Swimming in the sea isnt enough for you anymore?
I like all kinds of portals.
What do you mean?
Nereida was slow to respond, and Lilophea remembered that before entering the ballroom, the mask must be put on her face, otherwise everyone would recognize her as a princess and the fun would not be so interesting. The beauty of a masquerade is that no one will recognize you. A masquerade is like a game of hide-and-seek. Will anyone guess your identity or not? Nereida was in no hurry to go to the masquerade, and Lilophea passed her by.
Its not nice to leave a friend, came a resentful cry from the fountain and the princess was followed by a splash of water.
So youre already friends, the peacock whispered indignantly. Youve only talked to her twice, and shes already asking to be your friend.
Dont you like her? Lilophea noticed that the peacock kept well away from the fountain while she talked to Nereida. And for some reason Nereida was still squinting at him angrily. Apparently their dislike was mutual. There are some ladies who dislike even very beautiful birds. Personally, she liked it better in the company of a peacock than a cavalier or a friend. The peacock is much easier to handle. He has a funny way of talking. And if he becomes too annoying, he can simply be locked up in a cage. But you cant get rid of the Sultan that easily if he comes to visit.
Its a good thing only ambassadors have come from across the sea so far. None of them has approached the princess in person. All negotiations for a possible alliance were conducted only with the king and his ministers. Even all gifts were passed through the king. Lilothea received rolls of fine brocade, spices and silk. She could assume that the Sultan himself, arrived in Aquilania disguised as an ambassador and demanded a masquerade ball to suit the bride-to-be. Also, all the gifts left at the fountains might have been from him. Only this assumption was contradicted by the boxes of jewels from Etar, which turned out to be quite ordinary jewels of opals, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, even amber. But among them were neither unusually large pearls, nor coral, nor rare sea stones. Not to mention the coldness of the water and the visions that did not emanate from them. So it was not the sultan who had given the chests of pearls as a gift after all. But that would be a fairy tale.
Dont make friends with just anyone, the Seneschal advised. It can turn into trouble.
Is it in your case?
Have I ever caused you any trouble? He flapped his luxurious wings vigorously, trying to keep up with her.
Well, except for the chatter she tried to remember. What had he done wrong already? The princess herself had admired his abilities and taken him in. Had he behaved with dignity? He was certainly not grateful to Lilophea. He took her shelter for granted.
It was dangerous to meet strangers! He repeated like a parrot.
Well, I met you!
Lilofea expected that such insolent and truthful remark will be followed by a barrage of objections, but the peacock somehow dejectedly hushed. Did he really think he was a danger to her?
She felt unusual in his company, but he certainly couldnt be dangerous.
Those creatures of the water he murmured.
Nereida is just spoiling. She probably wasnt allowed to do that at home. I think she came with ambassadors from Etar, which means that in her homeland, she even had to cover her face with a veil. By the way, we should go back and ask her about her country.
No need! The peacock was frightened. You shouldnt talk to crazy people who bathe in fountains. She might want to drown you in it!
Stop it! Seneschal was understandable. Having found a worthy hostess, he feared he would not lose his nourishing place. If anything happened to her, where would he find the second princess, and how could he become her pet? No wonder he was jealous of everyone.
Tonight youre the only one whos my beau! I promise not to dance with anyone else.
It would look like fun. She would be spinning around her own axis in the ballroom and a peacock would be flying over her head. But, alas, the young men reached out in succession to ask her to dance. Lilothea wished she had started a ballroom card. It was hard even to remember who she had promised the cotillion and who the quadrille. All around were masks. She should try to remember her admirers by them. Forest elf mask, black dragon mask, scarab mask, falcon or eagle mask, even a mask of peacock feathers, to which Seneschal grunted unhappily.
She did not get to dance with the peacock. Morissa, on the other hand, was luckier. No one asked her to dance at all. Apparently, both the princess and the hapless girl were easy to spot, even under a mask. Morissa came in wearing a half-mask in the form of a dragonfly. The monkey sat on her shoulder, and no other suitor was expected for the evening. Neither pirates nor cutthroats were invited to the ball, of course. Morissa walked dejectedly among the dancers. Even the monkey was not particularly faithful to her and kept trying to jump on the shoulders of the more elegant ladies, which sometimes raised a squeal in the hall.
Traitor! Get back! Morissa shouted at the unfaithful pet. Sometimes one shout was not enough to calm him down and she had to catch him with her hands. It was no accident that she had chosen such an expressive name for him. The beast had indeed proved itself to be a thorough traitor. Lilophea thought, with a chuckle, that a guy who wanted to cheat wasnt that easy to deal with. Morrin, for instance, cant be caught with the hands, and you cant keep him away from a whole group of girls hes flirting with. The newt mask is clearly him. But the adorer of beauties suddenly lifted the mask to smile at passing Lilophea, and it turned out that its not Morrin at all. Apparently hed borrowed the camisole and mask from the lord, too.
And where is Morrin? Have the royal privateers been invited to the masquerade ball, or are they not allowed here either?
Lilothea recoiled in horror from the bear mask that some fat man had worn. In size, he looked like one of the ministers who strenuously advocated that the princess go to the Etars harem. He managed to frighten her. He marched to the table with treats and wines. The fat guests all adored the refreshments, and those who were stout preferred to dance. On the high gallery musicians gathered. The lute, mandolin, harp, and flute sounded. It was a wonderful quartet.
Seneschal flapped his wings to the music, careful to keep his distance straight over his hostesss head, but Lilophea had to dance with the others. She lost count, memorizing the masks of everyone she danced with. Meanwhile, Morissa was training Traitor, catching him off the plumes of the next ladies he jumped on, and reprimanding him for infidelity. Curious, did he understand anything at all? Seneschal was an exception, he had mastered human speech, but could monkeys speak human?
Nereidas multicolored hair seems to have flashed in the fountain already in the corner of the room. Or was it colored tinsel? Lilothea wanted to look closely, but the dancing pas got in the way. She had to wait until the minuet was over. And now she had some free time. We could skip the next dance. But then someone in the mask of a water king approached Lilophea. How suddenly he appeared. It was as if he had grown out of the floor! A luxurious mask with spikes of coral stretched a crest on the back of his head and back, oriental clothing hinted at the status of the sultan of a distant overseas country. It was probably him! How greedily he looked at her!