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Obscurity 1 Obscurity, The Prologue Free 2 Obscurity, The First Chapter Free 3 Obscurity, The Second Chapter Free 4 Obscurity, The Third Chapter Free 5 Obscurity, The Fourth Chapter Free 6 Obscurity, The Fifth Chapter Free 7 Obscurity, The Sixth Chapter Free 8 Obscurity, The Seventh Chapter Free 9 Obscurity, The Eighth Chapter Free 10 Obscurity, The Ninth Chapter Free 11 Obscurity, The Tenth Chapter Free 12 Obscurity, The Eleventh Chapter Free 13 Obscurity, The Twelfth Chapter For paid subscribers 14 Obscurity, The Thirteenth Chapter Free 15 Obscurity, The Fourteenth Chapter Free 16 Obscurity, The Fifteenth Chapter Free 17 Obscurity, The Sixteenth Chapter Free 18 Obscurity, The Seventeenth Chapter Free 19 Obscurity, The Eighteenth Chapter Free 20 Obscurity, The Nineteenth Chapter Free 21 Obscurity, The Twentieth Chapter Free 22 Obscurity, The Twenty-First Chapter Free 23 Obscurity, The Twenty-Second Chapter Free 24 Obscurity, The Twenty-Third Chapter Free 25 Obscurity, The Twenty-Fourth Chapter Free 26 Obscurity, The Twenty-Fifth Chapter Free 27 Obscurity, The Twenty-Sixth Chapter Free 28 Obscurity, The Twenty-Seventh Chapter Free 29 Obscurity, The Twenty-Eighth Chapter Free 30 Obscurity, The Twenty-Ninth Chapter Free 31 Obscurity, The Thirtieth Chapter Free 32 Obscurity, The Thirty-First Chapter Free 33 Obscurity, The Thirty-Second Chapter Free 34 Obscurity, The Thirty-Third Chapter Free 35 Obscurity, The Thirty-Fourth Chapter Free 36 Obscurity, The Thirty-Fifth Chapter Free 37 Obscurity, The Thirty-Sixth Chapter Free 38 Obscurity, The Thirty-Seventh Chapter Free 39 Obscurity, The Thirty-Eighth Chapter Free 40 Obscurity, The Thirty-Ninth Chapter Free 41 Obscurity, The Fortieth Chapter Free 42 Obscurity, The Epilogue Free

Obscurity, The Twenty-Fifth Chapter

In which the territory faces unrest.

We last read The Twenty-Fourth Chapter, in which a young debutante celebrated her engagement. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue.

In those days, the most savant thing one could do, was attend a salon in the home of some grande dame or other, and this particular salon was hosted by the Veuve St. Vincent. Not a single calling card from that woman went unanswered, so lustful were their recipients of being granted access to her most secretive lair—and they were certainly not disappointed by her ornamental aesthetic.

The black brocade walls were adorned with green embroidered silk curtains, and the most decadent chandelier glowed with the light of a hundred candles sending a scattering of jeweled light about the room. They sat in blue velvet chairs, overlooking a most overgrown courtyard, their gloved hands holding coups of champagne and aged cheeses marbled to antiquity, as the jungle tipped into the windowpanes from below.

Hand painted playing cards sat upon small marble tables, as well as gold gilded decks they could not recognize. A clock with hands of emerald ticked silently against its face of pearl. Butterflies were trapped in crystal decanters, from which the servants poured the most beautiful libations. Guests held green silk napkins in their laps and ate food so beautiful it was as though they were eating jewels with forks of gold.

Small drizzles of tobacco smoke warmed the air with a most delicious scent, while unlabeled bottles of orange liqueur sloshed merrily into their glasses, and yet the widow was the most exquisite portrait among them. Draped in blue velvet, the most astonishing shade they had yet to see slip from beneath her layers of black outerwear, there were a string of sapphires wrapped about her waist and layers of amber agate around her neck. Her dark hair was brushed delicately into pearl combs and her lips were like rubies—her eyes kindling blue as though they were far away oceans crashing against tepid glass.

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