She rose from the tub, dried herself off, put on a robe, and shuffled back to her room. It wasn’t the biggest of bedrooms—Emily’s was far bigger—but it was spacious enough. The large bay window was cracked open, inviting the cool evening air into her room. Shivering, she walked past her bed, which was covered with several fluffy blankets, over to her wardrobe. In a swift motion, she flung the wardrobe wide open and began to peruse her many garments before selecting a bright red chiffon gown. The brightness of the gown popped against the paleness of her skin and the low neckline left little to the imagination. She wasn’t usually one who liked others to notice her, preferring to be a wallflower and blend in, but knowing that her fountain mishap had probably already circulated, she wanted to show up looking impeccable. That way, nobody would have a reason to laugh at her, especially not the prince.
Her fingers traced over her jewellery box before she picked out a pair of pearl earrings and a ruby necklace to wear. The necklace fell at her collarbone and paired nicely with the family heirloom she never took off—a white stone pendant that rested above her breasts.
Luna stood in front of the mirror, brushing her damp sunlight blonde hair free of tangles as she overheard her parents say their goodbyes to Emily before the front door opened and closed. With practiced ease, Luna wove her hair into a loose braid and twisted it into a bun at the nape of her neck, securing it with a few pins before leaving her room.
Emily sat in a chair with her ankles crossed, fingers tapping against her thigh. She wore a stunning gown made of silver silk, which fit tightly against her bodice, highlighting her curvy features. Her soft brown hair was loosely curled, with several strands pinned to her head, framing her face. A light shade of pink dusted her eyelids and lips, bringing out the rosiness of her skin. When Luna entered the room, Emily rose from her chair. With a smile on her face, Emily explained to Luna that their parents had gone ahead of them and she figured the best way to get seats next to each other was to arrive together. Luna agreed and thanked her before they left the house to join Clyde, William, and a handful of umbrella-wielding servants who escorted them to the palace.
Once inside the foyer, Luna and Emily moved past the grand staircase, its regal design taking up most of the room, over to a long art gallery. Elegant paintings and life-like statues lined the hallway to reach the Grand Hall. People were scattered throughout, some had already claimed their spots at one of the two massive tables, while others huddled together around either the large, double-sided brick fireplace in the center of the room, by the tall windows, or outside. Luna noticed Clyde was already at his post, standing by one of the many doors that led outside. She smiled. If he stayed there, later she could join him and potentially have a private moment amidst the seclusion of the balcony.
Emily grabbed Luna’s hand, and they took their seats. When they sat down, the other noblewomen began to join them. Which was no surprise; people always gathered wherever Emily went.
Venita sat across from Luna, Cecil beside Emily, and Luna spotted her parents at the other end of the table. They seemed to be deeply engaged in conversation and neither had noticed their daughters’ arrival.
At the end of the hall was a room, referred to as the glass dome. The royal family dined there, along with their invited guests of the evening. It was sectioned off, separated from the hall by panels of glass and had massive doors that were either opened or closed, depending on whether they wished to join the rest of the court or have privacy.
Luna had never received an invitation, but that didn’t bother her. The idea of sharing a meal with the royal family was extremely intimidating; she didn’t have a clue what she’d say to them. Though she imagined she’d be expected to thank the king for his care in creating all her miserable rules; which she wouldn’t do. Meaning everyone would be forced to sit in an uncomfortable dead silence. Not exactly Luna’s idea of a good time.
Emily had once been invited by the prince himself, and it had been all she could talk about for weeks. She boasted about how she had made Prince Kieran laugh and even got a few chuckles out of King Hendrix, but when Cecil got an invitation a few weeks later, Emily began to downplay being an invited guest. Apparently, it wasn’t actually a big deal after all.
As trumpets rang out to announce the king and prince, conversations hushed and the crowd opened, clearing a path to the glass dome. A few others joined them: a man whom Luna recognized as one of the king’s councilmen, a lady holding his arm who Luna imagined was his wife, and a small boy who appeared to be barely over the age of ten.
As the royal members and their guests took their seats, so did everyone else. Soon, servants brought plates filled with seasonal vegetables, potatoes, and venison. It smelled delicious, but no one dared to take a bite; all eyes fixed on the king.
King Hendrix sat in his chair, crafted from ornate mahogany, facing the rows of banquet tables. His jet-black hair flowing down to his shoulders, the tips flipped upwards, brushing against his crisp white shirt. His deep voice boomed as he spoke, its resonance echoing off the stone walls. “Blessed is our kingdom in riches of good fortune and good people.”
He raised his glass, and Luna raised hers, joining the crowd as they collectively chanted, “Glory to Grythorn, Glory to the King!”
King Hendrix took a sip of his wine, and everyone else followed suit, including Luna.
“As most of you are aware, we will be holding a protection ceremony in two days’ time to enhance the security of our beloved kingdom. Yesterday marked the final time we will ever hear of an intruder breaching our walls.”
The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause, their claps echoing. As Luna clapped, she stole a sideways glance at her sister, who regarded the king with a skeptical gaze. When Luna’s eyes met hers, her sister blinked, and the distrustful expression vanished, replaced with a pleasant smile. Luna raised an eyebrow and mouthed, “What was that?”
Emily shook her head ever so slightly, answering with a whisper, “Not now.”
Luna bit her lip, holding back her curiosity. Soon, the applause subsided and everyone waited for the king, as it was expected that he would be the first to taste the meal, to relish the initial delights of the feast.
Once he was done, everyone dove into their dishes. Luna enjoyed everything other than the venison, which remained untouched. She wasn’t a vegetarian, however she wasn’t fond of the texture of meat either.
When the members of the royal family finished their meal, the tables were promptly cleared of food—whether the rest of the attendees were done eating or not. Afterwards, musicians began to play, and people around Luna paired, flitting to the dance floor until she was the only one remaining. Dancing was another activity she was barred from, the risk of a single misstep leading to injury deemed too high.
With her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her palms, a truly unladylike pose, Luna admired the couples dancing. Venita was partnered with a tall man who had dusty brown hair named Rory; he was the son of one of the king’s councilmen and someone Venita had fancied for quite some time. A tinge of jealousy shot through Luna as she watched her friend dance with such grace, her skirts swirling around her.
No longer interested in watching the couples dance, Luna scanned the crowd for her sister. Emily stood with Cecil and a group of women huddled together off to the side. Probably gossiping. Luna couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Did Emily ever run out of things to talk about?
Prince Kieran sauntered over to the group of ladies. They immediately stopped talking and arranged their lips into polite, pretty smiles for him as they curtsied, Emily included. He must have said something funny since the ladies giggled and fanned their hands in front of their faces.
Luna frowned and reminded herself he didn’t deserve her attention after the stunt he pulled at the fountain. She went to turn away, but her body froze when she noticed that her sister was now speaking with him. He smiled at Emily, his eyes twinkling in the soft light of the room as he stretched his hand out to her. Even Luna could admit, he looked almost beautiful. His smile was so warm it seemed genuine, like Emily had been the one girl he’d been looking forward to seeing all night long.
With a little too much eagerness, at least in Luna’s opinion, Emily placed her hand in his and he swept her off to the dance floor.
Of course, Emily would capture the prince’s eye. Luna expected as much; after all, it didn’t matter that the prince was unkind to Luna. All Emily cared about was being the center of attention, and what better way to achieve that than by becoming the princess?
Against her better judgement, Luna watched them dance together. They were in their own little world, with eyes only for each other—just happy. A pang of jealousy rose in Luna’s chest. How she wished she could openly fawn over Clyde in the same way; a simple dance together in public would feel like a dream.
Luna rose, scanning the room for him. Envious women stood around openly glaring at Emily, and she smirked, knowing her sister relished the attention.
Making her way over to the nearby balcony where Clyde had been standing guard, she briefly caught Prince Kieran’s gaze. He nodded to her, but she ignored whatever message he was trying to convey. She moved past Clyde, her fingers lightly brushing against his as she made her way to stand outside. Under the pretense of guarding her, they were relatively alone, with the balcony offering a bit of privacy from the crowd. Even so, Luna maintained a respectable distance from him. Facing the opposite direction, she gazed over the railing, pretending to have found something interesting to study.
