Painted Roses

Marriage is Politics

"Perhaps you should go as a bride."

Rosalia looked up from her afternoon tea at Antoinette's comment, momentarily confused as to what she was talking about before she realised Antoinette and Marie-Fey had been discussing the fast-approaching masquerade ball.

"Excuse me?"

"A bride," Antoinette repeated, holding her teacup out to a servant to refill. "It would be very striking."

"Why a bride?" Rosalia asked, "It's somewhat gaudy, wouldn't you say? Something more conventional would be more fitting. I was considering a princess or fairy."

"Nonsense, a bride would be perfectly fitting."

"For someone expecting a proposal, certainly."

Her sisters looked at her then in such a way that instantly set her nerves on edge.

"What?"

"Come now, Rosa," Marie-Fey said with a slight laugh, "everyone is expecting Mr. Cliffwood to propose to you soon. I hear he asks after your wellbeing every time he sees Valentine at the club. Everyone knows how he feels about you, and how you feel about him."

"Excuse me," Rosalia cut in, annoyed, "Exactly how am I supposed to feel about him?"

"That he's good enough to marry," Antoinette replied.

"I must be feeling a lot for a lot of different men then, seeing as there is a large number of men who are good enough to marry," Rosalia said, frowning.

"I would agree and yet you reject or dismiss them all," Antoinette said, clearly irritated by this fact.

"Then perhaps that will give you some indication as to how I might react to Mr. Cliffwood."

Antoinette let out an annoyed breath. "Rosalia. Time is hardly on your side anymore."

"Time is hardly on Marie-Fey's side either," Rosalia snapped and Marie-Fey glared at her, "Why not fuss over her marital status?"

"Because Marie-Fey has already decided to marry for connection over love. The choice is now left to Father to choose a suitable partner for her from powerful families outside of the country."

Rosalia stared at her for a long time, then looked at Marie-Fey. "When was this decided?"

"A few years ago," Marie-Fey said, "When I saw how Beldon's choice to partner thoroughly crippled Father. I decided to marry someone who would please him and secure me a life of luxury." She shrugged dramatically, a weirdly twisted smile marring her pretty face. "Love is overrated. It only seems to hurt people."

Antoinette glanced at Marie-Fey – her brow slightly creased – then looked back to Rosalia, who was gaping at her sister.

"Close your mouth, Rose, you look like a frog."

Rosalia's mouth snapped shut and her hand automatically moved to her dress pocket where The Frog was located at that moment. He shifted slightly and she looked at Antoinette again.

"I assume you wish to marry for love," Antoinette continued, "Our parents did stress the idea when we were younger."

"Of course I do," Rosalia said. "And I certainly do like Mr. Cliffwood, but I'm not willing to marry him. I don't know him."

"Well marry him and get to know him after," Antoinette said and Rosalia glared.

"It's all very well and good for you to preach about marriage. You married the man you've loved for years. You have a marriage that mimics our parents. However, you know as well as I do that you would not have married him if you did not love him. How can you suddenly be so anxious to cart our sisters off into marriages that we are not comfortable with?"