stella-mayne:
“Something tells me you haven’t had to sit through too many awkward happy birthday songs,” She returned a smile as she hovered slightly behind him, eager to see him make his wish. Though it had become less of a rarity in her presence, Zoey still felt a sense of accomplishment when she caught a glimpse of his upturned lips. Lips that managed to stay surprisingly pink despite his less than stellar smoking habit.
From the outside looking in, it was easy for people who weren’t royal to wonder what a prince- one of the most, if not the most, powerful prince- could possibly wish for. Royals, and the people that worked for them, had done an impeccable job curating the illusion of having everything they could ask for but all that glittered most certainly wasn’t gold. Zoey saw first hand how miserable royal life could be and at the very top of her list of wishes, had she been a royal herself, would be to marry for love instead of out of obligation. But tradition was tradition. A fact that had been drilled into her long before she’d met the Russian prince.
“Do you feel one year wiser?” Zoey queried jovially, wasting no time as she carefully pushed the furniture that had occupied the center of the room to the outskirts. Laying down the biggest blanket she could source in the castle before kicking off her shoes to sit down. “I figured we could have a floor picnic,” she piped, reaching for the basket she’d brought with her. It was far more discrete and a touch more intimate than the gardens or the greenhouse. “And you, as the birthday boy- man- get to decide if we start with dessert or save it for last”
“Not for a while,” Ivan admitted. He was probably a child the last time his family had gathered around to do so and he didn’t count Maggie’s sing song every year, because that was usually as she was charging towards him to force him into a hug. But perhaps he had wanted to hear Zoey’s voice just for him.
Taking a deep breath he exhaled, watching as just over half the candles were extinguished. Perhaps his lungs weren’t as good as they used to be. Another puff and there was nothing but a thin strand of smoke rising from them, adding a rather nice illusion to the Starry Night surface. It was done now, and his wish made. Not that Ivan expected any of it to come true, it was tradition more than any superficial hope that magic existed.
“Oh definitely, a whole year’s worth of wisdom has just smacked me in the face,” he replied, turning round with her movement to find her grabbing a blanket. His brows furrowed momentarily until she explained it. He was surprised to find something stirring inside of him with the picture in front of him, a strange feeling twisting in the pit of his stomach before settling. With a cool smile he looked between the cake and the blanket. “Well with that offer, I think it’ll have to be dessert first. Pass me the knife.”