Weeks later, the grand theater, Aurelis, bustled with noble patrons, the golden glow of chandeliers casting warm light over the velvet-draped balconies and polished marble floors. The summer season had brought an influx of performances, and tonight's play—a tragic romance—had drawn the attention of many high-ranking aristocrats.
Among them, Delphia Vosswell and Zypher Thorne occupied a private balcony on the east side, away from prying eyes yet not so concealed as to go unnoticed.
Zypher, ever one to indulge in subtle theatrics himself, had ensured their seating arrangement allowed for discretion—just enough privacy for them to enjoy each other's company without scandal, yet not so removed that their presence in high society could be ignored. Their consistent appearances together at social functions had solidified their bond in the eyes of the Kingdom, and whispers of their impending marriage had begun to circulate.
Below, nobles murmured in hushed tones about the pair's rise. Delphia, once dismissed as a scorned villainess, had become a formidable presence in her own right. Her grace, wit, and now, undeniable connection with Zypher, had shifted perceptions. And Calista Faremont had noticed.
Seated on the western balcony across the room with Crown Prince Alaric, Calista let her gaze wander between the stage and the crowd as the lights dimmed and the orchestra cued up the opening song. She was keenly aware of the shift in courtly favor, the way people now spoke of Delphia with admiration rather than disdain. That irked her. Delphia was meant to fade into obscurity, not flourish. It was time to remind everyone of their proper places.
Unaware of Calista's scrutiny, Delphia leaned in closer to Zypher, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You planned this, didn't you?"
Zypher feigned innocence, though his hand trailed lightly over hers, fingers tracing slow patterns. "Planned what,exactly?"
"A dark corner of a private balcony?" She mused, eyes flicking around the secluded alcove. "Seems rather convenient."
He chuckled, low and indulgent. "I merely appreciate good seating."
Delphia rolled her eyes, but any retort was lost as Zypher tilted his head, brushing his lips against hers in a teasing kiss.
Once they had sat, he used his magic to squeeze their chairs closer to one another so that he could easily wrap his left arm around her and pull her closer in his embrace. She turned into him, allowing herself to melt into the moment, the starting Act 1 of the play forgotten as the murmurs of the theater faded into the background.
Across the hall, in their own private balcony, Alaric adjusted his binoculars, focusing on the stage.
Or at least, that had been his intention. As he panned across the other balconies, refocusing his view, his gaze landed on the east alcove—where Delphia and Zypher were locked in a deep, languid kiss.
His breath hitched.
It wasn't just the intimacy of the moment that unsettled him, but the way Zypher touched her—with a possessiveness that left no room for doubt. Delphia responded in kind, her hand tangled in Zypher's collar, her posture utterly unguarded. There was no pretense, no performance. It was real.
A heat crawled up the back of his neck. Why did this bother him? He had Calista. Delphia was supposed to be… irrelevant. Nothing more than someone who clung to him in the past.
"Alaric?" Calista's soft voice cut through his thoughts. She leaned in, eyes sharp despite the polite curve of her lips as she put down her own binoculars on her lap. "You look flustered. What are you watching so intently?"
Alaric stiffened, lowering the binoculars once he saw Zypher's glare flick towards him over Delphia's shoulder, noticing his presence. "Nothing of importance." He finished quickly and met her curious eyes.
Calista hummed in amusement, but as she followed his gaze, her smile faltered ever so slightly. For just a brief moment without binoculars, she saw it too—Delphia, radiant and utterly lost in Zypher's embrace. A spark of irritation flickered in her chest.
"Well," she said smoothly, her voice as sweet as honey but sharp as glass, "it seems some people have forgotten propriety."
Alaric didn't respond.
He couldn't quite find the words, nor could he shake the strange, nagging feeling that the world had shifted around him in ways he hadn't anticipated. And, that some small part of him too, wanted to be able to embrace the woman he was with in a way like that.
But next to him in the theater, Calista's mind whirred. This would not do. Her eyes narrowed slightly, the gears in her mind turning with the precision of a well-oiled machine. She leaned back into her seat, her gaze drifting from Delphia and Zypher back to the stage, though she saw neither. Her thoughts were already weaving through the possibilities, calculating moves and countermoves like a grandmaster in a game of chess.
Alaric watched her silently, aware of the shift in her demeanor. He sighed softly, his gaze unintentionally returning to the couple without the binoculars, who seemed oblivious to the world around them.
On stage, the actors delivered their lines with dramatic flair for their own 'Act 1,' but it was nothing compared to the drama unfolding in the darkened rows of the theater. The lights dimmed further as the scene on stage reached its climax, mirroring the tension that stretched tight among its audience.
Delphia, meanwhile, was completely unaware of the storm brewing just balconies across from her.
Her world had narrowed down to Zypher—his scent, his touch, his presence so overwhelming that everything else faded into insignificance. His hands moved with a gentle yet assured graze, tracing patterns on her arm that sent shivers down her spine, while his tongue danced with her own—tasting of the wine that coated it. She responded in kind, her fingers exploring the nape of his neck, drawing him closer. Her breathing speeding up and her pulse thrummed in her ears.
The space between them became a wanton movement of hands discovering each other.
Zypher's breath hitched slightly as Delphia's lips then found his neck, soft and tentative at first but growing bolder with each passing second as she left many love-bites under his collar and mostly out of sight. Her left hand slowly trailing down his chest and towards his crotch, his breathing speeding up at the mix of sensations he was currently feeling. Her breath, her mouth, her hand; The thrill of doing this in such a public setting.
The heat between them built, a silent crescendo that paralleled the theatrical one unfolding for an audience too caught up in their own dramas to notice. Her hand rubbed sensuously over the stiff form growing in his upper trousers, Zypher himself letting a soft moan escape his lips as his eyes closed in pleasure from the contact.
"Delphie." The tone nearly felt musical as Zypher expressed his desire for her.
Delphia smiled at the sound of her name whispered with such fervor, a thrill rushing through her at the power she wielded in this intoxicating dance of desire. She paused, her eyes locking with his as she gauged his response, her movements deliberate and controlled. The world around them—the play, the audience, even the looming presence of others' vanished into a distant murmur.
"Shh," she whispered back, a playful warning laced with promise, pressing her finger against his lips. The gesture was tender yet teasing, amplifying the electric charge between them. Zypher nodded slightly, his eyes dark with want.
He captured her finger gently between his teeth, grazing it with enough pressure to send a new wave of excitement through her veins. His left hand slipped around her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left for doubt or hesitation. She replaced her finger with her mouth, kissing him deeply as her hand resumed its languid duty to relieve him of his ache, fingers gently—but precisely, working him to release.
Their kiss deepened, the sound wet and heavy, a slow burn that threatened to consume them both. Zypher's hands roamed over Delphia's back, tracing the line of her spine through the fine fabric of her dress before coming to rest on the curve of her hip, digging into it as his hand squeezed in relation to his own pleasure he felt.
Delphia arched into him, a silent plea for more that he was only too willing to answer.
Back in their seats, Calista's eyes flickered with a cold fire. She straightened up as applause broke out around them, signaling the midpoint of the production. She clapped mechanically, her mind far from appreciation of the arts.
"I think we should clear out heads," she murmured to Alaric as people began to rise for intermission. "Let's step outside."
As they eased out of their balcony and headed toward the lobby, Delphia and Zypher stayed wrapped in their bubble of newfound closeness, unaware that their moment of passion might have initiated events that could extend beyond just their own lives. The intermission bell chimed pleasantly, signaling not just a pause in the performance but perhaps also a shift in the calm that had been present until then.
*
After the play ended, once Delphia and Zypher made it back into the lobby—after he cast a spell to tidy both of their appearances, they watched the other people file out of the performance room, and they caught an unexpected surprise. The Crown Prince and Calista Faremont were in attendance together, wearing pleasant smiles as they exited and mingled with the other Nobles.
Delphia's heart skipped as she caught sight of them, her fingers tightening around Zypher's arm. Zypher, sensing her sudden tension, glanced towards where her gaze had settled and stiffened slightly himself; Realizing that the gaze he felt on them earlier came from the side that houses the Royal Balconies. He offered her a reassuring squeeze with his hand, but his eyes remained wary now that he knew it was Alaric that had spied on them while they were intimate.
The lobby was filled with the soft clinking of glasses and the murmur of voices discussing the play's dramatic ending. The air was rich with the scent of perfume and anticipation. As Delphia and Zypher made their way through the crowd, they tried to appear nonchalant, but their steps inevitably led them toward Alaric and Calista.
"Lady Delphia, Lord Zypher," Calista greeted, her voice lilting with a feigned surprise that didn't quite reach her eyes. "What a performance, wasn't it?"
Alaric nodded in agreement, his gaze lingering on Delphia for a moment too long before he remembered himself and turned to Zypher. "Indeed," he said, his voice neutral but his eyes sharp as he noticed the small, discolored skin under the collar of his shirt peaking out. "The themes of forbidden love seemed particularly... poignant." His own thoughts drifting back to what he had unwittingly come across when readjusting his view of his binoculars.
Zypher's jaw tightened at the implied meaning in Alaric's words. "Yes, it resonates differently depending on one's ownexperiences and desires," he replied coolly.
Delphia felt the undercurrents of tension and forced a smile. "The lead actors were remarkable," she interjected, hoping to steer the conversation away from dangerous waters. "Their ability to convey such deep emotions was truly captivating." From the small bit that she caught at the start, and after the intermission, it was a very nice performance.
Calista watched her for a moment, then smiled thinly. "Absolutely, Lady Delphia. It's all about the portrayal, isn't it? How convincingly one can wear a mask of devotion in public." Her eyes flicked between Delphia and Zypher, a silent accusation hanging in the air.
Alaric cleared his throat slightly, looking uncomfortable with where the conversation might lead. "Speaking of portrayals," he said quickly, "the set design was quite innovative this year. The way they used the light to create shadows added so much depth."
"Yes," Zypher agreed, eager to latch onto any neutral topic as he too ignored Calista's jab. "It did add a layer of visual storytelling that complemented the narrative well."
The group fell into an uneasy discussion about the technical aspects of the play, each pair circling around each other warily like chess players considering their next move. Behind the polite smiles and nods, there were unspoken words and feelings swirling in a delicate dance of societal expectations and personal desires.
As they finally parted ways, Delphia felt a chill despite the warmth of the lobby.
She glanced back over her shoulder at Alaric and Calista disappearing into the crowd, feeling Zypher's hand tighten around hers. They had navigated through this encounter, but both knew that some confrontations were only just beginning to unfold.
He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it gently before lowering it as they made their way outside towards his carriage.