Though Leo proved to be helpful in transporting me to the palace, I realized he brought me far too early, and the frantic voices of castle workers surrounded me, driving me insane as I sat beside a desk in one of the smaller rooms.
"Yes, put that there. Someone accidentally dumped the dirt out of the topiary's pot."
"No, the flowers go *inside* the vase—not outside. The petals will get in the food! Anyway, why are they roses? This isn't a wedding!"
"Do any of you even understand directions? North is *that* way! This is west. West! Damn it! Go the other way!"
*My head's going to head straight for the surface of this table if everyone doesn't stop shouting!*
Their voices—especially Akiyoshi's low tone—were incessant, but I eventually tuned them out as the start of the ceremony approached. I felt sorry for the prince; however, I was appreciative of Leo ignoring me the whole time while I waited. I rolled around a crumpled piece of paper on the table to stall. The shelves were barren and only held uninteresting economic pamphlets.
After an eternity of watching the ball reach the edge of the desk before boomeranging away, someone gently knocked on the door.
"Miss Heide?"
I turned to meet the nearly black eyes of a person standing just inside the room. They had hair clipped slightly shorter than Akiyoshi's, thick and wiry strands of the same color. Their skin was sepia, warm tones lining it, and their eyes were narrow and sharp, seeming drowsy.
"Yes?" I responded, seeing the glimmer of silver against a uniform like the one I wore.
In a harsh voice, they said, "Come up to the stage. The king wants you to get seated before the attendees are let in."
I nodded and glanced over to the clock. It seemed the visitors only had fifteen minutes—likely less—to get situated. "Of course."
I stood from the soft chair, clicking dress shoe heels against the hematite-colored floor as I passed the employee.
*I wonder who my escort is…?*
***
"Good afternoon, dignified guests of the Moon Kingdom. After many months of suffering and war, I am pleased to announce we have our first bit of good news separate from that matter."
*Of course he begins ten minutes late.*
Sitting behind Inei on the stage, I rubbed the bridge of my nose, never granted my wish for silence. People flooded in the instant I landed in the chair, and I watched them scatter like the petals of a dandelion. They rushed to the tables full of finger foods like sliders and fruit bowls, skipping past the oyakodon I requested. Eh, it at least meant I had more for afterwards, assuming the celebration would ever conclude.
"As everyone knows, the reputation of my peaceful rule was marred by the stains of conflict. When the old guard remains unchanged, tensions are guaranteed to exacerbate by the sheer weariness of being around the same people…"
As he droned on, I glanced around the audience, hopping between countless heads with different hair colors and styles. Their features were hard to make out, but I knew I'd recognize my parents if I saw them amongst the elegant black decorations of the party.
(It was unlikely for my mom to show up; she worked as a diplomat for the kingdom and constantly travelled, tricking gullible men into working with Inei and Hikaru for mutually beneficial reasons they otherwise wouldn't consider. I wished I knew more about exactly what she did, but the deepest workings of the castle were still shrouded in fog.)
"With the resignment of the beloved Mr. Ralph Heide a few months ago, I think it's time to shift the view around this administration by adding soap to clean its tarnished records…"
*Does this man only speak in metaphors?*
"I have recruited a fresh face to take his position and give me the perspective of the younger generation simultaneously with the hope of improving this kingdom. We gather here to celebrate her today."
Inei turned to meet eyes with me, giving me a warm smile.
"Miss Ophelia Heide, would you mind standing up here for everyone to see you?"
I got to my feet, knees shaky. Although the physical anxiety persisted, it and the noisiness drained me enough to where I was devoid of mental nervousness. More than anything, I just wanted to get this over with, the beating of my brain against my skull worsening.
When I was beside Inei, I bowed to everyone, and they clapped, plenty of audience members choosing to cheer loudly. They meant it in good spirits, but a nice moment of silence was a more pleasant alternative for veneration. A few listeners booed me, and I wanted to curse at them, knowing exactly the kind of people they were.
From the new angle, I attempted to look further back in the throng, spotting a husband and wife sobbing while clinging to each other in this unexplored area. I smiled at my parents as I provided a short statement to the public.
"Greetings, everyone. I look forward to serving this kingdom well, and I will do everything I can to help things run smoothly for the benefit of everyone."
I was surprised by the fluidity with which I spoke, though apathy was my greatest friend in moving things along without a hitch. The crowd seemed impressed, so I guessed I did exactly what I was supposed to as Inei gave me a thumbs-up from behind his stand.
"You've heard her, everyone. Starting tomorrow, she will be a new member of my council as an advisor. I hope you all and the other members of my administration will look after her. With that,"—he spread his hands outwards, swiping over the petals of yellow roses—"let the night's celebration commence!"
*Now my ears can take a break!*
As if on cue, a violinist plucked a string, and a nearby orchestra launched into a slow, melodic tune.
*Perhaps I spoke too early…*
The strings led the number, the percussion almost entirely excluded except for the occasional bass drum holding the beats together. Woodwinds embellished the top and floated with cascading minor scales. Rare bursts of brass were the icing on the cake; they added a sense of dynamics to the otherwise monotonous music. The ensemble played a long instrumental before Gaeul walked in front of them. Fiddling with a music stand, he sang in a rich, soulful voice. It was not smooth but instead rough around the edges. Somehow, it fit the desperate tone of the song perfectly.
"What's with this music choice?" someone near the front of the audience asked. "Isn't this a party? This is too dreary."
*Then what's *your* taste? Maybe you don't want to cry, but I might!*
When people headed away from the center of the floor, red rose petals lined the ground, covering it like confetti. They blew with the internal wind of the castle and swirled around until they were almost whole flowers again.
Plenty of roses remained in place while in purple vases that peeked at the banquet from the middle of black tables. Dragging my eyes across the bright splotches of color, I strolled down the stage, seeing the castle from the perspective of the attendees—an expansive field of unending dark colors.
Passing by one of the tables, something bright caught my eye. I looked beyond the roses, and I walked in the direction opposite of a girl wearing a white version of the same outfit as mine. Short blonde hair contrasted with bronze skin, and she turned to me with green irises, smiling as she continued her path forward with a slight limp.
Even as she moved beyond me, I stopped to look back at her. She was an oddity, interesting in a sense alongside the deep tones of everything else as her cape trailed along the floor. With the key change in the ballad, my heart swayed with it.
*Who are you to walk in dressed like a noble?*
"Miss Heide."
I swivelled my head to see Inei behind me, towering over me with his stature.
"Yes, Your Highness? I also hope you know: I'm fine with being called Ophelia."
"Okay, Ophelia." He grinned. "How are you feeling after that? Nervous? Exhausted?"
"The staff gave me a headache earlier, so I'm definitely tired. Nervous?" Thinking, I hummed. "I was before I got here, Your Highness, but it seemed to fizzle out when I turned my brain off and went with everything."
Inei laughed. "You already learned the biggest lesson about public speaking. Now, I don't have anything to teach you."
Smiling, I asked, "I shall take that as a good thing…?"
"Of course. Being a fast learner is a benefit around here. I think it is anywhere."
I nodded to him, accepting the compliment.
"Anyway," he then said, trying to shout over the climax of the ballad, "I'll let you go enjoy the party. After all, this celebration is for you."
I bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."
He chuckled as if he knew something I didn't. "Yes, yes. I'll see you in the morning."
"What time?"
He took a moment to consider that, shrugging. "Whenever you want. I need to find my son now. See you then."
*Are you serious? Are you running a bathhouse or a kingdom here?*
My eye almost twitched as he skipped off, surprisingly happy for someone fresh out of a war ending in a deuce. I decided I needed to find my parents next, sure they were ready with praise and gifts. On top of that, I hadn't seen my mom in over a month, and I dearly missed her in my life.
*Let's see… I spotted them just a minute ago…*
I pushed through the crowd in search of my parents, tripping over long gowns and large trench coats. (The entire party felt like a waste of fabric.) Making my way back to the area of the room in which I noticed them, I stumbled through the black and purple sea until a hand gripped my shoulder tightly. It stopped me dead in my tracks and almost made me flip in the air.
"Why, hello, Miss Advisor."
Offended, I swivelled towards the owner of the hand, trailing my eyes over the connected arm until I met two large, sparkling eyes and a grin with a snaggletooth poking out. The woman's radiant blonde hair was slicked back to expose her forehead as she radiated a kind and friendly aura. It contrasted with her harsh grip on my shoulder, and the sublime features clicked a switch in my head that resulted in a racing heartbeat and wide eyes.
*It's you from behind the roses.*