August 2, 1892 - Wisteria Ball, Wellingtonshire
Juniper all but snatched the flute from his hand as he offered it, her hand flying back to her chest - luckily keeping the glass held firmly in her grasp - as he had the audacity to touch her. He’d done enough of that in Venice last year. Mr. Valenduris’ touch felt like fire, and it trailed down her arm and into her chest, forcing her heart to beat rapidly; had it not been for her ribcage keeping it contained, her heart would have burst onto the floor in front of them. Her mouth fell slightly open and she narrowed her eyes at him as his gaze flicked around before settling on her. While she wasn’t sure if he could place her - immediately or at all - Juniper couldn’t stay away from him. Not if he was going to be at the back of her mind all season with questions of what had happened between them and why it had ended the way it did. Either way, she had plans for him, and all of them involved him sniveling like a baby for forgiveness. June crossed her arms across her chest, the flute dangling from her fingertips before she pressed her lips into a thin line. “Considering I would rather be anywhere else in the entire world than standing next to you, I would wager my entire dowry that your appearance is as offensive as it comes.” The blonde arched an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to disagree with her. Her heart nearly stopped beating as he addressed her by her real name, and not the fake one she’d given him in hopes of what…? Protecting her non-debutante status, for sure. In the end it had been a mistake because she wanted him to find her but he didn’t. Instead Cassian Valenduris collected her virtue like it had meant nothing to him - just another girl beneath him with a name he could care less about learning. It hurt and she had felt like nothing for the rest of the summer and into the beginning of her seventh year. June had no intentions of ever letting him make her feel like that again.
The blonde was shocked he even remembered the fake name he’d been given over a year ago. But now he knew part of her secret and Juniper absolutely loathed it; being caught in her own web of lies was terrible, and as she trailed her eyes across his body, she had no doubt he would dig deeper to learn just how much she’d lied about. Juniper snarled at him. “You only think you are pleased to see me, Mr. Valenduris, but you find you will be sorely mistaken.” She unfolded her arms and took a deep sip of the champagne. “The woman you met last summer? She’s long gone. I'm not sure you're going to know what to expect from me.” Flicking a loose curl over her shoulder, the witch frowned at him. “And to what do we owe the displeasure of your appearance in London?”
If he was here for the entire season, she was screwed - and not in a good way. She scoffed as her eyes trailed down to where his package was safely tucked away by pants, and then snapped back up to his face. A soft blush spread across her cheeks, but she merely huffed at him again before glaring at him.
![[Image: Ts48j1U.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Ts48j1U.png)