❧ @reknes
𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: palace of facets, moscow
𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 23 july 1319, evening
𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: referencing some version of this thread !
❛ Must I find you taunting little girls? ❜
The English princess had since peeled away by the time Charles appeared at his child’s shoulder. Suspecting Jules may notice his approach but indifferent to startling them, he spared no greeting. He had sat nearby while the exchange proceeded, able to observe through body language as Jules succumbed to serpentine cruelty. It was more of an embrace than a capitulation, however. Jules ( like their detestable Agnes ) at times and without provocation raised their head with a blackening stare and spoke with a forked tongue. Charles liked their meanness—usually. This incident struck him as something else. Was it pettiness unbefitting the setting or, better yet, directed at the wrong variety of recipient? The issue of suitability would have little to do with questions of delicacy or fairness. She was an unassuming princess, but how benign could an English rose be? It was a remarkable choice, still, to catch field rabbits while wolves stalked the village.
❛ Could you not find her brother, that creature Richard, when you desired to hurl insults? ❜ he asked, turning so their eyes could meet. Charles’ disdain was, in truth, paper-thin; amusement at his own words ripped through it with ease. ❛ Tell me your thoughts, and leave them naked: do you find this an impressive evening, or is it so lackluster as to necessitate you entertain yourself? ❜