“ i won’t, ” he said, confused as to how he was making things harder. that had been their parents doing, not his. “ i don’t know. not very well, i suppose, but who can blame her? i feel rotten to the core, and i didn’t even really see the body. ” hugo sighed, and, hit with a wave of resignation, sat down. he invited her to do the same. “ i’ve heard alexei avery isn’t so terrible. a decent man, whether he’s capable of magic or not. you’ll be alright. and if you aren’t, well… you can tell me, if you want. i’ll help as much as i can. ”
the trouble was he hadn’t meant he wouldn’t make things harder –– he hadn’t been thinking clearly, hadn’t really been parsing his own words, but now he saw that they were going to be hard regardless of what hugo said or did. he was of half a mind to try turning the tables, to make their parents suffer a lack of control for once. but eva would never go along with it. she wanted stability, and hugo could no longer give it to her, not in the way he’d promised. he decided to try anyway, and if she didn’t like it, she could go with alexei, and learn to be happy with him. “ i promise i won’t breathe another word of this if you are in any way not amenable, ” he began, “ but… i don’t think i can listen to my parents anymore, after this. i doubt i can trust them. the same goes for yours. they’re playing with our lives. i–– i’ll understand if you think this is a mad idea, i swear it, but haven’t you ever wanted to just… to leave? and to make your own way in the world? ”
𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 , sharply meeting his eyes. ❛ i don’t want to talk about alexei. ❜ she doesn’t even want to think about him. they were children , and she grew up , but he didn’t. at least , not in her eyes. he was cemented as a childhood friend she outgrew. they were children last she thought about marrying him. before she’d met hugo , to marry a friend as dear as alexei would’ve been a blessing. now , the thought repulsed her. once you knew love , how could you accept anything else ?
her gaze softens , the sharpness replaced with hesitation. she sits. ❛ . . . do you mean to run away ? ❜ merlin , eva was too fragile for that. she had very few talents , even fewer prospects outside being a professional layabout. ❛ i never imagined it. ❜ growing up , it was a full house between her siblings , their father , and his latest flavour of the month. at school , eva had surrounded herself with the perfect melange of purebloods. even now , she was neck deep in pureblood society. ❛ i couldn’t imagine being . . . alone , ❜ she admits , her voice smaller than before. the prospect is terrifying. to leave would be to ruin everything she had inherited , everything she had built. but . . . with hugo at her side ? she could bear it. as quiet as a breath , eva whispers , ❛ where would we go ? ❜
