"I have a ceremony to attend in an hour," Alessio said, but it was clear that he didn't mean his words, the dark cloud that had hung over him ever since last night getting a little brighter.
"That's why I only had a bottle brought," Luka said generously, his hair was neatly bound as usual, not a ruffle out of place.
Compared to him, Alessio looked laid back. The ribbon he tied his hair with was loose from the terrible knot he did, it made his hair fall forward, curved curtains beside his face.
Alessio considered it, the wedding ceremony was bound to go wrong somewhere, he never did anything right when it came to Prince Silvan after all, he might as well have a little wine to make the ordeal easier.
"Fine," Alessio grudgingly gave in, he hadn't put up much of a struggle to begin with. "I'll only have a cup."
Luka was already pouring the drinks out, red-eyes hooded as he watched Alessio watch his actions. The red wine spilled like blood, its deep color eye-catching. He was suddenly struck with the urge to dye Alessio's white wedding outfit red with wine, he wanted to leave his mark on the Vampire Prince with a desperation that left him reeling.
He placed the bottle down on the table without giving into his baser urges, lifting both goblets to offer one to Alessio. His hand trembled slightly when Alessio's slender fingers brushed against him, it made the goblet unsteady, splashing a red teardrop right over where his collarbones would be.
Alessio barely noticed the slip he made, although it made Luka hastily retreat and hide behind his goblet, red gaze greedily drifting over to the red stain. Having wine for breakfast was common for Alessio, he threw his head back and drank the half of the glass in a swig. His eyelids drooped slightly as he caressed the goblet, "Luka? Did you really only bring a single bottle of wine?"
A knock on the door was the response to Alessio's question, and with a pleased smile, the Vampire Prince dematerialized over to the door to open it without hesitation.
Luka frowned, a cold light in his eyes, he had truly only requested for a bottle of wine. He knew that Alessio still had some grievances towards him, so he stepped carefully around the other Vampire. He had a feeling about who would be behind the door, and it made the wine on his tongue taste like vinegar.
Alessio swung the door open with a dreamy smile, cradling a half empty goblet of wine, expecting to see a maidservant on the other end with more bottles of wine on a tray.
Silvan sucked in a sharp breath, spacing out as he took in the Vampire before him. Indignation at such debauchery rose slightly out of habitude but he barely paid attention to the thought. Alessio's smile froze on his face at the sight of him, Silvan wanted to see such a carefree smile a little longer.
Luka made his way over to break the headlock both Princes had stared themselves into, he didn't appreciate how intently they were looking at each other. He dropped off his goblet on his way over, leaving his hands free to stand behind Alessio to redo the ribbon on his hair.
"Your Highness," He smiled politely, "It's a pleasure to meet again, do you want to come in and join us."
Silvan glanced down at Luka's proximity to Alessio, the red-haired Vampire towered over the Prince, his long refined fingers moving through Alessio's hair with ease like he had done it many times before.
He had come to pay a quick visit to Alessio to pass the time, sitting in his bedroom made the time drag like sludge, he hoped that if he engraved the image of Alessio deeply enough, he wouldn't be plagued with images from the wraith from last night when he was bitten for the sake of the ceremony.
That had been accomplished as soon as he arrived, whenever he blinked he could still see the distracted smile on Alessio's face right when the door was opened. Silvan shouldn't stay, he didn't drink wine and Alessio pulled him in a way that felt blasphemous.
But his placid blue-green eyes were fixed on Luka trailing his fingers across Alessio's neck as he pulled his hands away, and his response fell out. "My apologies for imposing."
Luka was more stunned than Alessio, he had snidely suggested that because he was certain that Silvan would turn him down. The human Prince was perfectly composed, his expressions controlled, it made Luka want to break that perfect image.
Alessio, however, was increasingly panicked, he was yet to recover from Silvan's sudden presence, now the human Prince was agreeing to join them to drink. It felt like the wine he had sipped was giving him hallucinations. "I'll have the servants bring us more wine." He hastily stepped back to let Silvan in, then hurried out the door, needing some distance to put himself together.
Luka hadn't stopped him because he wanted to have a few words with Prince Silvan, he walked deeper into Alessio's bedroom, his polite smile completely gone. "Come in, take a seat."
Silvan silently obeyed, there was no use going back on his word after agreeing to the proposal. Perhaps a bit of wine would make the ordeal of the ceremony less torturous. He sat, but Luka didn't, instead, the noble Vampire hovered over him, his gaze dark, almost hateful.
"I'm aware you despise Vampires, High Priest," Luke said bluntly, Silvan's former title was said like a curse word, the tips of his fangs showing.
Silvan was unfazed by the accusation, it would be easy for the Vampire Court to dig up his past. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be surprised if his father provided it himself, so he expected Vampires to know this about him. What mattered however, was how he acted in the Vampire Court, not the position he used to hold.
"I am no longer a man of the cloth," He replied calmly, "… and my opinion of Vampires is worthless. If there's something you wish to say, then say it."