Vonsovich modest family wedding read. A modest family wedding. Bronislava Vonsovich, Tina LukyanovaModest family wedding

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Bronislava Vonsovich, Tina Lukyanova

Modest family wedding

© Vonsovich B., Lukyanova T., 2017

© Design. LLC "Publishing House" E ", 2017

Andres sat right in the window and enthusiastically talked about a practical lesson, in which one of the excellent students so unloved by him sat in a grandiose puddle, in the truest sense of the word - a lot of water was removed after him. Although the story was not very interesting, I still smiled politely and counted the remaining minutes until closing. All the time I wanted to tell him to finally get off the glass - although it is reinforced with spells, it is still quite fragile, it can not withstand the extra load, even if it, this load, did not have excess fat and was quite slender and fit. But Andres was the son of the owner of the shop where I worked, and only his father, the Soreano fjord, who was not there now, could tell him. He approved of his son's courtship of me and tried at every opportunity to leave us alone. I guess I seemed like a suitable daughter-in-law to him - from a good family, responsible, neat, not prone to flirting in the workplace. Fiordina Soreano shared his opinion, but at times she looked at me jealously and seemed to think that it was time to reciprocate her dear son, the only and absolutely wonderful one. But then I didn’t leave my home to get married, and even for a person for whom I feel slight sympathy, nothing more.

At first, I perceived the gentle chime of the signal artifact with relief: the potential buyer saved me from an uninteresting conversation. Andres immediately jumped lightly from the window so that nothing else would spoil the bright image of his father's shop. Solidity and reliability are the basis of the artefact trade. Most of the goods offered were by no means replicas, but antiques, perfectly time-tested and still working without any complaints. And the price of the goods was appropriate - a percentage of sales, coupled with a not very large salary, allowed me to completely abandon parental assistance, which I was very happy about. I didn't want anything to remind me of my family.

Unfortunately, the fjordina who came in was not a potential client, she was not interested in our beautifully decorated shop windows. She looked only at me, looked with some embarrassment and hope. While she was silent, something inside me was screaming about impending troubles, and not small ones - otherwise my mother would never have come herself, but contacted by artifact or sent a letter if the news was not urgent.

- Good evening, mom.

- Hi dear.

She reached out to kiss me on the cheek, I obediently set her up - I didn’t want to upset the parent, who didn’t look very happy anyway. But most of all I didn’t want to make scenes in front of strangers - Andres looked at my mother with interest and was clearly going to introduce himself to her. She considered him one of the customers of the store and fell silent, hoping that he would leave soon and she could voice the reason that brought her here.

"Something happened, Mom?" I broke the awkward silence.

“I don’t think the fjord is interested in our family affairs,” she replied and looked at him expressively. - Probably, he was going to buy something here, and then I appeared quite inopportunely? I won't interfere with your work.

Mom perfectly understood that in my life she would have appeared inappropriately at any time and in any place, but now she diligently pretended that she was a loving parent who came to visit her adult smart daughter.

- Andres Soreano, - the fjord, which interferes with my mother, finally decided to introduce himself. “The son of your daughter's employer, Fjordina Venegas.

“Very nice to meet you,” she said with a polite smile. “Do you think, Soreano Fjord, that your father will agree to give Patricia a few days off at the end of next week?”

“I don’t need free days,” I said sharply, beginning to suspect that they would be needed soon. “Soreano Fjord is very much counting on my help, and a serious reason is needed for him to meet your desires.

“Can there be a more serious reason than your sister's wedding?” - Mom smiled, but in such an ingratiating way that it became unpleasant for me.

Everything in my chest tightened. No, I knew that sooner or later this would happen - Teresa knew how to insist on her own, but I still turned out to be completely unprepared for this news. How I hate her! I never thought that I would hate my own sister to such an extent that even the mere thought that I would have to see her causes disgust and nervous trembling.

“You yourself understand that this cannot be a good reason for my arrival,” I answered my mother sharply.

No, I'm not going to follow a parental whim. They want to show that our family has complete mutual understanding and love - let them do it without me, it will be much better for everyone. Of course, I can pretend and show tender sisterly affection, but why? Why do I need it? I involuntarily said the last sentence aloud.

“Patricia, this is very important to me,” Mom said softly and pretended to be about to cry. - It hurts me so much to see you and Teresa quarrel, which will not end in any way. You must reconcile. And the sister's wedding is the best occasion for this.

– Is the wedding of Teresa and Daniel the best reason for our reconciliation? I involuntarily got angry. - Indeed? You amaze me mom!

I completely forgot about Andres, otherwise I would never have said these words. I was not going to discuss internal family affairs in front of strangers, but he behaved so quietly that I remembered him only now, accidentally stumbling across my eyes.

“No, dear, how could you think? Mom was fake surprised. She is marrying someone completely different. The groom is Bruno Berlisensis, you must have heard of him.

The surname was well-known - after all, the Berlisensis belonged to the color of our aristocracy, and their estate was not so far from ours, but that was all I knew about the groom. There were no birds so high flying with small birds like our family. However, Teresa was always sure that she would get the best, so I think everything should be with Bruno at the same time - both appearance, and money, and, possibly, magic.

“Maybe I did,” I replied. But I don't remember now. And what, in essence, does it matter who Teresa marries? I won't be at the wedding anyway. You came in vain.

“Patty, I beg you!” Mom kept insisting. On a day like this, the whole family should come together. It hurts my dad and me to watch your quarrel.

Does it hurt to watch? Parents usually took the side of the older sister, whether she was right or not. Even in that unpleasant story, although Teresa was all to blame. I don't want to see her! And parents to whom I always meant less than she did. For all the time that has passed since the day of my departure, my mother visited me for the first time, although she knew very well in what state I was leaving. And now they only needed me for an idyllic picture.

“Patricia, none of the neighbors know the reason for your departure,” my mother continued persuasions. - They are sure that you just wanted independence. But if you are not there, there will be conversations that are extremely undesirable for our family.

“I think the termination of our engagement with Daniel has already given rise to such rumors,” I replied displeasedly. “Tell me I hate to see him.” They will surely understand this.

“We didn’t announce it,” Mom said, embarrassed. - Everyone is convinced that you continue to meet with him. He, too, now lives in Frinstadt.

- What? I asked in bewilderment. "But why didn't you say anything?"

I was glad that so far I had never met my ex-fiance. It's good that I don't go anywhere. However, it is very likely that he does not burn with a special desire to see me - otherwise he would have known the address long ago.

Bronislava Vonsovich, Tina Lukyanova

Modest family wedding

Andres sat right in the window and enthusiastically talked about a practical lesson, in which one of the excellent students so unloved by him sat in a grandiose puddle, in the truest sense of the word - a lot of water was removed after him. Although the story was not very interesting, I still smiled politely and counted the remaining minutes until closing. All the time I wanted to tell him to finally get off the glass - although it is reinforced with spells, it is still quite fragile, it can not withstand the extra load, even if she, this load, did not have excess fat and was quite slender and fit. But Andres was the son of the owner of the shop where I worked, and only his father, the Soreano fjord, who was not there now, could tell him. He approved of his son's courtship of me and tried at every opportunity to leave us alone. Probably, I seemed to him a suitable daughter-in-law - from a good family, responsible, accurate, not prone to flirting in the workplace. Fiordina Soreano shared his opinion, but at times she looked at me jealously and seemed to think that it was time to reciprocate her dear son, the only and absolutely wonderful one. But then I didn’t leave my home to get married, and even for a person for whom I feel slight sympathy, nothing more.

At first, I perceived the gentle chime of the signal artifact with relief: the potential buyer saved me from an uninteresting conversation. Andres immediately jumped lightly from the window so that nothing else would spoil the bright image of his father's shop. Solidity and reliability - that's the basis of the trade in artifacts. Most of the goods offered were by no means replicas, but antiques, perfectly time-tested and still working without any complaints. And the price of the goods was appropriate - a percentage of sales, coupled with a not very large salary, allowed me to completely abandon parental assistance, which I was very glad about. I didn't want anything to remind me of my family.

Unfortunately, the fjordina who came in was not a potential client, she was not interested in our beautifully decorated shop windows. She looked only at me, looked with some embarrassment and hope. While she was silent, something inside me was screaming about impending troubles, and not small ones - otherwise my mother would never have come herself, but contacted by artifact or sent a letter if the news was not urgent.

Good evening mom.

Hi dear.

She reached out to kiss me on the cheek, I obediently set her up - I didn’t want to upset the parent, who didn’t look very happy anyway. But most of all I didn’t want to make scenes in front of strangers - Andres looked at my mother with interest and was clearly going to introduce himself to her. She considered him one of the customers of the store and fell silent, hoping that he would leave soon and she could voice the reason that brought her here.

Is something wrong, mom? I broke the awkward silence.

I don't think the fjord is interested in our family affairs, - she answered and looked at him expressively. - Probably, he was going to buy something here, but then I appeared quite inopportunely? I won't interfere with your work.

Mom perfectly understood that in my life she would have appeared inappropriately at any time and in any place, but now she diligently pretended that she was a loving parent who came to visit her adult smart daughter.

Andres Soreano, - finally decided to introduce himself as a fjord that interferes with his mother. “The son of your daughter's employer, Fjordina Venegas.

It's very nice to meet you." She smiled politely. - Do you think, Soreano Fjord, your father will agree to give Patricia a few days off at the end of next week?

I don't need free days, - I said sharply, beginning to suspect that they would be needed soon. “Soreano Fjord is counting on my help, and a serious reason is needed for him to meet your desires.

Can there be a more serious reason than your sister's wedding? - Mom smiled, but so ingratiatingly that it became unpleasant for me.

Everything in my chest tightened. No, I knew that sooner or later this would happen - Teresa knew how to insist on her own, but I still turned out to be completely unprepared for this news. How I hate her! I never thought that I would hate my own sister to such an extent that even the mere thought that I would have to see her causes disgust and nervous trembling.

You yourself understand that this cannot be a good reason for my arrival, - I sharply answered my mother.

No, I'm not going to follow a parental whim. They want to show that our family has complete mutual understanding and love - let them do it without me, it will be much better for everyone. Of course, I can pretend and show tender sisterly affection, but why? Why do I need it? I involuntarily said the last sentence aloud.

Patricia, this is very important to me, - my mother said quietly and pretended to be about to cry. - It hurts me so much to see you and Teresa quarrel, which will not end in any way. You must reconcile. And the sister's wedding is the best occasion for this.

Teresa and Daniel's wedding - the best reason for our reconciliation? I involuntarily got angry. - Indeed? You amaze me mom!

I completely forgot about Andres, otherwise I would never have said these words. I was not going to discuss internal family affairs in front of strangers, but he behaved so quietly that I remembered him only now, accidentally stumbling across my eyes.

No, dear, how could you think? Mom was fake surprised. She is marrying someone completely different. The groom is Bruno Berlisensis, you must have heard of him.

The surname was well-known - after all, the Berlisensis belonged to the color of our aristocracy, and their estate was not so far from ours, but that's all I knew about the groom. There were no birds so high flying with small birds like our family. However, Teresa was always sure that she would get the best, so I think everything should be with Bruno - appearance, money, and perhaps magic.

Maybe I did, I replied. But now I don't remember. And what, in essence, does it matter who Teresa marries? I won't be at the wedding anyway. You came in vain.

Patty, I'm begging you! Mom kept insisting. On a day like this, the whole family should come together. It hurts my dad and me to watch your quarrel.

Does it hurt to watch? Parents usually took the side of the older sister, whether she was right or not. Even in that unpleasant story, although Teresa was all to blame. I don't want to see her! And parents to whom I always meant less than she did. For all the time that has passed since the day of my departure, my mother visited me for the first time, although she knew very well in what state I was leaving. And now they only needed me for an idyllic picture.

Patricia, none of the neighbors knows the reason for your departure, - mother continued persuasions. - They are sure that you just wanted independence. But if you are not there, there will be conversations that are extremely undesirable for our family.

I think the termination of our engagement with Daniel has already given rise to such rumors, - I replied with displeasure. “Tell me I hate to see him.” They will surely understand this.

We didn’t announce it,” my mother was embarrassed. - Everyone is convinced that you continue to meet with him. He, too, now lives in Frinstadt.

What? I asked in bewilderment. - But why didn't you say anything?

I was glad that so far I had never met my ex-fiance. It's good that I don't go anywhere. However, it is very likely that he does not burn with a special desire to see me - otherwise he would have known the address long ago.

We thought that you can make peace, - looking at me with completely honest eyes, my mother answered. - You know, sometimes such unpleasant situations only strengthen true love, show it to the fullest. We also invited him...

She looked at me contentedly for approval.

Probably, our love was not real, - I answered her and again remembered Andres, who stood so motionless that he could be mistaken for a mannequin. Mom, I don't want to talk about it. And I'm not going anywhere. In addition, as you rightly said recently, you should not devote outsiders to intra-family problems.

She probably completely forgot about him too, she was so fascinated by knocking out my consent, because she looked at Andres with such indignant bewilderment, as if he had specially come up to eavesdrop on our conversation.

I wanted to visit you after you finish your work,” she explained. - But I thought that you can go somewhere, and I'll stand in vain under your doors and leave without talking. I definitely need to go back today. You just can't imagine how many worries have piled on us. Although we decided to have a modest family wedding and almost all the guests are either from our family or from the Brunito family.

© Vonsovich B., Lukyanova T., 2017

© Design. LLC "Publishing House" E ", 2017

* * *

Chapter 1

Andres sat right in the window and enthusiastically talked about a practical lesson, in which one of the excellent students so unloved by him sat in a grandiose puddle, in the truest sense of the word - a lot of water was removed after him. Although the story was not very interesting, I still smiled politely and counted the remaining minutes until closing. All the time I wanted to tell him to finally get off the glass - although it is reinforced with spells, it is still quite fragile, it can not withstand the extra load, even if it, this load, did not have excess fat and was quite slender and fit. But Andres was the son of the owner of the shop where I worked, and only his father, the Soreano fjord, who was not there now, could tell him. He approved of his son's courtship of me and tried at every opportunity to leave us alone. I guess I seemed like a suitable daughter-in-law to him - from a good family, responsible, neat, not prone to flirting in the workplace. Fiordina Soreano shared his opinion, but at times she looked at me jealously and seemed to think that it was time to reciprocate her dear son, the only and absolutely wonderful one. But then I didn’t leave my home to get married, and even for a person for whom I feel slight sympathy, nothing more.

At first, I perceived the gentle chime of the signal artifact with relief: the potential buyer saved me from an uninteresting conversation. Andres immediately jumped lightly from the window so that nothing else would spoil the bright image of his father's shop. Solidity and reliability are the basis of the artefact trade. Most of the goods offered were by no means replicas, but antiques, perfectly time-tested and still working without any complaints. And the price of the goods was appropriate - a percentage of sales, coupled with a not very large salary, allowed me to completely abandon parental assistance, which I was very happy about. I didn't want anything to remind me of my family.

Unfortunately, the fjordina who came in was not a potential client, she was not interested in our beautifully decorated shop windows. She looked only at me, looked with some embarrassment and hope. While she was silent, something inside me was screaming about impending troubles, and not small ones - otherwise my mother would never have come herself, but contacted by artifact or sent a letter if the news was not urgent.

- Good evening, mom.

- Hi dear.

She reached out to kiss me on the cheek, I obediently set her up - I didn’t want to upset the parent, who didn’t look very happy anyway. But most of all I didn’t want to make scenes in front of strangers - Andres looked at my mother with interest and was clearly going to introduce himself to her. She considered him one of the customers of the store and fell silent, hoping that he would leave soon and she could voice the reason that brought her here.

"Something happened, Mom?" I broke the awkward silence.

“I don’t think the fjord is interested in our family affairs,” she replied and looked at him expressively. - Probably, he was going to buy something here, and then I appeared quite inopportunely? I won't interfere with your work.

Mom perfectly understood that in my life she would have appeared inappropriately at any time and in any place, but now she diligently pretended that she was a loving parent who came to visit her adult smart daughter.

- Andres Soreano, - the fjord, which interferes with my mother, finally decided to introduce himself. “The son of your daughter's employer, Fjordina Venegas.

“Very nice to meet you,” she said with a polite smile. “Do you think, Soreano Fjord, that your father will agree to give Patricia a few days off at the end of next week?”

“I don’t need free days,” I said sharply, beginning to suspect that they would be needed soon. “Soreano Fjord is very much counting on my help, and a serious reason is needed for him to meet your desires.

“Can there be a more serious reason than your sister's wedding?” - Mom smiled, but in such an ingratiating way that it became unpleasant for me.

Everything in my chest tightened. No, I knew that sooner or later this would happen - Teresa knew how to insist on her own, but I still turned out to be completely unprepared for this news. How I hate her! I never thought that I would hate my own sister to such an extent that even the mere thought that I would have to see her causes disgust and nervous trembling.

“You yourself understand that this cannot be a good reason for my arrival,” I answered my mother sharply.

No, I'm not going to follow a parental whim. They want to show that our family has complete mutual understanding and love - let them do it without me, it will be much better for everyone. Of course, I can pretend and show tender sisterly affection, but why? Why do I need it? I involuntarily said the last sentence aloud.

“Patricia, this is very important to me,” Mom said softly and pretended to be about to cry. - It hurts me so much to see you and Teresa quarrel, which will not end in any way. You must reconcile. And the sister's wedding is the best occasion for this.

– Is the wedding of Teresa and Daniel the best reason for our reconciliation? I involuntarily got angry. - Indeed? You amaze me mom!

I completely forgot about Andres, otherwise I would never have said these words. I was not going to discuss internal family affairs in front of strangers, but he behaved so quietly that I remembered him only now, accidentally stumbling across my eyes.

“No, dear, how could you think? Mom was fake surprised. She is marrying someone completely different. The groom is Bruno Berlisensis, you must have heard of him.

The surname was well-known - after all, the Berlisensis belonged to the color of our aristocracy, and their estate was not so far from ours, but that was all I knew about the groom. There were no birds so high flying with small birds like our family. However, Teresa was always sure that she would get the best, so I think everything should be with Bruno at the same time - both appearance, and money, and, possibly, magic.

“Maybe I did,” I replied. But I don't remember now. And what, in essence, does it matter who Teresa marries? I won't be at the wedding anyway. You came in vain.

“Patty, I beg you!” Mom kept insisting. On a day like this, the whole family should come together. It hurts my dad and me to watch your quarrel.

Does it hurt to watch? Parents usually took the side of the older sister, whether she was right or not. Even in that unpleasant story, although Teresa was all to blame. I don't want to see her! And parents to whom I always meant less than she did. For all the time that has passed since the day of my departure, my mother visited me for the first time, although she knew very well in what state I was leaving. And now they only needed me for an idyllic picture.

“Patricia, none of the neighbors know the reason for your departure,” my mother continued persuasions. - They are sure that you just wanted independence. But if you are not there, there will be conversations that are extremely undesirable for our family.

“I think the termination of our engagement with Daniel has already given rise to such rumors,” I replied displeasedly. “Tell me I hate to see him.” They will surely understand this.

“We didn’t announce it,” Mom said, embarrassed. - Everyone is convinced that you continue to meet with him. He, too, now lives in Frinstadt.

- What? I asked in bewilderment. "But why didn't you say anything?"

I was glad that so far I had never met my ex-fiance. It's good that I don't go anywhere. However, it is very likely that he does not burn with a special desire to see me - otherwise he would have known the address long ago.

“We thought that you could make peace,” my mother answered, looking at me with completely honest eyes. - You know, sometimes such unpleasant situations only strengthen true love, show it to the fullest. We also invited him...

She looked at me contentedly for approval.

“Maybe our love was not real,” I answered her, and again I remembered Andres, who stood so still that he could be mistaken for a mannequin. Mom, I don't want to talk about it. And I'm not going anywhere. In addition, as you rightly said recently, you should not devote outsiders to intra-family problems.

She probably completely forgot about him too, she was so fascinated by knocking out my consent, because she looked at Andres with such indignant bewilderment, as if he had specially come up to eavesdrop on our conversation.

“I wanted to visit you after you finish your work,” she explained. “But I thought that you could go somewhere, and I’ll stand in vain under your doors and leave without talking. I definitely need to go back today. You just can't imagine how many worries have piled on us. Although we decided to have a modest family wedding and almost all the guests are either from our family or from the Brunito family.

So there was no need to waste precious time on me. Brunito... Wow. It’s immediately obvious that Teresa’s fiance is cute to her mother, and even very much so. She had never spoken so familiarly about Daniel.

“I think you can come back,” I remarked. “You met with me, task accomplished.

- Without your consent? I must convince you! Mom said hotly. - Let's sit after your work in some restaurant? Let's discuss everything calmly, weigh all the pros and cons. I'm sure you'll change your mind.

“I'm sorry, Mom, but Andres invited me earlier.

The guy started up and looked at me with surprise. No, I didn't lie, he did invite me to have dinner with him that evening, but I refused, as I had refused before. But what I just said sounded like a promise to him. Well, I'll have to go, now I'm ready for anything, just not to go to my parents. Dinner with a nice guy is not such a punishment. Not to compare with a wedding, where in the crowd of guests I will constantly stumble upon the ex-groom. No. Don't want. I don't want to and I won't.

“Is that why you are so opposed to poor Daniel?” - Mom said sadly, but immediately brightened up. “We will also invite Soreano Fjord to Teresa's wedding. - She looked tenderly in his direction and added: - We will be glad to see you at our place.

“Thank you for the invitation, fjordina Venegas,” he bowed ceremoniously.

His mother's offer made him happy. He considered this a huge breakthrough in our relationship with him. Meeting my family and all that. But I had my own opinion, very different from his.

- As who, mother? I asked indignantly.

“As a family friend, of course.

Mom was optimistic and did not try to hide it, she smiled at Andres already as a possible ally, with all her charm. He involuntarily began to smile back. Well, these two found each other.

“Such a nice young fjord,” Mom continued. - You can immediately see a good origin and upbringing.

And also wealth: the store was small - they sold too specific goods here, but the visitor immediately understood that the owners had money, and rather big ones. Other artifacts cost so much that it was even scary to pick up. Mom didn’t try to touch anything, she just had to look at the price tags to understand: this son-in-law is suitable for our family. Even more than Daniel. I wonder why things didn't work out between him and Teresa? Or how did Brunito appear, all the agreements were forgotten? No, my mother said that the neighbors to this day believe that I am engaged to him.

“You flatter me, fjordina Venegas. - Satisfied Andres gallantly kissed his mother's hand, which further convinced her of his compliance with the requirements of the family.

Modest family wedding

Bronislava Antonovna Vonsovich

Tina Lukyanova

Witchcraft Secrets by Lysandra Berlisensis #3

Which is stronger, love or hate?

This is what young Patricia Venegas has to find out. After the betrayal of her sister and fiancé, she left her parental home. She left, never to return there.

But, succumbing to the persuasion of her mother, Patricia comes to the wedding of her sister and a brilliant aristocrat. Only now the groom is clearly not himself, his relatives are not at all happy with the impending celebration, and suspicious personalities are visiting the house ...

Bronislava Vonsovich, Tina Lukyanova

Modest family wedding

© Vonsovich B., Lukyanova T., 2017

© Design. LLC "Publishing House" E ", 2017

Andres sat right in the window and enthusiastically talked about a practical lesson, in which one of the excellent students so unloved by him sat in a grandiose puddle, in the truest sense of the word - a lot of water was removed after him. Although the story was not very interesting, I still smiled politely and counted the remaining minutes until closing. All the time I wanted to tell him to finally get off the glass - although it is reinforced with spells, it is still quite fragile, it can not withstand the extra load, even if it, this load, did not have excess fat and was quite slender and fit. But Andres was the son of the owner of the shop where I worked, and only his father, the Soreano fjord, who was not there now, could tell him. He approved of his son's courtship of me and tried at every opportunity to leave us alone. I guess I seemed like a suitable daughter-in-law to him - from a good family, responsible, neat, not prone to flirting in the workplace. Fiordina Soreano shared his opinion, but at times she looked at me jealously and seemed to think that it was time to reciprocate her dear son, the only and absolutely wonderful one. But then I didn’t leave my home to get married, and even for a person for whom I feel slight sympathy, nothing more.

At first, I perceived the gentle chime of the signal artifact with relief: the potential buyer saved me from an uninteresting conversation. Andres immediately jumped lightly from the window so that nothing else would spoil the bright image of his father's shop. Solidity and reliability are the basis of the artefact trade. Most of the goods offered were by no means replicas, but antiques, perfectly time-tested and still working without any complaints. And the price of the goods was appropriate - a percentage of sales, coupled with a not very large salary, allowed me to completely abandon parental assistance, which I was very happy about. I didn't want anything to remind me of my family.

Unfortunately, the fjordina who came in was not a potential client, she was not interested in our beautifully decorated shop windows. She looked only at me, looked with some embarrassment and hope. While she was silent, something inside me was screaming about impending troubles, and not small ones - otherwise my mother would never have come herself, but contacted by artifact or sent a letter if the news was not urgent.

- Good evening, mom.

- Hi dear.

She reached out to kiss me on the cheek, I obediently set her up - I didn’t want to upset the parent, who didn’t look very happy anyway. But most of all I didn’t want to make scenes in front of strangers - Andres looked at my mother with interest and was clearly going to introduce himself to her. She considered him one of the customers of the store and fell silent, hoping that he would leave soon and she could voice the reason that brought her here.

"Something happened, Mom?" I broke the awkward silence.

“I don’t think the fjord is interested in our family affairs,” she replied and looked at him expressively. - Probably, he was going to buy something here, and then I appeared quite inopportunely? I won't interfere with your work.

Mom perfectly understood that in my life she would have appeared inappropriately at any time and in any place, but now she diligently pretended that she was a loving parent who came to visit her adult smart daughter.

- Andres Soreano, - the fjord, which interferes with my mother, finally decided to introduce himself. “The son of your daughter's employer, Fjordina Venegas.

“Very nice to meet you,” she said with a polite smile. “Do you think, Soreano Fjord, that your father will agree to give Patricia a few days off at the end of next week?”

“I don’t need free days,” I said sharply, beginning to suspect that they would be needed soon. “Soreano Fjord is very much counting on my help, and a serious reason is needed for him to meet your desires.

“Can there be a more serious reason than your sister's wedding?” - Mom smiled, but in such an ingratiating way that it became unpleasant for me.

Everything in my chest tightened. No, I knew that sooner or later this would happen - Teresa knew how to insist on her own, but I still turned out to be completely unprepared for this news. How I hate her! I never thought that I would hate my own sister to such an extent that even the mere thought that I would have to see her causes disgust and nervous trembling.

“You yourself understand that this cannot be a good reason for my arrival,” I answered my mother sharply.

No, I'm not going to follow a parental whim. They want to show that our family has complete mutual understanding and love - let them do it without me, it will be much better for everyone. Of course, I can pretend and show tender sisterly affection, but why? Why do I need it? I involuntarily said the last sentence aloud.

“Patricia, this is very important to me,” Mom said softly and pretended to be about to cry. - It hurts me so much to see you and Teresa quarrel, which will not end in any way. You must reconcile. And the sister's wedding is the best occasion for this.

– Is the wedding of Teresa and Daniel the best reason for our reconciliation? I involuntarily got angry. - Indeed? You amaze me mom!

I completely forgot about Andres, otherwise I would never have said these words. I was not going to discuss internal family affairs in front of strangers, but he behaved so quietly that I remembered him only now, accidentally stumbling across my eyes.

“No, dear, how could you think? Mom was fake surprised. She is marrying someone completely different. The groom is Bruno Berlisensis, you must have heard of him.

The surname was well-known - after all, the Berlisensis belonged to the color of our aristocracy, and their estate was not so far from ours, but that was all I knew about the groom. There were no birds so high flying with small birds like our family. However, Teresa was always sure that she would get the best, so I think everything should be with Bruno at the same time - both appearance, and money, and, possibly, magic.

“Maybe I did,” I replied. But I don't remember now. And what, in essence, does it matter who Teresa marries? I won't be at the wedding anyway. You came in vain.

“Patty, I beg you!” Mom kept insisting. On a day like this, the whole family should come together. It hurts my dad and me to watch your quarrel.

Hurt

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look? Parents usually took the side of the older sister, whether she was right or wrong. Even in that unpleasant story, although Teresa was all to blame. I don't want to see her! And parents to whom I always meant less than she did. For all the time that has passed since the day of my departure, my mother visited me for the first time, although she knew very well in what state I was leaving. And now they only needed me for an idyllic picture.

“Patricia, none of the neighbors know the reason for your departure,” my mother continued persuasions. - They are sure that you just wanted independence. But if you are not there, there will be conversations that are extremely undesirable for our family.

“I think the termination of our engagement with Daniel has already given rise to such rumors,” I replied displeasedly. “Tell me I hate to see him.” They will surely understand this.

“We didn’t announce it,” Mom said, embarrassed. - Everyone is convinced that you continue to meet with him. He, too, now lives in Frinstadt.

- What? I asked in bewilderment. "But why didn't you say anything?"

I was glad that so far I had never met my ex-fiance. It's good that I don't go anywhere. However, it is very likely that he does not burn with a special desire to see me - otherwise he would have known the address long ago.

“We thought that you could make peace,” my mother answered, looking at me with completely honest eyes. - You know, sometimes such unpleasant situations only strengthen true love, show it to the fullest. We also invited him...

She looked at me contentedly for approval.

“Maybe our love was not real,” I answered her, and again I remembered Andres, who stood so still that he could be mistaken for a mannequin. Mom, I don't want to talk about it. And I'm not going anywhere. In addition, as you rightly said recently, you should not devote outsiders to intra-family problems.

She probably completely forgot about him too, she was so fascinated by knocking out my consent, because she looked at Andres with such indignant bewilderment, as if he had specially come up to eavesdrop on our conversation.

“I wanted to visit you after you finish your work,” she explained. “But I thought that you could go somewhere, and I’ll stand in vain under your doors and leave without talking. I definitely need to go back today. You just can't imagine how many worries have piled on us. Although we decided to have a modest family wedding and almost all the guests are either from our family or from the Brunito family.

So there was no need to waste precious time on me. Brunito... Wow. It’s immediately obvious that Teresa’s fiance is cute to her mother, and even very much so. She had never spoken so familiarly about Daniel.

“I think you can come back,” I remarked. “You met with me, task accomplished.

- Without your consent? I must convince you! Mom said hotly. - Let's sit after your work in some restaurant? Let's discuss everything calmly, weigh all the pros and cons. I'm sure you'll change your mind.

“I'm sorry, Mom, but Andres invited me earlier.

The guy started up and looked at me with surprise. No, I didn't lie, he did invite me to have dinner with him that evening, but I refused, as I had refused before. But what I just said sounded like a promise to him. Well, I'll have to go, now I'm ready for anything, just not to go to my parents. Dinner with a nice guy is not such a punishment. Not to compare with a wedding, where in the crowd of guests I will constantly stumble upon the ex-groom. No. Don't want. I don't want to and I won't.

“Is that why you are so opposed to poor Daniel?” - Mom said sadly, but immediately brightened up. “We will also invite Soreano Fjord to Teresa's wedding. - She looked tenderly in his direction and added: - We will be glad to see you at our place.

“Thank you for the invitation, fjordina Venegas,” he bowed ceremoniously.

His mother's offer made him happy. He considered this a huge breakthrough in our relationship with him. Meeting my family and all that. But I had my own opinion, very different from his.

- As who, mother? I asked indignantly.

“As a family friend, of course.

Mom was optimistic and did not try to hide it, she smiled at Andres already as a possible ally, with all her charm. He involuntarily began to smile back. Well, these two found each other.

“Such a nice young fjord,” Mom continued. - You can immediately see a good origin and upbringing.

And also wealth: the store was small - they sold too specific goods here, but the visitor immediately understood that the owners had money, and rather big ones. Other artifacts cost so much that it was even scary to pick up. Mom didn’t try to touch anything, she just had to look at the price tags to understand: this son-in-law is suitable for our family. Even more than Daniel. I wonder why things didn't work out between him and Teresa? Or how did Brunito appear, all the agreements were forgotten? No, my mother said that the neighbors to this day believe that I am engaged to him.

“You flatter me, fjordina Venegas. - Satisfied Andres gallantly kissed his mother's hand, which further convinced her of his compliance with the requirements of the family.

Mom was convinced that I was dating this young man, I just didn’t tell the family about it, and she began to work on him in the hope that he, in turn, would persuade me. Andres kindly laughed it off, not showing how things really are with us, and from time to time he looked at me inquiringly. His mother's attention flattered him.

– Andres, but do you also think that the family should always come first? she pressed. - And all disagreements should be forgotten, especially when the day of the family celebration is approaching. I'm sure Teresa will be just happy if Patricia takes such a difficult step towards.

"I won't," I said grimly.

A certainty settled inside me that I would have to go. And the whole family celebration to show how my sister and I love each other, too. Mom knows perfectly well that she will get consent from me sooner or later. But, gods, how I don't want to meet Teresa and Daniel! To stir up the past that I would like to bury in the depths of memory and never, never remember ...

“Patty, Teresa is also worried and would like to forget everything that happened. - When my mother has such an inspired face, I don’t even have a doubt that she is lying. So take the first step.

- How did you always say? She's older and smarter, right? So let her do it!

“Patty, dear, how can she make the first move if you don’t want to talk to her?” - Mom felt the weakness in my answer and now sought to put the squeeze on. Give her a chance to reconcile. Dad and I are looking forward to this. A family celebration is the best occasion for this.

Something told me that no matter how many chances I gave Teresa, she wouldn't take any. But my mother was already expressively rummaging through her purse, which in such a situation spoke only of one thing - she was looking for a handkerchief and was going to arrange demonstrative sobs in front of a grateful audience. The spectacle of a crying parent will not give pleasure to either me or Andres, so I had to

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do something urgently. Unfortunately, I was sure that only one thing would stop her - my consent to the trip. “Do it for me and dad, Patty,” is her favorite line. So now you need to think about how to agree with the least damage to your nerves.

- Mom, can't Daniel's invitation be withdrawn? I asked with a heavy sigh.

She perked up immediately - she felt the proximity of surrender.

“Patty, he already sent a reply letter with consent,” she replied, not at all embarrassed. “Do you understand how indecent it would be to write that now we don’t want to see him?”

“Will it be acceptable to receive it?”

- Certainly. Mom smiled all over the place. “And not even taking into account that he is your fiancé…”

- He's not my fiancé!

“…Daniel is the son of our close friends,” she didn't think to stop. “Can you imagine how offended Ferreira would be if we sent such a letter to their son?

It seemed to me that for them it would rather look like an insult if I arrived at the celebration dedicated to the marriage of Teresa not in the company of Daniel, who, as it turned out, is still considered my fiancé, but accompanied by another fjord. However, Daniel probably described to his parents, albeit not in detail, the delicate situation in which he found himself. And it certainly wasn't my fault.

“The Fjords of Ferreira must know that there is no actual engagement,” I remarked. Yes, and Daniel himself thinks the same way.

“You decided so because he still hasn’t met you,” my mother remarked with a look that seemed to her unusually insightful. “Frynstadt is a huge city, and we didn’t give him your address, although he asked for it very much.

“Were you hoping things would work out between him and Teresa?” I involuntarily asked, even though I had already sworn off blaming my parents for this.

“Of course, dear,” Mom replied calmly. – Judge for yourself, what would you do in our place? It's good, Edita keeps her mouth shut, she's not a talkative girl herself, but we paid her very well.

“I'm afraid this situation is not as compromising now as it was in your youth,” I couldn't help it.

“Patricia, let's stop discussing our family affairs in front of strangers,” my mother said in an almost honeyed voice, smiling gently at Andres, whom I had completely forgotten about again. I got a reproachful look, as if I started such an ugly conversation and now I ignore all attempts to get away from such a sensitive topic. I take it you agreed?

I just sighed in response. I myself perfectly understood that I would agree, and by my rejection I only postponed an unpleasant moment. I didn’t want to see Teresa, I didn’t want to at all, but if I refused harshly, my mother would immediately begin to sob in earnest, lamenting, sobbing and smearing mascara and shadows on her face. I didn't want that kind of sight for Andres.

“Then we are waiting for you on Thursday, next week,” Mom continued in a businesslike manner. – Soreano Fjord, it was a pleasure to meet you. I think Father Patricia will certainly like you.

And this was already a forbidden reception - now Andres, inspired by these words, will be very difficult to convince not to go with me. And I almost promised to have dinner with him. Perhaps he forgot about it? I looked at Andres, but he was completely absorbed in saying goodbye to my mother. She cooed something affectionately to him, he kissed her hand, and both of them seemed quite pleased with each other. He even volunteered to escort her to the nearest long-distance teleport, which was already completely superfluous - it was still unknown what they could agree on. That my mother has a very strong influence on me, Andres already understood and was now trying to make her as favorable an impression as possible. Only now he did not take into account that my parents do not dispose of either my hand or my heart. Both once upon a time I wanted to give to Daniel. It just didn't make sense to him. Perhaps the feeling for him was almost completely gone, only longing for something unfulfilled remained. Very pretty and light. But not mine.

It wasn't long before the store closed, and I hoped that I would be able to leave before Andres returned. But where is it! When I was already heading to the door to put up a “Closed” sign, a solid fjord of about fifty years passed through it and began to study the shop windows with a businesslike air. I had to pretend to be cordial and answer questions about artifacts of interest to him. The fjord wanted to buy something not so much useful as expensive, which later, in five or ten years, could be resold without losing the price, or even very well to win on it. While I was looking for suitable options, Andres returned. He looked disgustingly happy. I wonder what his mother promised him? Now he's interested in accompanying me to Teresa's damned wedding. So that she breaks because this Brunito catches my sister with the best man! Should he have a best man by then?

– Where would you like to have dinner? Andres asked in a business-like manner, as soon as the visitor who arrived at the wrong time left.

- Have dinner? I pretended not to understand.

“You told Fjordina Venegas that I invited you,” he reminded her. “Don't make me look like a liar in her eyes. And then she is sure that tonight you will not go to bed hungry.

“I’m not going to starve anyway,” I chuckled.

On the other hand, why don't I have dinner with him in gratitude for getting rid of a boring hour-long lecture on sisterly duty? For some reason, Teresa was never reminded that she, too, had a duty to me ... But to hell with Teresa, I will not spoil this evening even more by thinking about her!

“There are different ways to not starve,” Andres smiled. “I want you not to be especially hungry today. So how do you prefer not to starve - with fish or meat?

I involuntarily laughed - he looked very funny at the same time. I was tempted to say "with fish", I knew that Andres did not have much respect for her. But the very question showed that he was ready to make some sacrifices for the sake of dinner with me, and therefore did not deserve such petty dirty tricks. Here's a big one, for going to act according to my mother's plans - quite.

Therefore, although I chose a restaurant on the banks of the Irrau, they had a large selection of various meat dishes on the menu. We settled on the terrace. The stuffiness of a hot summer day was already leaving, freshness was easily drawn from the river. It was getting dark, and there was a round ball on the table, in which magical lights shimmered, creating such bizarre transitions and shapes that one could watch for hours. But I didn't come here to admire magic handicrafts, I had a very serious conversation with my companion.

Andres, I beg you not to go.

“I'm sorry, Patricia, but I already promised the fjordina Venegas that I would definitely come. You will not demand from me that I break my word given to her? – calmly answered this impertinent. – And then, my presence is simply necessary for you.

Why all of a sudden, Andres? - I tried to show as expressively as possible my attitude to his words, but he looked at me so that I was embarrassed and took a sip of wine from a glass to hide it.

- I understood correctly: your ex-fiance was pulled out of your sister's bed, which

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Can't you forgive both?

Terribly unpleasant when they say such words. But even more frustrating when they are true. I looked at Andres with anger. He saw how painful this topic was for me, and he still asks. What does he care, after all, about what happened in our family a year ago? It doesn't concern him at all.

“So,” he continued, paying no attention to my angry looks, “think for yourself how much more advantageous it is for you to appear before them not humiliated and lonely, but happy, in the company of such a wonderful me.

He winked and saluted me with his glass, indicating that he was drinking in my honor.

“Andres, don’t you understand…” I began, no longer hiding my irritation.

“You don't understand, Patricia. You can’t play the role of a miserable deceived fool for so long. So you will finally get used to it, and what will your life turn into then? No, this needs to end - show your sister that not all men agree to exchange you for her. And your ex-fiance, - he unpleasantly emphasized the word "former", - did not agree to connect his life with her, even though they were caught in such a piquant situation. Poor Berlisensis, I sympathize with him in advance. Although the last year that he studied at the Academy, he was constantly unlucky. Even his nickname "Lucky Bruno" sounded like a mockery. Perhaps the streak of bad luck never ended.

- Do you know him? I involuntarily wondered.

I wonder who Teresa grabbed after all? Wow, my assumption that her fiancé is a magician turned out to be true.

“Not very well,” Andres replied. - We have different faculties, and he is two years older than me. But it would be impossible not to know him. There was such a loud scandal with his family, they were all arrested on charges of treason. Then they were acquitted, but during this time his girlfriend had an affair with their lawyer. She probably thought that he was more promising than Bruno. Speaking between us, this Berlisensis, apart from arrogance, has nothing special.

I took another sip from my glass thoughtfully. Delicate, slightly tart wine rolled pleasantly on the tongue before falling into an empty stomach and starting to cloud the brain. The idea of ​​going with Andres to my sister's wedding began to seem quite attractive to me, as did the young fjord sitting opposite me. Wow, I never noticed how beautiful his eyes turned out to be ...

On this day, for the first time, I changed my memory of Daniel - kissing Andres on the way to the house turned out to be very exciting. I even regretted that we came so quickly. But I didn’t invite him to my place: a farewell kiss on the threshold, his disappointed look - and now I’m all alone, lightly pressing my fingers to my lips, still keeping the warmth and taste of his lips.

Ferreira was my father's companion, and not just a companion, but a very good close friend. Therefore, when Daniel was born in their family, and Teresa was born in my parents two years later, everyone considered it a sign from above that our families were destined to intermarry. All three of us grew up with that confidence—all too often the Ferreira Fjords would jokingly call my sister my sister-in-law, and she always said “my Daniel,” thereby constantly asserting her right to him. And even though there were no obligations between families, I always considered Daniel almost the property of my sister, so I was horrified when I realized that I didn’t like him at all like a brother. I was fourteen then, he was eighteen. A sort of puppy adoration for an almost adult fjord with the first antennae, which did not spoil it at all, but only emphasized the strict line of the bright mouth. He treated me rather patronizingly, but Teresa did not indulge in attention either. This made her terribly angry, because at sixteen she was a girl attractive enough to receive notes, and even bouquets, from her admirers close to her age. And Daniel came with his parents less and less: he had studies, friends in the capital, perhaps even short-term novels about which we knew nothing. Teresa didn't interest him at all, despite all her tricks. She behaved sometimes with him on the verge of decency, but it only amused him, nothing more. All these languid glances and inadvertent pressing of the convex, and even very, parts of her body left him indifferent. In any case, I never once saw him encourage her in any way.

“He will regret it,” my sister once said in her heart, looking after the griffin, which was carrying away the object of her desires. “And he will be very sorry.

“Maybe he just thinks you're too young,” I suggested, wanting to comfort my sister.

- Stupid! You are too small for him,” she soared unexpectedly. “And I’m almost seventeen already!” Nothing, I'll go to the Academy - quickly everything will be the way I want.

“But my parents said…” I swallowed the insult and still tried to talk to her.

“It will be the way I want it,” Teresa said confidently. - You'll see.

But she managed to go to the Academy only a year later, when her parents were so tired of her constant whining that they considered it best to agree. She studied there for exactly one semester, could not pass the first exams, after which she returned home for good, bringing with her two habits: sleeping until noon and smoking thin elven cigarettes. My sister did not like to remember the time spent at the Academy - apparently, Daniel remained just as inaccessible to her there as he did here. In addition to habits, Teresa brought several thin notebooks from Frynstadt, about which she breathlessly said that they contained the spells necessary to achieve success in life. I secretly leafed through these notes and came to the conclusion that if Teresa did not manage to pass the exams, then she would definitely not be able to conduct at least one of these most complex rituals without any mistakes. And so it happened. My sister ordered a variety of drugs and ingredients and tried to do everything with them. Edita told me in confidence that several times she had to wash the floor in Teresa's bedroom from strange symbols, and sometimes even the walls. But there was still no result and there was no money, success and love were just as far away from my sister as before. Probably, you need to do something more significant for this than to stain the floor in your room with soot from burnt hair ...

I continued to sigh about Daniel, hoping for nothing - if he did not pay attention to Teresa, he would hardly notice me. After all, I was inferior to my sister in everything: neither her beautiful forms, nor the Gift sufficient for the Academy - I had nothing. Teresa's admirers looked at me condescendingly, as at the little sister of the object of their adoration, who can be asked to pass a note and promise something sweet in return. I was skinny, small, awkward and terribly worried about this. It began to seem to me that they would never notice me against the background of my beautiful sister, when suddenly everything changed. The dresses suddenly became short and tight in the chest, and my mother groaned, wondering how I had suddenly grown so quickly. I was seventeen, and everything around flourished and enjoyed life with me.

Fjordina Ferreira's birthday was celebrated at the end of spring. Teresa began to prepare for it ahead of time. So many bills my father had never paid, he tried

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to argue with his sister, but she smiled at him so tenderly and bewilderedly, said that she didn’t want so much, that he resigned himself and signed more and more checks. I had never been able to do that, so I was going to the holiday in my sister's altered dress - "almost new", in the expression of the embarrassed mother.

"You're a fool, Patty," Teresa said to me one day, casually fiddling with a lit cigarette in her hands. - You need to have an approach to men, otherwise you go through your whole life in tatters from someone else's shoulder. First the dresses, then the husbands. Do you want me to let you use Daniel? She chuckled as she looked at my flushed face. “Do you think I don’t know that you are dying for him?”

“Daniel isn’t yours yet,” I pointed out.

- That's right, for now. She blew a puff of smoke in my direction, making me wince a little, and added: “That's it, the roulette of fate has spun and will stop where I need it.” So much has already been done for this that success is bound to come.

But the roulette of fate did not turn as she expected this time, because Teresa herself unexpectedly fell ill with a sore throat and high fever, and Daniel, no less unexpectedly, noticed me.

– Patricia? he wondered. How have you changed.

“I grew up a little,” I explained, embarrassed.

“A little,” he agreed, looking at me in a completely different way than before.

All evening he did not leave my side, finding more and more interesting topics for conversation. I was terribly embarrassed, answered inappropriately - such attention was new to me and more frightened than pleased. It all seemed to me that this was a cruel joke of the very fate Teresa played roulette with, making bets more and more in the hope of one day breaking the bank.

The next day he came to us with the sole purpose of seeing me. Teresa still lay in bed, unable to go downstairs, but when she was told that he had arrived and even asked about her well-being, she was convinced that her efforts had finally been rewarded.

“Any goals are good to get your way,” my sister said, a little hoarsely, when I stopped by to ask if she needed anything. - Even though black magic is forbidden in our country, have you seen the result?

She coughed, and I didn't have the courage to explain to her that Daniel only asked about her out of courtesy, but came to me. And he only looked at me. And in parting, he raised my hand to his lips, kissed it gently and didn’t let go for a long time, but I didn’t pick it up. So we stood for another half an hour, saying goodbye, speaking in words about nothing, but with eyes and smiles - about a lot ...

Teresa spent a whole week in bed. And when I got up, I immediately realized what had happened. She sat stone-faced in the living room, interjecting short phrases from time to time to show that she was participating in the general conversation. But she said such nasty things that it would be better if she kept silent. Probably, the same thought came into her mind, as she referred to poor health and left, finally dabbing at me with a hostile look. I shivered. It is unlikely that she will limit herself to just this: she will not say anything to Daniel, but to me ... The evening turned out to be hopelessly spoiled by these thoughts. I expected yelling, throwing everything my sister could reach at the wall, and demands to send me to hell so as not to interfere with her personal happiness.

But Teresa behaved with surprising restraint. No, she did not leave the incident unattended, she came to me immediately after Daniel's departure and mockingly said:

You are stupid, Patty. I told you he's mine. But I am kind - use it while there is such an opportunity, soon it will not be.

And this calm confidence of her frightened me far more than any of the most disgusting scandals that Teresa was a master at. She arranged scandals only when she believed that she would not achieve anything by other methods. And this meant that she had something that allowed her to hope for a favorable outcome for herself. The sister considered Daniel property, but she was not going to give her away.

She started at the first joint family dinner. It was only her reluctance to get up for breakfast that kept her from an earlier performance.

“Pa-a-ap,” she drawled capriciously, “don't you think that Patty is behaving indecently? She spends so much time with someone else's fiancé that rumors will spread.

- With someone else's fiancé? Her father looked at her questioningly.

“With Daniel Ferreira,” Teresa said calmly.

“Wait, did he get engaged to someone?” Dad was surprised. It's strange that I don't know about it.

Now it's time to wonder Teresa.

- But what about, dad, he's my fiancé! she said indignantly.

“Darling, you don’t think so seriously, do you?” - answered the father. - We with the Ferreira fjords, of course, would be glad if you got married, but we would not force you. So Daniel is a young man, free from any obligations.

Teresa laughed softly.

- Of course, I do not think that the joke that sounded in our distant childhood should certainly come true. But our neighbors,” she looked expressively at her father, “are convinced that Daniel and I are engaged. And in light of this, his behavior looks completely indecent. A young fjord, free from all obligations, spends a lot of time with a girl as young as Patti.

The father thought. Then he looked at me questioningly.

“I don't feel like Daniel and I spend that much time together,” I said hastily.

“Oh, Patty, what do you understand,” Teresa waved her hand in my direction. You are still too young to judge this. But our parents need to think and protect you from possible rumors.

"I'll talk to Daniel's father," his father decided.

Teresa looked at me triumphantly. I so wanted to say something nasty to her that I even bit my lip so as not to give a reason to accuse me later of incontinence and childish behavior.

“Oh, papa, Patty is about to cry,” Teresa said with mock sympathy. - She is already experiencing a possible separation. So I brought it to your attention just in time. Otherwise, the sister would finally fall in love and do stupid things.

I got up from the table, abruptly pushing my chair back, and went to the exit from the dining room. I felt the looks of my parents and sister with the whole skin of my back, but I did not turn around. Then for the first time I felt something like hatred towards my sister and I was very afraid of it. After all, she is one of the people closest to me, I must love her. Did Daniel manage to get between us?

I was worried until the evening, from which I did not expect anything good. When Edita gave me my father's invitation to go into his office, my heart broke - I was so sure that I would hear something bad now. But the father, surprisingly, looked pleased. When he saw me, he smiled and said:

– I spoke today with Ferreira Jr. He asked for your hand. If you agree, then we will announce your engagement next week, and we will play a wedding when you turn eighteen.

And I couldn't come up with anything smarter than:

And Teresa?

“She said herself this afternoon that it was only decency that bothered her, and not her own heart,” said her father. “She and Daniel were never engaged, so you shouldn’t blame yourself for choosing you over her.” So what should I say to Ferreira Fjord?

He looked at me slyly

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as if he had no doubts about my answer. I did not disappoint him - I blushed, as a happy bride should, and squeezed out a timid one:

- I agree.

At dinner, Papa sat with an unusually pleased look, Mama shone like the spring sun, only Teresa, with a gloomy look, turned her fork in her hands, throwing strange searching looks at us. She didn't touch the food. And in the evening, shortly before I was about to go to bed, she came to me and said:

Do you think you won? No, Patty, he's only yours temporarily. I need him, which means I'll get him, no matter what the cost.

Then she went to her father and gave him the loudest scandal of all that had been in our house before. But dad did not go to meet her this time. After all, Danielle is not a toy in the store that they refused to buy for a little girl. Shout don't shout - you won't get it. Evidently, Teresa understood this too. Silence reigned in the house, though, in my opinion, a little ominous. But nothing else happened that day. And the next she went to Frinstadt, stayed there for almost a week and returned to the announcement of our engagement. In a new dress, calm, rather smiling and completely unperturbed. She congratulated Daniel and me in such a way that those around us did not have the slightest doubt: my sister is happy that Ferreira Jr. got me, and not her. But I knew it wasn't. I knew, and this knowledge poisoned my happiness, although there was so much of this happiness that it seemed - touch it, and it will begin to splash generously, endowing everyone who is nearby.

Now I had a legal right to be near Daniel. He put his arm around my waist, easily drawing me to him, and whispered all sorts of cute nonsense in my ear. His breath on my temple was so hot, so burning that something inside me squeezed sweetly and I wanted to feel his lips already on my temple. And maybe not only on the temple. He seemed to sense it, for he suggested that they go out into the garden.

It was completely dark. But we were not going to admire the newly bloomed roses of a rare variety, which my mother was so proud of. As soon as we were away from prying eyes, Daniel began to kiss me with greed, which was transmitted to me. I pressed close to him, everything was not enough for me - this night and our kisses.

- You are not too carried away? came Teresa's angry voice. “Daniel, don't forget what family Patricia is from. And then I look, a little more - and you will post it somewhere right under my mother's roses.

“Teresa, we were just kissing,” I tried to justify myself. - What's wrong with that?

– You at all shut up! You should have seen yourself from the outside. - The words of the sister, like ringing slaps, beat, not knowing mercy. “You looked like a cheap whore, eager to please a client.

“What deep knowledge,” Daniel said mockingly and hugged me tightly, trying to somehow support, although the only thing I wanted now was to run away and not hear my sister’s nasty words. - Feels like a personal experience. Extensive and versatile.

Teresa choked on the words she was about to throw at me and glared at my fiancé with hatred.

- How dare you? she hissed. Dimly visible in the darkness, her features were clearly distorted. - I'm worried about my sister.

- Take better care of yourself. Now there is someone to worry about her.

“Go back to the house if you don't want a scandal. Teresa wasn't about to give up. - Immediately. Or I'll start screaming.

- What to shout? Daniel said unhappily.

Trust me, I'll figure it out.

She said this almost calmly, she probably managed to pull herself together, but neither Daniel nor I had the desire to argue. The evening was already hopelessly ruined, and even if my sister suddenly disappeared from here, the memories of her words would still stand between us. When we got back to the house Teresa had a triumphant smile on her face, and Daniel said:

“Looks like our engagement will be another test.

He squeezed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine, and I thought, what difference does it make. Together we will pass any tests, and how much is left before our wedding? Can Teresa stop us?

But it turned out it could. She had a talk with her father, painting to him in colors my fall, and he, somewhat embarrassed, asked me not to be alone with the groom without the supervision of my mother or Teresa. Needless to say, my mother always had things to do and our sister was our permanent overseer? She no longer said nasty things to me or Daniel, I even had a suspicion that she was really worried about me then, but her very presence was terribly disturbing. With her, words stuck in her mouth, clung to her tongue, making it thick and clumsy. Usually Daniel would hold my hand and, looking a little mockingly at Teresa, fingered my fingers. She pretended not to be offended by this at all, and launched into lengthy discussions about new fashion trends or about something else equally remote from common interests. But her relaxed posture didn't fool anyone. The sharp, predatory glances she threw at my fiancé made me shudder nervously every time. They didn’t really bother Daniel, he talked to his sister as if nothing had happened and didn’t allow himself any attacks in her direction. Sometimes I went downstairs before Teresa, and we kissed before she arrived, and then sat with an innocent look. And these stolen kisses were so sweet that they reconciled me both with constant supervision and with a long wait, which was soon to end.

Preparations for the wedding were in full swing. That day, I stayed at the dressmaker's, who could not fit the sleeve into the armhole in a way that would suit both her and my mother. When we returned home, Edita, our maid, with a conspiratorial air, announced that Daniel was already there. But he was not in the drawing-room, neither was he on the terrace or in the garden. I even thought that he did not wait for me. But his griffin was here, which means my fiancé didn't fly away either.

I no longer knew where to look for him, and Edita only shrugged her hands in bewilderment. What made me go to Teresa's room, I still don't know, because it was the last place where my fiancé could be. But he was there...

Without clothes, Daniel was unusually handsome. With a detached face, he moved slowly, pressing Teresa into her bed. Beads of pearly sweat glistened on his sculpted shoulders. A slightly hoarse sound escaped from her throat, which mixed with the groans of pleasure from her sister. She arched towards him, absorbing every movement, every breath. Her hair flew like shiny black snakes across the pillow, her fingers dug into the shoulders of the man looming over her, not stroking, no, tormenting him with her nails. All this seemed somehow unreal, phantom, wrong ...

When Edith squealed behind me, I seemed to wake up from a dream. I woke up to see a blushing Daniel and a triumphant smile from her older sister.

“Patricia…” was all my fiancé, now an ex, had time to say before I turned around and ran towards me.

The pillow could not completely protect me from all the sounds, and there were many of them - I could hear the knock on the door, and the voice of Daniel, which was replaced by the voice of my mother. I wanted to fall asleep, wake up and find out that it was just a terrible dream, that nothing

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was. But no, I was not destined to forget and forget. In the evening, my mother found a spare key to my door and broke my loneliness.

“Patty, I'm so sorry, so sorry it happened this way,” she said ruefully. - But you do understand that now there can be no question of your marriage?

“I wouldn’t marry him after what I saw, even if he were the last man,” I answered sharply.

My head was noisy, for some reason I felt sick from just thinking about Daniel and Teresa, and I really wanted to be left alone again.

“It’s good that you understand that,” my mother said with relief, “because now he is obliged to marry Teresa. Gods, such a scandal! she wailed. - What are we doing this for?

But I didn't care if the neighbors would gossip about us. Terrible, never before experienced pain tormented me from the inside. It would have been better if he had married Teresa right away, and there would not have been this ghost of radiant happiness, which today broke into a thousand small dull fragments. Mom suffered a little more and left, and she was replaced by the one whom I now wanted to see even less than Daniel.

“Patty, what is this performance for?” she said calmly. - You think the groom has changed. For the first time, right? Do you seriously think that he kept his chastity all these years in order to get you safe and unused? You're a fool, Patty, you're right.

I jumped up and looked at her with hatred. Previously, this feeling was unfamiliar to me. I didn’t even imagine that it was possible to wish death on someone so much, right now, and preferably as painful as possible. But instead of dying, she suddenly burst out laughing, looking me straight in the eyes.

- Offended the poor girl, right! Yes, take it back, I don't need it anymore. Not impressed. At all. And what is he, this Daniel of yours?

"He's not mine," I answered dully.

Yours, not yours, I don't care. She stretched like a well-fed cat and squinted a little dreamily. “Daniel is not the best, believe me. No special money, no connections. No, I don't need one. You can pretend that nothing happened, even the wedding can not be canceled. Do you have it in a week?

- There will be no wedding.

- Where are you going? she chuckled. - You will suffer and forgive. And you won't forget, no.

Teresa smiled triumphantly again, as she had before, under Daniel, and left the room, and I realized that I would just go crazy if I stayed here for even a moment ...

My pocket money was enough to get to Frynstadt. But what's next? I was wandering the streets when I suddenly saw an ad on an antique artifacts shop "Wanted a saleswoman." And I thought: why not? Learning something new, doing something is much better than suffering aimlessly. Yes, and it would be for someone to suffer ...

Andres decided to develop success. The next day, he not only arrived at his parent's store much earlier than usual, but also brought a bouquet of violets, which at that time were not only expensive, they could not even be found. It was all the more pleasant that I had never spoken about my love for these small, but such lovely flowers, which means that he noticed it himself. Fjord Soreano habitually muttered that his business was urgent, so he leaves the store to the heir. Andres assured him that everything would be all right: he would hand over the money to the bank, and he would not forget to turn on the alarm, and he would take me home so that I would not get lost along the way. His father only grinned at this and said that he had removed a heavy burden of worries from him.

- Where are we going today? Andres asked in a businesslike manner as soon as his parent left us. “Let’s close early, and the whole evening is ours.”

He smiled dreamily and made an attempt to hug me, for which he immediately received my hands. I’m at work, which means I can’t be distracted by my personal life, even if this personal life is the employer’s son, which I told him about.

“Patricia, there is no one.

He looked at me somehow in such a way that everything in his mouth immediately dried up and he remembered how yesterday we could not tear ourselves away from each other for a long time at my door. It probably happened because I drank too much. Andres is going to do it all again today, and I'm not sure I want to experience yesterday again. Or want? I licked my lips, slightly swollen from yesterday's madness, and that decided everything. With a light movement, Andres jumped over the counter, took out a sign with the inscription "Closed" and hung it right in front of the client, just at that moment who decided to go inside.

"Sorry, we're having some internal problems," the would-be irresponsible store owner told him deadpan before closing the door.

He did not forget to lower the blinds on the windows either, and the store was filled with twilight, so romantic and exciting. All this took only a few moments, I didn’t even have time to be indignant, and Andres was already standing in front of me with a completely impudent statement:

“That’s it, work won’t interfere with us anymore.

“Andres, I don’t know what came over me yesterday…

"Me too, but I don't mind if it hits you today."

He pursed his lips in a funny way and tried to hug me. But everything happened in his father's shop, even behind closed blinds!

“What about Soreano Fjord?” I tried to get through to him.

What did he say when you asked for leave? Andres answered with a question and still managed to hug me.

Worst of all, I no longer had any desire to pull him up. And if yesterday it was possible to justify your behavior by intoxication, then today such an explanation would not work. Alcohol couldn't still walk in my blood, causing this strange feeling - the desire to be with him, and not just be close, but very close. So that his eyes reflect mine, and his lips ... Gods, yesterday's conversation with my mother seemed to stir up the swamp in which I lived lately, a spring gushed out of the swamp, and now I was carried nowhere.

“I haven’t asked yet,” I replied.

“Then I’ll ask for both of us tomorrow,” he said.

He pulled me even closer to him and wasn't going to stop there. Somewhere in the depths of my consciousness, the memory of the former fiancé stirred slightly, but the treacherous Andres did not even let me think of it. He kissed me so greedily that no thought just lingered. It seemed that there were only two people left in the whole world - he and I.

The returned Soreano fjord was very laconic, but this short exclamation was enough for me to recoil in horror from his son. More precisely, to try - Andres did not let me go. And his father didn't seem outraged.

"It's good that you finally got along," he remarked. “But it would be better if you looked for it later without making me worry about why the store is closed.

“I was sure you wouldn't show up again today,” Andres said. “Somehow it’s even indecent of you to return so unexpectedly.

“Do you know…” the Soreano fjord began to resent.

“But since you came anyway,” his son said calmly, ignoring the fact that his father was about to swear, “Patricia wanted to ask you a request. She needs a few free days at the end of next week. Her sister is getting married. By the way,

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I am also invited.

– Is that how? Fjord Soreano looked thoughtfully at his son, then at me. I felt like a person who was caught doing something terribly indecent now, so I looked away in embarrassment. “I think I can manage without your help for a while. This will no doubt be very difficult, but not impossible. He smiled slightly and continued: “Especially since there are few buyers now. It's hot, everyone wants to get out of town. Patricia, when did you want to go?

“Thursday evening,” I explained. - The wedding is on Saturday, but I was asked to arrive early.

And Andres? he clarified.

“And me, of course,” his son replied hastily. “Couldn't Patricia show up at her sister's wedding without a suitable suitor?

“And then she won’t find it there,” the father chuckled.

“That's what I'm afraid of,” Andres said in a barely audible voice and added loudly for his father: “But you understand: I'm better than anyone that can be found there.

“Okay, go ahead,” Soreano Fjord waved his hand in our direction. “Patricia, from next Thursday, consider yourself on vacation, which you refused to take not so long ago.

“But, Soreano Fjord, I really don’t need a vacation,” I protested.

“Patricia, don’t argue with dad, it ends badly.

Andres grabbed my arm and dragged me to the exit, I barely had time to hurriedly say goodbye to the employer, who even looked after us with some approval. And this is after his son slammed the door in the client's face! True, Soreano Fjord did not know about this yet ...

“Andres, what will your father think of me now?” I freaked out when we were outside.

“He knows you too well to think anything bad,” he replied. “Now, if he caught you robbing your own cash register, then yes, he would think badly of you. And so ... Unless he envied me. But he has a mother, I think he has enough for kisses.

I involuntarily giggled.

"So where are we going?"

“Andres,” I said hesitantly, “it all happened too fast.

- Fast? I courted you for a year before I got a kiss, ”he was indignant. “And she also says that it’s fast?”

- I need to think...

- Another year? Well, no, I don't agree.

And he tried to kiss me again. Unsuccessfully - I was adamant, even if there is no one here yet, but at any moment someone may appear.

“Andres, you can’t kiss all the time,” I tried to reason with him.

“Consider it solely as a cure,” he said cheekily, “that you absolutely need.

What other treatment?

- From past heartbreaks.

He still managed to lull my vigilance and kiss me again. And again, all my doubts remained somewhere outside, where he and I were not. When the kiss ended, I rested my head on his shoulder in dismay. This is terrible, but now I wanted to continue the treatment that had begun so suddenly, just some kind of “kissing hunger” had set in, I wanted to satisfy it and satisfy it, fortunately there was someone.

This madness continued all the time that remained until the trip home. Each time it became more and more difficult for me to part with Andres on the threshold of my own house, I could hardly resist the offer to continue with a cup of tea or whatever. The only thing that stopped me was the certainty that it would turn out not quite what my family expected of me in matters of decency. And when I was alone, doubts came over me like a huge black cloud: do I really love Andres or just trying to find support in him to meet Daniel. Andres did not insist on tea drinking, being satisfied only with hugs and kisses, for which I was incredibly grateful to him.

During these days, I hardly found time to buy a suitable dress. I had to sacrifice my own lunch break, otherwise I would have to show up at my sister's wedding in one of my old ones. There was no question of ordering tailoring, but in the department of evening dresses, where I looked, the choice was enough to find the one in which I would be simply irresistible. For whom irresistible - for Andres or Daniel - I tried not to think. The image of one was constantly replaced by another, as in some kind of wild kaleidoscope, but that was only when I was left alone. If I was with Andres, then I didn’t think about Daniel at all.

And then came Thursday, which I was so desperately afraid of. We agreed that Andres would come to me closer to dinner - he still had unfinished business, and I was not eager to go home. Strictly speaking, if it weren’t for the promise given to my mother, I would prefer not to appear there at all, even at Teresa’s wedding - I don’t think that she would have paid attention to my absence, and I would have survived her insult, not particularly suffering about this . I did not buy a gift for Teresa. Will manage. I didn’t feel any warm feelings for her, which means I don’t have to please her.

The suitcase had already been assembled, checked several times, whether everything was in order, whether I had forgotten some little thing that was vital to me these days. It remained only to activate the artifact that reduces weight on it. But this can be done later, when the need arises. Andres didn’t come and didn’t come, but I couldn’t occupy myself with anything, I just walked aimlessly from corner to corner, catching myself on a completely childish desire - to pretend that I was not at home and not go anywhere. I didn't want to see Teresa or Daniel. I hope something prevents him from coming. It was hard to believe that my sister would not appear at her own wedding. I will definitely have to see her. I shivered, remembering her arrogant face at our last meeting. “You suffer and forgive. But you won’t forget, no…” “You won’t forget, no…” “No…”

A knock on the door instantly blew off the husk of these useless memories from me. If only Teresa was wrong and I could forget, but no, I continued to torture myself, every day I felt humiliated and deceived. And this feeling was not going to leave me.

- You don't have any pets? Andres asked me with mock surprise.

- No, but what? I answered cautiously.

“You look like your favorite canary is dead,” he snarled. Or a hamster.

Why not a cat? I asked mortified.

I thought I was very good at holding my own.

- The cat suffers more. And you only have enough grief for a hamster,” he answered me, finally smiling. You're going to a wedding, not a funeral. Why do you have this tragedy on your face?

"You know I don't want to go there," I replied grimly.

“Honestly, I am, too,” Andres answered unexpectedly seriously.

He looked at me somehow in such a way that it seemed that he not only did not want to go there, but was afraid no less than I was. She is afraid that my meeting with the ex-fiance will end in reconciliation, which means that everything that was between us these days will be crossed out. I reached out and stroked his cheek lightly. He gently kissed my hand and said:

- Go?

- Go…

We reached the city closest to our estate by teleport, spending almost no time on it: the newly built new long-distance point worked quickly and accurately. Separate portals stood on especially large cities, allowing those who wished to pass almost without stopping.

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leave Frinstadt. For small ones, this was not the case, the portals were common, there were magicians on duty and with an important look set up a passage through the tables in thick volumes. But even there the queues were small, and most importantly, they moved quickly, so not even a few minutes had passed before we stood on the square of Kestia, my almost hometown.

Here the weather was not as clear as in Frynstad. It was overcast. The sky was covered with dark, leaden clouds, leaving no hint of blue sky gaps. A gusty wind blew up, and strove to lift her skirt.

“It seems to me that we are not welcome here,” Andres leaned confidentially towards me. - Where to now?

I nodded in the direction of the parking lot, which was interspersed with carriages, magical and not. Non-magical ones were already gradually losing ground, in large cities they were already exotic and were used only for weddings. Of course, it was still possible to hire a griffin, a couple of them perched proudly on the edge of the square, but it was much more expensive, and most importantly, the weather did not favor such flights. We'll have to put a magic dome, and the price will rise even more. I tried to explain this to my companion, who had his eye on them.

“More expensive, but faster,” he said confidently.

With this, of course, you can not argue. But there was another circumstance that he had to reckon with.

“I’m afraid of heights,” I admitted with a sigh. “I know it’s impossible to fall off them, but I’m still afraid. Therefore, the flight for me turns into a nightmare.

“What if I hug you and you close your eyes and don’t look down?” - Andres suggested and added with a sly smile: - I will hug you tightly.

And it immediately seemed to me that flying on a griffin should be very exciting, even if you do not close your eyes ...

– Patricia?

I had not heard this voice for almost a year, but I recognized it immediately. Daniel. He was standing next to the teleportation point. He must have arrived right after us. And he was still as handsome as a year ago. The heart skipped one beat, and then beat at double the rate. Gods, how could I live so long without even seeing him?

“Patricia,” he repeated, looking at me fascinated. “I have been looking for you all this year.

“If I had searched, I would have found it long ago,” Andres remarked, moving forward somehow so that he was between me and my ex-fiance.

“They didn’t even tell me her address!” - Daniel said indignantly and looked at my companion with the expression "And you, in fact, who are you?".

“Me too, problem,” Andres snorted. “Are all the servants in Venegas Fjord House so honest that no one would give you an address in exchange for a few hundred eurekas?” And there was no way to hire a search engine magician?

In fact, if you wish, you can find a person in a year even in such a big city as Frynshtad. After all, all this time I secretly wanted him to find me and give an explanation for what happened, which would help, if not return, then at least glue what was. Daniel, I felt so bad without you, so bad ... But you didn’t come, you left me alone with my black gloomy thoughts ...

“I was sure that love would lead me straight to Patricia,” Daniel said somewhat pompously.

“She didn’t,” Andres said. So it wasn't that big?

Daniel defiantly turned away from him and began to look only at me.

“Patricia,” he said, “we absolutely need to talk.

- What should we talk about?

- How about what? About you and me. About what happened.

He stood very close to me, his eyes, which I dreamed about almost every night, were so close and so real.

“We are not with you, Daniel,” I shook my head. - You should have come. You should have refused.

“Why should I refuse you, Patty? He stubbornly bowed his head and looked defiantly at Andres, his nostrils slightly flaring with barely suppressed rage. “I am not to blame for anything. I'm sure we just need to talk.

“No, Danielle,” I answered firmly.

This conversation was getting more and more difficult for me. A huge painful tangle grew in his chest. Why did I come here?

But Patricia...

“That's it, boy, your griffin has already flown,” Andres said somewhat mockingly. “Patricia has already said no to you several times, and you could have treated her words with more respect.

In every gesture of my companion there was tension, perhaps not noticeable to outsiders, but during this time I got to know the son of my employer too well. He was nervous, and very much so.

“I'll go with you,” Daniel announced suddenly.

– What is it all of a sudden? Andres challenged.

“You’re at Venegas Manor, so we’re on our way.

“Daniel, it will be better if you go to your parents,” I said warningly.

“Fiordina Venegas was so kind as to promise to provide me with one of the guest rooms when I arrived,” Daniel replied, looking at Andres intently. “I'm going to take advantage of her invitation. After all, you will not go all the time in the company of this type. Then we'll talk.

I could not believe that my mother was capable of such a thing. Both guys already looked ready to grab each other's throats. And what will happen in a few days, I'm even scared to imagine.

“Daniel, I'll be very grateful if you don't take advantage of your mother's offer,” I said, almost hopelessly. It was made before...

Then I stumbled, unable to describe the state in which Andres and I were, and even looked at him in the hope of help.

“How did Fjordina Venegas know that Patricia and I were engaged,” he said cheekily.

“No,” Daniel replied, no longer paying any attention to the opponent. “Our engagement, Patty, hasn't been called off, which means this guy can't be your fiancé. His appearance at Teresa's wedding would be strange to say the least. He really needs to get out of here. And I'm going to live in your house for a while.

I felt Andres's hand tensing under my arm, but on the face of my companion only an unpleasant smile began to play, which did not bode well for the opponent.

“Fjord Venegas has been clear about the state of your engagement,” he said rather mockingly. So you don't have to count on anything.

“What are you so worried about, fjord?” – no less mocking Daniel answered him. - Not sure about the strength of your bride's feelings?

He pronounced the word "bride" in a particularly nasty way, putting into it several possible meanings at once, and all of them were not too flattering for me.

“Enough,” I said sharply. - If you want to sort things out, do it without me. Better yet, don't do it at all. Daniel, this is the last time I ask you not to go.

It's good that it's the last one. I will not change my decision,” he said.

Yes, it looks like my sister's wedding will cost me even more than I thought. I shrugged and pulled Andres towards the nearest magical wagon. The shock of meeting with the ex-fiance was very strong. I had neither the strength nor the desire to fight another fear, the fear of heights. Yes, and there was a well-founded assumption that Daniel would now not allow us to fly anywhere without him. And so it happened. Andres spoke with the driver, helped me get inside the carriage, threw the suitcases in the same place and was about to climb in himself, when he was stopped

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commanding voice:

“The two of you are not going anywhere.

Andres turned around, clenched his fist and pushed my ex-fiance so that he flopped right onto the paving stones of the square. After which my companion imperturbably climbed into the carriage, slammed the door and said, touching the driver on the shoulder:

- Go. What are you standing for?

The carriage started moving, gradually speeding up the speed. I looked back. Daniel was already up and shouting something after us, waving his fists. For some reason it looked terribly funny, but I tried to hide my smile and reproachfully said to Andres:

“You shouldn't have hit him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” he replied without any remorse. “But how long could this guy test my patience?” He does not understand the words, he had to be stopped in a different way. I'm really sorry if this upset you.

But he looked very pleased. He took my hand, brought it to his mouth and began to kiss, gradually moving along the hand: fingers, metacarpus, wrist ... His lips moved further and further, slightly tickling, and I jerked my hand away and for some reason looked back again. Another wagon was catching up with us, and I didn’t doubt for a moment who was sitting there. Andres followed my gaze, frowning in displeasure:

- That's what a stubborn one. They told him by all available methods that they did not want to see him. So no, it’s rushing… – And to the driver: – My dear, hurry up, we only lacked road trials.

Our wagon accelerated, but it, like the one chasing us, had a speed limiter, so we could not break away. The distance didn't decrease, but it didn't increase either, no matter how much I looked back. We arrived at the gates of our estate not with such a big difference in time. It's good that they were open and we started unloading at the very porch. It's too bad that Teresa was standing next to him in a relaxed pose and smoking a thin elven cigarette, enveloping her in a mysteriously flickering lilac haze.

“What people honored us with their presence,” she said mockingly, looking at me without any embarrassment. – Andres? Didn't expect, didn't expect. She narrowed her eyes with an unusually pleased look. “I see, Patty, life doesn’t teach you anything.

I looked at Andres. His face showed rather mixed feelings, he looked at me and said in surprise:

- Is this your sister? Wow.

“Yes, I am Patricia's sister,” Teresa twisted her lips into an evil smile. - Elder sister. And since I care about her future...

She did not have time to finish, an angry Daniel jumped out of the approaching carriage and rushed to Andres. I tried to crawl between them and stammered in fright:

“Please don't fight here.

Why not? snorted the sister. - Let them fight, and we'll see. It's interesting ... And then the winner will get a handkerchief of a beautiful lady. Patty, do you have a handkerchief with you?

Daniel stopped as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. He cast a hateful look first at his sister, then at Andres, and hissed:

“We’ll deal with you later, motherfucker…” He choked on a curse, exhaled noisily through his teeth and continued: “No witnesses.

Are you afraid that you won't get the handkerchief? Teresa shook her head in understanding.

She twirled the stubby cigarette in her hands and tossed it casually onto the lawn near the porch. The cigarette butt continued to smoke faintly, but no one but me cared about that. The rest looked at each other, the tension in the air grew, I was already beginning to think about how to turn around and leave. I was not at all attracted by the upcoming fight.

“Patricia, dear, you have arrived,” my mother exclaimed joyfully, coming out of the door. We have been waiting for you since morning. Teresa doubted you'd get to us, but I know how much you love your family! Daniel, Andres, I'm so happy that you took the time to visit us. And Teresa is also very happy...

The sister grimaced in displeasure and went into the house without saying anything more. Happiness radiated from her every gesture. It seems that she doesn't really need my presence. Mom smiled dazzlingly, pretending that everything was going as it should.

“Poor girl, she is so tormented by this wedding. She's been so nervous for the past few days. And she has already lost weight ... Yes, you pass. Why stand on the doorstep?

Teresa did look more twitchy and thinner than the last time I saw her. Only it seemed to me that her appearance had nothing to do with the wedding. She did not look like a happy bride, dreaming of waiting for the wedding day. I remember very well my state of mind after my engagement to Daniel. I involuntarily threw a sidelong glance in his direction and found that he was staring at me intently. Apparently, he thought about it too. Daniel noticed my look and smiled quite a bit. Unexpectedly, this made me terribly angry.

“Mom, I don't think Daniel should be staying at our house,” I said firmly. His parents don't live that far...

- Dear ... - Mom looked at me in confusion, not knowing what to say. To refuse hospitality to my ex-fiance seemed to her the height of indecency, and he himself did not at all seek to meet me halfway. Finally she managed to find at least some way out. “I think Daniel will stay with us for lunch anyway, and then we'll see, right?

She smiled pleadingly at me, not wanting me to talk about it any further.

Brunito should be arriving soon. She turned the conversation to another topic. - Let's get to know each other right away. What are you worth? Come on, come on...

She smiled, showing cordiality, and I still went to my parents' house. Nothing has changed here in a year, even for a moment it seemed to me that I had not left anywhere, that everything that had happened this year was only a dream to me. Here is Daniel next to me ...

“Fiordina Venegas, how comfortable you are,” Andres said gallantly, standing on the other side of me.

And I immediately woke up. A year has passed, and there are changes. I have never seen this vase before, and the luxurious bouquet in it is probably a gift from Teresa's fiancé. The upholstery on upholstered furniture will soon need to be changed - although it still looks decent, it has worn out a little over the year. And next to me is a completely different fjord. No, you can't go back in time. I shook my head, driving away unnecessary thoughts, and asked my mother:

What room did you assign to Andres?

- On the third floor, the one above Teresina.

“Where can I leave my suitcase, Pilar?” – Daniel asked in a deliberately familiar way, showing his rival closeness to my family.

Mom thought. Looks like she was going to put them next to each other. But now this placement seemed unreasonable. The guys threw at each other by no means enthusiastic glances and were just waiting for the opportunity to be alone to find out the relationship. It was impossible to allow this, and not even because it would make a bad impression on the groom's relatives, but because I did not at all want to please Teresa with such a performance.

- Daniel, you're not superstitious, are you? Mom made a decision. “Then we will place you in my mother-in-law’s former room. True, since the late fjordina left this world, no one has lived there, but the room is constantly cleaned. And now I will tell you to change the linen.

She looked at us happily.

- Mom, Daniel was going to return to his parents' house after dinner, - gloomily

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I reminded.

But my mother was already cheerfully clicking her heels, shouting out the name of the maid and pretending that she did not hear my remark. Does she expect Daniel and I to make peace? But then it is strange that she did not give him my address, at least when her sister's engagement to this Berlisensis turned out to be a fait accompli. She couldn't have thought that Teresa would be able to marry both of them at once, could she? Daniel stood with a victorious air that made me extremely angry, so I turned my back on him and took Andres by the hand.

Come on, I'll show you to your room.

Although I was already beginning to think that it would be best to leave now. I did not expect anything good from the days that I was to spend here before Teresa's wedding. The sister did nothing to smooth the situation, on the contrary, she tried to sharpen it to the limit. And more unpleasant hints about Andres ... But I will learn these details from him himself.

“Andres, why didn’t you say you knew my sister?” I asked as soon as we were in the room assigned to him.

“So, we crossed paths a couple of times in different companies,” he answered, frowning slightly. - It’s impossible to say that we were closely acquainted, I didn’t even know her last name.

For some reason he looked guilty, so that the darkest suspicions crept into my soul.

– What did she mean by saying that life does not teach me at all? Were you close to her too?

- Yes, what are you? Andres choked with indignation. - There was nothing like that! I told you that we just crossed paths a couple of times, that's all.

“Then what was she talking about?”

– How should I know? That's what she said, not me...

He looked at me with such honest eyes that it was easy to guess: he knows, but he will never tell me. But I wasn't going to give up so easily. If the sister knows something that compromises him, then this something will certainly come up, sooner or later.

Did you have an affair with any of her friends? I continued to inquire.

– Patricia, what kind of friends does your sister have? Does she have them?

She had no friends, as far as I remember, they were all ruthlessly brushed aside as envious and rivals. She did not favor mine either, they all preferred to call me to her, and not to appear in our house. Previously, I somehow did not think about it. But why is Andres so sure of this?

How do you know Teresa so well? I involuntarily asked. - You claim that you only crossed paths a few times.

Patricia, are you jealous of me? he asked slyly. - To understand what a person is, it is not necessary to know him for many years. Sometimes a single meeting is enough, even such a fleeting one as was upon our arrival. And Teresa behaves everywhere the same.

I wanted to ask something else, but somehow unexpectedly found myself in the arms of Andres, and in an instant my mouth was sealed with a kiss. For some reason, I didn’t have the desire to protest, all extraneous thoughts flew out of my head in an instant.

“I agree, it’s much more comfortable to kiss here,” Teresa’s mocking voice came from the door, “the bed is nearby, you don’t have to run far.” The doors would be locked, right?

“Next time we’ll do that,” I looked at her with a challenge. “Why did you even come here? Nobody called you! Will you run after your parents again? So I'm an adult now! I have the right to do what I want!

My sister looked at me as if I were some strange insect, from which coherent speech was not expected, but which suddenly spoke. I again felt like I was flooded with just wild anger towards her. I no longer wanted to just yell at her, releasing the accumulated feelings, I wanted to hit her. Something heavy to hit, so that she felt pain and fear. For her to finally leave me alone.

- How you spoke! Teresa snorted contemptuously. - You just cursed, then fell silent. So I thought that a piquant spectacle awaits me, but your Andres was not too persistent, as I see it. Though if I were him, I'd be quick. After what I tell you, Patty, his chances will go to zero.

“What are you going to tell me?”

- Not now. She smiled unpleasantly. - In the evening, before going to bed. I'll come and tell you a story so you can sleep better. Or worse. This is how it works. You know, I can't promise good dreams.

“Keep your story to yourself,” Andres said.

He didn't look particularly intimidated by her threats, but it was still noticeable that the subject raised was unpleasant to him.

– To yourself? It would be wrong for a sister. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear with some ugly jerky gesture and looked at us with secret superiority. But for now, enjoy. I promise I won’t even come to the creak of the bed ...

She closed the door carefully. I looked at Andres. I wouldn't kiss him right now. Teresa's hints bothered me more and more - they seemed to poison the very air between me and Andres. And I suddenly clearly understood that my life would never be the same. I will never return here, but I will not linger in the Soreano Fjord store if our relationship with his son, before it has had time to develop, bursts with a loud dirty sound.

“I'd rather tell it myself than you listen to Teresa's version,” Andres said suddenly. - The girl with whom I came to the common company with your sister was given a potion to drink ... - He hesitated a little, but still continued, - exciting, you know? They blamed me for this. The person who did this has never been found...

He even looked at me with some challenge, and I suddenly realized that I believe him, despite the rumors that probably went and will go. A person who has been caring for me for a whole year in the hope of reciprocity could not do this. I gently ran my hand over his cheek and reached out for a kiss myself. No, I don't want to lose Andres because of my sister's stupid stories. I won't even listen to her! Thoughts about Teresa left immediately, and all the rest disappeared somewhere. I broke away from his lips only with great difficulty.

Let's go to the garden, I'll show you mother's roses.

I spoke deliberately calmly, although my heart was beating so hard that it seemed to be audible even in the room below. The one where Teresa was now. Thinking about her brought out the usual anger, but suddenly a little blurred. What really pissed me off was Daniel, who was standing independent next to Andres' door.

– Patty, did you help your friend unpack the suitcase? That's what the maid is for,” he said impudently.

- Alas, she was busy with your things. - I smiled gently at him and suddenly thought: it’s good that we didn’t have time to get married.

This thought surprised me. Until now, Daniel seemed to me the center of all kinds of virtues, and it could not even occur to me that this was not so. The beautiful image had cracked, and more than one, and now threatened to crumble completely. In any case, the Daniel I remembered would have listened to my request to move in with my parents, and I would have given him the address myself. And this one persisted for no reason, causing me only irritation and fear for the upcoming dinner. It was a completely different Daniel, and I…didn't like him? Yes, I didn't like it at all.

We descended in complete silence into the hall, where I saw a middle-aged fjord unfamiliar to me. Pretty well-groomed fjordina, I must admit. She was dressed elegantly in a light linen suit.

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pale lilac. She casually fingered a long pearl necklace, snapping her neat pink nails over the beads. I said hello, deciding that this was the grandmother of the groom, whom we were promised for dinner, although for a grandmother she looked quite young. But who knows them there, these aristocrats.

– Fjordina Nilte, good to see you!

Daniel blossomed into a smile, and I realized that I was mistaken. Although the mother did not specify which line the groom's grandmother would be, so her last name may be different.

“You look great,” my ex-fiance continued to spill like a nightingale.

“Say that too, Danielle,” she shrugged coquettishly. How can I look good? At my age, having an adult son with such problems ... Will you introduce your friends to me?

"Patricia Venegas, my fiancee," he answered proudly.

“Ex-fiancee,” I said. “Nice to meet you, Fjordina Nilte.

“What fickle girls you are,” she told me disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t immediately cut off your shoulder and reject such a wonderful fjord for the sake of ...” She turned her displeased look at Andres.

“Andres Soreano Fjord,” I prompted.

- Soreano? she perked up. - This is not your family, the fjord, a shop selling ancient artifacts?

“My father keeps it.

“I bought such a wonderful thing there a couple of years ago,” she said contentedly. - But you fight for your goods just the same obscene money. Yes, indecent.

She drummed her nails on the arm of her chair and stared at Andres in such a way that if someone else, with a weaker psyche, were in his place, he would have written a check with a humiliated look, hoping to somehow compensate for the trouble caused by such a wonderful fjordina. But my companion could not be pierced like that.

“It would be indecent to ask for less, Fjord Nilte,” he replied. – The quality of what we sell cannot be compared with remakes. Yes, and some techniques have long been lost. Such artifacts are generally priceless. I am sure that your purchase from us was a success.

Fiordina nodded sourly, as if she was only politely agreeing. Daniel did not like that so much attention was paid to his opponent, so he moved forward, proudly squared his shoulders and asked:

“How is your son, Fjord Nilte?”

“We still can’t prove that a real slander was erected on him. She rummaged through her purse, took out a handkerchief and held it up to her eyes. - To our deepest regret, he is still in custody, and it is difficult to imagine a more pure and sympathetic boy than my Anter. He has such a tender and vulnerable soul.

She still sobbed, very loudly and unnaturally.

“Those are always the first ones to suffer,” Daniel said sympathetically. “I hope Alicia comforts you. Such an amazing fjord,” he said with a challenge in his voice, looking at me, “did not believe for a minute that her fiancé was guilty, and married him by special permission right in prison. She even tried to get her to be allowed to be with her beloved husband in the cell.

“Oh, that would be too cruel,” sighed the fjordina Nilte, “Alicia is an artist, she should not be locked up with her husband and paintings in a tiny closet.

Her phrase sounded rather ambiguous. It was impossible to understand who she was worried about. And for some reason I could not get rid of the idea that the fjordina was more worried about her son than about her daughter-in-law. I wonder in what manner she paints if locking her paintings in the same room is unjustified cruelty?

“But her dedication deserves all admiration,” Daniel said weightily and again looked at me very expressively.

Fjordina Nilte winced at his words. A little noticeable, but still. She clearly had no intention of admiring her daughter-in-law.

“Daniel, by the way, my son is a great match,” she said displeasedly. “I’m sure he will be acquitted and will be released in the near future. But for her, with her modest dowry, the size of which, as it turned out, she greatly exaggerated, and with this hobby that stains everything and everything, it would be quite difficult to find a husband. To be honest, I think that she simply caught poor Terry at such a difficult moment in his life. The boy didn't know what he was doing...

It looks like poor Alicia is in for a divorce right after her husband's release from prison. What does some kind of selflessness mean in the face of such a terrible fact as the absence of a planned dowry?

- But, fjordina Nilte, - Daniel was surprised, - as far as I heard, the dowry of your daughter-in-law was very timely for your family. There were even rumors about the sale of the estate.

Fjordina Nilte straightened up and snorted in displeasure, becoming like a horse, not very thoroughbred, but with a bad temper.

"That's right, rumors," she replied dryly. “Don't trust everything they talk about. Things are going great for us. We do not need to sell property. And such a trifle as a daughter-in-law's dowry would not have affected our financial situation at all.

She gave Daniel an arrogant look, managing to look down on him even though she was sitting up. She laid her hand expressively on the pearls, the beads of which were too regular in shape to be real. But men rarely understand jewelry, so Daniel did not point out this unfortunate fact, but only mumbled an embarrassed apology. After that, silence fell in the living room, interrupted only by a nervous cough. It seemed indecent to me to leave, but there was no topic for conversation. So, when my mother appeared at the door, it somewhat deflated the situation.

“Della, dear, I'm very glad to see you,” she chirped, trying to hide the concern with words, which really showed through in her every gesture.

“Good afternoon, dear,” the guest smiled falsely. “At least someone in this house is glad to see me.

“Only you chose a terribly unfortunate time to visit,” Mom decided to say anyway. “Teresa’s fiancé and his grandmother are due to appear any minute…

She paused and looked hopefully at the Nilte fjord. She understood the hint, but was not going to give up.

“I have nothing to fear from meeting them,” she answered proudly. “But if you don't want to see me, Pilar, I can leave at any moment.

- What are you, dear, - mother was confused, - I just thought that it would be unpleasant for you to see them.

“Naturally, it’s unpleasant,” the guest said. “They say such nasty things about my poor son. But I can handle myself, don't worry.

She even smiled, showing impeccably white, but slightly sparse teeth and thus a friendly disposition towards the owners of the house. Bad fjord. I didn't remember her ever being listed among family friends. But during the time that I was absent here, not only that has changed. Andres leaned close to my ear and whispered:

- This Nilte, who is now behind bars, planted incriminating letters in the Berlisensis house and denounced them. It was easy for him to do this, he was friends with Bruno. But everything turned out, and they already planted him. And now this aunt is behaving as if it was not her son who was to blame, but Bruno. And she herself is probably going to beg from

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their signature on the petition.

In appearance, the guest was very similar - she believes that everyone around should just be happy that she paid her highest attention to them. And whoever is not happy, he simply has not yet realized this, or, alternatively, is spoiled by inappropriate upbringing so much that he will never be able to realize it.

A man dressed as a butler entered the room. Strange, before my mother managed the services of maids, but now, with such a fiancé, apparently, this was not enough. The butler had a mustache and was filled to the brim with a sense of his own importance.

“The fjord and the Berlisensis fjord,” he announced loudly.

Everyone turned their heads towards the door. Finally, I will be able to see this Brunito, who won the heart of my mother and agreed to take from our house such a treasure as Teresa.

No one in the living room would have dared to call the groom's eldest relative grandmother a grandmother. Did I find the Nilte fjord elegant before? So, this person simply faded in front of the Berlisensis fjord. Like a magical firefly in the presence of the sun. Without it, it is noticeable, with it - no. Lean, fit, even in a strict dress and with a minimum of jewelry, Bruno's grandmother attracted the eye, despite her age. However, as I said, it was impossible to call her elderly. The only thing that stood out from the appearance was a metal cane with a massive knob. There was an impression that the purpose of this object was not at all to help the lady in walking, but rather an indication of her venerable age, which was not emphasized by other means. She greeted politely, but somehow in such a way that it seemed to everyone that they were addressing him personally. To everyone, but not the Nilta fjord - the newcomers did not notice her. For the first time I saw how they look through a person without any magical devices. Perhaps, one would like to learn such a skill, if only it is learned, and not given along with birth in such a family.

Fjordina Nilte puffed up and pursed her lips in displeasure, reminiscent of an angry chicken, the resemblance to which was further exacerbated by her skinny legs with sharp knees sticking out from under her skirt. There was no trace of her former apparent elegance, real hatred appeared on her face for a moment, but the fjordina quickly came to her senses and smiled imperturbably.

- Soledad, Bruno, you haven't changed at all since our last meeting, - she sang out.

“I would like that meeting to be really the last one,” Fjordina Berlisensis replied calmly. “That would make us all a lot happier.

Fjordina Nilte snorted haughtily, but this time no one was impressed by her behavior. And those whom she hoped to hit in the heart did not pay attention to her grunt at all. The elder Berlisensis began to talk about the weather with my mother, fortunately the weather contributed to this: the leaden clouds finally burst into rain, while infrequent, but intensifying every minute. As for the groom, he casually greeted those present and then looked only towards the stairs, on which he expected to see the bride. I felt compelled to point out that my sister had made the right choice - the groom was good, like an old magiography, tweaked to fit the current trends. And he was clearly in love - he was in no hurry to enter into a conversation, and sometimes he did not pay attention at all to the questions asked of him. No one in this house interested him except Teresa. And she was in no hurry to please us with her appearance. In fact, there wasn't much to please us at all. The only conversation was between mother and Fjordina Berlisensis. Fjordina Nilte became more and more puffed up, cast displeased, wary glances around and was silent. I was surprised she didn't proudly get up and leave. How is she going to beg for her son, if her mere appearance causes such irritation in the Berlisensis? Andres and Daniel alternately tried to strike up a conversation with Bruno, but both suffered a complete defeat and now stood on opposite sides of my chair, and I felt the tension building up behind me. Perhaps for the first time in my parents' living room I felt completely uncomfortable. The situation was saved by the butler, who proudly announced that we could go to the dining room.

And Teresa? Bruno perked up.

At his words, an echo of emotions incomprehensible to me ran across the face of the Berlisensis fjord. I wonder how she feels about the upcoming marriage of her grandson? She spoke to her mother rather benevolently, but perhaps this was only a consequence of a good upbringing and she did not like the bride herself.

“Brunito, dear, Teresa will be here soon,” his mother smiled at him. – She can't miss such an important event as dinner with you?

Bruno smiled back at her and even stopped looking at the stairs, such an infectious smile on my mother's face. Or is it that the staircase is simply not visible from the dining room?

At the table, one of the seats next to me was taken by the Nilte fjord, so Daniel had to sit on the other side of her. I breathed a sigh of relief, but then the guest barely audibly began to mumble:

- The reptiles are arrogant, they look down on everyone who is below them in position.

Who she was talking about was perfectly clear, and I could not resist:

– Our family is not so wealthy, nevertheless Bruno marries Teresa.

- But who will marry him, after his sister chose this man with a tail as her husband? the guest snorted arrogantly. - Yes, and Soledad herself hobnobs with demons. One of them keeps running towards her. - She lowered her voice even more and hissed, just like a snake: - There are rumors that her son is not from her late husband at all, but from this very demon.

She looked at me meaningfully, but I did not continue this conversation. Firstly, I strongly doubt that she would dare to repeat all this louder, so that the Berlisensis could hear. And secondly, you can’t hide the distinctive demonic signs, Bruno’s father would definitely have a tail, and then there would be no rumors at all. This means that all these stories are stupid lies of a fjordina who blames this family for the misfortune of her son.

It is completely incomprehensible what delayed Teresa so much, she didn’t even change her dress, so she came to dinner in the one in which she met us at the porch. She allowed herself to be kissed by Bruno, who immediately jumped up to meet her, and kindly, but without any smile, greeted his grandmother, and as for the Nilte fjord, she was again defiantly not noticed. It's funny, my sister has not yet begun to bear the name Berlisensis, but has already contracted selective blindness from this family.

The rain outside the window finally turned from frequent drops to a real stream that fell from heaven. Outside the window, there was literally a water wall, occasionally illuminated by branched lightning. The windows were carefully closed, so the thunder came already muffled and not at all terrible.

“What a nightmare on the street,” my mother could not resist. - And in the morning there was such a wonderful sun. I have a new variety of roses that Patricia has not seen yet, and I so wanted to show them to her.

"I don't think the rain will wash them away before tomorrow," I said.

Why until tomorrow? Andres was surprised. This rain won't last long. I think we won't get up from the table yet,

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how it will all end. Besides, should we be afraid of the weather?

“Indeed,” said Fjordina Berlisensis thoughtfully. “You won’t get as many dirty tricks from any weather as from people.

Fiordina Nilte visibly crept up next to me, taking the words personally, she did not relax even after my mother hurriedly tried to transfer the conversation to another topic:

- Soledad, are you straight from the capital today? What's new there?

“All the salons are discussing this terrible story,” said Fjordina Berlisensis with a certain amount of thought. “The one that was written about so much in the papers.

- What's the story, Soledad? Mom showed polite interest. - Something we in our wilderness completely lagged behind life. And we don't read any newspapers.

- One fjord from a very respectable family did not find anything better than to bewitch a young man she liked using black magic methods.

- Bewitch? That's stupid, my mother was surprised. - It's visible to any mage.

- Black magic? Bruno's grandmother raised her eyebrows slightly mockingly. “Determining this kind of impact is very difficult if you don’t know what to look for. And only those who know can do it. So the girl decided that everyone would take the result for a sudden outbreak of passion. - She looked around at all those present, slightly holding her gaze at each, then, lowering her voice for greater tragedy, she continued: - Everything ended predictably sadly: both the girl and her chosen one died. Two dry, blackened corpses. The magician who did this is being sought. So far without success...

In the silence that followed, Teresa's fork rang loudly as it fell to the floor. Mom gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

- Horrible! said the fjordina to Nilte expressively. “It is high time to withdraw all these black magicians. The death penalty is not enough for them. How can I imagine that maybe my Terry ...

She manneredly covered her face with a napkin taken from her knees, from under which she shot her eyes around to see if her suffering had been noticed. But she got little attention - most of those present continued to ignore her.

“Grandma, why are you so scared of us?” Bruno said unhappily. “I’ve been saying for a long time: it’s time to stop reading newspapers. What kind of nonsense is not written there. It is not necessary to talk about bad things on such a day.

“Let's talk about the good things,” said Fjordina Berlisensis amiably. “I have great news for you and Teresa. Your parents managed to persuade Fjord Jaspers to come to your wedding. By the way, he was involved in that high-profile case as an expert. No black magician with his tricks will slip past him. So you can be proud - such a person will come for you.

Bruno's grandmother did not give the impression of a fjord prone to theatrical effects, so I got the impression that this was not said just like that, but with a specific purpose. And not only me...

“It seems that Fjordina Berlisensis does not believe in the naturalness of her grandson’s feelings,” Andres whispered in my ear. How long ago did Teresa meet him?

“I only know what you heard, too,” I answered just as quietly. - When I left, they did not know each other, as far as I know. But my sister studied at the Academy for a semester. Maybe that's when you met?

Andres muttered something unintelligible skeptically, but it was clear that he strongly doubted that Berlisensis would pay attention to my sister at that time. He may be right, but only Teresa could answer that question, which she had no intention of doing. She gloomily poked at the plate with a clean fork brought to her, pretending that nothing and no one touched her. Even the groom, with whom she did not exchange a single word and who greedily caught her every gesture. The impending happy wedding did not at all correspond to the atmosphere at the table, it was oppressive and viscous. Everyone looked askance at the neighbors and was silent.

“Look, the rain has already stopped,” Mom said happily. - And it seemed to me that it would not stop until it flooded everything around.

“Rains like this don’t last long,” Daniel said importantly, as if he had personally predicted it.

- And it's just wonderful! Mom was excited. “I must certainly show you the roses in full bloom. After the rain, they will be even more beautiful!

The roses didn't look great after the rain, in my opinion, but getting out into the fresh air from the stuffy dining room seemed like a great idea.

“I’ll probably sit here,” said Fjordina Berlisensis, “it’s not my age to walk through wet bushes. Yes, and the cane will get stuck in the mud.

“I’ll gladly keep you company,” Nilte’s fjord sang happily.

It seems that Bruno's grandmother regretted her decision right there, but she had a cane as a last argument, with which, in extreme cases, she could also hit her tired interlocutor. For some reason, it seemed to me that this would be the only way to shut up this fighter for the release of his son. The others had no such good reason, so after a short afternoon we went to look at mother's roses. Teresa walked with obvious reluctance. She again took out an elven cigarette from nowhere and lit it with a light snap of her fingers. The smoke this time was not lilac, but soft pink with golden sparkles.

“They say this elven stuff is very bad for health,” Bruno said with obvious concern in his voice.

- They say? Teresa snorted. They probably write. In the same newspapers that your grandmother reads.

- Teresa! Mom exclaimed worriedly.

What is Teresa? Tired. Climb with all sorts of nonsense! Have I grown a tail? she demanded of Bruno.

“No, but…” he hesitated.

- That's when it starts to grow, then you will climb with your advice. See your roses without me!

She turned and walked back into the house. Bruno started to follow her, but she said something sharp, and he soon joined us again, completely upset. Daniel immediately started a conversation with him, pretending that nothing special had happened. I was in complete bewilderment. I didn't understand the groom. How can you let yourself be treated like this?

Perhaps in the morning the roses were wonderfully beautiful. But now, after a recent downpour, they had not yet recovered and the impression was somewhat tarnished. But each of us considered it his duty to express admiration. Even Bruno said something pompous and poetic, quoting the well-known poem about the rose maiden. True, he thought more about Teresa than about the flower, since he had a rather distant look and kept looking in the direction of the house. The groom was so dependent on his bride that the hints of the elder Berlisensis, whether his feeling was natural, seemed no longer hints. As we headed back, Bruno perked up. It was evident that he was restraining himself to the last of his strength so as not to run away and apologize to Teresa. Apologize for no reason...

There was no one in the living room. The sister most likely went straight to her room, not wanting to keep the company of the fjords, who had something to talk about even without her. Although loving mother Nilte must have been so intrusive that Fjordina Berlisensis would rather go to look at roses than continue to carry on a conversation that had long bothered her.

“Teresa…” said Bruno, upset.

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will certainly come down soon,” his mother tried to support him. “We’re going to her place with Patricia right now. Maybe you can play cards? We just bought a lovely card table recently.

No one was enthusiastic about the proposal. I didn't want to go and persuade Teresa, who was behaving badly today, and my persuasion would not affect her. In addition, I was afraid that Daniel would certainly grapple with Andres and Bruno would not interfere with this in any way. He was too little interested in everything that did not apply to the bride. And these young people did not relate to her in any way - Teresa did not show any interest in them. But my mother stubbornly pretended that nothing special was happening, sat them down at the cards and took me upstairs.

“I hope they don't fight,” she told me quietly, “while you and I try to bring Teresa to her senses. This wedding really pissed her off. I think she regrets that she agreed so hastily.

“So put it off,” I suggested. - How long have they known each other?

“A month,” my mother told me. - Literally the day after they met, he came here and offered your sister a hand, because, according to him, she had already managed to take her heart.

“How romantic,” I drawled, remembering Berlisensis Sr.'s hints in the dining room. - A sudden passion. Don't you think all this is a bit unnatural?

“Teresa is a beautiful girl,” Mom said proudly. - And this is not the first time when they want to marry her immediately after they met, you know.

“But the groom is behaving very strangely ...

“We don’t know how he behaved before he met Teresa,” Mom retorted. Maybe this is his normal state? He treats your sister so touchingly tenderly that it is a pleasure to look at them.

I wanted to say that the groom's grandmother does not experience such pleasure, but we have already reached the door of Teresa's bedroom. I even took the handle, but my mother stopped me:

- Let's knock first. Teresa is so nervous.

But we didn't get to knock. The key turned twice in the lock, thus showing that the hostess of the room did not want to talk to anyone.

Teresa, what happened? Mom said anxiously.

- Leave me all alone! An angry voice came from behind the door. - I don't want to see anyone.

“But Brunito is so upset.

“A vase of Xin china,” my mother said bitterly. - In the morning there was such a bouquet in it ... Let's go, dear, Teresa needs to calm down.

But we did not go to the living room, as I expected, but to my father's office, where my mother began to complain about Teresa's behavior, which went out of all frames in recent days. It seemed to me that most of all she felt sorry for the vase - the rest was subject to correction, but this is no longer. Even reassembled with the help of magic, the item lost much in value, although the places of fastening were not visible to the ordinary eye, but experts always paid attention to this. And such a restoration cost so much that the price was almost comparable to a new vase.

“You always let her have too much,” I reminded her.

“She’s so vulnerable,” Mom said, upset. - Just a little - immediately into tears. And it hurts me so much to see you and your sister in tears, Patty.

The lightness and gentleness of the mother's character led to the fact that Teresa's hysteria, which she shyly called "vulnerability", reached such proportions. And also permissiveness. What the sister wanted, sooner or later she got, she always managed to achieve what she needed. But it’s useless to tell this to mom - what happened, it happened, nothing can be fixed. When thinking, I stopped following what my mother was saying, so when I tried to join the conversation again, her words surprised me terribly.

“He was always like a son to us, you know?

- Bruno? I asked in bewilderment.

“Gods, Patricia, what are you listening to?” Am I talking to you now about Bruno? It's about Daniel.

“Mom, let’s not talk about him,” I said hopelessly.

- How can we not? You want to kick him out of the house, and that's not right,” she said with conviction.

“It is not right that he is with us now and that he can grapple with Andres at any moment,” I answered sharply. “He had to leave the house if he had even the slightest respect for us. There was no need to invite him.

“I wanted you to have the opportunity to put your gentlemen side by side and compare,” my mother smiled slyly. – If you haven’t noticed yet, Andres loses a lot to Daniel in everything.

- Indeed? I involuntarily laughed. - It seems to me that Daniel is losing. But forgive me, mom, I have no desire to arrange competitions here.

“You really don’t want Daniel back?” Mom asked incredulously. - He really loves you. And then ... then it was Teresa's fault.

Her words struck me so much that I did not immediately find what to answer. Until now, my mother has never said that her favorite is to blame for something. It was evident that even now these words are given to mother unusually hard.

“Mom, it’s been a whole year,” I reminded him.

“Yes, a whole year,” she brightened up. You should have calmed down and thought things through.

“I thought about it,” I said sharply. “It was a childhood crush, nothing more.

I was absolutely convinced that this was the case. When I looked at Daniel, I still felt something sad in my chest, but when he was not around, I didn’t even think about him.

“Does the poor fellow have no chance at all?” Mom said disappointed. “He asked me to talk to you. You know, don't reject him right away. Please wait at least a couple of days. Suddenly, your childhood love has not faded, but is still able to bloom in full bloom to our joy?

“Mom, do you have any idea that even if I agreed to marry him, Teresa would poison our lives?” The mere sight of her would constantly remind me of what I saw, ”I replied sharply. What can grow under such conditions? Some kind of thorn. And the thorns don't bloom. No, it's better for Daniel to leave. You need to talk to him about this right now before anything bad happens.

“But, Patty…” Mom said, confused.

“Right now,” I repeated. We'll go down and you'll talk to him.

When we returned to the guests, we found only Daniel there. He sat on the couch and casually leafed through some sports magazine, not really looking at what was written there. He was so lost in his thoughts that he noticed us only when his mother called to him.

“Daniel,” she said, embarrassed, “Patricia and I discussed the situation. It's probably better if you leave.

These words were given to her with extraordinary difficulty. She squeezed each one out of herself, as if she hoped that something would happen and she wouldn’t have to finish speaking.

“Let Patricia tell me that herself,” he answered unexpectedly and looked at me. – Looking into the eyes. He says he doesn't feel anything for me anymore.

“Daniel…” I began.

“Looking into the eyes, Patricia,” he repeated.

I looked into his eyes, so familiar, so close. And a wave of memories flooded over me, as if not

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was this year and that terrible incident with Teresa ... Teresa?

“Daniel, I really want you to leave,” I said clearly.

Pilar, did you see? Will you still insist that I give up your daughter?

“Daniel, it’s all in the past, you understand? I tried to explain.

“That’s right, the past doesn’t want to let go of me or you,” he said hotly. – During this year, I went all over Frynshtad in the hope that our meeting would bring everything back. And so we met, and you drive me away.

- No, Daniel. There can be nothing between us. There will always be Teresa between us.

“Patty, I told you it wasn’t Daniel’s fault,” Mom tried to intervene.

- I don't know if there is or not. It doesn't matter now.

I turned around and walked out of the living room. Daniel burst out after me with a heated speech, which was filled with cursing Teresa. Mom told him to calm down. I hope she convinces him to leave. I couldn't stay in the living room. The more I was next to Daniel, the more I understood that the past cannot be returned, that only a dried flower in a book of poems remained from my feelings. Remember, mourn, and all. What has dried up will not bloom. Now I need Andres.

First I looked at the library. But there was one fjord Berlisensis, who at my appearance, with obvious relief, lowered her heavy cane to the floor. It seems that the fjordina Nilta got today for being too intrusive.

“You have a good selection of books, Venegas Fjord,” Grandma Bruno said. “But there is absolutely nothing about magic.

- Is it? I was surprised. - I remember there were. They must have all moved into Teresa's room.

“Probably,” she agreed, stroking the handle of her cane thoughtfully.

"She's the only one in the family who did magic," I explained. - I even studied at the Academy.

– Is that how? said Fjordina Berlisensis indifferently.

She didn't seem to be interested in Teresa herself, but in how to get rid of her. This worthy lady did not like her grandson's bride very much. And it was she who had not yet heard how Teresa, in a conversation with Bruno, called her "grandmother." I didn’t interest her either, so for the sake of decency, we exchanged a couple of phrases, then I apologized and left.

Andres was in the room assigned to him. He opened it as soon as I knocked, as if he was standing outside the door and waiting for me. I involuntarily started to smile.

“It took you a long time to persuade Teresa,” he remarked.

- They weren't persuaded.

- They are a strange couple with Bruno. I would never have thought that Berlisensis would run on his hind legs after such a vulgar girl who does not put him in a penny.

“Teresa is still my sister,” I reminded her.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t make her any better. You and her are completely different, neither externally nor internally.

She took after her father, I after her mother. My father's mother loved Teresa very much because of this, I remembered. “Our breed,” she said.

- Your breed will be better. He chuckled and ran his hand over my face, outlining its oval with a gentle touch. - You know, when I saw you, I even doubted that you were real, and not another daddy's acquisition in the form of a phantom.

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