tempted, though he was too shy to admit it.
Despite not paying his fullest attention to the discussion around him, Hyunjin still noticed the hush that befell the room. He fished his mind out of a sea of wandering thoughts and glanced around, finding four pairs of eyes fixed on him, bemused, expectant, and one bothered.
"It appears that we have lost the Sōrsānt in our dull chatter," the Ērmārvi of House Carmine smiled, dark eyes gleaming with a patronizing kindness. Next to her, the Sōrmārvi laughed, contorting the old scar that ran across his cheek. "Surely not!"
Hyunjin avoided his mother's reprimanding gaze, hoping a polite bow of his head would hide his embarrassment. "My apologies. I was lost in thought."
The Ērmārvi turned to her eldest child. "Yeji, why don't you walk with the Sōrsānt in the garden?"
"Yes, mother." the Ērsānvi obliged, standing up with a swish of light beige skirts. She drew a pleasant smile on her lips as she addressed Hyunjin. "My Sōrsānt, would you care for a stroll?"
Hwang Yeji, despite sharing a surname, was no relative of Hyunjin's. Only another rival more skilled and competent in the Ērmār's eyes. She had her mother's delicate features and gentle demeanor, and her father's talent for Pyro magic—the ideal for a lady of the outer circle, and someone he had to be wary of.
The Sōrsānt responded with a courteous smile of his own, accepting her offer as he rose from his seat. He wouldn't deny her after being caught unceremoniously spacing out in the hospitality of her family. "I would."
Yeji led him out of the receiving room, into a glass-domed lobby, and out again to a lovely expanse of greenery. The Carmine residence was an extravagant display of architectural mastery. With tall windows, sweeping arcs, and malevolent pillars, the mansion was the image of elegance and wealth.
The garden Hyunjin was ambling through was maintained with visible care. Birds hopped across lush blades of grass and sang between the branches of plum trees, which had borne sweet fruit and sagged with their weight. Pristinely trimmed bushes lined their stone pathway, peonies embracing sunlight with soft pink petals. A lake shimmered at the end of the path, and Hyunjin could see a flutter of swans on its surface.
It was a place that seemed to coax all the restlessness out of his system and discard it somewhere with the playful breeze.
Hyunjin stopped to admire a bed of peach-colored dahlias when he heard the Ērsānvi speak up behind him, "Sōrsānt?"
He straightened and turned around, curious. He had offered a few lines of small talk on their way, but other than that, the girl had been silent. "Yes?"
Yeji averted her gaze, turning her head away in the slightest, and the cuff on her ear caught the light. Ruby-red, with six spiked points to indicate each piercing. Hyunjin had often thought it resembled a flame.
"House Carmine will be holding my gracing ball in two months' time," she said, the words as soft and tentative as the wind tousling her long hair. "It would be a great honor to have you among the attendees."
She directed her eyes to look at him then, expectant, and Hyunjin felt his throat dry up. This must have been the Ērmārvi's plan from the start. A simple suggestion between aristocrats couldn't be one without ulterior motives.
A gracing ball was a tradition amongst the aristocracy who were seeking partners for their daughters. It was a party with the sole purpose of gathering favors from bachelor prospects. In this case, it was also a veiled attempt at the future position of Ērmār of House Amaranthine.
Hyunjin wasn't surprised. If anything, he guessed he would only be receiving more such invitations in the upcoming days. He was nearly of age, after all, and each of the branch houses was aware of that fact.
He maintained a refined smile when he answered, "It would be my pleasure."
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