AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You see. You speak, and yet I’m also victimized,” King Arjun replied, glaring at Gale, who just shrugged and opened his hands to them.
“I’ve been very nervous about this part,” Dema whispered to me. “Save me if I make any mistakes.”
She was asking me to save her. She was soft and graceful all the time.
“Why would you be nervous?” I whispered back.
“I told you”—she leaned in more to speak directly in my ear—“I married him as a commoner.”
“I am a commoner, too,” I reminded her.
“Yes, but your background is similar to theirs,” she replied. “I grew up very poor from a very small village. I never thought I would see the capital, let alone all the world. And each time I step out, I see how big the world is, and how much I don’t know about it.”
“I’ll try my best to keep everything on things we both know,” I replied, taking her hand. “And if all else fails, we will just talk to each other and make them wonder.”
She grinned, squeezing my hand. “Thank you.”
I nodded as we walked down the rest of the stairs together and then moved into our places in front of the door. We made sure to put a level of seriousness on our faces.
“Their Royal Majesties King Galahad and Queen Odette of Ersovia, King Arjun and Queen Dema of Bhutan.” The doors at the bottom opened to a whole throne room of people. I knew there were 102 guests. And yet when they were together like this, everyone dressed in their best formal dress, women in tiaras and men with medals of honor…now bowing directly at us, I remembered why Dema was nervous.
Everyone expected a king and queen to behave a certain way, speak, and move with regalness at all times. If we messed up, it was almost like we had ruined the splendor and honor of the night. I could feel it as we all walked out, shoulders back, head up, solemn-faced…we were doing our part to live up to their expectations.
I said nothing as Gale led me forward, the people parting like the Red Sea before Moses, to where the throne chairs had been kept. Next to mine was a small engraved chair with red velvet seats. Just like the one beside Gale’s throne…though King’s Arjun’s was a little bit bigger and had accents of gold. We rarely ever sat on these chairs. In fact, most of the time, they were just a backdrop for pictures. Gale led me forward, and Arjun separated from him so he could stand beside Dema.
I turned to see the faces of some of the richest, most influential people from both our countries, not even flinching on their gazes.
“I welcome you all to Bellecoeur Palace.” Gale began to speak, and no one made even the slightest noise. “Some of your faces, I know. Others have come with King Arjun. Who, when I first met him as a prince, I did not seem to understand, the grace, the peace that surrounded King Arjun. He seemed to live in a different world than my own. And because I did not understand, in my youth, I mocked, much to my chagrin now, as I see what I failed to notice before. That peace and grace came from a place of pure, upstanding integrity. When you live a life of kindness, of acceptance, you’re a point of happiness. I did not know that then, but I know now. He will say that is my growth. He is right. I stand honored to call this man and his wife friends of mine and the kingdom of Ersovia. You are always welcome here, my friend,” he said, turning and outstretching his hands to him.
King Arjun accepted with a polite head nod, and suddenly there were a few flashes that nearly made me dizzy as they took their pictures.
When Gale took his seat on the throne, so did King Arjun, and when I did, so did Dema. She sat quietly and calmly. I really wanted to break the silence, but I couldn’t. For the same reason, she couldn’t. Instead, I did my best to listen to King Arjun as he spoke. The truth was I was starving. I ate before because I knew this would take some time, but still, it felt like forever before we could actually move from the throne chairs and mingle with everyone else. That meant one more step until dinner.
“How much longer before we eat?” Dema whispered to me as we began our walk around the room behind our husbands.
“I swear you are reading my mind,” I whispered back.
“Your Majesties.” Prime Minister Hermenegild bowed his head toward us. “You both are breathtakingly beautiful this evening.”
“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister,” I replied as Dema became slight once more and nodded her head to him.
He didn’t say more and just walked off to join the rest of his party…which was clearly on the opposite of where Gale was.
“You all aren’t close?” she asked me.
I wanted to answer truthfully, but I just smiled. “I am not involved in anything political.”
Getting it, she nodded.
“Here they come,” I whispered as the duchesses, countesses, and other noble ladies began their descent on us.
She inhaled, and her shoulders rolled back like we were about to go into battle…but then again, we were.
“Sir, we have a problem,” Wolfgang spoke directly into my ear as I kept the smile on my face.
“Excuse me one moment,” I said to the Duke of Ioco, before turning from the group I was near and looking back at him, waiting.
“The queen’s sister is demanding to be let inside,” he replied as I had asked him to keep me updated on anything involving the sister. I knew she was going to bring trouble. Whether it be on purpose or not. But more than likely, it was purposefully.
