Sebastian Ellington-Aragona

Crowned Prince of Italy

Prior to tonight, Sebastian had never contemplated the possibility of combining the decadence of chocolate with the savoriness of Italian pasta. The dish he had been presented had caught him entirely off guard, stealing away his attention from the list of names and events that had requested the attendance of the royal couple. His nose twitched at the very scent of the raspberry sauce drizzled over the rich pasta, combined with the light, milky sweetness of the small mound of creme fresh that topped the whole dish off. It was, admittedly, not a particularly healthy dinner, or breakfast for that matter. However, after his initial confusion of the meal he was served, any thoughts of nutrition had fled from his thoughts with the mere taste of chocolate. The sweet pasta was twirled around his fork, the vampire making every effort to ensure a small part of every taste in each bite. The end result was an empty plate quite before Sebastian was done relishing in the peculiarly new dish. He was, admittedly, inattentive to the weight of his lover's gaze upon him as he so sought to find a raspberry amongst those darkly colored noodles. The vampire was determined to have that small glimpse of tart with the bite he had prepared for himself. His tea had gone entirely ignored, the pages beside him equally so.

His gaze shifted only at the sound of the Italian accent he so often adored, only for his gaze to shift abruptly towards that page he had entirely forgotten. It was unlike the Englishman to put aside work in favor of such a mortal thing as food. "I was trying to find a raspberry." He admitted, his lips pursed together ever so slightly as his brilliant blue eyes turned back to the dish in front of him. His hunt for that elusive fruit, it seemed, had been deemed more important than any sort of list of events. It was with a dejected sigh that Sebastian abandoned his efforts, resigned to scraping that last bit of creme fresh from the corner to place what would be his final bite into his mouth. It was, he was certain, a heavenly combination. Naturally, it would be the Italians that would attempt to turn even a dessert into pasta. After this, however, he couldn't blame them in the slightest. It was worth it, even if he had gorged himself more then his own social graces often allowed. Sebastian was, apparently, equally as unwilling to begin that life of work and civility that was required of the now royal vampire.

The soft sigh upon his husband's lips drew his gaze upwards, only for the vampire to nod in agreement. It was a common affair, the combination of assets after marriage and though he knew well that Dorian's equity surely outweighed anything he brought to their union, it was an important matter to the Englishman all the same. Tonight, he had every intention of gifting his husband that which he had withheld for himself alone. Even his late wife had been denied any portion of those worldly possessions he held, with the singular exception of the house they had once shared. He knew well Dorian struggled with the very concept of finances in all of their forms, at least within the modern era. His archaic understanding of the affairs of his treasury hardly applied when the very value of the money had changed so drastically. Even so, after some explanation, his lover seemed to readily agree with the complete blend of both their finances and, in turn, their houses. It was that very thing that Sebastian sought in turn, to a lesser but equally as critical fashion. "There are a few documents I'll need you to sign. They should have arrived yesterday." He commented, finally putting down his fork. "I'll look over these while you're preoccupied with that." Sebastian continued, plucking that stack of pages from the corner of his own dinner tray. The addendum of adding a name to his land, after all, resulted in a terrible amount of paperwork, the very kind that was sure to keep them both preoccupied for more than he was sure was necessary.

Sebastian rose with some hesitance from his seat, straightening his dress pants in the process before his gaze turned upwards. That subtle shift so easily indicated his own readiness for their planned meeting, only for Dorian's lips to brush sweetly against his cheek. A warm smile crossed his features at his husband's glimpse of affection. Although he had suspected the wake of their return from their honeymoon might require the couple to subdue those doting tendencies, Sebastian still found himself adoring every tender touch the fae King afforded him. Though Italy required much from them, the vampire still had every intention of indulging in the Monarch himself every moment he had, his thoughts already roaming to what the evening could consist of when those matters of finances and properties were all attended to and filed away. Such vulgar thoughts, however, were short-lived as Dorian commented on the award they had received in their absence. "Award?" Sebastian inquired, his fingers laced with his husband's own as the couple made their way from the Royal apartments. His eyebrow rose ever so slightly at his lover's mention of an honorary degree. In Marine Bio-ecology never the less - a topic he had both little knowledge and little interest within. It was the mention of the vampire's own age-old degree, however, that brought a scowl to his usually pleasant features. To find such pieces of paper given so readily when he had worked so hard for his own irked Sebastian more than he was sure was acceptable.

A soft huff left his lips before they were pressed together in some fleeting glimpse of his discontent on such an idea, even if Sebastian remained wholly silent on it for a moment longer. His very upbringing had long ago engrained within him to halt those less than favorable emotions from ever leaving his lips. Eventually, Sebastian commented in a bitter tone, "I don't know why they would give us a degree we know nothing about." It was, he was certain, an insult to those who had studied so fiercely for such an achievement to have it given away so freely all because of their social standing. That soft chuckle upon Dorian's lips drew his gaze upwards towards his husband before Sebastian rolled his eyes. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?" He inquired as if the very thought had not occurred to him prior to that singular moment. Sebastian was so often the epitome of charming and fun and yet, so few knew truly of not only what he was capable of but too all the efforts he had put in to achieve what he had.

His fingers gingerly released their grasp upon his husband as Dorian's own hands shifted, settling behind him in a fashion that spoke distinctly of the Monarch's own era. It was clear another thought toyed at his lover's thoughts - one far more decisive than the badgering Sebastian had been subjected to but moments ago. His eyebrow rose at the very mention of the throne room and those ancient chairs that stood at the focal point. Sebastian had, perhaps, not been as subdued as he should have been at how...unimpressive he had found such thrones. Though the room itself was nothing short of opulent, the thrones of England that he had grown up around were far more...deserving of the title of 'throne' then the cushioned seats Dorian and himself occupied. "They are rather lacking in comparison to other countries." The vampire admitted. Even the Arabic countries that had so banned their very union had bested Italy in this. Although Sebastian might be inclined to suggest such an upgrade, he had little intention to impress his thoughts on such a topic any further upon his lover. After all, Dorian would surely see the throne room in Buckingham Palace soon enough, whenever the pair managed to arrange the time to visit Sebastian's own Queen. Or...late...Queen? His once Queen?

His very quandary on what to call Elizabeth, however, was interrupted by the sudden announcement of their titles. His gaze briefly turned towards Dorian before the pair stepped into the room, only to meet Dorian's own treasurer and the stack of papers, documents, and folders that were so neatly organized in front of him. Sebastian offered the Carlo a small nod as he settled into his seat at his lover's left, as was now eternally his position. The vampire could hardly help that small glimpse of surprise upon his features as Carlo assure them that they had nearly recovered from the extravagant expenses of their own wedding. The amount of money dedicated to that indulgent event had once pained Sebastian to consider and yet...that it was already all replaced caught the man off guard. He watched inquisitively as Carlo slid several statements towards Dorian, the Monarch hardly affording them a glance before deeming them sufficient. He took the page offered towards him, only for his blue eyes to settle upon the large number on the far right column. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at it in silence for a moment, certain his eyes must be deceiving him. Slowly, his fingers moved to flip through several of those pages, his gaze constantly eying the balance of his lover's bank account as he did so, merely baffled by...the sheer amount of it. He had known, naturally, that Dorian was well off but...this couldn't be right. "Are...are you certain of this?" He inquired, glancing upwards towards Carlo. "I think you might have one too many zero's." There was no way the King had gained eighty million in one paycheck. Paid for...what exactly? "What....who was this from?" He inquired, glancing down at the 'from' line in clear bafflement, still trying to grasp the very state of his lover's finances.