Sebastian Ellington-Aragona

Crowned Prince of Italy

Sebastian had never before considered the sheer wealth the crown accumulated from taxes alone. He knew, to some degree, that Queen Elizabeth had her fair share of individual wealth though he had never inquired before where her, or any of the Monarchs before her, had acquired such a thing in the first place. It was taboo, to discuss a matter so personal with such an individual in power. Even his position as the Lord-In-Waiting for King Edward VIII did not afford him such familiarity to overstep such boundaries. Though, admittedly, Edward had hardly stayed King long enough to receive even his first year of income before he abdicated. His lover's casual assurance that this was their shared salary so wholly baffled him. He could hardly fathom that his own existence within Dorian's life and at his lover's side might result in an increased tax upon the very people he was supposed to assist in ruling. How much had Sebastian alone cost them?! He could hardly help that feeling of guilt that so invaded his soul as his gaze turned from his lover's tender voice to the page in front of him. For a moment, the vampire found himself trying to figure out the very math of it all, the weight of all Italy had given for him perturbed him far more than he cared to admit.

Sebastian's gaze slowly deviated from the page in front of him as another paper was pushed towards him, this one requiring his signature in order to proceed with the pair's shared account and now, inexhaustible wealth. He picked up his pen, scribbling his newly wedded name upon the line before another page was passed to his lover in turn, this one apparently holding all of the transactions of Dorian's own personal account - as if the Monarch needed more! He watched the exchange between his husband and his Treasurer, certain by the simple look on Carlo's features that the money within this account too was far more than the King truly understood and yet, he was hardly prepared for the amount printed on the paper that was passed to him. Sebastian's features surely gave away his own amazement at the number at the bottom of the page. He had never, in all of his life, seen exactly that many digits upon any bank statement he was directly involved within. The sheer wealth his lover had was...well, astounding to say the least. Sebastian's attention drifted from the page only at his lover's soft inquiry, Dorian was clearly not oblivious to the shift within him, even if the Italian was ignorant of exactly the cause.

He could hardly stop the distinctly British exclamation that left his lips, much less the more casual phrase that surely followed suit. It was distinctly undignified of the Prince to allow himself to show that stress that so seemed to afflict him and yet, Sebastian was still yet becoming accustomed to those differences that were now required of him. A part of the man was far more inclined to return to his business-like demeanor, the very sort of which that not only allowed him to voice his disgruntlement with the way money was spent but near required it of him. He could hardly fathom how the crown had managed to accumulate and keep such wealth when Dorian's own country surely required it in turn. The rampant crime, the backlogged judicial system, and the increasing unemployment weighed heavily upon his mind, particularly when his lover had all of this merely sitting, untouched and collecting interest in some account. The very bank of Italy herself must have her vaults filled with what the government owed their King alone! He was inattentive, in that tirade, to Dorian's own efforts to silence the Treasurer, much less the concern that seemed to be creeping within Carlo as Sebastian turned his attention towards the man himself, searching for some sort of answer to how Dorian had managed to so unknowingly acquire such vast coffers.

His own hands covered his features, as he groaned at the sheer thought of all that would surely need to be fixed, now that he knew what all was so terribly broken. Assuming, of course, that it was his lover's ignorance that had created such a mess in the first place. He could hardly fathom the man he so adored might be so afflicted with such greed to let his country suffer while his own banks increased. Dorian was...not like that, he was sure. His fingers rubbed at his temples as Dorian suddenly requested the room to themselves, prompting Carlo's sudden departure before the door was closed securely behind him - affording the pair some level of privacy. The sudden movement upon his lover's part caused Sebastian's hands to tentatively fall to his lap. His bright blue eyes sought the entrancing, silver hue of the King's own as Dorian settled upon the table beside him. A small frown crossed Sebastian's lips at his lover's insistence that he had frightened Carlos. "I'll...apologize to him," The vampire uttered after a soft sigh. He had hardly intended to so perturb the Treasurer, much less make him think that he was anything less than satisfactory at his job. After all, the man's mission was to see to his King's assets - a thing he had done with resounding success. In fact, Sebastian was quite certain Carlos deserved a raise for his unwavering loyalty over the years.

Sebastian's crystalline blue eyes turned upwards towards his husband as Dorian reached for the page in front him. The vampire was hardly oblivious to the small press of the King's lips before, with a sigh, the Monarch admitted that which Sebastian had largely begun to expect. It was, perhaps, too much for him to expect that Dorian might have a notion of all he had hoarded over the years, particularly if the gold downstairs was anything to go by and yet, he had assumed his lover was more than capable of handling every facet of his Kingdom, including its finances. It made him uncomfortable to view Dorian as...lacking in any sense and yet, it was unmistakable that, in this, his husband was not well educated. "I know, I'm sorry, I just â€" " Sebastian's voice trailed off, his head shook ever so slightly as he continued to dwell on that very number he had seen but moments ago. His attention turned towards his lover as Dorian inquired of the very things he had spoken of - from the Mafia to the Judicial system that so desperately required their attention. A soft sigh left his lips before he shrugged ever so slightly. "If your...the media is anything to go by. Though I haven't looked much into the claims myself." Sebastian admitted. After all, any action done by the crown should be with accurate information from the respective government organizations themselves.

He watched that almost contemplative look that crossed the Monarch's features, only for his lover to confess his own lingering fears of his own staff and their attempts to 'assist'. A small frown crossed Sebastian's lips and yet, if this was truly what Dorian wanted, to know the issues of his country, to take a larger role within his government...surely that was something he could assist in, even though it would require far more time spent within Italy than either had originally desired. "Dorian...my love, I fear running a country is not as simple as it once was. Your country has grown substantially and with it...it has become vastly more complex, darling. Perhaps it would be wise for us to start attending Parlament's meetings?" It was certainly not unheard of, within his own country, for the Queen to attend when there were matters she viewed as requiring a touch of her own hand. In time, Sebastian was certain Italy would demand far less from his lover and yet, for now, he saw little reason why they were incapable of focusing upon the finer details of his Dorian's own country.

His efforts to assist, however, seemed to prompt another thought entirely upon the King's mind, one that succeeded in catching Sebastian entirely off guard. He had never anticipated that his husband might ever desire for him to take an active role in contributing to the rule of his country. He had considered that, in their marriage, Dorian would handle his role as King while Sebastian was merely meant to be the supportive ear. His businesses were, he thought, the most he might ever have to tend to and yet...this? This was so much more than he had ever expected. A small frown crossed his features as his bright blue eyes turned elsewhere, considering the very weight of all Dorian was willing to entrust him with. "I..." He started, only to pause as his head shook ever so slightly. Sebastian was not prepared for this. He was hardly much more educated than his husband was of how to assist in those affairs with what he did know. "I fear I would only muddle things worse." The vampire admitted softly, his blue eyes briefly flicked upwards towards Dorian, as if his husband was somehow capable of helping him navigate the very waters of the world neither of them were terribly talented at.

A soft sigh left his lips in the wake of all those thoughts and responsibilities that laid so heavily upon his mind. Though he appreciated Dorian's efforts to lessen his own anxiety at that new found burden with the explanation of how the Italian's sheer wealth had gone untouched for so long. It was, admittedly, sensible that the curse that had afflicted him had kept away those marriage proposals and potential kidnappings and theft. It had been a blessing, of sorts. With no reasonable way to spend those funds, it was feasible, he supposed, that Dorian's yearly income merely continued to compound interest for...five hundred years. A weak simper crossed his features as Dorian sought to change the topic even further, commenting that he was cute when flustered, even if it prompted those distinctly British phrases from his lips. His gaze refocused upon the King as Dorian leaned own, his lips pressed so sweetly against Sebastian's own. The vampire hardly fought the sensation of Dorian's fingers intertwining within his brunette locks, pulling his head back ever so slightly just so that kiss might be turned into something far deeper and more intimate. Even in spite it all, how he so adored the Italian fae! His hand rose only to brush tenderly against Dorian's cheek in a glimpse of his own affection as the King pulled back ever so slightly. A soft breath left his lips at the added admittance of just where those vast rooms of treasure beneath the palace lay in relation to the money he had seen but moments before. If only Dorian knew!

"I have something to show you." He offered suddenly, standing from his own seat to maneuver around the table towards Carlo's own stacks of paper. It only took a bit of shifting to find what he had been searching for - documents from his own accountant that had been sent over to the Treasurer to review. The manilla envelope was carefully opened as he returned to his lover's side, shifting through several of the pages within before he presented Dorian with a similar statement to the one that had brought such distress to the vampire. "Do you see that number there?" He inquired, pointing to the balance at the bottom of the page. "That is everything I have acquired over two hundred years." He reached for Dorian's own page, placing it on top so that just the bottom of Sebastian's balance could be seen. Those numbers were so carefully aligned in such a way to allow his lover to see the extra zeros that accompanied his own bank statements. "Dorian, you might be one of the richest men in the whole bloody world."