Admittedly, Aurelia strove to get under his skin with her physical touch, but he seemed mostly unfazed. She knew is was uncomfortable with it, but truth be told, if the tables were turned and she no longer held the power, she'd be positively flustered. Though, she could always just say that getting accustomed to being close and to touching him was a part of preparing herself for the event to come. She had no doubt that they'd have to fake some lovey-doveiness for the vultures, and she couldn't say that she was thrilled.

"So sure of yourself when I've never even bothered to be dressed up for you," she hummed, her tone pitying. In her lands, he wouldn't be considered the most fashionable either. From what she'd seen, most of the unseelie fashions were considered bold and daring for a woman to wear, with portions of skin showing they'd typically never dare. However, the seelie had their own way of flaunting themselves. Shimmering, reflective fabrics of the finest of silk, jeweled bodices and positively anything that would make the room around them shine a little brighter. They were expected to sparkle and glow without strictly showing their bodies.

Regardless, Aurelia fell quiet as he began showing her the dresses he had in mind to put her in. She was surprised by the first option, assuming that just perhaps he sought to bring her some comfort and familiarity in what she wore. The floral pattern and elegant fabrics were certainly suited to her tastes, but it was also similar to what other fae might wear in lighter colors. The second option, however, was that daring way of dress that she never had imagined herself in. Only... it was perfect. If they were truly aiming to see her as a part of his court as well as her own, then it was that dress that would truly do the trick. She'd probably hear some choice words from her parents about the scantly covering dress, but she didn't quite care. They were supposed to be making a statement, after all.

Aurelia nibbled at her lower lip as she made her decision, hardly able to believe that she was really about to agree to something of the sort. "The second one. I'm sure you'd rather me in something that doesn't make me look like such a blossom. Besides. You didn't exactly hide your favoritism, dearest," she told him, hands resting on her curvy hips. She only hoped she wouldn't regret that choice.

"Perfect." Loxley nodded. His tone, his victorious expression, everything in his body language was pointing straight to only one thing. She was doing exactly what he wanted her to. He was winning, if they chose to take the situation like a game. And Loxley absolutely did, just like with everything when he had a chance. If it wasn't the most serious matter in the world, he would find a way to make it a game in his own eyes or be petty, dramatic.. whatever have you.

He made the first option disappear in a subtle snuffing motion, and instead focused his illusionary magic on the second dress option she chose. If you could even say it was her choice, he knew what he was doing putting the two options together. There was only ever one choice if you thought about it. He enlarged the size of it to be exactly as it would be when he ordered it. His eyes flicked down and over her body once more, ignoring any attraction he may really have and opting for an expression that only showed careful calculation.

"You'd wear it well," Lux murmured lowly. He shifted the fake to look like it was on her like a fitting in a proper store instead of his own territory within their shared castle. He examined her for a moment, taking in all the measurements he would need to include in the order. Once he was finished, he flicked his wrist once more and the dress vanished into the ether.

"I suppose I should order it." Loxley turned away, planning to go right back to where he was and summon his swans again before doing anything whatsoever. The tone of his words suggested he was planning something along the lines of trying to order it late, so they could claim they were late to the party for the sake of the dress and definitely not because he just didn't want to go. It was almost like dragging him there, like a kid who hates school. But instead of kicking or screaming, the High Fae noble was simply bitchy.

Aurelia hated to give him exactly what he wanted, but truth be told it would play into her favor regardless of his wishes. It would piss off her parents, stun the general population, and satisfy the high nobles to see them adjusting to one another. It would be a perfect little slice of success and payback. His victory would be a small price to pay for her own, and she'd be able to look good while doing it. Perhaps she'd even manage to blow his mind. Seeing him gobsmacked would certainly be electrifying...

She held still as he sized the dress to her body, though his gaze threatened to make her squirm. She had never cared if she was being looked at, evening it was in a lustful, ogling way, but Loxley both irritated her and attracted her in someway, making for a dangerous combination when he looked at her so intently. She could admit to herself that she found Loxley to be attractive, hell, most high fae were, but she would be damned before she ever claimed it out loud. It would only add more air to that big head of his.

"Of course I will," she muttered, scowling to keep that flush from creeping up her neck again. Was that an actual compliment? Even though she was confident that she'd look good, she had her doubts until he had voiced that opinion as well. She wasn't sure if dark colors could suit her, or if so much skin showing would be something that made her seem as if she was trying too hard, but if Loxley would admit that she could wear the dress well, she'd let that be her conclusion as well. She heaved a soft breath as he finished, her body relaxing once more as his measurements had been completed. She needed to focus on prepping for the trip rather than lingering in his dark space.

"You should, beloved," she agreed, remaining where she was for a moment. "Because whether the dress is here and ready or not changes nothing. We will be leaving on time regardless. So, if you'd like for me to be a treat to your eyes, I advise you don't wait too long," she finished, her voice returning to that soft, buttery sweet tone with an envenomed edge as she turned to leave him be. He could put it off all he pleased, but she would drag him out of there kicking and screaming if she had to.

Loxley watched her leave with no expression on his face. As soon as the door shut behind the Unseelie woman, he summoned his imaginary swans to pop up in the water once more. The lake had gone to completely still water during their little chat, and the fake swans returned the aqua to soft rippling motion.

“Well, she got me there.” Loxley smiled softly to himself as he crouched and reached towards Ivory’s imitation. He could hate her all day long for being on the wrong side of the fae people in his own eyes, but he couldn’t deny the appeal he was starting to feel towards her. As long as she could manage to continue besting him, she at least wouldn’t get boring anytime soon. After all, they had all the time in the world as immortals.

❈

Lux spent the entire day trying to ignore the incoming party. Every time she mentioned it was coming up, he made sure he had his mouth full so he wouldn’t have to talk and could just glare. If he couldn’t get away with hiding behind sweets, he’d end up saying some sort of snide comment. But the time ticked away and wouldn’t stop however much he complained.

They split to get ready in their own domains, and he had made sure the entire outfit was there for her when she needed it. He could be bitchy, for sure, but he wasn't letting his queen go without the proper attire. He had gotten dressed much more quickly than her in his most lazy pick while still trying to dress up.

Loxley had dressed up in a plain black corset vest, paired with a black trench coat over it. He had slipped on black gloves and a couple silver necklaces just for the fun of it. Black dress pants and some sleek oxford boots to go along with it. He hadn’t bothered to style his hair in anything particular, if she had a problem with that she could fix it herself.

He couldn’t help the painful sigh that escaped him before crossing onto her side of the shared castle. Immediately he was attacked by the rays of sunlight streaming through the windows. At least the air felt somewhat nice here, but he was too stubborn to wear sunglasses. He found his way up to her room, slipping in without so much as the door squeaking. He took a quick look around her quarters before following the noise over to where she was changing. Out of respect he didn’t look just in case she wasn’t done just yet, but he did call out in a voice dripping with false boredom. “Are you done yet?”

Aurelia couldn't deny that he got on her nerves and made her want to blind the living daylights out of him just from spite, but she also couldn't deny that warmth he put into the pit of her stomach. Her physical attraction for him was growing even though she despised nearly every moment she spent with him. He was a challenge for her, with a mouth as sassy as hers and eyes so sinful they could bring her to her knees if he really tried. It would be an eternity of torture, no doubt.

❈

Upon returning to her section, she had prepared a small enchanted bag to hold all of the things she'd bring with her, which was truly only extra clothes and a few other goodies. She wasn't the type of woman to take ages to pack, or to pack a troubling amount, so of course when she was done she had to go and pester Loxley to ensure he was moving along accordingly. Being in a foul mood wouldn't help anything, but she simply couldn't resist when he was such an easy target to bother.

When she did return to her side of the castle, she was rather surprised and pleased to find that her outfit was present in all of its seductive glory, the lavish material calling out to be worn by her. She let out a shaky sigh before drawing away for the time being to fix up her hair and face how she pleased. She pinned her curls up into a carefully crafted updo, with pieces framing her face and others cascading down from the up portion, which she had adorned with pearl pins much like the ones on her dress. She kept makeup to a minimum, only opting to enhance her eyes and somewhat darken her lips from their typical rosy pink. It was out of her element, but she had to admit.. it felt good. She put in the onyx and pearl dangling earrings that they'd picked out for her to wear before finally turning to the dress.

Aurelia slipped into the gown, the free and minimal fabric a little intimidating once it was actually on her. The entirety of her legs were exposed and the collar of the dress brought equal attention to her slender, delicate neck. She had only just fixed the clasp at the back of her neck when she heard Loxley's voice, making her jolt and gasp with surprise. "Heavens! Couldn't you come in my room with a warning?" She fussed as the zipping of her knee-high black high heel boots could be heard. "Yes.. I'm done," she added quietly after a moment, fiddling with the details in the mirror before stepping to face him. The black highlighted her fair, smooth skin and the faint scent of sweet chocolate followed her, but her attention wasn't on herself anymore. She was too busy admired her husband, who's attire made him look even more devilishly handsome than usual. She was most certainly showing her delight on her face, her eyes raking him up and down slowly.

Loxley smirked at the sound of her voice. The Unseelie were known to melt out from the shadows, quiet as a cat during the hunt. Which meant no, he would never put a warning out before stepping into any area she was in. It brought him slight jumps of dopamine to know she had been startled by his sudden appearance in her room. “No. What a waste that would be.”

His green eyes trailed over her form when he finally bothered to look in her direction. For once, he really didn’t have any insults come to mind. Not even some sort of half praise. Although his words still came out in the same tone he would use for some half compliment, something under it was clear approval without a hint of toxin. He just hoped he didn’t hear that part when he spoke aloud. “You look… pulchritudinous.”

He swiftly turned his head away, denying any attraction he felt. To himself and her, even if she noticed it he would pretend otherwise. He picked up a random object on the nearest surface, whatever was closest and could provide some form of distraction from his own emotions. He kept his face schooled impeccably, just as a noble with a superiority complex might. And that was his image to everyone outside what small inner circle he had. It wasn’t until that moment he was reminded they hadn’t exactly spoken about transportation to the party. It was all about the clothes and essentially warnings to Lux not to blow it for them.

“How are we going to get there?” Loxley tilted his head in question. A small twitch of his lips insinuated he had another scheme she may not like so much but would be immensely fun for him. Although.. It would involve her having to be kept close to him. Close enough to be pressed against his chest in fact, for however long the travel would be. Luckily, the travel time would be cut in half if she went along with his idea. “I’m sure you have your own ways. But would you like to try out shadow travel?”

The way he spoke sounded casual, but his heart beat faster at the idea of having to hold onto her and the proximity. He did his best to tell himself to cut it out before she got close enough to feel it herself. He wouldn’t allow for any purposeful opportunity for Aurelia to mock him. My gods, that would be a fate worse than death should she be allowed the chance.

Aurelia growled in irritation, huffing as he denied her the request of a warning. Perhaps she'd have to increase the amount of light flowing into her room.. or, simply materialize one day in a ball of light into his room and give him the most rude of awakenings. "You are most irritating," she grumbled, wishing that her heart would quit beating in that weird, pit-pat way. It wasn't just from being startled, but she had been nervous to present herself to Loxley. She couldn't care less about what the seelie court would think, at least, that's what she told herself now.

As his reaction to her came, Aurelia couldn't help the quiet snort and hint of a smile that appeared as he looked away. pulchritudinous. Only he would attempt to call her beautiful in such a way, but the attempt at a humorous compliment didn't keep her from hearing how there was no bite to accompany it. He meant it. "I suppose you look good as well.. though that hair..." she mused, though she didn't make a move yet to even try and fix his hair, as he might expect her to. Luckily for him, she quite liked when it was messy and felt as though it fit his entire look. But, perhaps she'd make an excuse to run her fingers through the dark mess later as she "fixed" it.

She almost scolded herself for such a thought. She shouldn't want to touch him or even be found attractive by him, but her body was a damned traitor. His cool and collected demeanor was irritating, making her wish that she could have such good control as he seemed to. She had been openly ogling him, but he barely looked at her for thirty seconds before something else caught his attention. She huffed quietly at that thought and feigned the need to adjust her hair as he asked her about transportation. "I had intended traditional travel by drawn carriage, considering I'd rather not envelop you in blinding light before we even get there," she told him, having already thought about how displeased he'd probably be to have to materialize from glittering light and a heat that would probably be suffocating for him. Plus, it wasn't quite as easy for her to bring someone through the light with her. It took more concentration than she knew she had with Loxley connected to her.

She gave him a slightly skeptical look as he mentioned shadow travel, but her expression told that she was giving it thought. A full evening of being trapped in a small carriage with Loxley, or a shortened time with an experience that likely wouldn't bother her if he was busy carrying them through shadows? She crossed her arms over her chest and finally approached him, her gaze studying his face for any tricks he might have up his sleeve. "I... suppose that would be alright. It would certainly beat getting trapped inside of a carriage for longer. We can do it your way.. but no funny business," she told him, reluctantly agreeing. Gods, don't let me regret this...

"Great." Loxley purred, his tone saying he was already onto thinking about the next plot. Likely to happen during the party at some point. He stepped forward once she was ready, taking her softly into his arms. It was almost as if he was scared she would break if he was too rough, but really he knew all high fae were the furthest thing from fragile even if they looked so. He did his best to keep enough distance so she wouldn't hear the pattern his heart beat in his chest.

One second they were in a brightly lit room, the next the room was suddenly dark as midnight and shadows danced along the flooring. These shadows were not the light and wispy ones you get while hiding under a tree from the sun, no. These were pure black curling clouds of shadow similar to smoke with some weight to it. The shadows climbed up the walls and raveled around the two high fae creatures. And then it felt like they were dropped into a void, an abyss with nothing in it except these odd black formations.

He kept quiet during the travel, because a split second of distraction wouldn't do anything to him but he could drop her accidentally. It wasn't often he did this with a second person. It was more than possible a couple times a day for him, but there had been very little point in the past to ever bring a companion.

When they finally arrived, the shadows dropped like a cascading waterfall, curled around their feet and then vanished like mist into the air. Loxley tilted his head up before releasing Aurelia, finding the castle ceiling to be painted white and gold. Everything around here was entirely too bright for his taste. There were copious amounts of windows around the halls to let in sunlight, a feature Lux found out very quickly he hated but no one was surprised by that.

"The castle is... satisfactory." Loxley all but hissed. He was trying his best to bite back any snarky comments he may have and instead only do compliments like she had said. Normally he would never but he was hoping there could be good treats here, for lack of better wording. The sun hit his eyes like shards of glass but he refused to wince or hide behind walls like a coward. No, he would suffer. And he would deal with it like a burning vampire pretending it's not on fire.

"Where to next?" He looked down at the smaller female, following her lead. It was her territory after all. He had only visited once briefly before, so he was completely out of his own waters here and had to rely on her to know the ins and outs of this godforsaken palace.

Aurelia allowed for him to draw her in, her arms hesitantly curling around his neck as an added layer of protection as they traveled. She didn't think he'd purposefully drop her in the void, but she wasn't risking it either. She knew how bad it had been when someone was dropped during sun travel, and she had no doubt that she'd be just as devastated to be dropped into the shadows. The dark curling around them incited a bit of panic into her, her body shuffling a little closer as if he could save her from being gobbled up by the very darkness he created.

The distance he created between them wouldn't last for long, the suffocating darkness taunting her into relying on the feeling of his close by body for whatever semblance of comfort she could gain. She didn't want to admit she was nervous to be surrounded by so much dark and shadow, but she was, and the sound of her heart crashing against her ribs kept her from hearing the way his heart beat to an odd rhythm as well. She stayed just as silent as he did, letting him focus however he needed. Truth be told, she wasn't quite as good at traveling through their dimension as he seemed to be, but as someone who rarely left her parent's castle... she never had much reason to travel long distances.

When they finally arrived, Aurelia slowly released her grasp on Loxley, clearing her throat quietly to avoid thinking about how she'd clung to him for what felt like dear life. To be back in such bright light and warmth came as a comfort, her body relaxing as she resumed that typical look of confidence. "How sweet of you to say," she mused, knowing he felt the complete opposite. The castle was certainly grand, but she knew all of the light was paining his eyes and there were plenty of places he'd rather be.

"I suppose now we find our way to the ballroom to grace my parents with our presence. It seems not many guests have arrived yet, and the staff is still setting up," she told him, watching as the light to their far right rippled with movement, which was a servant that was out of sight, hurrying off to either finish last minute preparations or to alert the royal high fae of the new arrival. "Are you ready to be a picture perfect couple?" She asked in a little tease as she smoothed out the gown before beginning to lead them towards the faint sound of harps playing alongside other gentle music.

She hoped that arriving early would serve them well. She didn't know what to expect when facing her parents with her unseelie husband, both of them in unseelie garb. They could be delighted, or they could be appalled to see their daughter dressed in such a way. Not to mention, Aurelia could only imagine the prying, personal questions that the older pair would ask when they knew that her and Loxley's relationship was less than ideal and nothing pretty.

Loxley followed her through the halls. The light seared his eyes in a way he simply could not stop complaining about, but he could do that in due time. Right now he had to focus on the current event coming up. No longer did he have the luxury of simply thinking it was to be, it was right in front of his face. Right behind the door they walked through. Everything was in a way... angelic. He hated it, it made his stomach do flip flops to enter such a place but his expression never showed it one bit.

Lux put on a smile, of course not a genuine one. It wasn't designed to be real happiness seeing as he really didn't have reason to be truly happy in the current setting. Rather, it was the best that could be done to put on a show and nobody would really care to look past it. His shoes and hers could be heard as they walked along the floor, and it was something he could focus on until they got to their seats.

Loxley inwardly groaned when he saw the setup. He put extra effort so only his wife could hear it if at all. There was no outward reaction to accompany it, simply his lean form walking in a cat-like stride to the head of the table. No way was he ever going to stoop lower status options when the top of the food chain was just waiting in plain sight for the taking. It could be considered rude, but then again the Unseelie had much worse on their record that this could be easily looked over in favor of something else from the past.

As he gracefully plopped himself into the rather fancy chair, he quickly reached out a hand and grabbed Aurelia on the way down. He wrapped his right arm around her waist as he sat comfortably in place with her now on his lap. The Unseelie Court never used physical touch to show affection in any way shape or form unless to perform some sort of dominance or game. However, the Seelie Court often used physical touch as their love language and he decided it would be a good idea to conform to their norms to communicate the perfect couple working perfectly sort of imagery.

He slid his free hand onto her thigh in a way that seemed merely restful. He was trying to convey the 'play along, darling' message without making it obvious to anyone else. He just hoped that she had the capabilities to receive the subtle meaning and didn't punch him in the face when they got back home for breaking the script she likely thought would play out.

At least he put on the image of an Unseelie prince making himself at home wherever he went quite well. With, of course, the new princess.