The vampire scarcely voiced a syllable of those thoughts that weighed so heavily upon his mind, entirely determined to remain wholly pleasant even if he was perhaps entirely perturbed with the notion of possibly marrying his lover and, in turn, so coming to terms with the damage that had been entirely left behind from his last failed union all those years ago. He tried to be the epitome of polite, even as he listened to Lady Audrey and her plethora of inquiries on his own home country. And yet, despite his willingness to be engaged in such a frivolous conversation, his heart was hardly in it, those foreign foods pushed around his plate in an effort to feign his desire for that food, the vampire entirely unaware of his lover's rather acute attention on that subtle shift within his demeanor. Rather, the vampire nursed that wine quite liberally, entirely content to use alcohol to chase away those memories, irrational fears, and worries that overwhelmed his mind at the prospect of so tying the knot with the King he so adored.

It was the touch of Dorian's fingertips against his own hand that saw his attention deviate and yet, he could hardly help the nerves that clutched his heart as his lover inquired as to exactly what perturbed him so greatly. His concerns of the food were brushed away, at least until his lover suggested he say no to that offering of the feast. He could hardly deny that taken aback glimpse that crossed his features, that simple concept of so uttering that single syllable was utterly unheard of for the Victorian male. To be denied something offered had once been the epitome of poor social skills, it was a phenomenon that still very much afflicted those of his own country. "I..." He started, entirely unsure of exactly how to express exactly what Dorian was asking of him. "I will consider this." He voiced at last, those words somehow seeming entirely safe, allowing him to remain entirely within that bubble of comfort with such social graces while altogether avoiding informing his lover how utterly incorrect such a thing would have been. It was the perfect balance of ensuring no one was denied, an art that certainly only the English were capable of mastering. Unfortunately, the conversation hardly remained long within the realm of those suggestions he was able to side step.

He supposed he shouldn't have been terribly astonished his lover had, upon admitting defeat, so discovered the source of that anxiety that gripped him with such an icy chill, even though he'd strove to spare the King those concerns that settled so squarely upon his thoughts - demanding the vampire's complete attention. His own navy eyes remained wholly settled upon the plate in front of him, his fork moving in such a fashion as to continue to push aside those peculiar pastas and bizarre meats in search for something that looked far more editable. His words were entirely hesitant as he searched for those syllables that might best offer an explanation to that sentiment Matteo had shared with him without completely admitting everything he had learned within those few moments alone with the Frenchman. The admittance of their eventual marriage fell from his lips, followed up quite quickly by the man's idle comment on the vegetables, suddenly quite taken with the consumption of them, all the whilst mentally berating himself for even conceding to the King that topic in which he had spent such a great time mulling over. Perhaps, this talk of marriage was pushing things too far? What if his rather lackluster efforts to handle that delicate issue was enough to set them on a different path? And did he prefer that one over any other?

In the wake of that silence that beset the King, his own lips pressed together ever so slightly, the vampire wholly forcing those fears and concerns further down within him, though the stillness of the fae at the suggestion of it was enough to make him feel entirely ill. Still, he'd found another piece of zucchini, the undead fellow for once unaware exactly how his body betrayed him in that moment. He was well aware of that hesitance within his lover's voice as he placed another piece of zucchini within his mouth, the vampire entirely attempting to do away with Dorian's concern with yet another flick of his wrist, as if the topic could simply be avoided all together and things could go back to some resemblance of normal without either ever remembering he'd mentioned such a thing in the first place. In that simple moment, he was entirely assured that marriage was exactly what Dorian was not looking for within their ever growing relationship. His navy gaze fluttered briefly towards the King's hand as Dorian's fingers tightened around his arm and though he found himself entirely not wanting to do so, those dark irises slowly raised to meet the silver of Dorian's own.

He listened as Dorian uttered that he too looked forward to that day, if it should arise. That sigh that followed was hardly ignored in the slightest, the vampire entirely acutely aware of every word that left his lover's lips in that delicate moment. He was hardly surprised, truly, that such a thought had never crossed his boyfriend's mind. After all, it had only just been legalized in England in the past few years and even now litigation was still going on to ensure those rights here in Italy and yet, slowly, the vampire nodded in an effort to confirm that it was entirely a possibility available to them. That his lover was entirely willing to come together as one in such a fashion was a relief, in some manner, at least, even if the truth of it was but one of the many concerns that lingered upon his mind at the thought of such a thing. The others, perhaps were for another day, should this concept of their Marriage ever arise in actuality. He shouldn't dwell on something that might or might not happen until it actually did, to a degree. At least, that's what he attempted to tell himself.

And yet, still Sebastian found himself fretting all the same. Still, he could hardly deny how utterly peculiar he felt at so engaging in such a conversation at the dinner table, particularly when he knew well that there were ears so desperately attempting to overhear them. "Perhaps we may speak of it more later." He uttered simply, entirely unwilling to broke that social protocol any further then he surely already had done. The vampire was entirely taken back by the way in which the Monarch leaned forward to press his lips against the Englishman's own, that gesture of affection particularly public and, indeed, he was certain he could feel the eyes of several individuals upon him even whilst his lips tenderly pressed against his lover's own in return. That brush, however, was entirely fleeting before Dorian had leaned away from him once again, only to present him with a decidedly mischievous simper whilst he stole that wine glass from the vampire, one in which Sebastian had taken a particular liking to in the fashion he always did when thoughts of his deceased wife lingered on his mind. Still, his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly as his attention was turned towards that large several tiered cake that had been placed in front of him. He watched as one of those servants cut a slice, returning only to place it before him and, thankfully, rid him of that still heaped plate of food he had little intention of touching.

Chocolate, however, seemed to produce some measure of appetite within the vampire once again, that dessert fork carefully selected as he eyed the cake in weary curiosity. The soft muttering at his right was hardly missed and briefly, Sebastian's gaze turned upwards towards the King, "All right." He muttered simply, a soft sigh upon his lips as he took a forkful from the slice on his plate, rising his hand only to place it within his mouth. That burst of flavors, of chocolate and alcohol, was entirely unexpected and yet, for once, Sebastian found those Italian cuisines to be utterly delightful. A soft sound of satisfaction left his lips, the man entirely content to indulge in this one aspect of dinner alone. Those two vices in tangent seemed to be enough to finally produce some measure of placidity within the man, even if he was hardly aware of it.