Come As You Are¹ || The Vampire Diaries

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟿 - 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙾𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙻𝚒𝚎

"Kings have been younger."

"Well, they are kings, my lady. They are chosen by God and we are chosen by them. Very different." Margaret laughed again, holding out her goblet. Quickly, one of the servants of the host filled up her cup with warm ale as she smiled and took a sip. "The Mikaelsons have done the lot for this birthday celebration."

"It is for Lord Elijah's brother."

"Ah, yes. He's quite the man, you know." She said suggestively.

"And I am a widow, a Countess who's trying hard to finish settling my late husband's affairs before letting my son take the Earldom."

"I'm not telling you to marry him, my lady." Margaret smiled at a passing man and eyed him with lust. "I'm simply telling you....that perhaps a lover would be good."

A lover?

Carmela snorted, so very unladylike. Of all the people in the room. Elijah and his brother were the last men she'd ever choose. She'd rather die than pick either of them.

"My husband's barely dead and you're already telling me to get a lover."

"Forgive me, I was just..."

"You're forgiven." Carmela turned away and paused.

Her view rippled like she was staring into a puddle as the lords and ladies in front of her swayed fluidly. It took her a second to recover before an onslaught of voices drowned out her own thoughts. She held her head high and scanned the room.

The room around her spun but she quickly focused on the source of her discomfort. Her eyes wandered around before fixing itself onto a lady with pinned brunette hair and too simple of a gown to belong.

She could hear that woman speaking a few words to another. While the one addressing her held a mocking smile. A new debutante or a foreigner perhaps.

"Who is that?" Carmela asked, motioning subtly to the source of her discomfort.

It wasn't Margaret who answered her but rather the lady behind her who followed her like a shadow. "I, Lady Marianne, sister of Countess Margaret, greet the countess of Huntingdon." Carmela waved her off dismissively, telling her to carry on. "If I may, that girl over there is Sir Trevor's guest."

"Sir Trevor's guest?"

added. "I've heard whispers that she might be his lover." Marianne

"He brought his lover into a ball for Lord Mikaelson?"

"It is what it seems." Marianne replied blankly. "There is another rumor I've heard."

"Rumor?" She echoed and Marianne nodded. "What is it?"

"I've heard, she's in exile."

"For..."

"Nobody really knows."

"Perhaps she had a child out of wedlock." Margaret remarked with a twisted smirk on her face and Marianne frowned.

Carmela waved them off dismissively. She didn't care why that woman was there. The only thing she cared about was knowing who she was and why she was causing such ripples in her vision.

Without a word, Carmela broke off from the two ladies and weaved through the crowd to reach her source of disturbance. An awkward woman stayed at the edges of the ballroom, hovering and waiting for someone to address her as she eyes each of the men and women dancing around.