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“Come in,” I said awkwardly, ignoring them both. I stepped aside, allowing him to stride into our room as I tucked a loose curl behind my ear.
“Miles, thank you so much!” Vallie said as she rushed over to her twin, giving him a small peck. “You’re a lifesaver.”
Miles made a point to look disgusted as he swiped off the red stain left on his cheek from her kiss before he glanced at me again.
Vallie purred, now talking to the pair of heels she was clinging to her chest, “I missed you, my babies.”
“I can’t believe they are making everyone go to this banquet to parade all the females around. It’s barbaric.” Miles grumbled as Vallie leaned over her desk, buckling her heels to her feet.
“What are you talking about, Miles?” Vallie remarked. “I believe everyone, and I meaneveryone,wants to be Sie’s wife.”
“Not everyone,” he said under his breath.
“Ah, okay, come on now.” She smiled, pulling me by the shoulders. “Scottie and I don’t want to be late to be in the presence of the hottest guy ever.”
“Okay, I’m coming,” I laughed. She’d emphasized the wordhottesta little too much just to annoy her brother.
I looked over at Miles and gave him a smile. He frowned as I grabbed my favorite pair of white, flat boots and ran after Vallie.
“I’ll come back to your dorm later so we can go out and drink,” Miles said before the door shut in his face. Right, because I’d promised them both, days earlier, that I would drink with them tonight. I pushed the thought away for now as I followed my best friend toward the Hub of campus.
There were a total of four large, black vans that were leaving LakeWood. I’d never been in one before as they were exclusively saved for the higher rank and rarely ever utilized in LakeWood. Vallie and I managed to grab seats on the second one.
As I sat down next to her, I never felt more out of place. I was the only female not dressed up, and although five others were wearing the same uniform as me, they were all males, and none were in this vehicle. Lace, silk, ruffles, beads, diamonds, jewels, and beautiful gowns surrounded me.
I was slightly relieved Vallie had done my hair and makeup, just to help me blend in more. I thought wearing my uniform would let me go unnoticed, but I quickly realized it was doing the opposite. Among so many stunning gowns and dolled up smiling, jittering faces, I stuck out like a bright star on a cloudless winter night.
Everyone was cheerful and giddy, excited for what the night would bring. I heard the Prince’s name brought up too many times to count during the ride over as I tried my best to block out all the conversations stirring around.
Mostly the girls just gossiped about how muscular he looked, how mysterious he was, or how good in bed they thought he’d be. Not one person talked about his rule, what kind of King he would make, or how this would affect our Kingdom.
“Did you see his abs when his shirt ripped?” the female in front of me asked her friend.
“Yes! Seriously, he has like an eight-pack, and I’ve never seen calves that large before,” her friend responded. “Imagine him picking you up…”
I rolled my eyes, managing to block them out.
Vallie was busy gossiping with someone who had taken a seat across from us, so I decided to look out the window during the ride. A rush of excitement jolted through me as I realized this would be the first time I left LakeWood.
The banquet was being held in Addler, the village closest to our school, but still a long ride away. I found myself searching for bodies of water, hoping to see an ocean whiz by the window. I soon discovered that if I had managed to climb those mountains, it would have been futile.
We passed by a few lakes and rivers, more mountain ranges, most with snow-capped tops, and—to my surprise—extensive forests, but never an ocean. The closer our drive got to Addler, the denser the world around us became. I knew Luxian ground users had added various vegetation throughout the Kingdom inside our borders, but I’d never seen it before. The trees were glorious, and I realized that I loved the forest. I wanted to explore it, to see what wonders were kept inside. But to my disappointment, our van maintained its path on the long road of Laten.
When we finally arrived in Addler, the sun was shifting in the sky. Hues of orange and yellow scattered across the horizon, casting everything with light. I was so thankful that this was happening during the summer months, that I’d be able to see everything. I looked around, scanning the village with a new kind of excitement. There were a few mountain peaks, but not as many as LakeWood had.
The few ranges were pretty to admire. It was nice to not feel trapped by them. I already liked Addler a lot more than LakeWood for that reason alone, but what really caught my eye was the green.
The deep forest we passed on the drive seemed to surround the village. I saw the timber and wood and leaves through the tinted windows of the van, but to see it in person, with clear eyes, was something else. Trees, large and small, were scattered across Addler. Moss and vines traveled up the bark, masking the thickness of the trunks. The trees weren’t as dense as the ones in the forest, but still beautiful. I inhaled deeply as scents of pine and cedar filled my nostrils. It was refreshing and clean.
As we made our way through the crowd toward the grand building, I couldn’t help but shiver as the wind stung my face, sweeping my hair into a flowing cascade behind me. The air was colder here. Even though LakeWood was the closest village to the shield, it had more mild temperatures because it sat at a lower elevation. The frigid air only worsened the farther inward you traveled.
I was thankful for my shirt’s long sleeves, even though it was thin. Most of the females were wearing dresses that left their entire arms exposed. I didn’t know how they were managing.
The building we arrived at was massive. Beautiful, white clay scaled its length with full windows framed in flowers and greenery. A garden stretched around the perimeter. It was so peaceful and serene that I could hear different birds chirping that lived within the shield.
Once we were ushered inside through the opulent front doors, I was greeted by a wave of heat that hugged my body. I embraced it as I frantically rubbed my hands up and down my arms, willing warmth into them. Being from Lux, the cold affected my body more fervently and faster than someone from Tennebris.
“Wow, it’s so…” I struggled to find the right word to describe what I was seeing as I craned my head to look around. “Lavish,” I finally settled on. So many words could be used to describe this banquet hall: posh, extravagant, grand…
