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Lorelei held tight to her knees, successfully creating a ball of herself as she braced herself for some more of her father casting aspersions upon her. It was the only reason he’d ever come to her room. Never had he let a kind word pass through his lips when directed towards his youngest daughter. No, words like ‘hellcat,’ ‘whore,’ ‘harridan,’ had flung themselves from his voicebox when speaking of the young princess.
“You are to remain - ”
“Unseen.” She said in unison with him. Sad that she already had this speech memorized. Sadder still that he hid her away, as though she was some dirty little secret, something that he should be ashamed of.
Her amber eyes rose to stare up at the ceiling, droning out his instructions, tuning out the insults that he somehow always managed to segue in.
“After the antics you pulled today, this treatment is acceptable. I can’t trust you to behave like a young lady in front of our guests. You shame me.”
The siren princess had heard it all before; and somehow, even keeping her from the court did little to halt her pranks, did little to prevent her from the little tricks she liked to play. Though, perhaps the honey on the king’s seat had been a bit too puckish, too bold to play upon her father. But it was no worse than her escapades last week. And all of those had revolved around getting back at her father.
“I’d hate for you to play your little seductive notes to the king of Avarice. To be enticed by a little nine year old whore would be devastating to his pride. And you may as well steer clear of his children; you’ll find no friends in their presence. Viragos such as yourself don’t deserve comrades.”
It must have been an hour that he rambled on, and Lorelei did her best to be attentive. But as soon as he shut her door, the click that she heard, indicating he’d locked her in as a safety measure, caused her to whip back to being alert. She smirked, shaking her head at her father’s sheer stupidity. He could lock that door all he wanted, but he often forgot that her wardrobe connected to the servant’s quarters.
She slithered from her bed, bare feet hitting the cold stone floor before the hem of her skirt covered them from the drafts that the castle had. “You’d think he’d learn.” She said, rather impishly before sneaking out so that she might spy on their guests.
Oh yes, so long as her curiosity didn’t get the best of her, Lorelei wouldn’t speak to them, wouldn’t come into contact with them. But observing the stiffs at court was always a favorite pastime.
And princess Dorian was quite the messmaker herself. Even as she darted behind a banister, she watched, somewhat in awe as Dorian decided to flirt. “This should be good.” Lorelei whispered, snickering as her resin-hued eyes took in the sight.

Lorelei let out an audible, musical gasp as the taller man bent down to kiss the princess. Such bold behavior would only mark Dorian the whore of this season's court. For a few fleeting moments, it appeared as though this had been just what the heiress to Avarice wanted, a secret tryst in the shadows of Easterly castle, wherein she would lose herself to the romantic passions that the salty air provided so easily.

Lust was a kingdom of desire; few could resist the temptation that the sin offered.

It was why every season, all the women wanted to attend Lust's festivities. It was why the men came. Everyone rightly knew what they'd find within the borders of this kingdom: passion.

And obviously, Lady Dorian was no exception to the rule, else she'd have not found her lips brushing against the shadowy man. But the moment of her wants quickly passed, and Lorelei watched as Doiran forced the man away, pushing at his chest in effort to escape a sultry kiss. She ran; he followed; the siren observed. He had grasped a hold of her, keeping Dorian to him so that he might pick up where they'd so recently left off. But the trepidation of fear froze in Dorian's eyes, and Lorelei made her way out to help the woman without thinking, without realizing just how harshly her father would reprimand her when he found out.

She didn't think, only reacted in a way of instincts. Her voice came out in a soft euphony, her words staccatos in emphasizing her demand for him to release her. "You've forgotten your place, sir. I'm quite certain I saw Lady Dorian release herself from your company." she sang cooly, still not realizing the fullness of her statement, that the music barreling into the air came directly from her voice box.

Lorelei froze in terror. The man would know of her, by the sweet inflections of the aria so easily woven within the air. She had the barest traces of her mother, the soft chin and the small way that her lips tipped upwards would mark her to be of the queen’s line. But this would be the first time that anyone outside of her own family and personal servants that someone had set eyes upon the young princess. Such a vision was strictly forbidden by the King: a siren had no place in his court. As such, she would be rightly hidden away from any prying eyes, lest the b***h ensnare them into slavery.
A sheen of nervous sweat beaded her temples, and she shook her head, fiery tendrils flying and amber eyes wide in fear. She shouldn’t have interfered. No… she shouldn’t have left her quarters, when she knew well that there were many guests populating Easterly’s walls.
“I’m of no one consequential.” The siren stated, wincing as the notes enveloped the two people before her. “Nothing that you should care to mention, or even care to remember.” The last word trilled with her fright at Richard finding out.
Already she knew well that at the very least the man would boast about meeting the secret daughter of Lust, that he’d spied the vision of the troublesome nine-year-old.
It was too late to wipe this from their minds. Music wasn’t so easily erased, and the effects of her symphony were the type to linger.
Her cheeks flushed with a rosy color at Lady Dorian’s compliment. “To be of the sea is an honor of this kingdom that I don’t deserve.” The Lustian society revered the sea – the tumultuous ripples that kissed the banks of their home. “
Her eyes fell upon the man, curiosity speckling the stare as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to remember she should probably make a break for it. Instead, she remained, nibbling on a glossy orange lip so that no more words would weave themselves into the siren’s elders’ consciences.
“I shall beg your pardon,” Lorelei apologized, averting her gaze to the feet of the two people that she’d interrupted. She tried very hard to sound like she’d been trained in the elegant ways of conversing, that she was a proper princess. Now that she had ousted herself, it was best if she didn’t shame her father with bad mannerisms unbecoming of someone in her stature. How many times had she heard her mother say that? “I only saw the trepidations of fear in the lady, and felt compelled to put her at ease, and perhaps halt you, sir, in your brusque demeanor with a Lady in the Court. Surely in the future you’ll remember your place in my father’s court.” Oh great demons below! She hadn’t meant to address the king as her sire, and with such authority, and chastising that was only meant to bark orders. Lorelei never bade anyone to do anything, but in this aspect, the wretch needed to be knocked down a few pegs.
Inevitably, tongues would wag about the princess who was so carefully squirreled away. That she’d corrected a man chasing the heiress to Avarice, that her song had tried to seduce him to forget where his attentions had been just minutes ago. That she was but an imp of a child.
And she would feel the cruel drubbing of her father’s hand.
“However, I bid you adieu. It is much too late for someone my age to be meandering through the halls.” With a quick curtsy, Lorelei turned to leave, head held high. One must keep appearances. She thought miserably before making her way through the corridors back to her own quarters.

---will edit in the before stuffs later ----

Richard's brow knitted in a frustrated confusion as he peered over to the young woman that was merely a guest in his castle for the Lustian Court festivities. To ask a king about servants was unheard of. If anything, though it'd still be altogether improper, she should have asked the queen, Cirsa.

"I would not know the identities of those who are simply hired help in my castle," He said gently, keeping the cross tone out of his voice. "But, that said, you would be privvy to that sort of common sense." Who had she seen? A handsome man who had helped her find her way about Easterly?

"However, I do know those names attending court, if you would so inclined as to describe the young man that you so fancy, I'd be more than obliging in giving you a name to search for him under." Ah, she had forgotten that he was not a simpering fool, but one that knew well of carnal wants and desires.

A succubus would be no different in this aspect, of that he was certain.

"Right indeed, Lady Dorian. I would be placed in a state of dejection if our swords were to cross over something so silly as a tryst." He said, raising his glass with her own, but as she had made the statement more akin to a toast than a declaration, her goblet was higher so as to not make it a challenge. Already they were treading in murky waters, to muddle it up more over something so trite would be detrimental to their harmonies.

Richard couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's carefully worded queries, knowing fully well that it was a dangerous game she'd put them in. As a good king, he didn't allow the moment to fall into a shroud of intensity. One handled these situations with cordiality, even if they were dealing with a treacherous snake. "It would be rather brusque of me, would you not think, to boast so openly about the wonders of my court?" He asked slyly, keeping his tone gentle enough so that she'd not further press the issue. Richard knew fully well that she was trying to root out some sort of information, but what was the question. Steely eyes cut into her cerulean blue orbs, the question apparent for her to see, though it remained unvocalized.

"My kingdom," Richard continued, "I believe, speaks for itself, Lustian Court is what many wish to attend, desire to see at least once in their lifetimes. Has this place not been to your liking?" Though his voice was threaded with concern, it was a counter to her queries, feigned perfectly. If it was politics she wanted to play, then so be it.

But then she mentioned a child, and ice settled rightly in the pit of his stomach. When had she heard of Lorelei? "Those who are a part of my court are sitting at this table." He said carefully; it wasn't a lie. His youngest daughter was not a part of the festivities; nor would she ever be. She was merely a illegitimate child, Cirsa's mistake.

And every time he stared into that child's dainty features... the ire within him boiled over as he was reminded that his wife, too had fallen victim to their sin.

A man with a velvet laugh spoke then, thinking it the opportune moment to announce that rumors of the child were true. "And what of Princess Lorelei?" He asked, gaiety and triumph parading about his features. "Why is she not a part of the court, where suitors may be able to generate an early interest in her? After all, she'll be of age in a few years, and from what I saw of a haunting child, she will rival her mother's beauty." This was more for those at the table; obviously, he was one of those who he'd spoken about. The tendrils of her aria was enough to linger with him, though the details of chasing after her were hazy. Probably due to Lady Dorian.

Richard's jaw ticked in fury; that name was to be never spoken in court. And Lorelei had strict orders--she was not to be seen. "The siren will remain unattached, and will never be welcome in Court's festivities, where she might pull my guests into her own harem, and leave the fine ladies who had such high hopes for the season without." He stated matter-of-factly. "She will never marry." The decree was solid, despite the fact that he'd never thought of it before. A life of loneliness and being bound to Easterly for all her days would be her punishment. Perhaps, she'd learn to obey. "As such, she will no longer be a topic of conversation at my table."

All I want is something real

I'll hold it close and never let it go

All I want is something real

I'll hold it close and never let it go