The Serpent's Enigma

42 | Thorny Flower

Before you proceed, I'd like you to play this video first. This is the music I envision Cal & Isleen would be dancing to, you really need to listen to heighten the atmosphere.

(Italics are for flashbacks.)

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

They spun and twirled together in the midst of cello and violin strains. He started to wonder what kind of secrets she had that he had yet to uncover. Aside from being the daughter of the Head Lord of the Southern Isles, who was an open rebel too.

Now he knew why she was dubbed 'freak', the drunken man must've seen her doing some kind of pagan worship in the forest, which was something the Southern Islanders were known for. Angletonia looked down on such things due to their complicated history with the Southerners after they allegedly murdered one of their kings, Maximillian Leroy. People in modern society thought it was only make-believe, and the rest who believed would rather vanquish it to the core; Cal was siding with the former.

Holding her securely by the waist, Cal took the opportunity to lean his lips close to her ear. "Does your father know that you were out this afternoon?"

It took some time for her to answer, he thought it partly because she was surprised he'd figured out who she was. "No. He did tell me it was dangerous to go alone." She added after a pause, "But if you want him to know about what you did—"

Cal pressed his lips together. "It is more your secret than mine," he said with a muted chuckle. He understood perfectly the vexation that came with an overbearing father, and even though he didn't know Velius Corodi he wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of preaching on his own daughter.

If he was expecting her dance to be awkward and gauche, he was wrong. Cal had always had a penchant for dancing, and had been hoping he'd catch her off-guard, maybe take a wrong turn or stamp on his toes. Though her movements were imprecise, she managed to keep up with him, even when his leaps were becoming more elaborate with each tune, with the complexity only advanced dancers could follow.

Imprecise, yet effortless. There was a breath of fresh air to it.

He couldn't help comparing her to Olivia, or a whole lot of other women who were striving for perfection. They were obsessed, their makeup, dresses, and even their speeches had to be on point. Isleen wasn't even trying, and yet she managed to enchant the whole hall with her simplicity.

In a final spin, she did a dip, lunging sideways as he held her with both arms. Her eyes caught the light from the chandelier, giving Cal a clear view of them for the very first time.

A very strange shade of blue. Dark, with greyish specks like a metal; unlike Olivia's bright sky blue eyes.

He heard loud applause from the guests, marking the end of the dance.

***

The next day, Olivia was nowhere in sight. Usually, she would wait for him along the trails where they would ride together before they would stop and snog on a secluded corner.

As predicted, it had successfully planted a smug smile on Callisto's face, as if rubbing an 'I told you so' over his face. He had also explicitly ordered Cal to give Isleen a palace tour while Callisto himself would be trying to talk her father into allowing Angletonia to rebuild the land.