until i've done

[svrgic]

MARCH 2024

❝ EVGENIYA ZAKHAROVA. ❞ the tone of his voice didn't hide the surprise and amusement of hearing hers. the soft timbre sergi didn't think he'd be hearing for a long time still. ❝ thank you. apparently summer weddings are the standard or so i was convinced. yeah, she's even better at it than me to be honest. ❞ but as much as he looked like the conversation was one he enjoyed, it felt unsettling speaking with zhenya about his wedding when a few years back he was sure she'd be the one walking down the aisle towards him. ❝ and what have you been up to ? ❞

[zhcnyv]

"Sergi d'Aragó," she mimicked him with a smile on her face. "Summer weddings are generally liked, yes." She didn't want to do small talk... but if she was being honest, she hadn't come with a profound message to pass him. Her feet had just led her to his door. "Playing a step-mom. It's ah... a weird situation back in Karelia." She felt bad for the d'Orléans girl! She couldn't participate in the propaganda when she could see the end goal so clearly. If her mother was given two years, the future monarch of Belarus would be no more than a puppet. "I'm not sure if I ever properly apologized. I could have given a warning before abandoning you."

[zhcnyv]

"I wanted to– I'm just passing through but I heard the news. So I needed to stop by to congratulate you. The date sounds perfect for a wedding. Matilde handling the limelight well?" [ @svrgic ]

[zhcnyv]

the wedding reception of viggo and armani

[zhcnyv]

yvrivic​:

The dirt anyone could find on Giselle was the many socials lives she had sought to destroy in Paris. “I don’t care to hear a bad fantasy story.” He had gotten what he wanted: a rejection. Clean and easy. The excuses she was going to give him were uninteresting and unnecessary. Was she really trying to spare his feelings? What a ridiculous little– “They believe what?” His eyes narrowed at the Russian, his pulse beat against the collar of his shirt, and his airways felt just a little bit constricted. He scoffed. Partly because he felt like he needed to give some sort of a reaction to seem natural, and partly because it was, without a doubt, one of the most ridiculous things he had heard in his life. “You think Giselle d’Orléans is capable of organising an assassination attempt? Where do you get this information?”

“We have our informants. Russia’s been looking tirelessly into the assassination ever since it happened. Even though we know many details we don’t know how widespread a ploy it was. Especially after the murder of the English king, we do not want to leave a stone unturned.” Her face had hardened. It was what tended to happen when she was reminded how the man in front of her had decided to kill a pregnant woman. It took a very special kind of heartlessness to be capable of that. “It is what we think. Guilty until proven otherwise. We do not take rumours lightly when they are about his majesty. You should be able to understand that anyone associated with Giselle d’Orléans is a person of interest as well.” Was she going too far? She had been instructed to be harsh. “You have never been too fond of us.”

[yvrivic]

“How long has it been? Long enough for you to ‘think it through’?” The business with Giselle had made him forget about the duchess for a moment. She still represented one problem that he needed to get rid of. “You’re supposed to be smart, aren’t you?” ( @zhcnyv​ )

[zhcnyv]

“Yes, I... I have an answer. It is a good thing that I took a while because I might have chosen differently if it weren’t for the latest bit of gossip.” She knew she couldn’t avoid looking at him but getting her eyes to meet his was impossible. She chose to stare at his nose. “Milena and I looked into the leak concerning Giselle. We thought we’d find an explanation for some lie but instead we found more dirt on her. There are people who believe she was involved in the poisoning of the czar. I hope you understand how serious a rumour that is. I will not be associated with anyone who has any sort of a connection to a person like that.”

[zhcnyv]

svrgic​:

     - ‘ CAREFUL, YOU’RE sounding awfully religious there. ’ her demeanor was weird in comparison to how worried she was last time they spoke of the subject. did she think this got her out of d’orléans’ radar ? ‘ it shouldn’t be. only a small group knew. then you started expanding said group. ’ the croÿ. ‘ now look at it. ’ he laughed. ‘ what i don’t get it why the sister. ’

“I am. I am very religious.” In Vitaliya Vorontsova’s household? No way. “I just hid it well.” She shot a smile at him but became serious in no time. He was asking about something that could be, without exaggeration, be described as a life-or-death situation. “I can’t talk about it, Sergi.” Certain truths were too delicate. Perhaps the truth about the fires had been one of them? Did she now owe him one truth? “As much as I dislike the king.” As much as all of them disliked the king. “Russia doesn’t have a problem with him. Not at the moment at least. We’re hoping to get a reaction elsewhere, that’s all.” She paused to look at him. “I think you should take advantage of this. Not immediately, not until we’ve gotten what we want, but... Sergi, you could try to cleanse your name. The Spanish see you as someone horrible, the only reason you aren’t more hated is because there are worse tyrants living next door to you.”

[zhcnyv]

“He has officially lost it. He told me to pick a date so we could go through with the marriage. I told him I’d think about it a while longer... I think our timing was good. Our play has come to an end.” [ @aromancva​ / @cksvnv​ ]

[svrgic]

     - ‘ SO MANY coincidences happening lately. ’ sergi smiled. ’ that another one of ‘em ? ’ / @zhcnyv

[zhcnyv]

She turned her head and let a smile tug at the left corner of her lips. He should have cared more about what was right. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence... Seems like divine justice if you ask me. It’s shocking that it hadn’t come out earlier.”

[zhcnyv]

ncdyc​:

gaze follows where zhenya describes before nodding..  ❛   we ?  not with him, surely ?  — i’m having our walls padded and proofed. i prefer the noise of traffic to… people.  ❜

“Which him— my lord, no. Are you insane?” Crazy! “Mother and I. It’s almost like being back in Karelia. A bit weird but not impossible to handle. I don’t mind traffic, I don’t mind people, what I do mind is horrible horrible music being blasted at five am. I have never seriously considered murder.”

[zhcnyv]

aromancva​:

anya nods along with zhenya’s assessment of the rebels readily enough, but doesn’t quite grasp the hungarian’s relevance until the other duchess finishes. bloodless lips press together,  jaw set. “ you’re more like your mother than i realized. tell your security to expect a call from my team. ” she’d feel better knowing zhakarova was being guarded carefully. “ we’ll want to move quickly, while scrutiny on the french princess is fresh. ” if they’re lucky, pax aeterna would find reason to go after her again. “ regardless of timing, we can end this farce. giselle d’orleans will be living under constant threat, we’ll let slip to yurivič that she’s under suspicion for the poisoning too and give him an ultimatum. then you stay out of the way. when the king finds out, i want you out of firing range, he’s erratic. ” 

“I don’t mean to sound too naive but hmm... Well, I fear that she might suffer from this as well. What can we do for her? Can we?”

[ncdyc]

❛    where did you end up ?  ❜     / @zhcnyv​

[zhcnyv]

“We’re just down the street. Past the main entrance. Have you noticed how noisy it is here?”

[zhcnyv]

yvrivic​:

“So we’ll just continue whatever this is? I see point. You’re wasting my time. I really think we should get married. After that you can adopt a proper role in the Belorussian politics, before that you’re just Milena’s guest more or less. We should get it done with.”

“I think it’s too big a decision to be made carelessly. That’s all. We should... think about it. A bit more.”

[yvrivic]

“Isn’t it a bit silly that we are technically together but not really? We do not reap the benefits of an official relationship. For example, we could have dual citizenships, two passports, more freedom as individuals.” He had rehearsed the speech, otherwise his words would have ended up being incomprehensible, he would have struggled to keep a straight face, and he wouldn’t have known how to approach the most ridiculous suggestion he had ever made or ever would make. “Should we simply pick a wedding date and live a better life?” ( @zhcnyv​ )

[zhcnyv]

“Uhm... no. No? I don’t think it’s silly at all?” She looked at the glass of water in her hand. What was in it? It tasted like plain water but something had to be in it. The man had clearly lost the last of his marbles. “No. I don’t think we should. No.”

[zhcnyv]

aromancva​:

“ who else have you told? ” words are bitten off, an edge to her tenor. it’s not as bad as learning of lyosha’s affair with the french duchess. yet. “ the catalonian told you? who else knows that you have this information? ” fingers steeple together as she tries to consider each potential path, depending on who knew what.  Гавно. 

“I think the only people who know the truth are Sergi... presumably Andrés and Simó.” Sergi would have told them had they asked just as he had told her. “...and Fanni Croÿ.” Who was perhaps the biggest wild card of the deck. “The truth does not matter to Sergi — I doubt he’ll open his mouth and stir the pot. I also assume he’d appreciate a friendship with Lyosha more than with d’Orléans. Simó and Andrés do what Sergi asks them to do.” The little band of freedom fighters had gotten what they had always wanted, it would be counterproductive of them to get in the Russians’ way. “But Arnauld d’Orléans knows that Fanni and I know.”

[zhcnyv]

aromancva​:

“Elaborate,” he encouraged with a tight jaw. What could have they come up with now? What was crazier than whatever it was that Zhenya was doing with Yurivič? “Exactly how?” ( ** @aromancva / @zhcnyv )

the glance anya gives zhenya is cutting. this was not the order anya would have preferred to present the information in. “ we have something on the d’orleans. something that might convince yurivič to give himself up. it could affect his daughter’s future. ” ( @zhcnyv / @cksvnv / @kcstyv / whichever order )

They’ve been operating by themselves for so long! She’s relieved to have them all in one place, talking, planning, discussing. The transparency and directness were refreshing. It was the one thing that made it possible for her to ignore Anya. Whatever criticism she had in her, could be shared afterwards, and Zhenya would apologise. “We could, possibly, try to pin the Spanish fires on Giselle d’Orléans. We wouldn’t even need to contort the truth too much — the d’Orléans are tied to the incident, and we were Spain’s allies... Even if our influence becomes obvious, our real motive shouldn’t  be out in the open.” [ @rcmvncv​ / @cksvnv​ / @kcstyv​ / @ncdyc​ ]

[zhcnyv]

aromancva​:

worse stories were more easily bought when the royal family had greater access and control of the media and key figures in the region. investing in assets in central europe would likely be worth the cost regardless of their success with yurivič, but if they wanted to use the kidnapping their favor, they’d have to move quickly. strategically. “ evgeniya. ” the low rumble of thunder reverberates in her voice. “ are you telling me you know it wasn’t that rebel catalonian duke? ” how long had she been sitting on this? “ this can’t be speculation or rumor. you have to be certain. ”

Hairs rose on the back of her neck. The feeling was akin to the one she had felt whenever her teacher had reprimanded her. With Anya, the consequence would be more than a note to her mother. “I don’t only know that.” Her hand squeezed tightly around her forearm. “I know it was the French. The decision was made or approved by the king himself. I am certain. You have to trust me on this.”

[zhcnyv]

aromancva​:

it’s her own blinders that prevented anya from considering the d’orleans princess a point of leverage – she and the belarusian still had a child together, and were friendly enough to maintain a relationship after divorce. the pieces of the narrative are there: the french had no love for the russians, taking out the czar could be….a way to prevent their involvement against the french king’s trail of destruction. but the romanovs had consistently avoided interfering in central europe, and it had been german soldiers who had fought on finland’s side before.  

“ it’s a reach. “ but not impossible. “ no one would believe she operated alone which can be pivoted towards yurivič as a mastermind maybe. this also relies on yurivič choosing his ex-wife’s safety over his daughter’s. unless we have material against both parents, one could choose to sacrifice the other for the sake of their child. ” arms fold flat, fingers drumming soundlessly on the curve of her bicep. “ they are vulnerable right now. you could get in to see giselle d’orleans? learn why she was targeted specifically? ” anya inhales quietly, breath released in a slow measure. they’ve been working this angle for a year now. “ but if this isn’t fruitful, zhenya – we will be done. you will be done, the arrangement ends. ” 

“People have bought worse stories.” Like their mother’s tale of a twisted leader who needed to be disposed of. “This relies on him choosing his ex-wife over himself. The daughter’s name is Margaux. She is as French as they come. Especially if we make it clear that we consider her the princess’s daughter rather than his. The decision should come easy.” It should, but she wasn’t convinced the duke had a conscience to tell him what to do. “But you’re right. Playing it safe would be to point a finger at the two of them.” Someone would get thrown under the bus. “I don’t know if I would be allowed in. She’s probably suffering after the ordeal, getting an audience might be impossible. But...” Her jaw tightened. There were exactly three things that made her consider holding her tongue: 1) the French king’s threat had been very clear, 2) her promise to Sergi, and 3) Anna Romanova might not appreciate the fact that she had kept such an important piece of information to herself for over four years. “There is something the d’Orléans have done and gotten away with. They are fairly vulnerable now so the end result might differ from what happened with the Belgians.” And on top of that... “And I also think Giselle might be willing to or could be convinced to take a bullet for the king. What do you remember of the Spanish fires?”