Sebastian Ellington-Aragona

Crowned Prince of Italy

The vampire was entirely oblivious to the simplistic joy his newly wedded husband took from his lingering desire for that tart fruit. Balance was important in all aspects and that final bite he had time to take of that chocolatey dessert surely require the taste of fruitiness to complete those complex flavors of decadence. It was a shame that he was destined to go without. A soft sigh left his own lips before Sebastian resigned himself to the creme fresh on the corner of his plate. His bright blue eyes shifted upwards at Dorian's assurance they would be required to leave the comfort of their own apartment to tend to the final few affairs of their marriage and the country at large. Although Sebastian was remiss to lose those few final sweet moments he had with Dorian alone, the sharing of those assets were of equal importance to the vampire. He was well aware that Dorian brought far more to their marriage in terms of wealth and propriety. Sebastian's familial homes were his singular greatest asset, one in which he felt inclined to share with the only man he had ever loved so completely. That combination of all they had acquired over the years was but a final step to show the unity of their families, even if Sebastian's own had long been lost to time and the grave.

Gathering those papers to override his existing deed had been an easy affair. His staff had been wholly eager to put together those documents, overnighting them to the palace just for tonight. His newfound status as a member of royalty also had it's fair share of perks to assist in the matter, resulting in a notary agent brought to the palace itself rather than attempting to find someone and stand in line for however long was required. This 'morning' was certainly sure to be a busy one -filled with signatures, forms, documents, and the monumental work that had accumulated for his lover during the King's absence from the palace and his own country. In this, Sebastian did not envy his husband, though he attempted, all the same, to take on those tasks he was capable of to assist in any way he could, such as that list of public events their attendance had been requested at. He glanced down at the page, picking it up to bring with them as he rose from his seat. The very mention of his those forms that required his lover's signature seemed to prompt a grin from the King. Dorian's nearly eager promise caused his own lips to twist, mirroring his lover's in a warm simper. It was sweet of his husband, to understand the connotation of that gift he was giving, even if the value of his own estates was substantially less than Dorian's own.

His fingers intertwined within Dorian's own as the couple left the privacy of their own rooms, drifting into the far more public walkways in the palace. It was, admittedly, nice to return back to the familiarity of Caserta, even though Sebastian had spent significantly less time than Dorian had within her halls. He was looking forward to the quaintness of their own mansion just as much as his own lover was. His thoughts of introducing Maxwell to the newest member of their family, however, shifted at Dorian's sudden comment of an award they had been given in their absence. The last thing Sebastian had anticipated was that he might be gifted an honorary college degree - much less in a topic that he knew particularly little about! It was baffling to the vampire! Even more agitating when his lover all but compared it to the very lengths Sebastian had gone through to earn his own degree in law. He could hardly help that huff that left his lips, even as he strove to keep his own annoyance in check with his own carefully worded displeasure. It was the soft chuckle upon Dorian's lips that finally provoked the very realization that he was being teased.

His head shook ever so slightly, rolling his bright blue eyes in the process. Dorian's shoulder against his prompted a genteel nudging response from the vampire, a small grin settling upon his features in the process. That blissful moment, however, was short-lived as a far more weighing thought seemed to press upon his lover's mind. His hand slowly released Dorian's own, only to settle in the pocket of his dress pants. Sebastian was hardly oblivious to the frown that traced the King's handsome features. Quite on the contrary, a glimpse of curiosity filled his vibrant irises as he awaited those thoughts that plagued the Monarch. Dorian's sudden declaration of his consideration of redoing their thrones prompted surprise from the vampire, though he hardly disagreed in the slightest. It was, perhaps, vain of him to wish such a seat be comparable to his own country. He knew, naturally, that the chair was just that - a chair. It was the Monarch within it that surely symbolized far more and yet...there was something more awe-inducing of the gold filigree of England's throne then the blue armchair of his own. Theirs were...decidedly dated, even though Sebastian had purposefully made a point not to push such concerns.

The vampire admitted that they were...lacking in comparison to the thrones he'd seen in other countries. "I think you will understand when you see Queen Elizabeth's." He responded as a small simper toyed with the corner of his features. They paused in front of the doors of the meeting room, their presence announced before the large doors in front of them slid open. Sebastian's bright blue eyes watched the man within as he rose to his feet, offering them both a respectful bow before he gestured towards the chairs in front of him. The vampire followed his husband as Dorian took the seat at the very head of the table - the place so reserved for the King alone. Sebastian settled comfortably in the armchair at his lover's left side. It was, admittedly, still taking some effort for the newly crowned Prince to remember the long list of rules he now had to abide by, ones that he had been mostly ignorant of as a mere aristocrat. Where to sit in relation to his husband was but one in the plethora of mannerisms now expected from the Italian Prince.

Sebastian listened with a small simper upon his features as Carlos introduced himself, graciously understanding their difficulty in getting accustomed to work in the month after their honeymoon. He watched as that page was slid to Dorian and yet, it was Carlos' comment of already making up for the dent their wedding had made that prompted his eyebrows to furrow ever so slightly. Already? Their wedding was, after all, nothing short of extravagant. Even he had not been privy to the end bill and yet, Sebastian was certain it had been...sizeable. His suspicions, however, hardly prepared the Englishman for the paper that he was presented with. The sheer size of the numbers upon it left the man confounded. For a moment, Sebastian was silent, eying the expenses and the rather large deposit only to inquire whether or not that bank statement was correct. It seemed...impossible that Dorian and himself had earned that much money in a singular year! His gaze shifted upwards as Carlo straightened, checking several of the pages in front of him in meticulous consideration before nodding quite firmly. Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced down at that page again, wholly baffled by those numbers alone. Dorian had earned more in a year then Sebastian had ever been worth in the entirety of his life!

Sebastian merely stared at the page in front of him, as if he was still struggling to comprehend the sheer amount before he inquired just WHERE the money had even come from in the first place! His gaze turned upwards at the soft brush of Dorian's hand upon his arm, the King striving with such sweet care to inform him of exactly where the money had come from, as if this was entirely normal for his lover. For a moment, those bright blue eyes simply stared at his lover, as if he was unsure if it truly was this much of a norm for the Monarch or if the sheer amount was just lost upon his husband. "Eighty million?!?!" He inquired, his voice surely giving away just how he felt about the numbers he was staring at. His bright blue eyes turned back towards the page, simply attempting to come to terms with that balance as Dorian inquired after the joint account they had originally intended to see to in the first place. His gaze slowly rose back to the accountant at the man's query, the Prince nodded ever so slightly. This was something they had discussed well before now, and an idea Dorian had readily agreed to with nearly no convincing on his own part.

Gingerly, the vampire reached out to pick up his own pen, prepared to sign the same documentations Carlos had indicated. His own signature was easily added to those forms, the vampire only briefly glancing upwards as the extra paper was passed to Dorian, one indicating his own personal balance away from the crown of Italy. His eyebrow rose ever so slightly at Dorian's inquiry of their thrones, the vampire entirely certain that the crown's money alone was enough to pay for such a thing - unless said renovation was supposed to come out of Dorian's own funds? That concern within his husband's voice made him inquisitive of the page that was passed to him, the number on this paper caused his eyes to widen, his mouth parted ever so slightly. The vampire had never even seen a monetary amount quite that large on any paperwork. His facial features clearly seemed to give away his astonishment as Dorian inquired if he was okay.

"Blimey." That distinctly British phrase fell abruptly from his lips as he glanced upwards at his lover, "Are you off your trolley?!" He reached up to his hand running through his hair in a rare glimpse of the vampire's exasperation. He had known Dorian was wealthy. Truly he had....but this?! "You could literally buy another country." He exclaimed, glancing down at that page in front of him, his forehead wrinkled as he contemplated the sheer amount of money in front of him. "This doesn't include all the gold downstairs too does it?! There can't possibly still be more, can there?! I mean, you have close to Italy's entire GDP in one bank account! Why are we getting paid eighty million dollars a year for....existing when you could be....oh I don't know.....using that money to lower taxes, tearing apart the Mafia, reforming the judicial system...?! You could literally end unemployment and still be the wealthiest person in all of Italy without even dipping into all of..." He gestured at all the paperwork in front of him, "THIS." It was clear Sebastian was struggling to process exactly the amount he was gaining, much less what it was doing merely...sitting there. "Hooowwww.....why, Dorian?! How has someone not tried to marry you for just this? How have you not been kidnapped for ransom for this?!" His attention turned abruptly towards Carlos, as if seeking some sort of explanation for this whole affair. "He knows how much money this is, doesn't he? What did you do? Invest in bloody Microsoft?!" His hands reached up, covering his face in the vampire's mere bafflement, only for a soft muffled groan to leave his lips. How was Italy in such a poor state when they had the funds to fix everything?! Surely this was just due to Dorian's own imprisonment, right? Right?