They all jumped into the preparations right away.
The whole castle was rinsed anew of high energy, filled with the excited cacophony of the maids and butlers as they trifled in with the hubbub of the decorative processions.
Ila made sure to look after Sorine's workload and sure enough, she received enough in her list to back up and compensate for all the lack of the share of her work she had been excused to fill in before. It didn't bother her much of the workload and she was glad to make use of herself in the castle.
The day came faster than expected, the sweeping view of the castle of gilded walls. The banquet was to take place in the procession room of the castle where the king often sought counsel from his advisors and subjects. It was a sprawling room with a high gold plated ceiling and hanging from these gold ceilings were sparkling white chandeliers that reflected all the gold in the room. The floor was waxed till it shone brighter than the gold and it was of gold-tinted tiles that extended far and wide into the large room. In the middle of the left side of the room hung the head of a huge golden dragon with its jaw wide open and its metal tongue stretching out for the gilded throne to rest on the tip of it. Like the throne arose from the Dragon's tongue. It rested high on a raised podium, a dais that can be accessed by small steps of stairs on the corner of the dais.
The decorations for the banquet were distinct with a significant color of blue banners, the color code for the Crown Prince adorning the walls just above the windows with decorated glass. The color code was royal blue inked within the usual gold of the castle. It stood in stark contrast and embellished against the royal blue was pretty pastels of roses and chrysanthemums that was to be kept alive for the whole of seven days by the power of the Royal Oracle's magic— The Royal Oracle was a commoner blessed with the magic of the Faerye and it came rarely in the generations of rulers. King Lemarke, the current ruler is said to be blessed by the ancestors due to the fact that both he and the presence of a royal Oracle were bestowed with magic. The flowers hung on the walls did add a little extra finery with droplets of whole glitter sprinkling down from the core of the seeds of the roses and chrysanthemums.
It was six in the evening and guests had already begun to filter into the procession hall yet the king seat remained starkly empty.
The maids were given a different code of presentable uniform as it would make them blend in more into the background so they were presented with dresses made of golden yellow satin that made them a part and parcel of the setting. Sorine was dressed in it, a golden dress that flowed out to the floor in an A-line design and a tight torso that hugged her particularly around the waist. It pronounced her figure. She was stacking sparkling diamante glass tumblers for champagne when a pair of lips came, brushing against her ear. She jolted in surprise.
"You look heavenly." The voice whispered into her ear.
She smiled to herself, recognizing the voice. His hands came up, tracing against her shoulders that were covered in the gold fabric that was a stark contrast against her chestnut skin. The dress curved around her neck in a square neckline and it was a long lantern sleeve.
"I could lock you up right now."
'Eric." She warned, nudging his hands off her shoulders. She hated it when he spoke like this. It was suffocating, to say the least. It felt weird when he constantly rambled on about shutting her up in his room or building a room just to keep her in. But she chose to think that he may have meant it well. Maybe She was just convincing herself at this point but she couldn't bear to be the judge of it at the moment.
"What are you doing here?" She asked hurriedly, eyes rolling around in the kitchen. Thankfully, there was nobody around. It was either a glad coincidence or he had sent everyone out without her noticing.
"I can't come here to see you?" He answered softly but there was a slight suspicious lilt to his voice and he looked a little nervous for the first time in months.
They knew each other too well to let that pass by unnoticed and Sorine looked at him through a new scrutinizing lens. She fully turned to Eric, frowning.
"What's wrong?'
"What? Oh, nothing."
"Eric." She called out, reprimanding. She set down her tray properly down on the counter beside her.
"It's truly nothing, my Sinne." He smiled, caressing a knuckle along her cheek.
Now he was acting ever more suspiciously serious. It was an important day for him and they had woken up together this morning, having stayed up late together last night. It was his birth week and she'd gifted him a small ring that she had smuggled into the castle with much difficulty as he banned her from ever going out of the protection of its golden walls. She was glad for Mary's presence as it was all possible because of her. All she could have managed with no ally in the castle all alone was a shard of broken glass that could be deemed beautiful that she could have given him.
He stared at her intensely and took a deep breath in.
"Listen, I told you I'd make you my queen, didn't I?"
"You did." She laughed, she didn't believe that he would actually do that and it was completely fine if he couldn't accomplish it.
"Whatever happens from now on, I only want you to keep on trusting me."
"Why? What's gonna happen?"
Eric had a dream. He was going to have his happily ever after with Sorine for sure. He was going to make it happen. By hook or by crook. The Royal decree had forbidden every member of the royal family from taking in an official spouse of non-noble blood. That meant that as long as it was not removed, Eric cannot wed or officially claim Sorine as his lover. But he had a plan. He would eradicate the decree when he took over as the King. But it would not happen as long as the present king is still alive and he was still quite healthy to hand over the throne to Eric.
"Just trust me okay."
She nodded silently, resting her forehead on his. She had a bad feeling creeping her limbs but she decided to ignore it.
The number of guests had significantly increased and the hustle-bustle of the room had definitely gone up as well. Sorine quickly carried over the tray of wine tumblers over, her dress fluttering with each step she took. The tumbler she carried was for a huge champagne tower to increase the embellishment of gold in the room. There was so much gold in the room that her eyes were blinded.
Sorine stopped midway as she saw movement on the gold dais where the king seat was situated.
It was the king and the Crown prince Erasmus 'Eric' Von Lemarke.
Her Eric. She smiled to herself at the thought.
His silver hair shone among the gold, swept back and looking slightly ruffled by the breeze. He wore a beautiful set of dark blue royal attire— an official royal coat that had an asymmetrical collar and a small chain attached to the side pocket. A belt was fastened on top of the coat completing the look with dark blue pants that tapered down his ankle perfectly. On the other hand, the king was wearing a large fur cloak, possibly an Ice Beast fur coat from his game hunt, layered with red felt underneath. Newar was not an excessively cold kingdom but the sun wasn't that significant in its weather either. The capital seemed to be dipped in eternal autumn light.
But the King and the Prince looked truly regal. Fitting of the Royals, Sorine thought.
The king's voice boomed throughout the hall.
"We have gathered today to celebrate the Crown Prince's birth week. I am truly elated to take to this special occasion to announce a glad surprise. The Prince will be getting engaged. We shall be celebrating his engagement through this turn of events as well."