"They have had it for weeks!" the girl continued, oblivious to the storm she had unleashed. "Developed in a secret laboratory beneath the palace. I heard it was tested on my brother’s soldiers before they were sent into Houndfang to seal the city. That’s why none of them have fallen ill. Oh, but they are keeping it quiet, you see.’
Sienna’s breath caught. er mind raced--imagining the sick, yellow skinned children who were struggling to breathe. Their desperate mothers, the rising death tolls. And here sat a mber of the royal family, spilling secrets like spilled salt, claiming salvation already existed.
Serenya set her cup down deliberately, maintaining her calm deanor. "Lina, I have told you often to speak less, especially around outsiders."
The girl laughed. "But Sienna is your close friend, and Elias knows everything. I heard Leon saying Elias knows about the vaccine. She is Elias’s wife, so she must know too."
Sienna raised her brows. "No, she doesn’t, but she would love to know." Her head turned to Serenya, eyes widened. "Care to explain bestie?"
Serenya sighed. "Ignore Lina, she shares half-baked truths always. We have known about the plague for a month now, but at the ti it was not labeled a plague. All we had for sure was an increase in patients showing up to hospitals with stomach pains and similar symptoms. Naturally, we gathered a team to start research when they didn’t show signs of getting better within a week. We don’t have a vaccine, we have a trial vaccine that has not been confird to work, 100%. In the next five to eight days, doctors say we will know for sure." She inhaled, "If it works, then we will turn our focus on cleansing the affected water bodies and soil before opening Houndfang city to the public again." She glared at the young woman. "Next ti, keep such information to yourself."
But Lina only giggled. "Why? I didn’t say any lies. I heard about the vaccine from my fiance. He overheard the conversation between Leon and the elders. Oh don’t give that look sister-in-law, we are all family and friends here. Secrets are ant to be shared with family and friends."
Sienna’s pulse thundered in her ears. If this young woman had been a part of her family, she would have locked her in a cellar for everyone’s sake!
Lina gobbled a small cake greedily, "Sister-in-law, I have to g and try on my wedding dress, that’s why I am in this city. Co with . I don’t trust my mama’s opinion but I trust yours. Left to her, the woman will have dressed in old fashioned furs."
Serenya looked reluctant, but Lina rose, pulling her by the arm. "You too human wife, your kind invented the whole white wedding dress nonsense."
It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but Sienna saw Serenya mouthing ’save ,’ so she followed them to the car, and a convoy set off for the exclusive bridal shop. Lina’s chatter filled the air like a flock of sparrows.
The bridal shop was glittering hall of silks, furs, pearls and jewels. Every mannequin dressed in gowns that were swoon worthy. Sienna felt under dressed in her simple suit and thick jacket.
"Clear the shop, I am here to try on my dress." Lina bellowed.
Sienna muttered, "Does she think that she is you or the king himself?"
The queen smirked, "Worse. She thinks she is runs the gossip column of the royal family." With a sigh, she added. "No kidding, she prints a three page newspaper everyday that we are all forced to buy and burn as soon as we finish reading it. Her grandparents think its the cutest thing ever because it is how she earns her money. Do you know how much she charges?"
Sienna’s ears twitched.
"100 beast coins per paper! That is the price of an ordinary phone, or two bags of rice, or one pearl! It is obviously extortion. One ti, I refused to buy the paper and six elders of the royal family ca demanding to know why I was making things difficult for my younger sister-in-law and making everyone uncomfortable."
Sienna shook her head. "Your family is as ssy as mine."
Lina twirled dramatically before a mirror. "Sienna, you know my friend Daniella?"
"No." Sienna answered reluctantly.
"Well she knows you." Lina was quick to report, "Her cousin married Elias fourth cousin, from the Twindell side. Between us, her husband snores so loudly that she almost mistake him for a wild animal on their first night together, on the wedding night. She called soldiers."
Sienna choked on laughter. "That must have been embarrassing."
Lina continued, unbothered, "I am worried about what night ti flaws my husband to be could have. My friend Capucine, her husband insists on singing lullabies to her before bed. Every night, She says she dreams of strangling him with the blanket."
Sienna’s eyes widened. "Maybe you shouldn’t repeat that in public."
Lina looked around, "We are not in public. The shop girls here know better than to say nonsense. I could kill you right now and they would take that secret to their grave."
Sienna froze.
Lina laughed. "I am joking, if I did that Elias would kill them and and probably Serenya too. The point I am trying to make is that privacy is valued here. I could have sex on one of their counters with my fiance outside the door and they would close the curtains and doors to give privacy."
The queen groaned. Sienna looked at the bridal shop attendants, expecting to see shock. But instead, they maintained their neutral looks, doing their work as though they were deaf. Their professionalism was very impressive.
Sienna concluded there and then, that Lina was a nace.
The attendants brought out the gown: a cascade of white with silver threads, embroidered lion patterns that shimred deep gold.
Lina clapped her hands. "Now the fun part is here. You get to watch undress and try it on. I am not wearing any underwear. It is tradition! My bridesmaids aren’t here, so you will do."
Sienna nearly dropped her bag. "Excuse ?"
The queen’s lips twitched, caught between outrage and amusent. "Lina, that is not tradition. That is your excuse to make us suffer."
Lina grinned wickedly, "Exactly. You can join if you want to, after all, what’s a little modesty between family and best friends?"
Sienna turned crimson. First of all, she didn’t want another self appointed best friend, and secondly, if she dared to undress, the rolls in her stomach would probably be described vividly in Lina’s royal gossip column.
Only a fool would join Lina in her nakedness.
But to her great shock, the attendants on the shop started unbuttoning their own clothes!!
Sienna whipped out her pan quickly, pointing it forward like a sword. "Stop! If I hear one more button pop, I am smashing everybody."
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