The Roses and Hibiscus Chronicles - Coriolanus Snow

Chapter 11

Indila didn't like Panem; her time there had been enough for her to decide this. The people were strange, the food was unfamiliar, and the culture seemed brutal. She couldn't believe the avoxes thing when Coryo told her; it was horrifying to think that the people who worked in the palace, next to her, Crassus, and Julliard, were actually rebels with nothing to lose. They could kill them anytime, sleeping in the same house every day. And there was the fact that she thought the punishment was too harsh until Coryo explained they only did that to the worst kind: the murderers. It was still brutal, but she knew how it felt to lose someone you love so much. However, that was not the only reason she didn't like Panem; everything was different there. The only positive aspect was that there were no people starving like back home. People ate a lot, like, a lot in that country.

Fortunately, Panem's reality was not the palace's reality. She loved the people there. There was Julliard, who became a great friend of hers, and she loved to share the details of her time with Coryo with him. There was Mila, Crassus' nanny, a lady in her sixties who was sweet, not very open to talks, but Indila knew she liked her. There was Crassus; he was the cutest, and his smile was something else—it was love at first sight. And, of course, there was Coryo. She didn't know how to describe him—just the guy who gave her butterflies with every word he pronounced.

Indila had the perfect night. She lay in her bed just looking at the ring. There were two flowers carved in it, a rose and a hibiscus, reminding her of what made her fall in love with Coriolanus in the first place: he was the first person in this world to truly hear and respect her. Indila had mentioned she liked hibiscus only once, and there it was in the ring, reminding her that when she speaks, he listens. The ballet she loved so much—how could he remember so much information about her? The answer was simple in her head: because he loves me, she thought.

And then there was the kiss. Indila had been expecting it for so long; she had imagined how the touch of his lips would feel a million times. No need to imagine anymore—now she knew. Indila wished she was brave enough to invite him to her bedroom. It's not like she was a virgin; it's just that he seemed so romantic and classic. She was almost sure he would want to do it the old-fashioned way on the night they would finally get married.

While preparing herself for sleep, she would smell every single rose in her way just to remember how Coryo smelled. She couldn't believe that life had been so kind to her for once. What were the odds? It was an arranged marriage, after all. How could she be so lucky?

Indila laid her head on the pillow. "I'm dreaming a little dream of you, Coriolanus Snow, to get to know your heart truly, and please don't break mine," she said to herself. Sleeping was not easy that night, but she did, and she dreamt of her and Coryo lying in the same bed until someone knocked on her door.

Indila got up; it was not a dream. Someone was actually knocking on the door. She felt afraid. She had always been afraid of the night in general. "Dila, it's me," it was Coryo's voice; she was safe. She ran to the door, forgetting to grab her robe. "What are you doing here?" Coriolanus kissed her hard before she could finish the sentence. "Are you mad, Coryo?" she smiled. He was wearing almost the same clothes as before. "I want someone to meet you." Was he out of his mind? It was like 3 in the morning. "What do you mean?" "Don't ask, just come with me." Certainly, she could not come dressed like this; she was wearing a white sleep dress, with lace on the top that let her nipples show, and the silk of the skirt was almost transparent. "Just let me get my robe." Coriolanus took a deep look at her body. "No need for that; this is the most beautiful version of you I have ever seen."