The carriage rattled to a stop, and I peeked out through the small window, brushing the mini curtain aside. The castle gates were a fortress of iron, polished to reflect light like a mirror. Beyond them, a path lined with lanterns and flanked by perfectly maintained hedges led to the grand entrance.
So there was a garden. My mind immediately thought of the worst possible scenario of the castle garden being the worst garden I would have to walk through. But, I could actually see the grand entrance clearly from here, probably even without my super eyes. So… no massive garden to walk through, yippee!
Leila got up from her seat, perfectly making sure her legs wouldn’t brush with my gown. She opened the door and extended a hand to help me out.
I took her hand, being mindful of my gown. When I finally descended the small steps of the carriage, parts of my gown still on the carriage being handled by Leila, I immediately heard a cacophony of sounds all around me. Gasps, scoffs, amazement, and much more.
That was when I realized, there were quite a handful of people gathering around our carriage. From their clothing alone, I could tell there was a mix of nobles and commoners watching us.
What are they doing here?
They were all busy chattering with each other in whispered tones. I couldn’t hear what they were saying properly.
In a hushed tone, I turned to Leila. “Leila, why do we have an audience?”
Leila, still making sure the rest of my gown was out of the carriage without getting hitched, gave a nod. “It’s a common occurrence, Lady Carine. I believe they’re either curious about the party and its guests or simply wish to see what the party is like.” She took a quick look at the onlookers circling us. “I believe some of them are journalists as well.”
When she said the last part, it immediately clicked for me. They were basically paparazzi.
After a few more seconds of silent standing, Leila finally stood by my side and gave me a nod. The carriage behind us rattled to life and the crowd slowly cleared a path for it.
I shook my head, the onlookers weren’t important. The one I should be focusing on was what was in front of me. The castle gate, and the castle itself.
The guards at the gate straightened as we approached, their polished armor caught my eye. They looked a lot more sturdier than the ones I typically see knights wear. They also had a dark red shoulder cape with an ascot.
This getup… are they part of the Royal Knights?
Makes sense really. A top-notch party needs top-notch protection.
One of them, a young man with sharp features and an overly serious expression, stepped forward. His eyes darted between me and Leila.
“Invitation, please.”
I produced the envelope with a robotic precision like I had practiced. Yes, that’s right, even handing in invitations was trained in my etiquette classes.
The guard inspected the crest, nodded, and then glanced at Leila. “Is she your servant?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said with a nod.
The guard folded the envelope neatly as if he had done it a hundred times then stepped aside, signaling to his colleagues to open the gates.
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We stepped through, and we were finally in the courtyard. There was a fountain shooting out crystal clear water, flower beds with various color combinations, and things of that nature. The castle itself was a marvel to look at. It was massive, standing tall almost like a skyscraper with its spires. The fact that I didn’t spot a single mold or vine on any of the structures amazed me.
But what most caught my eye was definitely what awaited us beyond the fountain. Leila and I walked around the fountain and when we faced the closed doors of the grand entrance, a line of butlers and another of maids stood on the sides of the path, their heads bowed deeply. It reminded me a bit of how we were welcomed back at Arlen, my hometown.
So this is the norm, huh?
…
After a long series of several maids and butlers leading us up the stairs, Leila and I were faced with a giant dark wood door. Two maids came from the sides and slowly opened the door for us, letting the warm light inside seep out from the gaps.
As soon as the doors were opened fully, I heard a loud booming voice.
“Announcing the arrival of Lady Carine of House Sareid!” the voice echoed throughout the room.
Immediately, I could just feel tons of eyes falling upon me. I knew the reason why, it was because I was the new face here, and everyone wanted to make sure they got a good look at it.
Trying to ignore them, I slowly walked through the hall with Leila by my side, both of us somehow keeping up composure, on the outside at least.
The hall was enveloped in a warm orange glow from the massive golden chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling above us. The room echoed the hum of a melodic tune from a string quartet playing in the corner. Had it not been for the stares acting like knives upon my back, I would’ve appreciated this atmosphere more.
I eyed the seating arrangement from where I was standing, and I realized that there weren’t that many tables. The tables themselves are small, enough to accommodate three people at most. The ones who were seated at those tables never exceeded two though, if you count out their servants standing behind them.
I was looking for an empty spot, thinking that was what I should do, but before I could make a move, a servant approached me with an almost mechanical bow.
“My lady, your seating has been arranged,” he said, his tone courteous but distant. “If you would please follow me.”
I nodded slightly in acknowledgment and followed him across the room, the sound of my heels muffled by the thick carpet. The glares kept getting sharper the closer I got to the table. I could hear them murmuring, but not what they were saying. It was times like these that I wish Carine was the one with super ears instead.
He led me to a table near the edge of the gathering, away from the central spectacle but still within view of the main floor. It wasn’t the best seat, but with my eyes that didn’t matter anyway. I’d take it.
The servant pulled out the chair for me, and I settled in with a practiced move, making sure my gown wouldn’t be crumpled or stuck under the chair legs. Leila took her place behind me, quiet as ever. Around me, the nobles had returned to their conversations, but I could still see some of them glancing my way every few seconds or so, then returning to whispering to each other while covering their faces.
Look, if you want to talk about me, at least do it facing me. I could at least read your lips that way, maybe.
As I sat there in boredom, I wondered if this was a good time to focus on Feyt. Currently, me and Eliza were still walking towards our next destination. It was an uphill walk but it surprisingly didn’t tire me out. That only meant that Fray’s training was paying off.
But before I could fully focus on the other me, the aged butler from earlier made an appearance. He stepped into the center of the room, instantly drawing every attention away from me, finally.
“Honored guests,” he began, his tone smooth and authoritative, “I wish to thank you all for coming, and it is with great pleasure to announce the arrival of His Highness, the First Prince.”
He stepped to the side, his hand extending into the grand stairs behind him. Large stained glass windows adorned the walls behind it, reminding me a bit of a church kind of. Slowly, I heard footsteps clicking with the marble surface as the room fell silent. Elongated shadows began to stretch across the stairs below.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my thumping heart. This was it. The whole reason my family wanted me to be here. If I failed this, I couldn’t even imagine what Mother would do to me. Scolding? Punishment? Maybe even exile?
Well, whoever this guy was, I needed to be friends with him.
No matter what.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]