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The stench of alcohol permeated the entire inn, along with the echoes of drunken, yet sincere laughter from the gathered nobles. Despite the late hour, the mood hadn't cooled; on the contrary, everyone had become more energetic, or simply so inattentive that it would be unfair to include them in the statistics.
As soon as their infamous among the family neighbor, Andrzej, announced the organization of a lavish Corpus Christi feast, Aniela could confidently conclude that her father wouldn't let himself be outdone so easily - quickly organizing a similar event himself, hoping to outdo his rival.
They both decided to invite their friends from the area, and since they were choosing from the same pool, the overlapping invitations must have been chosen by the guests. Admittedly, they were split somewhat evenly between the two manors. Although, during the day itself, the list saw many changes, and attendees often, unnoticed, quickly flitted from one part of Adamczycha to the other.
Jan Paweł, of course, insisted that all of his children help entertain their noble friends. And so Aniela found herself sandwiched between two drunks, at the brink of her sobriety, wondering how she had done wrong to be forced into such company.
The mere presence of people like them made her want to vomit. The mug had already gone through its thirteenth, and they were still reaching for another.
Even after a brief inspection of the surroundings, it was difficult to find anyone capable of maintaining a proper conversation - though she admitted that she wasn't completely clean from alcohol herself, it was difficult to compare herself to everyone else.
The fact that everyone was now lying drunk on Corpus Christi seemed unreal - including Jakub, who had run off with someone long ago, doing who knows what. She preferred not to dwell on such thoughts. Although whether he should behave more professionally as a priest was no longer important. Her father had told everyone that he was organizing this party in solidarity with his son. She knew it was a lie; Jan Paweł hadn't suddenly revealed the altruism hidden deep within him.
Amidst the shouts and loud conversations, one person emerged from the crowd - her uncle was shouting something about wine, something about the cellar. From the context of the situation, she guessed he meant asking her to replenish the supplies she had prepared for the evening. Pushing through the numerous guests and the peasants serving them, she headed for the archway that would finally lead her to the fresh air she had been longing for since the evening began.
She didn't wait a moment longer to escape the inn - but when she finally found herself standing before the creaking door that would lead her to the storage room, she felt herself being pushed into the back of another person, knocking her backward.
When their faces finally came close enough to recognize who the two girls truly were, neither could utter a single word. Mainly because of the absurdity and absurdity of the position they found themselves in.
Aniela, rolling onto her side, away from the other girl, merely mumbled an apology.
Teresa, still silent, was too busy dusting off her dress to pay any attention to her words - or at least she would have thought so, had she not noticed the faint blush on the other girl's face.
They both sat next to each other, leaning against the wall. The hill they were on offered a good view of the Adamczewska side of Adamczycha, as strange as that may sound. For a moment, all that could be heard was the music playing at the supper, drunken laughter, and shouting. All of this drowned out any sounds of nature that one might normally listen for in the vicinity of the forest.
The silence was broken only by Teresa clearing her throat:
“So, are you running away from the noise, too?”
In response, Aniela nodded sheepishly, turning to the daughter of her father's worst rival. They weren't even really talking - that didn't stop Aniela from feeling a certain adrenaline rush at the thought of defying Jan Paweł by sitting alone with Teresa.
She hadn't even noticed how close their faces were.
She could have sworn they spent several minutes like that. Maybe even a dozen, listening to each other's heavy, slow breathing.
After a while, a roar echoed; birds took off, flying beyond the horizon, the sky now filled with vibrant colors. Aniela recalled Bogdan once mentioning something about importing fireworks from the Far East. At that moment, however, she could only focus on Teresa's face—it was a perfect canvas for reflecting every hue, emphasizing her beauty.
How much she now wanted to kiss her wasn't important to her, or even worth considering. She was convinced she would have taken the initiative if not for Stanisław's sudden voice calling her name. She pulled away from Teresa instantly, confused about what to do next. Rising up, she grabbed her hand, kissing her cheek gently before disappearing into the bushes and shadows of the trees.
To say that Teresa was devastated was an understatement. However, she had to admit that, along with that, she felt unimaginable excitement at the thought of Aniela clutching her chest to steady her rapidly beating heart.