“Of course, I care about you, you are my witch friend and half-sister.”
“And you care about them too.”
There was no question in that. Midnight came to see what all the commotion was. “Yes, dear. We have company.” Meow.
The boys came down, and I put their wet clothes in the bathroom to dry, and we served the food. “What are you waiting for?” Ritta asked.
“We don’t want to disturb you...” Alec said.
“You won’t disturb us since you are invited. Come on, eat or it will get cold,” Ritta said, and I didn’t speak because I had a few chosen words for them that would make them feel unpleasant. They sat and we started eating. The boys talked during the meal and joked like usual.
“Do they do this every time?”
“Yes, it’s quite pleasant; you will see.”
Ritta laughed a lot at their jokes. I had forgotten how nice it was. I had missed it. We served a cake after lunch. “I see you have learned to make cakes too,” Alec said, and I smiled.
“Alicia’s mother gave me some recipes, and I try to make them.” When everyone was served, I took the last piece to preserve it.
“Is it for Midnight?” Jonathan asked.
“No, it’s for Mother. She likes Italian food,” I said and then we ate the cake.
“It’s good, the combination with the fruits is really good,” Alec said and I smiled. Midnight came to try a taste from my plate but left. She wasn’t fond of sweets.
“Can I ask something?” Jonathan asked and we nodded.
“We noticed...” He stopped. I had been with them long enough to know that this foreshadowed something awkward and probably stupid. “That there is only one bed in your room and no other rooms, so where do you sleep?”
“There is another room in the roof, but I sleep with Eva.”
The boys stared at us. “You weren’t joking when you said that you shared the bed. Why not make another bed?” Jonathan asked.
I shrugged. “We don’t need one and it would be a waste of space and work.” Ritta was curious though. “Where do you sleep?”
“In different beds and... different rooms,” Jonathan said. “Did you kick her in your sleep?” I can’t believe him. I am going to murder him. Why did he remember something like this and why say it? To embarrass me, obviously.
Ritta turned to me.
“Sorry, Ritta. I had to tell them something to convince them to sleep in the same bed. I couldn’t think of anything else. Sorry.”
She relaxed. “As long as you didn’t say anything else embarrassing.”
“I didn’t, but I did make a drawing of them.”
“Good, and you have to show me that drawing.”
“After they leave.” Ritta smiled. “Only when I am having a nightmare.” The boys laughed.
After the meal, we cleaned the table and I went to check if their clothes were ready. It had stopped raining, so it was better if they left now. Their clothes were a little damp, but there was no mud. I cast a quick drying spell, and now their clothes were completely dry. “They dried so soon?” Alec asked.
“The trick is to spread them well and they will dry quickly,” I said. Especially if you are a witch.
They went upstairs to change and we waited downstairs for them. A knock at the door startled us. “Are you expecting someone?” Ritta asked.
I shook my head and went cautiously toward the door. “Who is it?” I asked without opening the door.
“The king is needed in the palace.”
I opened the door. “The king will be right down,” I said and went upstairs to let them know. The bedroom door was open, so they must be done, and I walked inside my room.
“Eva?” Jonathan asked, when I saw him, my eyes almost popped out of my head. His chest was bare, and I wanted to sit and stare at him and draw him. Instead, I fled and slammed the door behind me.
When I was back downstairs, the man looked at me, and I said, “They will be right down.” I tried to control my blushing.
“What happened?” Ritta asked, but I didn’t tell her. There was no telling what happened.
When I heard Alec and Jonathan coming downstairs, I busied myself petting Midnight and didn’t look at them.
“Eva, let me—” Jonathan said at the same time the man said, “Your Highnesses.” Jonathan turned to the man who continued, “You are needed in the palace. There are some things that need your immediate attention.”
“We will be right there,” Jonathan said.
“Goodbye, thank you again. I will see you at the ball,” Alec said and walked out with the man.
“Eva?” Jonathan said, but I didn’t respond. Ritta excused herself, and I wanted to call her back. I started putting the clean dishes into their places. “Eva?” He tried again, but I still didn’t respond. I didn’t look at him. I was so angry, so angry. “I am sorry, but nothing happened. You don’t need to be like that.”
I turned to him with my fists clenched at my side. “Nothing happened? How about you learn the use of doors? Closing a door means the room is occupied.”
He stared at me. “I know, but—”
“In that way, embarrassment can be avoided. Now leave.”
He started saying something, but I set the plates down with so much force that I broke them. He gave me a scared look and then left.
Ritta came down and found me sitting on the floor near the broken plates. “What happened?”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t respond. I just rocked myself back and forth. Back and forth.
“I am sure it’s fixable.” It’s not—what is seen can’t be unseen. “Please tell me?”
I told her and she put her hand over her mouth. We were open-minded, but this was too much even for us. You couldn’t see a man like that, except if you were married to him. “If he says it’s all right, maybe it’s... well, you know, all right?” She hugged me and then repaired the broken plates, but it wasn’t all right.
“Why didn’t they close the damn door? It could have been me or you needing something upstairs and...” I shrugged. Midnight came and licked my hand. “You don’t have such limitations. Huh? You don’t care about such things.”
She brought me the wooden toy and I made it walk with my hand. We were so embarrassed and in such a bad mood that we ate the piece of cake I was saving for Mother, and then we made another cake and took it to her.
“Why so much? I can’t eat all this by myself. Or you can stay for dinner so we can share it.”
We nodded and stayed. After cleaning the table, I prepared to leave, but my mother took me for a walk. She knew something was wrong. She always knew, so I told her what had happened, but she just smiled. “Times change. I have seen the world grow up and the people along with it. Ideas change like the leaves of a tree. There might come a time where this belief will be erased and it will be all right for the people. The point is, if you are all right with yourself, then you shouldn’t care about the humans’ beliefs. Beliefs are yours to shape, and you can’t follow the others’. You must shape your own.”
She was right, but it was hard to shape your own if you knew that you would be frowned upon for such a thing. “I still don’t know, Mother.”
“It will be forgotten in the end and darling, how do you expect artists and sculptors to do their jobs? They must draw naked men sometimes and sculpt naked statues. I don’t think they are ashamed. They see lines and corners; they don’t see bodies.”
That was true. “But they are not girls.”
She shrugged. “You will be the first to draw one. You can’t expect to paint portraits and houses all your life now, can you?”
The following days passed in a whirl and I tried not to think about the ball because now I really did not want to go. I was glad my dress made me invisible. I wanted to be invisible and unnoticed.
The day of the ball had come, and my legs were completely healed. Everyone in the streets was talking about the ball. “After the war, it’s nice to have a plea
sant event where we are invited,” someone said. Another person asked, “Do you think he is doing it to meet his future wife?” I hadn’t thought about that, but I was so angry and ashamed that I didn’t care.
We arrived at the ball after it had started, but I didn’t mind. The later we arrived meant the later I had to face him. Maybe he wouldn’t see me at all, but that was impossible since he was not far from where Alec was. Plus, he was the king; he had to come and greet his guests at some point.
The dress did its job very well: I was very much invisible. I was blending with the other dresses, and there was no way anyone would notice me unless he was staring right at me. That was impossible since everyone was constantly moving. Soft music played from violins and a piano. Everyone was dancing, but you could see a distinction: peasants with peasants and royals with royals. How did I know which were which? From the clothes, of course. Royals had expensive clothes, and peasants had normal clothes; with everyone wearing masks, the clothing was the only way to identify anyone. Ritta and I walked around the dancers, and then someone called, “Ritta,” and we turned. It was Alec. “Ritta. Hello. How are you enjoying the ball so far? How are you doing? Where is Eva?” Alec made polite talk before asking what he really wanted.
Ritta laughed. “Hello, Alec. It’s all very nice, and I am fine, thank you. How are you doing? How did you recognize me? Eva is right here.”
He turned but didn’t see me. This dress was really wonderful. “Where?”
“Excuse me.” I touched his hand. “I am right here.”
He looked at me and his eyes widened. “Wow. How do you do that?”
I smiled. “It’s the dress. It blends with the outside so I am like a chameleon.”
He laughed. “You wore nice dresses before, but I think that’s the best so far. And the most innovative.” He turned to Ritta. “You always choose colors of the sun, and your dresses are unique. They are exceptional and bright, so I have learned to recognize them.”
“Where is your lady friend?” I wanted to get this business over with so I could leave, and the faster, the better. He nodded and he went to get her so we waited.
“Here she is,” Ritta said, and we saw a woman with red hair and sweet brown eyes. Even if I wasn’t a witch, I would see the kindness of her heart and the sweetness in her manners. Her aura was yellow, but it was quiet, as I called it, soft like the girl, not too bright like Ritta’s. Yes, Ritta’s aura was yellow, but a very bright yellow, radiant like the sun.
She must be kind of shy and a quiet person. She wore a light-yellow dress that blended in with the crowd, and they didn’t pay much attention to her. Maybe that was her goal, but only her hair betrayed her. Her hair was red like fire, and wherever she went, heads turned to look at her. Her mask was white with lace like mine.
Alec introduced us. “This is Jasmine, and this is Ritta and Eva,” he said, pointing to each of us respectively. Jasmine, the name of a flower which had many extraordinary abilities.
“Good evening,” the girl said with a voice that was barely heard.
“Good evening. How are you enjoying the ball? It’s so nice,” Ritta said. She thought that you must ask a question to people you just met to make them think. In this case, it was good, because I had no idea what to ask her.
“I like it very much, and I am fine, thank you.” She was polite. “You are Eva?”
“Yes,” I said because I didn’t know what she had heard or been told about me.
“You are Alec’s best friend.” I shrugged. “He talks about you very much.”
“We are just friends. He is very nice and kind to me, that’s all.” I turned to Ritta to help with the conversation, but she and Alec were gone.
She smiled. “I know. I just wanted to hear you say it.” I raised my eyebrows. She was quiet but smart. “I can usually spot people when they are telling the truth.”
Interesting. “Me too.” With or without a mask.
“It’s their voice. It changes when they lie.” So does their aura. “You seem nice and pleasant, but...”
Wait until you know me better. “But what?”
“You seem sad and angry.”
“Oh?” I didn’t think anyone could tell how I felt.
“It’s in your movements,” she said.
“It will pass, maybe, time will tell. You have a nice name.”
Sadness filled her eyes. “Everyone is laughing at me because I have the name of a flower.
“Why would they laugh at you? It’s a wonderful flower, and it has many medical uses. It can cure almost every poison.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
I thought that maybe I saw some pride in her eyes. “Yes, it can.”
“How do you know it?”
“It’s kind of my job to know about herbs and flowers.”
Her eyebrows rose a little. “Are you a florist?”
“No, miss. I am a healer.”
She stared at me and then nodded like she decided that I could be a healer.
Ritta and Alec returned with Jonathan. I was going to kill Ritta. “Don’t blame me. He found Alec and followed,” Ritta said in my mind, sensing my mood.
I couldn’t decide who was angrier: Jasmine or me? Jasmine was angry because she was the girl Jonathan had turned down. I would probably be angry too if I was in her place.
“Hello, Eva,” Jonathan said, but I ignored him.
“Where do you live, Jasmine?” She gave me a relieved look. “A little outside of England. It’s in the countryside and has a lot of green, but rains a lot.”
“I see. Do you like it there?”
She nodded excitedly. “I like it very much. I would hate it if I had to leave, but I doubt this would be soon now.” That was directed to Jonathan obviously.
“That’s good. Have you ever gone anywhere else?” She was a princess, and surely, she had traveled a lot.
“Yes, I have gone to a lot of places, but my favorite is Italy.”
Jonathan was doomed since Italy was my favorite place too, and I could talk about Italy for hours. We talked about Italy for a long time, and then she asked, “Do you have animals?”
I stared at her. “What kind of animals do you mean?”
She smiled. “Well, house animals; you know... like cats and dogs. I have a cat.”
I relaxed. For a moment, I thought she meant animals for work like cows. “I have a cat too, and recently I acquired a horse.”
Jasmine beamed. “Really? You must absolutely show me your cat.”
Alec said, “She has a supernatural cat.”
I scowled at him. “I don’t have a supernatural cat.” Everyone laughed but Jasmine. I excused myself for a moment, went outside, and called Midnight softly. In less than a minute, she was here meowing.
The others followed me outside, and Jonathan stared at me. “You brought her with you?”
I picked up Midnight. “No, she was around.”
“See? Supernatural cat,” Alec said, and I gave him an angry look.
Jasmine squealed with joy. “She is so pretty. Can I touch her?”
Midnight sniffed Jasmine and then went into her arms. “That would be yes.”
She smiled and petted Midnight. “What’s her name?”
That was unusual. People were not often eager to meet my cat and they didn’t squeal with joy.
“Midnight.”
“It’s a wonderful name,” she said and handed Midnight back to me.
Someone called her and she excused herself. Alec looked at me expectantly.
I tilted my head. “I don’t know what more you want to know. She is a really nice person, a little shy maybe but sweet. Especially if she likes cats. Never trust someone who hates cats. Cats are the best judges of someone’s character.”
“Thank you, Eva,” Alec said.
I turned to Ritta. “You can stay if you want to, but I am ready to go.” Ritta loved balls, and it would be a shame to make her leave with me. I went inside and hoped I would find the e
xit soon.
“Eva, wait.” Jonathan grabbed my arm, but I said nothing, and I intended to keep it that way. “Come on, you can’t be like this for something so trivial.”
Trivial? He thought it was no big deal? Where in the world did he live? Because he must be living on a different planet to have that impression.
Jonathan kept talking. “It was an accident after all. Nothing bad happened.”
No, I just saw you half-naked, and you say it was an accident. Are you serious? I wanted to slap him.
“Please. Don’t be mad at yourself.”
I glared at him. “No, I am not mad at myself. I am mad at you,” I took a step away, but he stopped me again.
“Don’t be mad at me either. It’s not our fault.”
“It’s not my fault that you were stupid enough to leave the door open. Don’t you ever close the door to your room?”
He shook his head.
“Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “Servants come and go, so they don’t bother to knock, and I just leave the door open. Most of the time, I don’t even see them. I am very busy, but I see their work and I appreciate it.”
I wasn’t hearing this. “But I am not your maid. This is different. And appreciate what? How can you appreciate no manners?”
His expression was serious. “You are not a maid, but it’s not much different. They have families too. I believe I help them live a better life, even as servants.”
I hadn’t thought about that. Now, who is teaching a lesson to who, Eva? “That is not the point. I am not talking about them. I am talking about you and your nonexistent manners.” If anyone heard us, he would be surprised—especially a royal—if he heard me talking in that way to the king. I turned and something drew my attention to the ceiling. What the?” My eyebrows shot up high.
“What’s wrong?’ Jonathan asked me.
“Please gather them here. I don’t care how you do it but just do it. And stay here.” Some fireworks please or anything. The other side I think is ready to collapse.
He doesn’t even question my decision, he just shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.”
I ran and saw people going to the other side. Alec and Jasmine were talking and they hadn’t heard Jonathan. I ran toward them, and Alec said, “Eva? What’s going on?”
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