It is the season for love and murder in the court of Ravaeryn.
After a chance encounter one winter night, Lady Catarina de Fontaine had fallen hopelessly in love with Julian, the Crown Prince. However, upon discovering his untruthfulness, she immedi...
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1711, Opera d'Ghislaine, Kestramore City
Upon seeing Julian's face, Catarina promptly hid her hand behind her back, promptly letting the pot of kohl soundlessly fall down to the floor, where it vanished underneath the cushions.
There was a brief moment of silence before Julian cleared his throat and said, "Are you quite alright, Lady Catarina ?"
"Me ? Yes, of course I'm alright," she quickly replied, bobbing her head up and down. "Right, ladies ?"
Jessamine and Eleanora swiftly nodded. Cosmina hesitated to nod, but after receiving Catarina's death glare, she too began to nod fervently.
"See ? Everything is fine over here, so please do not worry, Your Highness," Catarina insisted.
Julian awkwardly nodded, his lips pressed into a thin smile, and he quietly retreated, making way for his sister to come through.
"With all the screaming and shouting in here, you'd think that this carriage is full of wild animals," Princess Demitria said sarcastically. "Come along now, the show will be starting soon."
A famous opera called 'The Fire-wielding Lady Moirai' will be showing tonight, chronicling the short life of the legendary Queen Moirai, who allegedly descended from the goddess Rudamaris.
"I'd much prefer watching 'Consort Elisabet's Fifteen Summers'," Cosmina remarked as they made their way into the massive opera building. "It's a heart rending, riveting story based in truth, and not in fantasies. It is a reminder of how unfair this world can be, and how this world is controlled by the great and powerful, while we suffer in silence-"
Catarina stifled a chuckle as she watched Cosmina pour her heart out, displeased by the opera chosen tonight.
"But I'd rather watch a beautiful lady wield a staff of fire than watching Consort Elisabet being drawn and quartered."
"I agree," Jessamine added. "And flames are beautiful to watch, aren't they?"
Cosmina inhaled sharply as her grey eyes narrowed with annoyance. "You don't understand! All you two care about is being entertained, and not once did you ponder about the harsh realities of the world we live in!"
"Flames are pretty," Catarina added softly, and that was the final straw for Cosmina.
The brunette's hands quickly reached out to pinch Catarina's waist, but the latter managed to escape just in time, bumping into Eleanora who walked beside her.
And that was the first time she looked at Eleanora's face since they left the carriage.
"Oh my God," Catarina gasped in horror, prompting Jessamine and Cosmina to turn around and look. Catarina had only put kohl on one of Eleanora's eyes, and since the kohl did not have time to dry, it had smeared all around Eleanora's eye, making her look like the undead.
