Written for the Marathon Competition (orange/greed)
"Where have you been?" Lola asks, folding her arms over her chest. "You said you'd only be gone for a moment."
Narcisse grins, revealing a bouquet of exquisite yellow and orange flowers. "Forgive me, my love," he says, kissing his wife's forehead. "I'm afraid I got a bit sidetracked on the journey back."
He doesn't like the way her eyes remain hard, critical. He feels as though she can see right through him, but he keeps his smile in place.
"You were doing it again, weren't you?" Lola demands. "How much land and gold do you need?"
"My dear, I-"
With a shriek, she slaps him. Narcisse rubs his cheek. He supposes he deserves it (and probably worse, if he's honest).
"You promised! You promised me!"
And he did. He'd sworn to her that those days of acquiring everything he can get his hands on were over. He'd sworn that she was enough for him.
But he can't help it. Try as he might, that desire is still there. He needs more, and he doesn't think he'll ever stop needing. It's a compulsion, an addiction.
"Surely you understand that I'm trying to make a good life for my family. For our family," he insists because it's the easiest lie to tell.
"Our great-grandchildren could live comfortably with what you have!" she snaps. "Don't you dare try to pretend that you have some sort of morality here."
He can't help but to wince. If only she could understand. He has everything, but it's not enough. It will never be enough. He needs to secure a future, a legacy.
"Lola, please, be reasonable," he sighs.
"I'm returning to court," she says curtly. "If you're smart, you'll stay away until I've had time to calm down."
He watches, helpless, as she packs. No words he could offer would be able to stop her. He's chosen a wife almost as stubborn as he is.
And then she's gone. Narcisse pulls the documents from his coat, sighing as he sits by the fireplace. Another vineyard. The second he's acquired this week.
He's gained so much. And though he knows that he may lose the one thing that gold could never buy, the one thing that all the lands in France could never touch, he doesn't think that he'll ever stop.