Setia sat down at the table, placing all the silver and the gold pendant with the ruby in front of her.
"Can you incorporate this ruby into a part of the mask?" She asked, playing with a stone in which the light reflected beautiful sparks.
"I can, - replied Hiron with his back turned to her - I'll just find something"
He nervously searched the shelves and sniffed the opened containers.
"And here it is. You need to apply it well on your face." He said, handing Setia a clay jug.
"What is it?" Setia asked, looking at the oily substance warily
"Goose fat - Hiron added charcoal to the fire - thanks to it, the clay will be easier to remove when it hardens."
"Remove from where?" Setia did not hide her surprise.
"I need a cast of your face, it will make it easier to fit this mask for you." The dwarf unceremoniously extracted the ruby from the pendant with a knife.
It will take some time, so I advise you to be patient and apply the fat well."
After a long moment of hesitation, she took off the headband and tied her hair up, then applied the greasy lubricant to her fingers.
"Fuck, it stinks." She grimaced and started smearing the fat on her face. A moment later, a breathless Moros appeared, proudly carrying a bucket. He laughed at the sight of Setia smeared with grease.
"A new treatment?" He put the bucket on the chair and came closer to her, when he leaned down he felt an intense unpleasant smell.
"I've heard that women do strange things before marriage, but this is new to me." He flashed his teeth in a smile
"Apparently it is supposed to discourage curious people from asking questions." Setia retorted
"Well, it doesn't work."
"Step away." Moros immediately moved to the side and Hiron, with his hands full of clay, walked up to Setia and slowly, carefully smearing it, put subsequent pieces on his face. He avoided the area around the eyes, nose and mouth. - After a while, her entire face was thoroughly glued.
"It's done, now we'll have to wait a while."
"What is this for?" Moros asked.
"For casting, I will be making a silver mask for the future Duchess of Emfer."
Erona and the entire entourage of the married couple were going to Kanror. Gorsep was in the lead, surrounded by his bodyguard, followed by Dagrana, encircled by the ladies of the court, including Erona. Then came carts full of the young wife's belongings and servants. The rear guards closed the procession. Dagrana sat in a chair attached to a platform pulled by two horses. Above her, the roof gently waved, protecting her from the sun and possible rain. She moved the side curtains to talk to the ladies of the court who were sitting in the car next to her. Only Erona rode a horse. This journey was tiring for her, the landscape hasn't changed since the morning. They advanced in the sea of waving grass of the endless plain of Nemor.
The sky was gray, full of swirling clouds, through which the sun broke through from time to time, creating rays of light reaching down to the ground. This sight reminded Erona of her nurse's childhood stories. These rays were Haleon's touch, always landing where they needed his blessing most, as old Tojena used to say. She was surprised that the rays were not shining centrally on her.
Life with Gorsep did not give her satisfaction. He had a young wife who was quickly informed who Erona was to her husband. Not that Gorsep was holding back much, anyway. Just two days after the wedding, he simply entered her chamber and they made passionate love. Dagrana's servants, her ladies-in-waiting, and Dagrana herself glared at Erona and whispered behind her back. They had to tolerate her, but Erona always stood aside during evening conversations in the room. No one sat next to her or spoke to her. All the ladies-in-waiting stuck together. In fact, her function at court was to warm Gorsep's bed. The wind grew stronger and blew Erona's red hair and her cloak around. This end of summer was quite rainy. The harvest time will end soon. It was a happy time in Basaldia. Various celebrations were organized in honor of the goddess Naida in gratitude for agricultural produce. There were shows by musicians and magicians at the main market square. The smell of spices from all over the White Sea basin wafted everywhere. Erona pulled her cloak tighter around her. It was getting colder, there was already rain in the air. In fact, she really wanted to return to Basaldia. Nothing will happen to her again. She doesn't want to live among people who hate her. There is no chance of power with Gorsep. The only problem was how to get to Basaldia as safely as possible. She could escape. She rides horses well, but she fell victim to invaders from Orchad once in the former Kingdom of Kanror. She needed protection, company with whom she could return home safely.
The landscape slowly changed, it was still the ubiquitous grass, but a bit shorter. In the distance you could see the first clumps of trees with plumes of smoke rising above them. They must have already been in the Orat plain in central Hadgard, and there was undoubtedly a village in front of them. The sky turned blue-gray, heralding the arrival of bad weather. A moment later the first drops fell to the ground. The procession accelerated. Erona thought with satisfaction about Dagrana, who must be completely bruised from sitting on her throne, which happily bounced on every bump.