Seneschal had indeed got a mask of feathers and sequins. It resembled the tufts of a peacock. Lilothea put it to her face. It really looks magnificent, and the princess is unrecognizable in it, except for the tiara. And the purple bouffant outfit is worth wearing for once. The peacock helped her tighten the lacing in the back like a caring chambermaid. The corset was so tight it was hard to breathe. You wouldn’t think a peacock could pull the laces down like that with one beak.
“Come on, let’s go!” He flew ahead, of course, and talked nonsense until they reached the door of the ballroom. Here the Seneschal fell silent as usual. He does not want to be caught and put in a cage for chattering so that in the future he will entertain the king and his ministers exclusively. Perhaps even give them some advice for everyone’s amusement. The scholarly peacock is an unheard of wonder. It can be bragged about in front of ambassadors. He circled over Lilophea’s head like a devoted cavalier.
How long since he sang that she didn’t believe the waterman? He could even now sing for the amusement of all the guests and visitors. They, too, must be warned not to believe the watermen and water waders, or suddenly they crawl right out of the sea.
Instead of water girls, Nereida was carelessly bathing in the fountain near the entrance to the ballroom. Her graceful head stood out against the border of balls and shells. She had lost all shame. At court one must be mindful of propriety. She smiled defiantly at the princess.
“You’re in a hurry to have fun!”
“Yes I am, and what is about you?”
“I prefer to watch from a safe distance.”
“Bathing in the fountains is not permitted.”
“But it’s not forbidden either.”
“That’s because no one’s thought of climbing into them yet.”
“Don’t worry, the guards won’t catch me.”
Lilophea really noticed that there were no guards around for some reason. Usually they were standing guard at the door. Maybe they’re having fun, too.
“Swimming in the sea isn’t 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.
“It’s not nice to leave a friend,” came a resentful cry from the fountain and the princess was followed by a splash of water.
“So you’re already friends,” the peacock whispered indignantly. “You’ve only talked to her twice, and she’s already asking to be your friend.”
“Don’t 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 can’t get rid of the Sultan that easily if he comes to visit.
It’s 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.
“Don’t 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 couldn’t be dangerous.
“Those creatures of the water…” he murmured.
“Nereida is just spoiling. She probably wasn’t 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 shouldn’t 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 you’re the only one who’s 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 wasn’t that easy to deal with. Morrin, for instance, can’t be caught with the hands, and you can’t keep him away from a whole group of girls he’s flirting with. The newt mask is clearly him. But the adorer of beauties