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[kcstyv]

tekla.

“ used to be married to giselle d’orléans… i expect they want margaux to inherit the throne… he’s… i haven’t met him. the late belarusian king favoured him, didn’t he ? ”  and now he had arnauld doing his bidding.  “ he’s risking a world war to get what he wants. ”  

" he is persistent too, ” the duke of gomel has played the long game. “ new years eve, moscow, 2019. lyosha was poisoned. ” his palms are raised, as if to say this is the alternative to milena on the throne, “ yurivič. it was meant for lenya. she was pregnant with your niece. ” back straightens. “ sort leonid. ”

[kcstyv]

tekla.

“ can you ?  if the french king keeps making a compelling case, it won’t be just the baltics. he will have the nordics before long. i can ensure they at the very least stay neutral. if he’s managed to turn someone in our camp with all the information against this, it’s not a stretch to say he’ll succeed there. you need the win. work with me.  ”

if the french king was so easily able to turn one of theirs, does this say more about how compelling his case is or just how erratic levente’s trusted inner circle is ? he has yet to decide, but tekla seems to be convinced of the former. he’ll bite. “ how much do you know of the duke ? ”

[kcstyv]

tekla.

“ that’s not it. it’s the french king. he slips through every crack anyone leaves and his power of persuasion has reached us. i can’t say more. but you have to believe me on this. levente will do what he has to do, but it will leave him isolated. ”

so levente has sent tekla to speak to him, ask him for information, and expects him to concede all so levente wouldn’t be left isolated ? “ we’ve spoken to levente and fanni, assured them both that we would handle this. your part was to handle leonid. ” he owes levi no favours. nor does he owe tekla any favours, especially when she’s demanding ‘clarity’ in exchange for ‘i can’t say more’.

[kcstyv]

tekla.

“ no…”  he already seems tired of this conversation, she’ll skip the niceties.  “ i know your family has gone over the possibilities a million times, the gain simply doesn’t justify the resources. why haven’t you advised milena to bow out  ?  is this even about her ?  please. it’s alarming how much sway this duke has. i understand milena has a lot on her plate. i’m just asking for more clarity. it’d be easier to press leon. ”

" protecting the infant daughter of his cousin isn’t enough to press him ? ” do they croÿs really hold such fickle loyalty to their own flesh and blood ? 

[kcstyv]

tekla.

“ i almost rescheduled this catch up a second time. ”  she had said she wouldn’t do this and yet here she is. “ i’ve been caught up to speed on a few things. you’ve been busy. ”   [ @kcstyv​ ]

“ tekla, i was beginning to think you were avoiding me, ” his tone is a fraction short of its usual geniality. he says no more, instead waits for her direction. 

[kcstyv]

lixue.

“I do not want a meeting with Anya.” Anya was not the czar of Russia. If Lixue had just wanted a meeting with a Russian, the nature of their dinner would have been completely different from what it was. “How likely is he to support me?” 

“ you won’t have any luck within this next week, ” there are larger fires than the one that lixue tends. “ he’s unlikely to involve us but i’ll get you your meeting, ” it’s as much as he can promise her. “ present a strong case. it’s not just him you’ll have to convince. ”

[kcstyv]

lixue.

“I need a meeting with your brother.” Cooperation with Kurakin had not been as easy as she had hoped. She would have to exchange one careful man to another. “Would you be willing to arrange it for me?” ( @kcstyv​ )

" you could have saved yourself some time, ” kurakin was an unnecessary step if she’s found herself trading in a favour. amidst their current situation with belarus, lixue’s timing works against her. “ anya’s schedule might be more forgiving. ”

[kcstyv]

russians.

“Lenya called from Paris…” He had not expected something like this to be sprung on him. “Yurivič knows about Katya.” He had been so busy making sure Milena remained cool and rational, that he had not had time to truly process what the information meant. What it really meant. He should have spent an hour alone and altered his schedule for the day instead of holding the scheduled meeting with his inner circle. “The French too. They’ve presented an ultimatum for her.” ( ** @aromancva​, @cksvnv​, @ncdyc​, @kcstyv​ )

he’d suspected that her time in france would be spent picking up silly trinkets for the monegasque princess. this was not the anticipated topic of discussion. lenya, who always thought three steps ahead and yurivič is her undoing ? they should have acted quicker, spared him less time to dig up their skeletons. “ what are their terms ? ”

[kcstyv]

lixue. 

“ you must have the most premium tea for kurakin, of all people, to extend a thursday lunch meeting to a several month stay. ”     * / @jinlixue​

[kcstyv]

fanni › nadya.

“To you at most!” Fanni exclaimed with a laugh, her hand shooting out to grasp Nadya’s arm for a brief second. After a squeeze, the hand returned to support the foot of her champagne flute. “I’m not very into public humiliation.” She had definitely had had her fair share of it already. “If you feel like hearing a crow try to sing Cher, I’ll knock on your door once we’re back in Canada. I’ll have to find another way to thank the couple, I’m afraid.”

a single brow lifts, eyes landing on her own arm in the same moment fanni’s hand does. it withdraws before she can gently dislodge, throat clearing as her spine rolls taut again.   ❛   no need.  ❜   the first time had been reason enough. an anomaly.  ❛   kostya probably would. since he’s so eager to share.  ❜   /.  @kcstyv​

how did nadya sleep a night with fanni in such close proximity when he’s certain that if the blonde’s hand had lingered even a second longer, she’d be squirming under the touch ? though his grin is perpetual, he decides he’s put her through enough, toed her limit, earned himself a generous earful she’ll save for the moment this conversation has past. his palm leans onto the table, finger grazing down gold letters embossed into the card. “ how about a wish with the bride’s veil then ? or a dance in their honour ? ”     * / @fannicroy​

[kcstyv]

alexei › nadya.

“So… does anyone know who the man is?” ( ** @ncdyc​, @kcstyv​ )

❛   which man ?  uriah ? ❜

“ we all know uriah, ” he responds, pointedly, tilting his head towards the german.     * / @rcmvncv​

[kcstyv]

nadya › fanni.

oh he is dead.  ❛   no !   ❜  she turns to fanni.  ❛   no.   ❜   and just in case either one of them is deaf.  ❛   n-o.   ❜  he won’t see savage shove coming before she says,  ❛   and the princess bride is his specialty. he can tell you a-ll about buttercup. and her horse.  ❜

“Was that a ‘no’?” She leaned a bit closer and cupped her ear. “Your brother is right, it would be quite special. They probably have everything from designer bowls to espresso machines.” Everyone did. It was why gift giving was becoming increasingly more difficult! “I don’t know what that is. Did Armani release an album?” Her laugh was as short as it was awkward. ( @kcstyv​ / @ncdyc​ )

“ fanni. fanni, ” he catches her elbow to scope the sincerity of her expression. “ the princess bride ! buttercup ? montoya ? ” surely the names might strike a memory ! “ the next sleepover will be a movie night, ” he’s revealing too much. he makes a mental note to start preparing his will. 

[kcstyv]

nadya › fanni.

why do these people always just, appear, when her back is turned ?  relief almost comes with kostya, but the moment he starts to grin she knows this is ill-founded. the expression on his face holds an undercurrent that make the corners of her lips twitch briefly, covered by her fingers and the clearing of her throat before eyes widen at him, mouthing a foul word in russian to supplement her glare.   ❛   i’m not a rockstar.  ❜   does fanni even know what that means ?  the question in her mind is clear only for kostya from the incredulous look she shoots him next. why would you do this?!   ❛   i — don’t,   ❜  she has to choose her words carefully, since JUDAS is watching, she has done karaoke before, but only with him and close friends from home. why should fanni croÿ get to know this ?  the harp thing was a slip !  ❛   play these games… but you should, i’m sure you’ll sound nice.   ❜  she is not sure. she is not sure at all. her ear tells her it might sound a little like a cat wailing.  and then for good measure  ❛   what song will you sing ?  ❜

“You play the guitar nicely, you’re a rockstar enough to me,” Fanni insisted, gently elbowing the other in the arm. “It’s not just about earning points. It’s about enjoying the moment… And I’ve have to listen to so many bad singers that it would be nice to enjoy the ballad for a change!” Her smile faltered and she furiously shook her head. “No, no, I can only sing one nursery rhyme to a family member and that’s it. I don’t plan to torture the guests, the bride and groom might not appreciate it.” She tried smiling a bit wider. “You could always do a duetto? I everyone in your family are musically gifted.” ( @kcstyv​ or @ncdyc​ )

he really shouldn’t. he can almost hear the profanities she’s screeched in her head... but he simply cannot help himself ! not when nadya is a rockstar enough to fanni croÿ. and not when he knows the foul expletives won’t reach her lips with this audience. “ one ballad, nadya, surely. i’m sure the bride and groom would appreciate such a gift from a princess of russia. ” he shifts his weight, directing his next words to fanni and diminishing nadya’s expression into his peripherals. “ storybook love, the princess bride. do you know it ? it’s her song. i wouldn’t dare take it from her. ”

[kcstyv]

fanni.

“Since you can play instruments, can you sing? If you do, you need to do the love song challenge.” ( @ncdyc​ )

he reaches nadya just a second after the blonde, a knowing grin finding its way to his cheeks. oh, she will hate this. “ —like a siren, ” he hums, “ especially when accompanied by the harp. ”     * / @ncdyc​

[kcstyv]

russians.

“ HE CAN’T ACT WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL. ” the czar was at the top of the pyramid, no one was to question the position. “ if her highness has offered a good deal, it would be in our best interest to know if it’s worth taking. is no one interested in seizing an opportunity ? even if we decide her highness is not fit for the throne, we can strengthen our ties with the current emperor. ” [ @cksvnv​, @kcstyv​, @aromancva​, @kcliningrcd​, @ncdyc​, @zhcnyv​ ]

“ kurakin will follow our lead. he’s not interested in making us his enemy. ” the duke was a military man, he understood hierarchy and his rank. “ but he seems to favor the princess over her brother. it’s still unclear why she went to him instead of us, directly. there isn’t anything he could offer that you wouldn’t have had to approve anyway, there was no need for a middle man. ” it was suspicious, but ultimately… “ see what she has to offer. having a ruler indebted to us is never a bad thing. ” [ @cksvnv​, @kcstyv​, @ncdyc​, @zhcnyv​, @kcliningrcd​ ]

“ it wouldn’t be the first time someone lyosha thinks fondly of stabs him in the back. ” kurakin might have been one of the few visitors in alexei’s new house but that did not tell much about the man’s motives. “ i can think of a few reasons: she knew lyosha would not support her and/or kurakin’s price is much lower than the czar’s. ” if lixue believed she could win with just kurakin, involving the romanovs was an unnecessary expense. “ and if she has a good deal and we take it, how long does it take for her to go over lyosha again ? ” | @rcmvncv, @zhcnyv​, @kcliningrcd​, @ncdyc​, @kcstyv​

first vitya, then anya. " hm, ” he finds himself agreeing with oksana. after anya’s unfruitful meeting with him, did they really not question kurakin’s sense of loyalty ? “ —will he ? ” follow his czar’s lead ? refrain from acting without approval ? the grand duke had established his footing in a sense of duty and rank, but they shouldn’t forget how readily his hands had reached for the next rung to climb them. “ he should be at this table. there’s only so much he'd be able to equivocate before turning himself into a court jester. ”      * / @ncdyc​ ·  @zhcnyv​ · @kcliningrcd​ · whoever

[kcstyv]

milena.​

milena lit up as he swung open his front door, wasting no time pulling him into a hug. “happy early birthday kostenka!” she waited impatiently for him to invite her in. “i’ve brought vodka, and myself. shall we celebrate?”

he bares a grin, welcoming her embrace, " eh, you flew all the way here just so you could blow out my candles, ” milena is far from being that little girl, but the memories are fond regardless. “ you’re not spending yours with kseniya ? ” he leans against the door, craning his neck to call down the corridor. “ one more glass ! ” @ncdyc​ · @aromancva​ · @rcmvncv​

[kcstyv]

lixue.

“It’s ah… by some Spanish artist.” It wasn’t a Picasso by any means but the sort of painting that drew the eye without being obnoxious. She took a step out of the way for Kostya to be able to view the picture that was being held by one of her bodyguards. “It’s a thank you gift as well as a ‘don’t you dare speak about it’ reminder.” A reminder… a threat… What she had said in her sleep deprived state was not a reflection of herself. ( @kcstyv​ )

“ no, i wouldn’t dare speak of a sister’s concern for her sibling, ” fear is a foreign language for lixue. though he finds no fault in the words she spoke, her vulnerability is caged behind heavy armour, high walls and barbed wire fences. he refuses to exploit the privilege of seeing it — bribe or no bribe. “ but i appreciate the gesture, thank you. it’s a beautiful piece. ” he steps aside to clear a path for her guard to enter and waits for her to follow suit. “ is she doing better ? ”