The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis)

Subject: The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:35 pm

It had been almost a year and a half since the new Lord Clement had taken his rightful position in the French order, and what a year and a half it had been. The palace rarely remained as quiet and austere as it had once been, the new Lady Clement having seen the wisdom to open parts of it up for tours made available to both Muggles and Wizards alike. In fact, Her Ladyship had seen fit to conduct the more special tours herself, illustrating her broad knowledge of history, tradition and the Clement way. The Palace of Versailles had always been respected, revered, even feared by some but the new Heads of Estate had made it a place people found warmth in, a place they could be proud of. Where other forms of nobility sought to isolate themselves with their wealth and power, the Clements had opened the gates to a new way of life, one marked by availability, progress and inclusiveness to all.

The tours also helped Lady Clement get acquainted with more Muggle ways of the future. For her instinct eighteen months ago had been correct, and that combined with Lord Clement’s dogged determination to harvest this new technology that seemed to be taking over the world faster than any viral illness, had resulted in them tripling their investments in the first six months alone. Vanessa had been only partially correct in her assumption that they were the first to study this technology. In fact there had been others but they neither had the resources nor the backing to delve deeper into the pit of the unknown. For those who had managed to learn a little, they had immediately deemed it dangerous and began devising ways to hinder its progress.

But progress could never be stopped, even if persuaded to halt for a time. And halting progress was never the Clement way. History was cruel and unforgiving, Grandmere Lissette often quoted. It gave you the chance to flow along or get left behind in the dust of time. A saying that the House had always heeded through the centuries it had ruled. Of course, Grandmere herself was now getting ready to take her own place in history, having finally agreed to adding her regal portrait in the Hall of Rulers. Grandmere had not opted for a painting when she was young and beautiful, preferring to leave the world with her eerily aged skin and impeccable silver hair, only her brown eyes giving her away as the girl in the wedding painting beside her own finished portrait. The two roles Grandmere had played in her time stood side by side, as the newlywed bride of Lord Loras Clement and the reigning matriarch she was now.

Right now, even as Vanessa sat at her dresser, her Lady’s Maid braiding her hair ready for bed, the Lady of the House imagined their prospects hard at work, finding ways to make this technology coexist with the magic always present in the air. She had learned much and more about how these Muggle devices worked in the last eighteen months. Not enough to understand their inner workings but enough to understand that they were a force unstoppable. The rest had been on Louise, and he had risen to the task remarkably if the initial numbers were anything to judge by. More exciting than the numbers however, was the potential for growth.

“M’Lady?”

The brunette looked up, having been quite lost in her thoughts, to notice her hair clearly made and her dressing gown in place. The maid in question stood respectfully behind her, asking if there would be anything else.

“Non merci, ce sera tout,” The witch spoke, dismissing the maid for the evening. Even as the servant left however, Vanessa made no move to stand, remaining seated where she was, contemplating her reflection in the mirror. There was no difference of course, there wouldn’t be for some months, she’d hope, but the bright sparkle in her grey eyes was apparent even to herself.

She hadn’t told anyone yet, only the Maester who’d confirmed it knew, honouring her request to not even divulge the information to Grandmere who would certainly find the news cheering from her withdrawing room where the older woman now mostly stayed. Even Grandmere could wait for a day. The person who had the right to know first – and a small smile lit up her face as his presence neared – was on his way.

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Come Plot With Me <3

The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis) Rsz_ve10

Subject: Re: The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:36 pm

The move in to the technology industry had been a quick progress. After getting the agreement from his father to begin the work before he was named Lord Clement, Louis had given the necessary resources towards the research of the product. The team had run the think tank, brought back the results, which had been considered by Louis in meetings, and discussed with Vanessa outside.

Each time something came back to the new Lord Clement, he asked for a short amount of time to think it over, buying himself time to converse with his wife, before going back to those who needed his decision. It was never a long time Louis needed, but enough to consult Vanessa when they came to a murky area. After all, Louis had pointed out when they'd been discussing the ideas one time, it had been her idea, not his own, and he would never dream of taking the credit for it.

Which was precisely why, should anyone take the time to look in to the trail from the technology companies back to the Clements, they would find Vanessa's name on all of the investment information, not his own.

Though, of course, Louis was seen to be the one in which all business came through.

The technology was being worked on, trying to integrate magic in to it to make it accessible for those who needed it. Louis didn't get involved with this, truthfully, but he'd heard a number of phones had combusted, exploded, and melted in the process. It had amused Louis when he'd been told, the magic in the air resisting the Muggle technology in such a manner, but he'd insisted that they continue with the endeavour.

Progress was being made, though, so Louis had left the team to it, whilst he dealt with other matters.

Vanessa had started to open the house to the masses, whilst Louis turned his attentions further afield. Their hold in Europe was unrivaled, it had been for centuries, but very few of the Clements had thought of branching out further. Louis, however, was ambitious, and had started work on the Middle East -- what with the 'super rich' moving there to set up, Louis could only see this as an opportunity. New investments were being made there each day, and Louis had stemmed in to that flow of money and social circles.

It had kept both the Lord and Lady Clement busy for the eighteen months after their wedding, but never so busy that they didn't make time for one another. After all, that was the one thing Louis would never give up, not even for his house, time with Vanessa was essential to his existence.

That was what brought Louis to Vanessa's rooms each evening. When the Palace went quiet, and he was sure his Grandmere was tucked safely away in her rooms, Louis moved across the hallways to Vanessa's room once her Lady's Maid had finished for the evening. Of course, the staff kept their secret, the fact Louis was found most mornings still slumbering in Vanessa's bed rather than his own had become habit, a bad one Lissette Clement would likely say.

But they kept to the pretence of the age old tradition of sleeping apart.

That, Louis had already promised Vanessa, would be the first thing that would change once Lissette Clement was done with the world.

Tonight was exactly the same in that manner, Louis had changed for bed as usual before dismissing his servant for the evening. He'd waited all but five minutes before pulling on his dressing down atop his pyjamas, slipped a pair of slipper on, and moved across the landing without a sound -- the cushioning charm was quite useful in such times. He'd paused at the door, making sure there was no talking from within the room, before letting himself in to Vanessa's room. The door closed soundlessly behind him, and Louis turned from the door to find Vanessa sat at her dresser still, hair flowing down her back in natural waves.

Even after all of these years -- even if some were limited to only memories of the years before -- Louis found himself captivated by his wife's beauty anew each evening. He wondered if he would ever grow tired of seeing her, but almost immediately wrote that idea off for it was absurd.

But, tonight, there was something different about Vanessa...

"Ma chérie," Louis greeted Vanessa, moving across to her and placing soft kiss to her cheek. His arms wrapped around her gently in that moment, his eyes finding hers in the mirror, and his smile growing in that moment. When they were alone, there was never a need to hide his love and adoration for his wife, he could let all of it show, for she was the only one who could ever make him feel so alive.

"Vous regardez radieux ce soir..." He whispered softly, it was a compliment at base value, but to Vanessa, it would likely read as a soft question if she chose to acknowledge it. What was it, he wondered, that had made her happy this evening, because he knew there was something.

And he was quite sure she would tell him what.

Vous regardez radieux ce soir ... -- You look radiant tonight...

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:37 pm

"Vous dites que tous les jours," the witch replied equally softly, the smile on her face remaining intact. It wouldn't matter if he said it a thousand times or not even once. The important thing was that he was with her, and that was all the compliment she would ever need.

"Did you have a good day," she began, not willing to give away the information so easily now that he was here. She knew he knew there was soemthing, it was just how things worked with the two of them. but that didn't man she would dispense with the pleasantries. "Perhaps you'd li to have some tea brought in and have a long conversation about it?"

It was rare of her to tease him, lightly as it was but he could already tell she Vanessa was in a good mood, her sparkling grey eyes lit with both mischief and excitement overlaying the constant happiness he gave her every day.

"Or we could talk about my day," she suggested, meeting his gaze in the mirror with that small notion of mischief, one that wouldn't have been out of place on a woman ten years younger than her. But a part of them would always be the two children who scrambled inside the maze, trying to hide from the world and make their own.

"I had an appointment with the seamstress to finalize the fall dresses. Warm colors are back in next season, how exciting." A small laugh escaped ehr ladyship as Louis sat through her news, clearly wondering when she would get to the point.

Oh and there is soemthing else," she began, this time slowly turning ehr face from the mirror and towards his, moving her slender frame to an angle where she could face Louise better without removing herself form his light embrace. Even as she tried to form the words in ehr mind, a faint blush touched her smooth features, a blush that should have diminished along time ago in her husband's company but one that had persisted nonetheless.

Making her quite unable to say the words.

"Louis, I... We..." she tried, only for the syllables to falter halfway, leaving her at a loss for how to convey her message. Never had she expected a bout of bashfulness to overtake her in this situation but here it was, making her blush like a little girl and avert her gaze.

"Comment aimeriez-vous ... s'il y avait un petit qui vous appelait "Papa"?," she finally managed to ask, her breath held in the moment she waited for an answer. Unconsciously, her hand moved to her lower abdominal area, protecting the new life that had begun to form only weeks ago.

Yes, better than the numbers, was the potential for growth.

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Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: The Palace of Versailles, 2002 (Louis) Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:37 pm

"Oui, c'est parce que c'est vrai." Louis replied softly as she admonished him for telling her that every day. Though, the smile on Vanessa's lips denoted that, really, she didn't mind. How could he not tell his wife that she was beautiful, or else a word of similar meaning, every day? It would be a crime not to tell her that she was as much, amongst a multitude of other things.

The teasing nature of Vanessa's next words brought a fond smile to Louis' lips. He knew she was playing up, making him wait for her news. He'd allow her that much as he let out a soft laugh at her antics. "My day was fine, thank you." He replied softly, there was nothing of note to bring to Vanessa's attention -- at least not whilst his attention was captured with the fact there was something here, waiting to be explained.

Clement business could wait thousands of years if Vanessa had something to talk about.

Finding the information of Vanessa's day was much more appealing, and the Frenchman nodded for her to take that route. That, to him, was much more interesting currently than his own day, though, he added in his own mind, that was often the case. Vanessa's happiness was much more interesting than anything he could possibly do otherwise.

His wife, though, did not seem keen on giving him the information of her happiness that easily -- whilst dress designs might be something that cheered Vanessa's mood, he knew that her current mood was something much more than colours that were in this season. "Ven..." The Lord Clement whined ever so softly at her teasing nature. It was unbecoming of Louis to do such a thing, but in private, he could get away with acting like a child who was not being given what he wanted.

But only with Vanessa.

As the witch continued, moving slightly round to face him, Louis lowered himself to his knees before her, waiting patiently for the witch to explain as to what might be the real reason for her happiness. The blush on her cheeks made him look at her curiously, eyes searching her grey ones for some hint of what was going on in her mind.

The falling over words only made Louis wait more anxiously, his eyes losing their amusement as he started to worry a little bit -- overthinking was not something Louis usually did, but trying to second guess Vanessa's happiness was a time for such things.

"Comment aimeriez-vous ... s'il y avait un petit qui vous appelait "Papa"?,"

Louis' eyes widened with surprise at these words, his eyes leaving Vanessa's when he saw out of the corner of his eye her hand move to her stomach protectively. It took a moment for Louis' mind to catch up with the situation, another moment for his features to soften completely and the stress in his shoulders to recede to no longer being. And one final moment for the realisation, elation and relief to flood through his body in the form of tears rising in his eyes.

"You're... with child?" Louis managed, voice thick with emotion in that moment. His hands had moved to Vanessa's one holding her hand gently, whilst the other covered her small hand on her stomach. Vanessa nodded only once in confirmation before a single happy tear fell from Louis' eyes, followed by another shortly after the second nod.

Reaching up, Louis pressed his lips to Vanessa's kissing her once, twice, three times because there were no words that could convey how happy, how proud, and how perfect this moment was.

For their child was not the heir of the Clement fortune.

Their child was not even a Clement.

Their child was simply that, in Louis' mind, theirs.

And nothing anyone would say would take that away from them.

Oui, c'est parce que c'est vrai. -- Yes, that's because it is true.

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~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

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