Nimo Spire waited impatiently in one of the many decadent rooms of the Dunn estate. He'd been within its walls many a time to attend the countless parties that Dame Dunn so liked to put on, but he couldn't remember if he'd ever been within this particular room.

It's more like a palace than a home, he thought with a frown. Its size nearly rivals that of the Eternal Castle.

Just the thought of the castle brought a sense of conceited pride to Nimo. Being a relative of Keeper Spire himself, it was hard for Nimo not to feel superior to all others in Genua. He sighed as he glanced around the well-furnished room.

I suppose as far as status goes, the heads of the Dunn clan are the closest to reaching my own status in all of Genua…

The door to the grand parlor opened, and in stepped a shockingly beautiful woman, dressed head to toe in dark green lace. Her auburn hair flowed over her shoulders and nearly reached her waist, shiny and straight. She smiled at him, but the sentiment did not reach her dazzling eyes.

Those eyes… Nimo stared back at her for a moment, stunned.

Her eyes were the color of purple nightshade, cold and mesmerizing. He couldn't help but feel that one wrong look from her may send a man to an early grave. Though he had met the Lady of the Dunn estate more than once before, her eyes never ceased to render him temporarily speechless.

He cleared his throat and stood from his seat.

"Dame Dunn," he said with a respectful bow of his head. "You're looking quite well."

"As are you, dear Nimo," she said, smiling wider and extending a hand to him. He kissed it politely, relishing in the softness of her bare skin. She indicated that they both should sit.

Nimo couldn't help himself from watching the Lady as she moved through the room to her own seat, opposite his. She was a mother, and had long been married to Lord Dunn, but she was still young, and looked even younger than her years. If he remembered correctly, she was little more than eleven when she married the Lord of the estate, and couldn't have been more than seventeen when she had Layalla, her daughter. That meant she was currently only about thirty-five, which also meant she was less than eight years older than Nimo. She was likely the most beautiful woman he'd seen in all of Genua.

"I'm so happy you were able to come and speak to us, Nimo," Dame Dunn said, still smiling in that cold, yet enticing way. "From what you indicated in your message, we have much of importance to discuss."

"Yes," Nimo nodded in his bored way. "I'd like it if we could just jump straight to business, if you don't mind. I'm not one for useless pleasantries."

A haughty smirk passed over the Lady's face.

"I'm glad to hear it. I do so detest dawdling and wasting time. Then let us get on with it."

Nimo smiled and opened his mouth to begin his proposition, but just then, Lord Dunn himself stepped through the doors of the parlor.

"Pardon my tardiness," the large man said, donning a sheepish smile. He was tall and broad, but somehow unimposing. His hair was black, streaked with grey, and his eyes were the smoldering orange that identified him as a Dunn, through and through. Though he was the head of the state, by inheritance rights, he seemed always to defer to his much more commanding wife.

Nimo stood wearily to greet him. He would have much rather dealt with Dame Dunn alone, though it probably didn't make much of a difference whether Lord Dunn were present or not. Although, it did put a damper on his admiration of the Lady's beauty, having her husband of many years present.

Nimo did his best to ignore Lord Dunn as they all settled back into their seats, and he returned to the business at hand.

"It has come to my attention, my dear heads of this esteemed Dunn estate, that your daughter, Lady Layalla, is soon to be introduced to Genua society."

The Lord and Dame Dunn exchanged a look before the Lady urged him to continue.

"I've never met Lady Layalla," Nimo went on, "but I have heard from those who've been lucky enough to see her that she is a young woman of great beauty and impeccable character. It's because of this that I am eager to meet her, as soon as possible. See, I've reached a point in my life at which I'm ready to find a suitable wife and settle down to create a family of my own. And I can think of no one else in all of Genua more suitable than your esteemed daughter."

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As Nimo prattled on, Dame Dunn pulled a folding fan from her sleeve and delicately opened it, gently fanning her face. When he finished his spiel and the room fell silent, she seemed to be deep in thought. Nimo looked to Lord Dunn, hoping for a response, but the large man only watched his wife, seemingly awaiting her opinion before ever offering his own.

What could she possibly have to consider? he wondered to himself with a twinge of irritation, though he hid the feeling from his face. I'm a relation of Keeper Spire himself—I'm practically a prince of Genua! What better match could they find for their daughter?

Nimo licked his lips as he awaited Dame Dunn's response. The truth was, he was only getting older, and he'd heard talk of not only Lady Layalla's beauty, but her high affinity for Dark magic. Being a Spire, Nimo had been destined to become a Neutral, a being of weak and unsettled magic, neither Light nor Dark. He could certainly wield the eternal flame, but if he ever came to blows with either a Hillshire—those with affinity to Light magic—or a Dunn—those with affinity to Dark magic—then he would surely be bested. But if he were to marry someone with a high affinity, then surely no one would challenge him, especially if that marriage would one day place him as one of the heads of the Dunn clan.

"So, it is marriage that you've come here to speak of," Dame Dunn finally said, raising her fan to hide her chin in a girlish way that made Nimo's stomach do a little internal flip.

She smiled over the fan at him, her purple eyes cold and piercing as ever. He found himself wondering what her lips might taste like.

"You are proposing that a match be made between yourself and our daughter, Layalla?" Dame Dunn went on, rattling him from his imagination.

"Yes, my Lady," he said with a slight bow of his head. "I believe there is no better match for me in Genua, and I dare say there is no better match for your daughter than myself."

Dame Dunn closed her fan with a quick snap before standing and sweeping across the floor to stand behind her husband. She placed a hand on his shoulder, all the while keeping her cold, purple eyes focused on Nimo.

"Our daughter is young," she began, soft and lilting. "She hasn't yet even made her debut in Genua society. But she is also quite skilled. There is no other like her in all of Genua when it comes to magical ability. She's been wielding the eternal flame since before she even spoke her first word." Her delectable smiling lips pursed into a distracting pout. "But what of your affinity, Nimo Spire? Does it measure up to that of my daughter's?"

Nimo's stomach tied itself into a knot of annoyance. This woman dared question his ability? But he couldn't deny it—his affinity was toward Neutral magic, which meant he could never match Lady Layalla's ability. But why should that matter when he was practically a prince of Genua by blood?

"I admit, I have much to learn from your daughter when it comes to magic," Nimo finally said, feigning humility. "But what I lack in magical ability, I know I make up for in name. Keeper Spire is my uncle, after all."

"Yes, but how many generations removed?" Lord Dunn finally chimed in, a small, infuriating smile on his lips. "Seeing how Keeper Spire is over a thousand years old, you must be his great-great-great… Oh, who knows how many greats… let's just say, his great-great-grand-nephew!"

Nimo forced the smile that he wore.

"My uncle, Keeper Spire, has been gifted with eternal life. What does it matter, then, how many generations it's been between his birth and mine? We are still linked by both blood and name."

"All good points," Dame Dunn said, and Nimo was sure that she gave her husband's shoulder a tight squeeze before stepping elegantly back to her own seat. "But how can you know that you want to marry Layalla when you've never even laid eyes on her?"

Dame Dunn had him there. Maybe, Lady Layalla was a horrible creature that rendered a man speechless with one look. Maybe she was unattractive and unappealing. But did he really care about any of that? What did it matter, if by marrying her, it placed him as the next head of the Dunn estate? He could put up with an ugly wife if it brought him the power and comfort he was accustomed to. Besides, there was always other women to bring him comfort when he needed it.

"Let me see her now, then," Nimo stated boldly. "Bring her before me, and I shall see if the rumors of her beauty are true."

Dame Dunn smiled and looked at her husband.

"There's no need to rush anything," she said softly. "I cannot agree to a marriage between yourself and my daughter until I see the two of you meet, and until I see that my daughter is just as eager to marry you as you her. That is why I propose that you attend a party I am throwing in three days' time."

Nimo cocked an eyebrow.

"A party?"

"Yes," Dame Dunn's purple eyes met his, and he was frozen in place. "In three days, we are hosting a party to introduce our beloved Layalla to Genua society. If you were to attend, it would be the perfect opportunity to woo Layalla and gain her favor, and thus you would gain our consent to allow you to marry."

Nimo took a moment to process what she said—if he were to attend the upcoming party at the Dunn estate for Layalla, and if he were to meet the young Lady and gain her affection, then Dame and Lord Dunn would gladly allow him to marry their daughter.

"Win her over," Dame Dunn continued, interrupting his thoughts. "Make her fall for you, as it's so easy for young women her age to do. If she likes you and you like her, then it is a match written in the stars."

Nimo smiled back at her. It would be easier than a snap of his fingers.