The Betrothal. The warm London summer caressed Lucrezia’s olive skin as she looked out of the balcony of the apartment her parents had purchased for her to live in while she finished college. The Italian 22-year old smiled as the sun's warmth infused her with renewed energies to commence her day. The former Sonoran hadn't had a very good night sleep due to the nerves that had taken over her body. Lucrezia had done spectacularly during her 4 years at Wesley University of Magic and she was very proud of her degree in Magical History - even though her parents had never really understood why she wanted to get one to begin with. However, Lucrezia had taken pride in expanding her cultural borders by learning about magical history all over the world, but with a minor in English history since she would be living in England with Cepheus once they got married.
The Italian smiled at her view of London before closing the balcony doors to get ready. The brunette looked at her, already made, bed to find the outfit she had chosen for this day and smiled at it. The dress was a simple black one paired with red stilettos - Lucrezia had preferred wearing more simple clothes to pair them with colorful shoes. The outfit had been purchased weeks in advance with the help of her mother and one of twins. If Lucrezia was honest, she liked living by herself - well she was still being taken care of by a couple of house-elves -, and was dreading going back home to Calabria after a few weeks. It had been an amazing 4 years of actual freedom and she was going to miss it. The former Sonoran carefully touched the stilettos with the tip of her fingers before quickly getting undressed to shower and start her day.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The day had passed in a whirl of emotions: Lucrezia smiled brightly as she finally settled besides some of her fellow students, smartly dressed in her academic dress. She had graduated. She had her degree in Magical History! She was excited and proud of her accomplishments, since it had required a lot of work to get to this day. She hugged Elsie - one of her college friends - and shrieked in excitement.
“I´m sorry,” she exclaimed, “But this is so exciting!” her accent had not faded in the years she had spent living in London.
Elsie laughed, “I understand!” she said quite excitedly. “But we can now continue with our lives.” The Irish witch said.
Lucrezia was going to continue with the conversation when she glimpsed Cepheus. “Ceph!” she shouted a bit excitedly to gain his attention coupled with hand gestures.
Cepheus was struggling to find Lucrezia in the midst of all the celebration, but when he saw her waving hand, he smiled and made his way to her through the sea of people. “I enjoy crowds, but this is ridiculous,” said Corvus as he followed his son.
“This is a university, darling,” said Cornelia as she took his hand. “We both know how the young ones enjoy a good celebration.” If Ceph had looked back, he would have seen his mum glancing mischievously at him.
Being a socialite in British society had offered Cepheus loads of opportunities to enjoy life on a higher scale. Since Sonora, he’d been learning the family business and attending high-end social events of all sorts. On most occasions he went with his mum and dad, but there were times when he brought his own date, particularly to the events hosted by their peers. Having Lucrezia attend university in England had been most convenient, and Cepheus used the opportunity to get to know his future partner better. The more licentious underground raves in London he usually attended on his own with his mates, and his parents weren’t appalled much when he arrived home early in the morning on week-ends.
“Congratulations, Lucrezia,” said Cepheus once he reached her. He gave her a kiss and embraced her briefly before he allowed his mum and dad to offer their congratulations as well.
“We’re so proud of you,” said Cornelia with a smile. Since realising she would be accepting a daughter into their family, Cornelia had taken very good care of Lucrezia, even better than her own sons. Whilst she was sarcastic and blunt with the wizards, she was caring and even kind to her future daughter-in-law. Cepheus would have been jealous if he’d cared, but he was glad to see his mum taking such a liking to her.
Lucrezia´s smile grow brighter as the Princeton´s arrived by her side. Elsie, smiled at the incoming party of people and moved over to give everyone space with Lucrezia.
“Thank you,” she replied as she moved a bit closer to Cepheus. Lucrezia had become so used to his presence that she naturally sought him. She was quite happy that Cornelia and Corvus had come to congratulate her.
“Lucrezia,” she heard someone calling her name as her mother and father caught up with him. “My dear,” Camelia said while hugging her youngest. The older witch instantly started fussing over Lucrezia's hair - her long hair was cascading down her back in delicate waves.
Alessandro was greeting the Princetons while his wife greeted their daughter.
Alessandro Renaldi laughed, “Dear, let her breath for a minute.” Camelia smiled back at her husband and let him congratulate their daughter. The older wizard hugged Lucrezia tightly for a few seconds before letting go. “Congratulations,” he said to his youngest.
Lucrezia smiled at her parents, but Alessandro looked at Cepheus, “And you, young man,” he addressed him with a twinkle in his eyes. “I hope you are taking good care of my little girl.” For a second Alessandro looked murderous as he had heard rumors of Cepheus´ penchant for wild parties, but it was replaced with a knowing smile - he understood the younger wizard. The Renaldi patriarch knew all about the London party scene - having been privy to it years ago. Who could blame the boy? He had also been young once! - but he surely didn't want his daughter knowing what happened underground. He knew she would be very well taken care of by Cepheus and the Edwards (if they happened to be there), but he preferred if she wasn't exposed like that. It was his duty as a father to take good care of her.
Alessandro laughed to himself for a second before vigorously patting Cepheus on the shoulder, “Soon she'll be your sole responsibility,” he finished seriously.
Cepheus liked Lucrezia’s parents - at least as much as he liked any parent - and he nodded as he did whenever an older witch or wizard passed on their advice. Lucrezia’s father seemed a bit barmy as he first looked as though he was going to kill him before laughing. “I understand,” said Cepheus, bearing Alessandro’s vigorous pats. “You have nothing to worry about.” Cepheus smiled and shook Alessandro’s hand. “Congratulations to you as well. You must be proud to have such an accomplished daughter.” Many of Ceph’s relatives had attended university, though more witches than wizards. Cepheus himself had no desire to pursue a higher education, but he was a proud to say that his future partner had a university degree.
“Shall we go celebrate later, Lucrezia?” he asked. “I’ll come meet you when you’re ready.” He thought she’d like some time to celebrate with her family, perhaps even return home for a bit. They weren’t planning on marriage for another two years, so she would have plenty of time to reacquaint herself with Italy if she so chose. He hoped she’d choose to stay in England during those two years, but that was up to her.
Alessandro smiled, “Very proud indeed,” he responded while smiling down at his daughter. Alessandro and Camelia had never been a conventional Pureblood marriage, they actually liked one another. It had taken years of being together for the deep love they shared to sprout and grow into what was today. Alessandro wasn't ashamed to admit that the first years of their lives together had been solely based on sexual attraction - they didn't have much in common -, but they had made it work.
Camelia looked at her husband and quietly shook her head. He was incorrigible, especially when it came to Lucrezia. Out of their 4 children, Lucrezia had been the one that been incessantly spoiled by them, and she knew Alessandro was having a hard time letting go of their little girl.
“That sounds lovely,” she responded to Cepheus´s invitation before her daughter. They had organized a party for Lucrezia for the upcoming week, when she would be back at Italy with them.
“We should grab a quick lunch,” Camelia told the present Renaldis before looking at the Princetons, “We hope you can make it next week,” she said with a smile. Camelia had personally sent their most trustworthy house-elf to deliver their invitation.
Lucrezia nodded at her mother, before looking at her future husband. “It shouldn't be more than 2 hours. I’ll be at my flat.” Lucrezia hugged the older Princeton's before quickly kissing Cepheus on the cheek. “I’ll see you later,” she said with a smile before looking at her parents that seemed ready to leave to get some food.
Cepheus nodded and watched as Lucrezia walked off with her parents. Corvus put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’ve something to give you, son,” he said. He held out a hand to his wife, and with a snap he Apparated the three of them back to their estate in Surrey. The two men went up to Corvus’s office, and the older Princeton went to his desk drawer for a velvet box. Corvus handed it to his son, and Cepheus whistled when he opened it.
“Lucrezia’s going to be extremely pleased,” said Cepheus, shutting the box again.
“It’s custom-made, Goblin-wrought silver with the Princeton emblem embedded into the band.”
“Similar to the one Mum’s got.” Cepheus tossed the box up once before tucking it away into his interior pocket.
“I know you’ll take care of it. It costs a fortune to custom-make these rings.” Corvus himself wore the family’s signet ring, an age-old heirloom that had been in the family for longer than Cepheus could believe. That was the only ring Ceph could not wait to have on his own finger, but it wouldn’t be for quite some time.
The afternoon passed unceremoniously, and when evening arrived, Cepheus went to Lucrezia’s flat to pick her up for dinner. He’d made reservations at an upscale French restaurant, one of the family favourites. The Princetons had their regular table with a view that overlooked the city.
Going out with Cepheus was always a very interesting experience for Lucrezia, even when their age gap wasn't that big, Cepheus had more life experience than her and that thrilled the Italian. There were a lot of things she didn't know or had experienced, but heard of. However, she now depended on her fiance to show her the ropes.
The Italian smiled as they entered the restaurant and were shown to their table. “I love the view,” she said to Cepheus before slowly taking off the light black sweater she was wearing. Lucrezia had changed her outfit for the night, and she was sure her mother wouldnt approve of this particular dress, but Lucrezia loved being admired by Cepheus. The Italian stood for a few seconds before sitting down and looking at the blonde young man. “What are the plans for tonight?” she asked excitedly. The promise of fun adventures alongside the man she was going to eventually marry filled the night with excitement and coursed through her veins with renewed love of spending time with the man in front of her. Lucrezia fairly enjoyed the time spent with him, it was surely never a dull time.
Cepheus was sure his eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw what Lucrezia was wearing. His betrothed was absolutely gorgeous, and he told her so as the waiter pulled out her seat for her to sit. He eyed her appreciatively before she sat down, but sitting didn’t help the thoughts that now ran rampant through his head. Another waiter came by with ice water and Cepheus took a long drink from it.
“First dinner, then I was thinking we could go to one of the clubs, and then take a walk. It’s a lovely evening out.” He’d prepared something more for their walk but wasn’t about to ruin the surprise. “How does that sound to you?” Cepheus ran his fingers through his blond hair, a nervous habit he still hadn’t managed to break. He cleared his throat. “I’d recommend the lobster thermidor or the foie gras for your main course, but choose whatever you’d like. I think I’m going to get the lobster.” He rubbed his hand against his stubbled cheek as he stared at the menu, the velvet box burning a hole in his pocket.
“Sounds like a plan,” she commented as a sly grin casually appeared. She knew she was being vain, but she loved the sensation of knowing she was capable of waking up desire in Cepheus. It was very vain, but the elation of guessing what was going through his mind at the moment successfully squashed any feeling or remorse or modesty. He wanted her.
Lucrezia took a small sip of her water and looked through the rim of the glass at her betrothed. The Italian had spent a bit of time with Cepheus with the sole purpose of getting to know him, and she liked what he had to offer. However, she often wondered if she would be able to fall in love with him. She loved him, certainly, but was she IN love? The brunette was doing everything in her power to make the experience enjoyable for both of them. She certainly didn't want to become a bitter wife.
She smiled, “I think I’ll order with artichoke salad and steal some of your food,” she laughed. The italian had the horrible habit of stealing food. Just a taste here and there, and she ended up stealing around 50% of the other person´s food.
Lucrezia’s food habits had initially disgusted Cepheus, but it was one of her idiosyncrasies that he had come to terms with. He never liked sharing his food and having been raised with brothers, food was a particularly sensitive subject. However, she was going to be his wife someday and something like this wasn’t so terrible to endure even if he had to look away every time she reached over. He did move his plate away when she’d taken about a quarter of his meal, however, and he was sure Lucrezia knew by now that he wasn’t exactly generous when it came to sharing meals.
The night was a great blur after dinner and drinks and loads of dancing. Cepheus was sweaty and his head was swirling as he stepped out of the club, an arm around Lucrezia. He touched his pocket with his free hand, making sure the box was still there. He still had one more duty to do. “Did you have fun?” he asked, glad that his words weren’t slurring together. “It wasn’t as crowded as I’d expected it to be.” Ceph checked his timepiece: 2 in the morning. Everything should be ready by now.
“Why don’t we head back to my place?” he asked, taking her hand. He held his breath as he Apparated them to his estate grounds in Surrey where twinkling lights in the trees and lit candles planted in the ground. They had burnt down quite a bit, indicating that they’d been lit for quite a while. Cepheus had to take a moment to let his rolling stomach settle down after Apparating and then he gestured to the gardens. The candles made a pathway to the gazebo in the flower gardens and Ceph offered his arm to Lucrezia. “Let’s take a walk.”
The alcohol she had drank was coursing through her veins making her forget for a little while just how a proper, decent Pureblood Lady had to behave. Not that she had done anything embarrassing, but she had been free of daily constraints, which was why she enjoyed their outings so much more. Lucrezia didn't have to be the proper, prissy girl she always needed to be. When she was with Cepheus she could be a little bit freer than she normally was. It was fun. Life was fun, but sadly, she had some very big and hard constraints when it came to her life. She was a Lady in a very conservative society.
It was a clear night and the perfect weather for a proposal. Corvus had initially wanted the entire family to be there, but Cepheus didn’t want a spectacle for the proposal. He knew the engagement party and their wedding, already planned for the most part, would be a show in itself.
Once they reached the gazebo decorated in flowers and fairy lights, Cepheus took her hands. “I know we’ve been betrothed for some time, but I think it’s time we ought to make it official now that you’re done with school.” Cepheus reached into his pocket and tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. It took a few embarrassing seconds to yank the box out of his trousers and required both of his hands, but he finally got it out with flushed cheeks. “Now that that’s out--” Cepheus got down on one knee and opened the velvet box, “--will you marry me and join the Princeton family, Lucrezia?”
The Italian dutifully followed Cepheus to his estate. Apparating after drinking wasn't the best idea ever. So she had to take a few minutes before walking again. She closed her eyes for a second before opening them and focusing on the candles and lights lighting a path towards the Gazebo in the Princeton´s gardens. Lucrezia smiled at the beautiful decoration. She looked questioningly at Cepheus as he started to talk. The brunette suppressed a laugh as she realized what was happening. It shouldn't really be a surprise by this point, the wedding was already planned.
The night was filled with music as Lucrezia let out a hearty, happy laugh. “Yes,” she answered - not that she had a choice to be honest. She offered her hand so Cepheus could slide the beautiful diamond ring into her finger.
Cepheus smiled as he slid the ring on her finger, then gave her a long, proper kiss that left him a little breathless after. “Shall we go inside? It’s a bit chilly, isn’t it?” He took her hand and laced their fingers together. Life was going to be good together.