ocean-life Chapter 39: A Gift From Someone Special
Chapter 39: A Gift From Someone Special
Chapter 39: A Gift From Someone Special
The arrival of the beasts from the Beast Kingdom, under the lead of Rhaegar, the notorious Lycan King, was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Despite their menacingly large figures, they strode into the banquet hall with a quiet, commanding presence, their tall, powerful forms clad in robes of midnight black.
Each robe shimmered in the light, adorned with intricate golden embroidery woven from genuine gold thread—an extravagance reserved exclusively for royalty. The embroidery traced patterns of ancient sigils and symbols, their brilliance accentuating the strength and regality of the wearers.
Onlookers could not help but stare, captivated by the striking contrast of black and gold, a symbol of wealth, mystery, and power that left them in silent admiration.
As if by a snap of someone's powerful figures, all of a sudden, that stunned haze, that foggy trance, dissipated, and it seemed as if the atmosphere had gone to normal once again.
The uncomfortable glances kept lingering on the beasts' moving bodies, a blend of both fear and admiration in their eyes. It was clear that the humans did not want to socialize with the beasts but at the same time, they could not give up the accepted norms of the etiquette.
Whether they liked it or not, the nobles of the three human kingdoms had to greet the King of Beasts and offer him their congratulations in order to officially recognize him as their new king.
Lorelai watched the beasts from afar and could not help but notice that even though all the others present at the banquet despised the mere nature of such creatures, their curious and fascinated gazes still followed their every move with unshakable astonishment.
It was not really surprising. Compared to all the humans surrounding them, the beasts stood out no matter what they did.
Their tanned skin, their dark hair, their sharp features, and strong bodies,––they were the features possessed by true warriors; the true warriors who were not entirely human. Or not human at all.
At the far end of the banquet hall, lingering closely to Queen Althea, stood her loyal lady-in-waiting, wearing a long, relatively reserved green dress, white lace gloves, and of course, the most astonishing finishing touch of that ensemble––the green diamond necklace.
Lucia could not help but keep moving her hands up to her neck, awkwardly pretending to fix the necklace or rearrange her long, fair hair in a way that would cover the diamonds. She hated that everyone could see it. Everyone was already talking about it.
As her deep blue eyes moved from the Crown Prince over to Princess Lorelai, she frowned, her lips curving down in disgust. Even during such an important event, his eyes were set only on his stepsister.
"Lady Lucia!" She winced as she heard someone call her name and groaned internally. It was another lady-in-waiting from the queen's palace, Lady Drella, who enjoyed nothing more than gossiping around and spreading unsavory rumors about virtually every person she knew.
"You seem to be quite busy this evening, Lady Drella," Lucia started, struggling to hide a frown of irritation. "I haven't seen you since the banquet started."
"Indeed," Drella nodded, "there is just so much going on right now! But of course, I could not simply ignore you, especially when you are wearing such an exquisite piece of jewelry on your slender neck! If you stood directly under the chandelier, you would blind everyone in here! Was it a gift from someone special?"
She giggled but Lucia did not appreciate that joke. She knew what Drella really meant and if they were alone, she would have slapped that woman so hard just to show her what it feels to actually "bite one's tongue".
"Thank you, Lady Drella. It was indeed a precious gift so it was only natural that I would wear it on such an important occasion."
Lucia faked a smile and Drella took the hint, skillfully changing the subject to a more pleasant one.
"So, what do you think about the beasts, Lady Lucia?"