I’m sure I’ll get along somehow.

She adjusted her own mask delicately, eyes returning to the glittering crowd. “Mine seems cooperative enough. Perhaps it just knows better than to pick a fight with me.” A small pause — then, almost kindly, “Tilt it just a touch higher. I’d rather not have to guide you around looking like a lost prince all evening.”

⋆        𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑵 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹⠀   ⠀⸺⠀masquerade ball .

Perhaps Francis had seriously underestimated how much the mask could play tricks on his vision. Even with all the candles casting their warm, flickering light, he found himself tilting his head up and down like a curious bird, trying to judge how near or far anything was. He could, of course, lift the mask onto his hair, but then the whole outfit would be ruined. And really, what was the point of a masquerade if you weren’t actually wearing your mask?

“For heaven’s sake, I think I could see a ghost better than this!” He muttered to the person beside him, holding his hand in front of his face like a makeshift visor. “Is your mask tormenting you too, or did I just pick the one that’s trying to sabotage me?”

She adjusted her own mask delicately, eyes returning to the glittering crowd. “Mine seems cooperative enough. Perhaps it just knows better than to pick a fight with me.” A small pause — then, almost kindly, “Tilt it just a touch higher. I’d rather not have to guide you around looking like a lost prince all evening.”

𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: cinnabar café 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲: mid-morning

she's just about to head out for the day; apron already hung up on a nearby hook and hair freed from blue ribbons— when she hears the familiar tinkling of a bell that means someone has come through the shop's door.

despite the ache in her bones (the result of being here since before the sun came up), she still puts on a smile as she emerges from the back. already working in tying her hair back as she greets the newcomer with all the warmth she can muster.

“ welcome to cinnabar! see anything that caught your eye? ”

“I wasn’t sure you were still open,” she said softly,“A faint smile ghosted across her lips, there and gone again.

Her aunt stood in the grand hallway, perfectly composed, but there was an edge to her smile — the kind that made Addy’s stomach twist.

“Adelaide,” her aunt said softly, almost kindly. “I wondered when you might return. You must forgive me, I was beginning to worry… and not for your safety, but for your judgment.”

Addy’s throat tightened. “Aunt, I—”

“No, dear.” Her aunt’s voice dropped, smooth and deliberate, each word heavy with suggestion. “You’ve been spending too much time with that Lorelei girl. I understand why you find her amusing, comforting even… but you’re forgetting yourself, your station. I see it in your eyes, the way you carry yourself differently, the way you laugh… as if obligations don’t exist. And that,” she said, stepping closer, voice low and insinuating, “is dangerous. For you, and for all of us who depend on you. It’s selfish and it’s silly and You will end it today or I will. You’re not ready for friendships.” …

…..

Adelaide approached the fountain, her steps slow, weighted, as if the air itself pressed down on her chest enough to break her ribs Her hands twisted the fabric of her skirt until her fingers ached, but she didn’t dare stop. She had rehearsed this lie a hundred times, yet the words stuck in her throat like thorns scrapping down

“Lorelei…” Her voice trembled, soft and brittle, but she forced it steady. “I… I can’t see you anymore.”

“You shouldn’t have come,” she began, her tone flat but soft, like frost settling over glass. “I only wrote so that I could say this properly.” She forced out with restraint her nails digging into her palms. She could feel them watching… her aunts men.

Adelaide’s gaze shifted past her, toward the fountain’s rippling surface. “ I simply I can’t see you anymore.”

The confusion that followed made something twist deep in her chest, but she didn’t allow it to show. Her voice stayed calm, , as though she were reciting from memory for a report she had to do rather than tearing out a piece of herself and stomping on it .

“It isn’t a matter of hurt feelings or misunderstandings,” she continued. “It’s simply that we are… too different in the end…something I should have faced sooner but I lost sight of what is really important.” She said. “What really matters.”

,l.

“I don’t have time for… diversions,” she said evenly. “I can’t afford them. You’re kind, Lorelei. But I have responsibilities — a future that doesn’t allow for… sentiment. Doesn’t allow for you and unless you are a part of that figure of my responsibilities.. we have no reason to continue… us.” She said ignoring the mental anguish and the urge to apologies profusely.

. The fountain’s water shimmered, catching the light like something alive, but Adelaide kept her gaze steady, unblinking holding back the flood of tears

“It’s not personal,” she added, though her voice wavered almost imperceptibly. “It’s… necessary.”

She picked up her fork, giving her a teasing glance. “But you know, I think using customers as guinea pigs might just make you a genius, not a rule breaker. Inspiration waits for no one, right?”

She took a bite, eyes fluttering shut in mock dramatics before opening them again with a delighted hum. “Mmm—yep. I’m afraid you’ve gone and created something worth getting in trouble for. Especially since I’m not even supposed to be out right now.”

“I’ve been… well enough,” she said after a breath, keeping her posture measured, hands folded neatly in her lap. “The days have been quiet. Reflective . I find there’s a certain peace in that or at least that’s what I try to focus on.. I hope to perhaps start to study medicine that is .” Her voice wavered only slightly, the kind of tremor that sounded more like memory than feeling.

When her eyes met his again, there was warmth there — cautious, fleeting, but sincere. “It’s good to see you making the effort, truly. Even if I imagine you still grumble through most of it.” A soft laugh escaped her then, light and brief, before fading into a gentler tone.

“Time changes us all, doesn’t it?” she said quietly. “I’m glad to see this festival hasn’t sent you running.” She teased

@themostevilqueene

bastian’s breath caught the moment his gaze landed on her. of course. out of every face in the crowded cart, it had to be hers. and of course the only open seat in sight was the one at her side. he hesitated, weighing his options; he could wave the driver on, stand in the chill until the cart made its long loop back, and spare himself the knot already tightening in his chest or he could take the seat, face the inevitable, and hope his composure held longer than his temper usually did.

his gut told him to turn around. his heart ? that was harder to silence. so he sat, every movement deliberate, as if lowering himself onto the bench wouldn’t jostle all the old ghosts sitting there too. for a moment, he just studied her profile, familiar and foreign all at once. " hello, adelaide. " his voice came out softer than he intended, almost tender, as though it remembered something his mind was trying to forget. a flicker of a smile tugged at his mouth, strained at the edges but genuine enough to pass. " it’s… good to see you. "