Following their actions in The Golden Girl, Marguerite and Céleste must deal with the repercussions of their recent behaviors.
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Marguerite has landed herself in quite the shameful predicament, but she needs to make priorities; to somehow mainta...
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Seconds after the door closed, Céleste let out a sharp breath.
Marguerite, thankful for her sudden maturity—not screaming or jumping on her with questions—rubbed her forehead. "I had hoped to reenter the castle without drawing attention, so thank you for not disrupting that."
Overcome with the flashbacks of Clémentine barging into the clearance and setting fire to her and Antoine's bubble, she pressed a hand to her belly. She was too dizzy to stand, so she hurried to the edge of her bed and sat.
Céleste joined her. "Are you all right? What happened in the forest?"
"The forest?" Marguerite's head jerked towards Céleste, who shrugged.
"Sébastien told me. Well, not the details. But that you had information and that you confessed to Antoine that you loved him—"
"—he mentioned that?" She dipped her chin and sucked in her lips. "I am sorry, I should have asked him not to, I assume it displeases you."
Céleste huffed, "Look... no, I am not happy with your predicament. And still upset that you lied to me. But you loving Antoine is a surprise only to you. We were all conscious of it."
"Oh." Her insides burned and she craved to release a scream as she slouched. "He said he loved me too, in case you were wondering."
Céleste giggled. "I was not; I was also mindful of that."
Marguerite tapped the sole of her shoe to the floor, noticing the dry dirt caking the edges. "Despite all we have been through, we will always love each other. But it is not enough. It will never be enough. Our love is something we can never indulge in despite what we did the night of the Masquerade. He is married, I am in a horrid situation... our love will suffice."
She wouldn't mention Antoine's increasingly violent attitude, as it still terrified her, and she didn't understand it, didn't understand him.
She felt Céleste shrinking beside her. "I am sorry. Despite it all, I truly wished things would work out."
"They will not." Marguerite inhaled a deep breath. "Because Clémentine found us."
Céleste screeched as she jumped up and lost her balance, wobbling left and right to catch herself before falling. "No! No, how? Why does she always interfere?" She combed her fingers through her hair, undoing her careful up-do. "How did she know where you were? The Princess, yes? She was in the woods with you, and then told her mother, yes?"
Leaning onto her elbows and dangling her feet, Marguerite shook her head. "Cordelia has nothing to do with this. She is with us, not against us. But she did mention yesterday that her ladies work for Clémentine, so it would not surprise me if one of them told her."
Céleste stomped her feet. "But why?"
Marguerite sank into the sheets. "Because Clémentine always gets what she wants and always knows everything. Everywhere I am, all I do. And to make matters worse, she claimed she had more surprises for us. Brutal truths that will change our lives forever."
