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«Have you?!»
Drusilla took out a mirror and began to make herself up. Apparently, the mirror in the ornament of bones and thistles was magical, because Drusilla was suddenly transformed into a young enchantress.
«I’m not as beautiful as you are, but with a pinch of magic I can charm a king, a sultan, or even Edwin’s courtiers.»
«Wait! You mentioned that Edwin has courtiers. Is he the ruler of any state? Or do you mean not the Edwin who was going to the fairy masquerade?»
How many young men can still be called Edwin? Flora could not believe that a handsome young warlock could be a king.
Drusilla blinked her eyelashes in amazement, and the cat on her shoulder meowed questioningly. Flora was suddenly surprised to find that she understood cat language. How could this be? Blackie asked:
«What’s the matter with her?» The cat pointed doubtfully with its left paw at Flora.
«You must be joking?» Drusilla marveled at the cat’s tone.
«I…» Flora didn’t know what to lie this time and pressed her hand to her forehead.
«Are you dizzy?» Drusilla asked sympathetically.
«Do you have any potions for headaches?» Flora decided to distract her.
«I have a lot of them, both to cause pain and to relieve it, but you mustn’t take them, or the other that sits inside you may be released, and your body will no longer belong to you. It’s so young, so fresh. Where will you find another like it? The young Marquise was the only noble beauty in this wilderness. And peasant bodies never satisfied you. It’s her spirit rebelling inside you. It makes you dizzy and forget things from time to time. And it is impossible to evict her from your body. Otherwise the body will grow old very quickly. And you’ll have to find a new one.»
Ah, that’s it! Flora listened and gradually became terrified. If Drusilla thought she was talking to some sorceress who had taken over her body, it meant that Flora was under regular magical attacks. That’s why the blackouts and strange dreams. Some evil spirit tried to take over her body, but failed. Let Drusilla think she’s talking to a great sorceress, not the Marquis’ naive daughter Flora.
«This body is fine. I got over the one who squeezed me out of it,» Flora decided to play along with a touch of sneer. «Let’s forget about her! From now on, think of me only as Flora, and don’t mention the other one.»
«The main thing is that this body should last you longer. There must be traces of death and the magic that destroys it. Let me see!»
«Don’t!» Flora wanted only to remove Drusilla’s hand, but the witch shrieked and didn’t stay on her feet. Flora’s touch struck her in the chest with a bolt of lightning.
«Oh, I’m sorry! I can’t believe it’s me!» Flora watched in consternation as Drusilla rose with the help of a broom that flew up to help.
«You’re so strong! You’re the Queen of Evil!»
Flora was surprised herself. Probably, by displacing the magical invader from her body, she had taken away some of her magic powers.
«Don’t tell anyone that I went to the Fairy Masquerade last night,» she warned Drusilla.
«Of course, Mistress,» Drusilla shook off the strange green dust that was everywhere. Sometimes the dust clouds took the shape of moaning or hissing faces.
«I’ve got to go!» Flora hurried away before Drusilla realized and bewitched her. «Good night!»
«When are witches’ nights ever goodnight!» Drusilla snorted, and Blackie wagged her tail happily at Flora. The cat was clearly relieved that her guest was leaving.
«Who did think I was the witch!» Flora wondered as she walked down the corridor. The door behind her had already disappeared. The fire rose glowed in the candelabra like a star. Flora decided it was best not to leave the magical object in front of everyone and took the rose to her bedroom. At least no one would see it there.
«That’s right!» This time the mask supported her. «Traces of magic should be hidden from people.»
«I’m human, too,» Flora muttered.
«Are you sure about that?» The mask’s words were tinged with sarcasm.
«Yes!» Flora looked at herself in the wall mirror. «I’m human!»
Her own reflection suddenly winked at her, and Flora recoiled from the mirror. Better not look in mirrors at night anymore. Flora had heard from someone that evil spirits could appear in mirrors at midnight. Or maybe it was the clever Drusilla who put a spell on all the mirrors in the castle.
«The spirits of the looking-glasses are joking with you,» consoled the mask.
«That’s all! And I thought I was turning into a wicked witch. By the way, do you know who Drusilla has confused me with?»
The mask must have known, but it didn’t say a word, only laughed deafeningly in response. Her laughter rang out over the night castle.
The dragon’s advice
There was a note waiting for Flora in the morning, scribbled on an autumn leaf. Some tiny elf riding a kingfisher had slipped it through the crack of an opened window. The event felt more like a dream, so Flora wiped her eyes.
«I think the tiny elves are called pixies,» she mumbled in her sleep.
«They are,» sang the mask on the bedside table.
«Ouch!» Flora woke up immediately and completely. If the living mask was not a dream, then the elf on the kingfisher was not a dream either.
The kingfisher and the elf flew away as soon as Flora picked up the note, that is, the bright orange maple leaf.
«Is it already fall? Or do elves know how to color leaves?»
«It’s from the regions of fall,» the mask determined. Apparently it didn’t need sleep, as it didn’t look sleepy.
«Where are these regions of fall?»
«They are in the Empire of Magic, of course.»
«Do I have any acquaintances there?»
Flora unfolded the sheet. The letters were scratched on it as if with claws, but the calligraphic handwriting gave away Edwin’s hand.
«Yes, it looks like I know someone there now,» Flora said, but as soon as she began to read, the note was not from Edwin. There was only one sentence written in it:
«Don’t attend any more fairy masquerades!»
And a signature:
Dragon’s Advice
Wow! Edwin has an intelligent dragon! Who would have thought?
«I wonder if this dragon can talk. He wasn’t very talkative with me last night.»
The mask laughed snidely. Flora didn’t pay any attention to her. Who would understand these magic items! Maybe the mask is crazy for laughing at something all the time. Flora couldn’t even figure out what it was laughing at.
«I guessed it!» Flora guessed. «Edwin was too shy to write me the note himself, so he decided to sign it with a dragon. After all, a dragon is only a beast, albeit a magical one. He won’t be accused of courting a lady.»
«Do you think Edwin is so shy?» The mask squinted sneeringly.
«He’s young. All young boys are shy.»
«He just looks young, and he’s a wizard. Do you know how many different magical offenses he’s had on his conscience? He once put an entire kingdom to sleep with magic, and his dragon burned down so many cities!»
«You’re lying!» Flora straightened the ball gown she had slept in without undressing and fixed her hair. Now she could go out into the garden to see if there were any traces of the fairies.
There was a surprise waiting for her in the garden – another note from the dragon. This time the inscription was scorched by fire on the trunk of a centuries-old oak tree.
«Do not be frivolous! Do not follow in the footsteps of the fairies!
Your dragon.»
«And that’s being impertinent!» Flora took offense. The letters were still hot and sparkling. So they had been scorched recently. Did the gardeners see the dragon? They definitely didn’t see any fairies last night because they were asleep. The servants go to bed early to save candles. None of them reacted to the fairies laughing at midnight, but not seeing a whole dragon in the morning was incredible.
«He’s only giving you a warning,» the mask squeaked.
«Are you protecting him?» Flora shook her so-called friend in her hands. «I don’t need dragon advice. I’m smart myself!»
«So smart that yesterday you almost died in the claws of the fairies!» parried the mask.
She’s right! Flora lost all her aplomb.
«Why did I study fine arts, geography, and even philosophy if I’m not smart enough? You should deduct it from the governesses’ salaries. Their lessons were wasted on me.»
«I only respect magic lessons,» the mask snorted. «I could give you a couple.»
«No, thank you.»
«Are you afraid of getting more stupid?»
«I’m afraid you’ll cast a spell on me.»
«I’ll do it!» The mask took offense. «I treat you with all my heart, and all you do is hurt me!»
«Do magic masks have souls?»
«It’s just a figure of speech.»
«You’re hard to understand.»
«Unlike you, I don’t make dangerous friendships with dragons.»
«I’m not friends with dragons either,» Flora said, catching herself in a lie. If she didn’t make friends with a dragon, how could she explain the dragon’s insolent behavior? He was bossy, leaving inscriptions with fire in the garden. In one bed, the petunias have been trampled and a large dragon claw has been left in the loosened earth. The maids would be horrified when they saw it. Flora rushed to fix it. Raking the ground with her hands to hide the monstrous mark was not possible. Flora began to vigorously trample the flowerbed to layer her footprints over the dragon’s trail. That way it would be hidden.
«What are you doing? Dancing in the flowerbed?«A surprised cry was from the garden gate.
«Raphael!» Flora only now noticed her brother. How foolishly things had turned out! Stomping on the flowerbed, she looked like a witch with disheveled hair dancing on the bare earth among the plucked flowers.
«Mama loved those petunias,» Rafael reminded her resentfully.
«She also loved orchids, tulips, daffodils, camellias, chrysanthemums, geraniums, and many other flowers I can’t even remember the names of.»
«That’s right, you have amnesia, sister!»
«I don’t have amnesia!» Flora got angry.
«Well, you only forget things that it’s to your advantage not to remember. For example, when you broke your mother’s necklace, you immediately forgot about it, and the maids were whipped for the offense.»
«You’re so vindictive! I don’t even remember that!»
Flora nervously fixed her hair, which was tangled in the leaves and flowers of a nearby acacia tree. Flora’s reflection in the garden pond looked like a disheveled witch. Rafael himself was not looking his best. His shirt was torn, his camisole had been lost or lost at cards, his boots had burned holes in them, and his hands had burns. He must have been drinking and partying all night, maybe even had a fight with someone.
«I hope you didn’t lose everything.» Flora asked in a venomous tone.
«On the contrary, I won a lot.»
«Then where is your camisole and your winnings?»
«You see, the thing is, I was counting coins on the way, and I was attacked by creatures attracted by the glitter of gold.»
«Were they fairies?» Before, Flora would have thought her brother was making things up, but after her encounter with fairies yesterday, she wouldn’t have been surprised if those winged wretches had attacked Raphael as well. Her brother is so cowardly! Even if he had a sword and had perfectly mastered the art of swordsmanship, he would not have defended himself against the fairies. After all, fairies are ladies, and ladies Raphael respected.
«What fairies are there,» he dismissed it. «A rabble of evil spirits: ugly trolls, gray elves, dwarves – all surrounded me at the crossroads and I had to play with them until morning.»
«So?»
«You can’t win to wizards!»
«You didn’t make all that up?»
«Look!» Raphael lifted his cuffs and showed the burns in the shape of clawed paws. «Our land is full of evil! We have to get out of here, and fast.»
«Father won’t allow it.»
Flora thought it was better not to tell Raphael about the fairies, otherwise he would lose the whole castle to them, or maybe he would just give them away for a kiss.
«By the way, did you catch leprosy from the gray elves? I’ve heard they carry magical contagion.»
«Who did you hear that from?»
«I don’t remember!»
Flora really didn’t remember.
