The Cardsdale Romance Chronicles: Breaking the Curse

CHAPTER 8: THE CHRISTMAS PARTY THAT GOES WRONG

A couple of months later, in December ...

At that moment, an inseparable bond was flourishing between Romano and Catarina. They became church partners that went to the 12-noon mass every Sunday and also became excellent friends. Both recognized that the first times they escaped were super clumsy, but they got used to it.

---... Dante AND CATARINA...---

That was the night of the first banquet Catarina attended when she was 15 years old. She was delighted because she was going to go with Romano, her best friend.. Elena explained that this banquet was an ancient tradition the Kingdoms of Diamonds and Hearts shared for centuries. The party was exclusive to the nobility of the two Kingdoms, and the royal families of these two Kingdoms would alternate on who got to host the party. Elena also told her that she met her husband and their father at that party when she was about her age. Catarina put on her dress, and her lady in waiting helped her fasten the zipper on the back of her fuchsia corset. She was also wearing a white, long-sleeved petticoat made of cotton. This was under another light pink one with short puffy sleeves and a square neckline. The skirt she wore was of a burgundy colour, and she wore black leather shoes
    "Thank you, Margarida ..." she said, sitting in front of the mirror.
Margarida de Meritxell was a 16-year-old girl who had arrived at the castle of Hearts from Andorra when Catarina was younger. She was Catarina's lady in waiting, but they befriended each other quickly. She had dark brown hair with a set of bangs. Her hair was held back in a ponytail but could not be seen because it was covered with a black veil with embroidery. She had dark brown eyes and her skin that was just like Catarina's in colour. She always dressed in traditional Andorran clothing consisting of a gray cape over a blouse that was a darker shade of grey than that cape. Below, she had a white apron under a cream-coloured skirt with flower designs.       
    "You're welcome, my lady," Margarida replied, combing Catarina's hair and smiling. Margarida had a concerned look on her face as she continued saying "Can I ask you a question, Catita?".   
    "Yes, of course, you can," Catarina said.
Margarida chose the words very carefully and said, "Who is Dante Vargas, Catita?" Curling the ends of Catarina's hair with a magic spell.
Catarina's eyes widened from shock. "Sh, Aurembiax could hear you!" She screamed and then whispered, "He is my friend, but it's forbidden."   
    "Forbidden?" Margarida asked, taking the pieces of hair that Catarina had in front of her ears. tying those two pieces of hair together she continued to say, "Why is it that such a sweet friendship can be banned?"
Catarina turned her head to look at her, saying, "You won't tell my sister?"
Margarida pledged allegiance to Romano and Catarina's cause and said "I promise you I won't talk about this with anyone, and I promise my loyalty to you, Catita."
     "Dante is my friend for two years now, but it became a forbidden friendship when Fernando married Isabella," Catarina whispered in her friend's ear. "Aurembiax is ​​angry with Antonio Fernández because he has taken away Catalonia's independence and she is fighting for it. Antonio only wants to protect her, but she didn't want to understand. Better not let them know because I don't want to lose that beautiful friendship I have with Dante.."
Margarida opened her eyes, amazed by the story Catarina told her. "He must be an extraordinary boy for you to want to keep this big secret." She said, looking at her with a sweet smile on her face.

-—...  ...----

Romano was also getting ready for that night and was just as happy as Catarina was. That day he listened to Antonio and cleaned his room for the first time in his life because Antonio had told him he wasn't going to the party if he didn't.  He was wearing a pale-yellow shirt with puffy long sleeves, and this shirt was under a sandy orange coloured vest. He had a white handkerchief over  his vest's collar supported by a diamond-shaped pin, and a black belt at the waist. Romano also wore a pair of white pants with two diamonds on the right side, and he had knee high boots. Romano was going to find his sister, Maria, when suddenly he heard someone knock on the door. Nayare occasionally appeared in Antonio's house because he invited her, or because Quique asked her to go play with his siblings.
     "Romano, can I come in !?" she asked, knocking on the door.
He went to open the door, confused. Why did Nayare want to talk to him? Nayare could not go to the party, technically speaking, because she was not of the nobility, but Antonio invited her.   
    "What's going on, Mamma Nayare?" He asked, opening the door of his room. Nayare went inside his room and he closed the door as he continued to say "I'm going to find María, we're going to the party with a couple of friends.".
"I came to warn you of something the machi told me." She said as she looked at Romano with a concerned look on her face as she continued to say, "Especially if you have this friendship with Princess Catarina de Castellet, mi'jito."   
    "What?" Romano asked, somewhat confused with what she just said. "How do you know about that friendship? You won't tell Antonio, right?"
Nayare got to Romano's height, and said "you thought I was born yesterday? I'm not dumb, and I'm good at catching what's going on around me. I realized it right away, and I will not tell Antonio any of this." Her face became serious and somewhat worried when she continued saying, "You have to promise me that you are going to protect her, mi'jito. The machi told me about something that has to do with her."   
    "What is going to happen to Catita, mamma Nayare?" Romano asked her and continued saying, "How do you know for sure?"
Nayare put her hand on Romano's shoulder and said, "because I lived it myself, and I suppose your paternal grandmother went through it too. Here, in the Diamond-Spades realm, there is one more obstacle that you will have to face together, one that has been following Catita since the first time she stepped on these lands."

----.... CATARINA'S HOUSE....----

Catarina smiled as she stood up, looking at her friend, she said, "yes, he is extraordinary."
    "you're going to the party with him?" Margarida asked. "Only one thing is missing."
"Yes," Catarina said, nodding with a smile on her face as she continued to say. "He invited me months ago."
Margarida went over to the bed and took the box that was there. She went to Catita and opened the box, taking out her crown. "That means he's interested in you too, but I am afraid that this friendship has a more serious problem to overcome tonight, and you must be careful." Margarida told her and put the crown on her head. "You are ready, my lady."
Catarina looked at her a little confused, saying, "what is it, Margarida?"   
    "It's just that someone told me that a curse was cast on Antonio's family a long time ago before you and Dante were even born," Margarida told her. "It all started with Antonio's parents, who were childhood friends very similar to the one you have now. They both fell in love, and they already had Isabella, but things didn't end well, my girl."
Catarina looked at her curiously, asking, "what happened to them?"    
    "They were involved in a fatal love triangle with the former King of Diamonds, who already had his wife and two sons, Francis and Roger Bonnefoy. the King and Dante's grandfather fought twice for her, and Antonio was created just before Dante's paternal grandfather was executed for rebelling and attempting to murder the King." Margarida told her, ducking her head. "She didn't see Antonio grow up because she died when he was born, so Isabella is like a mother to him. Nayare went through the same thing since the curse is intergenerational."
Catarina's eyes widened in shock. Then she reminded herself that Romano told her the story of Antonio and Nayare when he said to her that Nayare went to the house from time to time.
Margarida put her hand on Catarina's shoulder and said, "the story doesn't end there, my lady. Well, there is an optimistic side to all this."
Catarina smiled when she knew there was something positive about all this and said "yes" so that Margarida would keep talking   
"    There is an ancient prophecy that a pair of friends are destined to unite the two Kingdoms," Margarida told Catarina. She walked to the door and opened it for Catarina, saying, "I'll tell you more about this, now go have a good time, Catita."   
Catarina looked at her confused before she left, saying, "but you've already left me intrigued with that, Margarida."
    "Go now if you don't want me to accuse you ..." She replied humorously.
    "Don't joke with that, Margarida," Catarina told her before she left.
Margarida put a hand on the princess's shoulder, saying, "you know I will never do it, my lady."   
    "Yes, I know that" Catita said, hugging her. "Bye, Margarida."   
    "Bye, my lady." She replied, hugging her for a second.
Catarina let go of the hug, turning and going down the stairs of the house. when she went outside, her family was waiting for her in the buggy that would take them to the Kingdom of Diamond-Spades, where the Christmas party was celebrated. Throughout the trip,  Fernando pledged his allegiance to RomaNdorra causing Aurembiax to get even angrier with him. Ludwig shouted a couple of times, trying to calm his children. Elena reassured him while also trying to settle them down.

---... ...Romano came up with a souvenir of a letter written by Catita from the year before, from October 20...