The Serpent's Enigma

46 | Masquerade - Part II

I included some of 1920s slang in this episode!

Doll, broad : a girl
Fag : a cigarette
Jorum of skee : a strong liquor
Sea queens : gay men who joined the navy to express their sexuality
Dish, hotsy-totsy : sexy, hot
Take wooden nickels : do reckless things

(Italics are for flashbacks.)

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

Many perturbing thoughts plagued Cal's mind for the remaining of the week. What was their true intention in coming to Angletonia? What was a godshard? Who's Megis? How could he understand all that pagan crap?

The Corodis turned out to be not as friendly as they seemed. Should he tell his father about it?

The way Isleen audaciously targeted Olivia's rightful place and how confident she would earn his father's support had been a burden on its own. Would his father actually stop the wedding? What if he'd go so far?

Friday was Olivia's dress fitting schedule, and he decided to show up in the boutique for a surprise. Her chauffeur was spotted in the parking lot, and he spotted a blurry form of Olivia's golden hair from the showroom's mosaic glass windows.

His fiancée stood before a full-sized mirror in a complete set of her wedding dress, veil and jewellery. His mother and his aunt Marlene sat on the couch behind her.

Since the wedding was going to be funded by the empire, it should be approved by the imperial family.

"No, this isn't it," Olivia discarded her glittery belt, loud enough to be heard from the window hole. "And I've seen all of these dresses on other brides. I need something special, with a wow factor. What do you think, Maman?"

Cal knew how his father hated that she had yet to join their family, yet she dared to address Estelle as 'Maman' instead of 'Your Majesty'.

"I think the lace bodice is beautiful," Estelle smiled. "But I think Cal would love anything that you wear."

"But I am not feeling the moment," Olivia twirled around in her dress. "I see the problem now, this design is just too dull. Can we have more beading at the front?"

"Yes, you can. But craftmanship is going to double the price of the whole skirt," the designer said. "And you still haven't chosen a veil."

That brought a frown to her beautiful face. "We're royalty, why do we have a budget? My father would've bought me anything as long as I like it."

"The taxpayers aren't going to like it, hon," the shop assistant said.

"Well, they don't get a say in this, and what's the point of it if the people can't get their Princess the most beautiful dress?"

"Sweetie, you're just going to wear it for twelve hours," Marlene sighed.

"Yes, but it's the twelve hours that I've been dreaming of my whole life!" Olivia argued.

"I am a princess of the blood. I didn't have to wear the most beautiful dress," Marlene shrugged.

"But this isn't your typical nineteenth-century dress! This is a modern, contemporary, roaring-twenties dress!" Olivia rasped, driving his aunt into silence.

"Let's try an overskirt," the designer coaxed her, trying to ease down the tension.

"This is getting out of hand," Marlene told Estelle.