The Roses and Hibiscus Chronicles - Coriolanus Snow

Chapter 10

Indila was a sweet girl, that much was certain. Snow found himself reflecting on the last six months by her side, feeling proud of his decision. She was intelligent, educated, artistic, polite, serene, and he could list many other qualities for hours. She loved Crassus, and Crassus loved her; he broke into a big smile the very first time he saw her. They became inseparable, two peas in a pod, as the saying goes. She spent most of her day with Crassus and the nanny, assisting him in crawling, and now he was almost unstoppable. She kept stimulating him, and he began to stand when leaned on. They were soulmates, and Snow was very content with their relationship.

As much as he was content with the relationship between Indila and himself. They would talk for hours, sometimes he just listened to her play the piano. They went out for parties and dinners occasionally, but talking to her was what he enjoyed the most. She knew a lot of things; however, she was never arrogant. She always acted as if he were in command of everything. He liked the feeling of power he had over her. Snow loved the fact that her heart melted for him; she became a person who would do anything for him and for Crassus.

He took one last look at the ring; it was gorgeous. On each side of the diamond, he asked the jeweler to carve two flowers, a rose, and a hibiscus. He was confident that Indila would love the ring as much as she loved him. She should still be asleep, so he wrote a note:

"My dearest princess,

I'm sorry to tell you that today I won't be able to have our meals together; there's a lot of work to do outside the circle. However, we are having a very special night. Choose your finest dress, and please be as beautiful as you always are.

Yours truly and forever yours, Coryo."

Snow placed the note on her bedroom door, as he often did. She loved receiving notes; she was easy to impress. The day passed, and everything was set for the great night. Julliard was aware of everything and would help her with anything she needed. Snow missed her company during lunch and dinner; it was nice to have someone with whom he could have cultured conversations. He also missed Crassus; he was growing up so fast, and Snow had a beautiful family after all.

Snow returned to the circle, took a long bath, and chose the marsala suit. He placed her father's compass in his pocket next to the ring, just for luck, and, of course, added the white rose to the suit. He headed to the hall and waited for Indila. After some minutes, she descended the stairs. She was stunning; her hair was tied the same way it was when they first met. She wore a long black dress that followed her curves, with a slit on the side. Her lips were red and glossy, and she was breathtaking.

"Shall we?" Snow offered his arm. "Where are you taking me?" Indila asked. "I thought it was indeed a surprise, my princess." Indila smiled but seemed annoyed, he could tell. "Ok, Mr. President, then I won't say a word," she said in a funny tone and grabbed his arm.

That was a lie; she spent the whole way trying to make him reveal where they were going, but without success. Snow was determined to keep it a surprise. Once they arrived at the theater and she saw the poster, she freaked out. "Are we watching Sleeping Beauty? I can't believe it!" Snow was very proud of himself. "Let's say I have some friends in the National Ballet, and they agreed to do a season, even though this one was not in their repertory for a while."