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OK, let me be clear about my reaction from the last chapter.

Elvira Khanna is the third-born of Edith and Viraj Khanna. In the show, she has THREE brothers: Cotton, Sweet, and Cookie. No, the show never explains why she’s the only one who doesn’t have a candy related name, nor do they explain why an obviously Black/Indian-coded character from a foreign kingdom has a Germanic name (or why her mom had an English name) especially when the obvious German insert in this series is South Luckstead here in the Empire.

Fun fact: I once theorized on a “Roll End Romance” forum that Elvira probably has a Regarded ancestor that drifted ashore on Solaan and just never left and that maybe that’s where her name comes from. Not too long after that, one of the supplements confirmed that but everyone immedietly starting theorizing that the showrunner perused the forums and was taking some fan theories and making them canon because mine wasn't the only one that "suddenly" appeared.

BUT THAT’S BESIDES THE POINT.

The point is Elvira was Edith’s only daughter. In a flashback episode, the show reveals that Mathusela had been thrilled that Edith had a daughter that was the same age as Solomon because that meant he could try and join the houses which would effectively keep Edith in the Empire. Mathusela’s end goal—even at his big age—was always keeping Edith around.

Cotton is the same age as Apollo—Mathusela’s eldest—but Cotton was a son and gay marriage was nowhere near legal in the Empire, even by the end of the series. If anything, the show (in hindsight) was not very kind to queer or queer coded characters with Apollo's status as an adulterer being attributed to him being bi and Cotton's effeminacy was shown as a character flaw compared to the manly male characters like Solomon and his friends. Obviously, it didn’t stop people from loving them regardless.

But if Cotton is a woman then why wouldn’t Mathusela try to marry her off to……

……………

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I get it.

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‘If looks could kill, Solomon would be dead.’

That was the only thing I thought as Cotton bore holes into Solomon’s skull. She menacingly approached him and when she was closer, it was clear that she was taller. It was like a goddess in business-casual staring down a false idol.

Cotton’s appearance was never anything to write home about on the show. Not that he…she used to be ugly but looking at her in person was…completely different to watching the show.

It didn’t even have anything to do with her look primarily. It was her posture, her tone of voice, her clothing, and even her intense stare. She was truly the eldest sibling. She was truly Edith’s heir.

“Did you just put your hands on my sister, Solomon?”

Solomon looked uneasy but was still trying desperately to appear proud. “It’s Prince Solomon to you.”

“Did you just put your hands on my sister, Prince Solomon?” She said his name and title with a killer intensity.

“I…I didn’t hit her, if that’s what you mean.”

“That means yes—” Faye tried to cut in.

“I wasn’t asking you, Faye.”

Both Conwyns have been effectively silenced as both just shifted their stances under her gaze. Cotton inched closer to Solomon, leaning down a bit, so that she was on perfect eye level with him.

“Did you forget what happened last time you acted out of line on our property?”

“…”

“I asked you a question…boy.”

Blanche leaned in closer behind her with a sickening smile on her face, obviously taking pleasure at watching a member of the Imperial Family shake. “Yes, she asked you a question…boy.”

Solomon glared at Blanche but didn’t say anything.

Cotton straightened her posture. “I suggest you leave, Conwyn.”

He glanced at everyone, clearly embarrassed before leaving but was stopped by Cotton calling out his name. He turned to face her but she kept her back facing him.

“Your father will be hearing about this. Drive safe, your highness.”

As much as he wanted to retort, he couldn’t. I couldn’t understand why. Cotton was practically a minor villain in the show, almost like a lackey. Edith rallied an aristocratic “rebellion” against the royal nobles which eventually fell when they ran out of money and public good will.

In reality, the plot line was just so unpopular and felt like it dragged on so fans complained and eventually they canned the story line, effectively removing the Khannas from the story post-Elvira’s execution and Sweet’s imprisonment.

But clearly—as with a lot of things—that’s not the case here. Cotton has something over not just Solomon, but Faye as well. The same Faye who always needs to have the last word.

Once Cotton heard Solomon’s car drive off, her shoulders relaxed. “Alright…Ansel, you can drop my luggage off in the foyer, someone will come get it.”

The driver nodded and effortlessly carried her stuff into the house, the doorman following him.

“Faye, I don’t like my family being dragged into your mess with Solomon.” She spoke sternly, but not as bad as before. Then she looked at me. Her eyes were softer. “What happened?”

“Oh…um…he was bothering me about wanting an apology about last night.” I told her. I came off more meek than I intended, but I didn’t know how to approach Cotton.

“Oh, yes~ I’m so proud of you.” Blanche cut in, hugging me from the side. “I didn’t think you had it in you, but you’re all grown up now.”

“Blanche…” Cotton warned.

“What? One of us has to be happy for her.”

I was even more lost. “What?”

Cotton sighed. “Don’t listen to her. I’m thrilled you stood up for yourself but…publicly like that…Elvira that’s not how you do things. It reflects badly on us just as much as it does on the Imperial Family, if not more.”

“What? Should I have just staged a hunger strike until he was nice to me?”

“If you would have just come to us about him mistreating you, we would’ve figured out something…privately.”

‘Lie…’

“Well, he was humiliating me…PUBLICLY. I deserved to do that to him.”

“We don’t stoop down to their level.”

‘Lies…’

There that voice was again. It was just like from the party. I didn’t know whose voice it sounded like, but it felt comforting even though right now it clearly sounded either annoyed or angry but it wasn’t directed towards me, it was towards Cotton.

Specifically towards her words.

Blanche placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be so harsh, Cotton. She’s young and entitled to being a little messy.”

Cotton sighed. “Not us, Blanche, you know this.” She then eyed Faye. “And you do too, yet you continue to let her risk our standing as if her position is safe. Is that what friends do?”

Faye tried to respond. “I—”

But I cut her off. “Hold on! That was completely my choice. If anything, Faye was the one offering to sneak me out after he insulted my dress. Why are you acting like Faye forced me to do it?”

“It’s what I expect of her.”

“Well, you’re wrong and until he apologizes—PUBLICLY—then I won’t budge.”

“Elvira—”

I turned to go into the house, with Faye behind me.

“I’m just getting into an argument with EVERYONE. Do you know where Elvira’s room is?”

Faye nodded. “Come on, I’ll lead.”

❮❤︎❯

Elvira’s bedroom was drastically different from Faye’s. While it was still bigger than my living room, it was slightly smaller than Faye’s. And it was much brighter. If Faye’s color was black, then Elvira’s was purple.

Her room was relatively normal, about as normal as you could get for a rich girl obviously but normal nonetheless. There was a balcony she could sit on, a little comfy area by her radio, and there were a pile of presents wrapped up and seated in the corner.

The pile caught Faye’s attention.

“Oh…well, at least Elvira got to keep her gifts. Her closet is over there if you want to change.”

“What about you?”

“If you look in the closet and see something black, that’s too skinny for Elvira…that’s mine.”

I pulled out a black pajama set, all attached to one of those wooden hangers.

I turned to Faye. “Y’know, I’m not surprised you have your own section of the closet.”

“You should change too, Lady Edith doesn’t like Elvira casually wearing outside clothes inside the house.”

Following Faye’s advice, I pulled out a lovely silk lemon colored nightgown before changing into it. One things for sure, Elvira really does love smooth fabrics. Cause if it’s not silk, then it’s satin. And if it’s not satin, then it’s velvet.

I don’t even blame her. Running your hand across silk is euphoric but I mainly keep it to the sheets my grandmother left me.

Faye opens one of the drawers on Elvira’s vanity dresser, pulling out a notepad and grabbing one of the pens next to it. A cute little red one with golden snake embroidery.

She then strolled over to the queen size bed covered in pink and purple sheets.

She patted the space next to her. “We need to properly figure out what to do right now and that means compiling all of the information we both know. What you know from this talkies version of us and what I know from the future.”

I nodded. “It’ll be good to have the discrepancies in writing at least.”

She situated herself to face me. “Tell me everything you know about what’s going to happen.”