Chapter 29 #2
“I feel like I should lie to you since you threatened to ruin my hair,” I told her. “But I feel so bad.”
She cocked her head. “Is that the path you wish to take?”
“No,” I told her. “No, and I’m really concerned you said I should fear you.”
Josie offered half a grin. “You know, we could let it down tonight? Might make you a little more mysterious in that room. Everyone would be looking for the braid.”
“Will you make it look good, or bad?” I asked. “I’m not sure I should trust your sudden and new ideas.”
“I am not a magician, Svana. I could not make you look bad even if it were my intention.”
She had me sit and unpinned the back of my braid. It cascaded, long over my shoulders, and to my surprise, it looked right for once. When we put the mask on, its white feathers clashed with my dark locks.
“But for what it’s worth, I think it looks pretty,” she said.
I looked at her over my shoulder. “What happened to your husband?”
“He’s dead, Svana,” she said.
“Yes, but...Did you…?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, Your Highness. I did not kill my husband.”
“It was just a question,” I said. “Some wives kill their husbands. If he was abusing you, I–”
“I didn’t touch him,” she said.
When I arrived at the Masquerade, a sweet, haunting melody carried through the ballroom.
Violins swept around every man and woman, romancing their masks through pure aesthetic.
The music seemed to pass through the air like wind or magic, and though I was terrified–a hundred people in a room with no identity–with the fear came liberty, too.
I was a ghost within the game just like everyone else, and if not for the occasional fleet of knights passing through the area every several minutes, I would have forgotten I was the princess.
All of my thoughts and worries of burning farmsteads were far away.
Someone nearly collided with me; they said nothing to apologize; they didn’t bow, and I felt… free.
Still, as beautiful as the decorations were, as beautiful as the gowns and laughs, there was an almost tangible and blatant piece missing from the board, and no amount of fire dancers or acrobatic tricks that caught my attention could fill the vacancy. I longed for—
“Evergreen, I see,” a voice sang into my ear. Sweet, like the first day of Spring.
“Cyrus?” I turned, abruptly, finding myself near-twisting into his arms. He caught my hand and pulled me in for dance. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Shh,” he said. His mask had horns. A devil. I laughed, then spoke quieter. “You can’t be here. Can you?”
He came forward, gliding us toward the instruments. “I can do whatever I want, Swan,” he said. “But on this occasion, I was invited, I’ll have you know.”
“What? Invited? Who invited you?” I asked.
“Who do you think?”
We twirled, and in a dramatically inverted dip, a man I couldn’t place passed by us. He gave a single glance at the display Cyrus had created, but nothing came of it and then my Sword righted me up again.
“The Prince, of course,” he told me. He inclined his head toward the passing figure.
“The Prince?” I worried. “He saw us!”
“Us?” Cyrus asked. “No. He saw me. The man he let into the party. And he saw me dancing with a woman. If he saw who the woman was, would he have just walked by?”
“What if he discovers me?” I asked. “What if he realizes?”
“He won’t,” he said. “Sameer and I come together every year. He’s never cared for who or what I spend my time doing.”
“Doing? That’s…crass,” I said.
“Aye.” He grinned wickedly. “You forget I’m a scoundrel.” His finger shot toward his mask. “Was this not obvious enough? And here I thought it was on the nose, like your swan.”
I blushed, touching my disguise. “He never asks you? Who you’ve been with?”
“Never,” he said.
“...I’m not sure that comforts me,” I confessed. “And what about me? Will he not come look for me?”
Cyrus squinted, sort of. He shrugged. “He might. Though I wouldn’t hold my breath.” He nodded once toward the Prince again, who had arrived beside a woman with light hair. “I’d wager that this evening is basically his free pass to fail at finding you.”
Sam ran his hand over the woman's gloved arm. He brushed his lips across her neck. I could nearly feel the intensity of her anticipation from where we stood. It was love. The woman loved the Prince. She loved him the way I loved my Willem.
“That’s Agatha,” I realized.
“Yes. And her sister is there,” Cyrus explained, swinging us to reveal the other’s location near the punch.
“I didn’t recognize them,” I said. “Not until I looked.”
He smirked. “Exactly.”
“I see,” I said. “Then we’re safe.”
“You are always safe with me,” he said but his gaze flickered sinisterly to counter the promise.
“You’re dressed as a devil," I said. “That mask suits you. You’re always so hyperaware of everything, everyone. The ever-charming Mr. Evergreen. How?”
He laughed. “Do you want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a mask, Svana,” he said. “All of it. The charm, the knowledge. It’s all part of the facade I created to coax unsuspecting women into my impish plans.”
I looked off, whispering, “I know you have a past.”
“Yes, a past,” he said. “But you are my present.”
“And am I your future?” I asked.
His eyes fixed on mine, somehow emphasized by their veil. “No one knows the future, Swan.” He lost a breath. “But if I had a say in it… If I had a say, I would pray for no other fate.”
I sighed longingly. Then gasped. “Blast. You conned me again! How do you do that? I am like clay at your mercy.”
He snickered. “It isn’t a con if I mean it,” he said.
“Do you?” I asked. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes.”
I smiled, softly.
“You look good in green. Like it was made for you. Impeccable fit. Would look better on my floor.”
“W-What?”
He flashed his teeth. “A joke, love.”
“I-I can’t concentrate on the steps,” I complained. “You keep distracting me with your flirting.”
His hand moved to my back, steadying. “My apologies, I’ll behave.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s…” I swallowed.
“I’m sorry. It’s this sea of obligation.
” I gripped his hand a little tighter. “This room, my life–Elías has always described it as a game of chess. He’s always taught me to be cautious and to play the board.
But I’m not in control. I’m playing anything. I’m a pawn.”
“We’re all pawns, on occasion,” he murmured.
“Maybe. But…” I exhaled. “If I asked you to remove me from the game, would you?” I asked. “Would you take me somewhere tonight, somewhere…not here? Somewhere we could be… alone. Entirely alone?” I met his eyes again.
“Yes.”
I straightened. “Do you promise?” I asked.
“Yes. I promise,” he said.
“C-Can you?” I checked around us. “Will anyone stop us? Will they see?”
“We’ll time it right,” he said. “No one will see us leave together, just to be. But are you? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said. My shoulders eased. “I’m certain.”
“Alright then.” He scanned the room. “At the end of this dance, they’ll bring in the next round of desserts.
Some of the entertainers will shift. There will be a split in attention as people seek the food and everyone else socializes.
Elías was onto something. It is a game, really. Part skill, part luck.”
“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” I asked.
“I don’t remember saying that,” he said.
“I…” I huffed. “Are you going to save me or not?”
“I’m going to save you of course. I’m a gentleman like that. Where would you like to go?” he asked. “It makes a difference of the path we take.”
“My chamber,” I said.
“Your chamber? Of course, I can do that.”
“No,” I told him. I touched his cheek, prying his attention from the scene to mine. “No, I wish to retire to my chamber with you, my Sword.”
The dance ended. Cyrus offered me a cordial bow. Then as he had predicted, the floor began to disperse.
“And I want you to make love to me,” I said, privately.
Mr. Evergreen set his glove at the small of my back; his hand was shaking.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
He nodded, slowly, then guided me close to the hall.
After a full minute, he said, “Go first. I’ll wait a moment then follow after.”