Chapter 349: Different parties in mind.
Suddenly, Elias was engulfed in a hug.
"Aww, aww, my fox, call me that again? Your leopard, you just called me your leopard. I think that is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me." Sienna’s eyes widened, then softened. She couldn’t help it--her lips curved into a grin, and before he could retract the nickname, she plastered kisses all over his face. They were loud smacks, like the kind Ali gave.
"Sienna!" he protested, though his tails betrayed him, curling around her waist in indulgence. Her kisses tickled his cheeks, his jaw, even the bridge of his nose.
She laughed, breathless, as he squirmed under the onslaught. "It is the most romantic thing you have ever said to me Elias. ’My leopard,’" she teased between kisses. "Now, you must suffer my romantic wrath."
Elias, who was usually so composed, so aloof, was basking in her affection. His eyes closed, his lips curved faintly, and he tilted his head back as though surrendering to the storm of kisses. He even parted his lips a little, hopeful for some of the kissing to be taken a step further.
Sienna finally pulled back, her laughter ringing like bells. "If I keep this up, I might as well start grooming you with my tongue like a cat."
He blinked, still dazed from her assault.
"Tell me. what do you want for your party?" She asked, rolling over to lay on his body. Sienna rested her head on his chest, as if she had always belonged there.
Elias’s right hand landed on her back, drawing simple doodles as he replied, "Simple," in a very firm voice. "A quiet gathering. No extravagance. No unnecessary fuss."
Sienna’s brows arched. "Simple? That’s all?"
"Yes," he replied, his tone clipped. "No fireworks. No endless banquets. Just family and a few friends."
Sienna snorted. "Family and friends? That’s barely a party. You need fireworks, lanterns, dancers, and a banquet that stretches until dawn. Do you have any idea how many noble families and wealthy merchants are asking for invitations? Simple will not cut it dear. Those fireworks will be roaring until six in the morning."
"I said no fireworks," he repeated, his voice sharpening.
Sienna pushed her body forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Then sparklers. Smaller fireworks. More intimate. I will pay for them myself."
He frowned. "No sparklers."
Sienna had a feeling that he would reject it no matter what convincing argument she made. So, she said breezily, "Fine. Then lanterns shaped liked you in fox form. Thousands of them. We will hang the across the entire seaside. I will pay out of my pocket."
"Sienna--"
"And dancers!" she interrupted, her voice rising with excitement. "Not just any dancers. I will hire those famous dance troupes from the capital. All kinds of dances. Traditional, classic, ballet, contemporary. They will perform under the lanterns. Out of my pocket."
Elias’s ears twitched in irritation. "Saying ’out of my pocket’ does not convince me Sienna. That sounds like too many dancers. It sounds like chaos. It is the opposite of simple."
Sienna grinned wickedly. "Ad I said extravagant. I am your leopard now so you have to let me get away with everything I want. You don’t have to do anything on that day, just show up and smile."
He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a kiss. Quick, decisive and utterly disarming. His words melted against her lips, his tails tightening around her as though conceding defeat.
When she pulled back, she whispered, "Every time you argue, I’ll shut you up like this."
His eyes narrowed, but his lips betrayed him with a smile. "In that case, I will be arguing a lot because I have to protest being forced to smile at a party I don’t want. It will give the wrong impression. Suddenly, everyone will be inviting me to every small event in the tribe. Do you know that Lord Berkley once built public restrooms and a bathhouse and he invited my father to the inauguration as the special guest!" He shook his head. "That is what happens when you smile at people."
Sienna laughed. "You are adorable when you are annoyed." She poked his nose. "Okay, no smiling."
Elias exhaled with relief. If she could give in on this, then maybe there was room for change in the other plans she had made. The debate continued, playful yet heated. He insisted on modesty: a modest meal. Limited entertainment. She countered with extravagance for every no he uttered. And she continued boasting about paying out of her own pocket.
Finally, after much back-and-forth, they reached a compromise.
"No fireworks," he said firmly.
"But hundreds of lanterns shaped like foxes. Hundreds of them." She emphasized.
He sighed. "Only traditional dancers."
"Then musicians," she bargained. "A string quartet and a band."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Musicians. But no banquet stretching until dawn."
Sienna smirked. "Then a banquet until midnight. After that, we’ll sneak away. The party will be held in a hotel anyway, most of our guests will just pay for a room if they plan to party all night. We can make it like a concert. I am trying to make up for your coming of age ceremony. I want you to look back on this party with fond memories." She was going to do for him the same thing Grace had done for her, give him a gift for every year before she met him. "Do you know what kind of gift you want the most?"
He raised a brow. "A baby."
She smacked him lightly on the chest. "I am not playing around, I want to give you a gift you will love. Not something you will shove into the back of your closet and forget about."
He chuckled. "Well, I certainly can’t shove a baby into the back of a closet."
She almost smacked him again, but he pulled her closer with his tails, and kissed her ravishingly. He couldn’t help himself, he was a the fox lord undone by affection.
Sienna melted into him, her laughter fading into sighs and whimpers, her heart thudding against his chest.
Later, when they finally went to bed with bruised, tingling lips, she nestled against him, whispering, "Goodnight, papa leopard."
He groaned, burying his face in her hair. "Never call me that again."
But his tails still curled protectively around her as they drifted into sleep.