Married For Magic

Chapter Two: Reception

"Dahlia, hey, wake up, we're here."

Dahlia blinked a few times, looking around confused for a moment before realizing she had fallen asleep on Antonio's chest. Immediately a deep red flush crept up her cheeks. Antonio chuckled softly.

"Here, let me help you out."

Antonio stepped out of the limo and reached a hand in, allowing Dahlia to climb out with his assistance. Dahlia looked around in awe. The driveway was entirely circled in rose bushes, leading to a tidy brick path that took you through a beautiful rose arch. Dahlia gasped as her eyes met the end of the walkway. Stretched out before them were rows of candlelit glass windows, through which she could vaguely see the outline of guests mingling.

"Antonio...this is incredible. This is your family's private club?

Dahlia caught herself as her mouth hung nearly open, gaping at the scenery. Antonio chuckled again.

"It's fair to say you don't want me for my money then? Most girls usually know about all the estates before I even get a chance to give a tour. Your naivety is endearing in a way."

Dahlia scoffed.

"That's a bit rude, don't you think? I'm hardly naive and don't think for a moment that one car ride of kindness allows you to dish out backhanded compliments at will."

Antonio frowned.

"That was hardly my intention. I apologize if it came across that way. I am genuinely taken with your ignorance of my fortune. I meant it sincerely."

Dahlia nodded, but hesitated to meet his gaze.

"We need to head inside now. Please let me escort you. I'm sure our guests would have questions if I arrived without you on my arm."

Antonio smiled enthusiastically as he offered Dahlia his arm. She accepted sheepishly and allowed him to lead her through the arches and up the steps of the glass-windowed building. As they entered, every guest and staff member turned to gawk and gaze at the newly anointed couple. Immediately, a petite blonde girl with a sheepish lanky man trailing behind approached them.

"Duke, Duchess, it is truly such an honor to be here. We wanted to extend our gratitude and congratulations on your special day. We won't keep you long. I'm sure you have more important tasks to get to."

The blonde winked suggestively and the unidentified lanky man waved awkwardly before the two scattered off into the crowd again.

"Who were they?" Dahlia poked Antonio with his elbow, eagerly awaiting a reply.

"Uh, truthfully? Some Lord and Lady of the court whose names I can't be bothered to remember."

Antonio chuckled at his own response. Dahlia stifled her own giggling as they made their way toward their seats. Arriving at their table, Dahlia winced as they were interjected by none other than her parents. Antonio nodded curtly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Telia, thank you for attending the reception. I will arrange for one of my best drivers to return you to the city this evening. I know the journey can be tiring."

Dahlia's parents smiled coyly, gleefully accepting his offer. Dahlia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Without warning, Dahlia's father shifted his gaze toward her.

"Dah, what is this? I see a rip in your dress? Have you not embarrassed us enough today? It's your wedding for heaven's sake, have you no shame? I-"

The disgruntled father was interrupted by Antonio's looming presence growing closer by the second.

"Mr. Talia, as I've said, I appreciate your attendance, but I do not appreciate and will not tolerate you publicly berating my wife for something I'm responsible for. Dahlia is no longer your concern or embarrassment. Though I advise you look around and reconsider who the embarrassment here truly is."

Antonio nodded again, more indignantly this time. Without hesitation, he grabbed Dahlia's hand and led her away toward the gardens just outside of the venue. Dahlia rushed to keep up with his stride. Noticing her struggle, Antonio abruptly stopped and turned to study her for a moment. Then, all at once, Antonio scooped her into his arms and turned about-face, making a b-line toward the entrance they had just come from. Dahlia hid her face in his chest.

"What are you doing!?" Dahlia squealed anxiously into his chest.

"Taking you home. I think I've had enough for today."

"People are staring!" Dahlia squirmed against Antonio's chest, pressing her face more deeply into his jacket.

"Who cares? It's our party, isn't it?"

Antonio picked up his pace, closing the distance between them and the door before anyone could make an objection. Dahlia continued to squeal and squirm in his arms. Making it back to the limo, Antonio gently placed her back on her feet and opened the door for her.

"Where are we going now? You said home. Does that mean the country estate?"

Antonio nodded.

"I've been staying at the country estate until the construction of our new home in the city is finished. We'll have an extended honeymoon here and move in when the renovations are complete."

Dahlia sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You're incredibly confusing, you know that? I can't follow your logic at all. Leaving like this is going to stir up rumors!"

Antonio shrugged defiantly, as if to say who cares.

"So be it then. It's better than sitting around and being judged all night, or allowing friends and family to disrespect my wife."

Dahlia sighed again and leaned against the limo.

"You hardly know me at all, and yes, I might be your wife...but you don't owe me anything just because you feel guilty."

She looked over at Antonio, studying his solemn expression. She had never intended to become such a burden to him so quickly. It crossed her mind, that perhaps, it would have been easier for her if he had been the cruel and heartless man he was rumored to be.

"I need to ask you something, Antonio."

Antonio gestured defeatedly toward the air.

"You're my wife now Dahlia, please just ask."

Dahlia shuffled her feet back and forth, carving a hole in the driveway gravel.

"Why...do you think there are so many nasty rumors about you and your family?"

She stared at the ground as she spoke, immediately regretting the question. To her side she heard Antonio let out a deep sigh, kicking a small pile of gravel.

"That's a good question. My family is pretty awful, truth be told. And well, as far as I go, it's not hard to guess. Five failed marriages, no real aptitude for magic, born into wealth, the list goes on."

Dahlia nodded quietly, allowing him to go on.

"I find it best not to put much energy into others' opinions. I prefer to make my own. I doubt you would want to be judged by the actions of your parents. I hope you'll extend me the same courtesy."

Dahlia looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't meant to offend him.

"No, of course, I didn't mean that I believed the rumors. I just wanted to hear it from you...I apologize."

Antonio waved her off gently, and gestured for her to enter the limo. Dahlia obliged, sliding in and gazing out the window. A few words between Antonio and the driver, and they set off. Dahlia spent the surprisingly short ride wringing her hands and staring out the window. She was thankful that Antonio kept quiet. She needed time to consider what their future was going to look like, and most of all, what their wedding night was going to look like. Dahlia took deep nervous breaths. Her mother and sister had briefly prepared her for this night, but it was unladylike to discuss this type of thing. And so, Dahlia found herself naive and inexperienced. She wondered if Antonio was thinking about it too, and if so, what he had planned for her.

The limo slowly pulled to a halt and Dahlia noticed that before them stretched a rather humble but gorgeous Victorian-style manor. Dahlia gasped as she took in the lavish greenery that surrounded the estate. Antonio chuckled from the other end of the limo.

"I'm glad the estate is to your liking. Should we head inside? I'd be happy to give you a tour."

Dahlia smiled and nodded eagerly, her fears temporarily forgotten. Antonio guided her out of the limo and up the front steps. As they entered, several maids hovered politely around the doorway waiting for instructions. Antonio smiled at them each and allowed them to take his jacket and hat.

"Thank you, I appreciate your help. I'm going to give our new lady a tour of the estate. Please have our dinner sent up to the master suite."

The maids curtsied at once and all headed off in different directions with a single-minded purpose. Dahlia raised an eyebrow.

"Are they always this eager?"

Antonio chuckled before clearing his throat, a more solemn look replaced his smile.

"I'm afraid not. Tonight's a special occasion for us as well as them. They take on a lot of responsibility during these events."

Antonio looked suddenly uncomfortable, his eyes looked off into the distance as though he were remembering something rather unpleasant. Dahlia felt the sudden urge to break the tension.

"Well...I haven't been excited for much tonight but I can say I am very excited about seeing the estate."

Dahlia smiled earnestly at Antonio. Antonio returned the gesture with his own small smile.

"Alright then. Let's get to it."

Antonio held out his arm in a gentlemanly gesture. Dahlia nodded in acceptance, lacing her arm under and around his. She took note of the firm muscles hiding beneath his suit and wondered what they would look like exposed. A hot flush crept up her cheeks but she was interrupted by their arrival at the dining hall. Dahlia looked around in awe. The room stretched beyond what she could comfortably see. The room was littered with incomparable art and tapestries, not to mention the glitter of thousands of jewels adorning the table and sconces. Dahlia found herself gasping aloud. Antonio chuckled at her side.

"Years ago, my family was the pinnacle of magic nobility. They did favors for and protected many of the nearby towns and settlements. Most of the things you see here were gifts from those places. My family is a bit sentimental so they collected them in this room."

Antonio watched with curiosity as Dahlia drank in the scenery. She was wide-eyed and enthusiastically studying each piece of art and tiny jewel. Antonio felt a smile creep across his face. Truthfully, he hadn't expected to enjoy her company, but he was pleasantly surprised. Dahlia suddenly peered up at him.

"Does your family still do magical work for the city?"

Antonio seemed taken aback for a moment, and pondered the question intently before responding.

"Well, to a degree, yes. Our family used to provide brute strength labor and protection decades ago. Now, our family provides contract magical engineering and planning work for the city. It's just as important, if not more so."

Dahlia nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose that makes sense. Your family evolved with technology. I guess I never considered the impact modern magic had on the different magical lineages."

Antonio nodded seriously.

"A lot of the magical families faded with the evolution of modern technology. They could no longer provide trade-able goods, their magic weakened over time due to less use and eventually there was no magic left in the lineage. My family was lucky."

Dahlia listened closely as Antonio spoke. She came from a family with a lineage defined as having Sporadic Magical Aptitude. Essentially, a few of her relatives had been born with magical abilities of varying strengths and types. There were no connecting factors or relatives and the results were inconsistent. That meant her family was well respected and known about the city, but she was never held to the same standards or expectations as those of people of a magical lineage were. She wondered what kind of pressure Antonio might have been under, being the only heir of a magical line of nobles. Dahlia recalled that Antonio defined himself as 'having little magical aptitude', and found herself wondering just how much magic he possessed. To her, surely any amount of magic would be enough, seeing as she had none herself.

"Antonio...what does it feel like to have magic?"

Antonio frowned, looking at the sky for a brief second. He fixed his gaze on Dahlia again and shrugged.

"It's nothing really. Magic isn't even special anymore, it's commonplace, mostly used as an alternative sustainable energy source. I try not to think about it too much. Shall we?"

Antonio extended his arm and continued to guide Dahlia through the house. Every room on the estate was breathtaking, though none came close to the dining hall. The manor was tastefully decorated, obviously catering to a vacation setting, with endless bar carts and lounges scattered throughout. Dahlia was in awe every step of the way, truly reveling in the lavish environment. Antonio studied her facial expressions closely as they navigated the halls and extravagant sitting rooms. Most women he had brought here were from good families, not unlike Dahlia, though none had reacted this way. To be frank, though the women had all feigned polite entertainment, he could tell they were more excited about seeing the main estate. They viewed him and his family as nothing more than monetary value and a ticket to respect within the court. Dahlia seemed different somehow. It wasn't as though she was just sizing up the manor, she was truly experiencing the tour, and hanging on his every word at that. Antonio smiled to himself. Perhaps he had gotten lucky this time. Antonio's pleasant thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as they approached, at last, the doors to the master suite. Antonio's face immediately fell dark and still. Dahlia took notice, peering up at him with solemn curiosity. In response, Antonio cleared his throat and darted his eyes toward the suite door. Dahlia gestured towards it meekly.

"Is that the master suite? Shouldn't...we have some dinner now? We didn't really eat at the reception..."

Dahlia trailed off staring at Antonio with wide eyes. Antonio lost himself in her gaze for a moment, before regaining his solemn demeanor. He reached out, slowly taking Dahlia's hand in his.

"Before we go in, I think we should talk."