It was the day of the party and I was running around my apartment like a headless chicken trying to get all my things gathered before Gino and Adriano arrived. We were all allowed to bring a plus one and I felt terrible for leaving Adriano by himself, therefore I asked him to be my plus one.
He was ecstatic with the idea of possibly meeting the royals. He and Gino had left to go collect our suits from the boutique we had bought them from. They had been tailored for the past few days so that it actually looked like we had put in effort.
I had even ventured off to the barber this morning to get a slight trim. Not much had changed but I felt good about it. Just as I was done cleaning my bedroom the door burst open and the two men walked in already chatting my ear off.
"I thought you said you went to the barber?" Gino frowned as he picked on my hair.
"I did," I slapped his hands away and pushed him away from me. "My hair looks great."
"If you just stepped off a roller coaster," Adriano raised his eyebrows and looked away before his head snapped back to look at me. His eyes focused on my neck and for a minute I wondered why until I remembered the necklace. "Where did you get that from?"
"Mum bought it for me," I had rehearsed that lie the whole night. I could not lie on command therefore it often needed practice.
"It's adorable, it suits you," he smiled and ruffled my hair, making it look worse. I was glad he did not think twice about it as he handed me my suit and told me to get changed. I knew they were my best friends, but how was I supposed to explain that Ezekiel had gotten me such an expensive necklace after a few weeks of knowing each other.
Plus I wanted to keep it private. I was sure I was allowed to keep things private. They did not always tell me everything from the get go. It was not lying, it was just withholding information. It felt like Ezekiel's and mine's secret. Not that there was anything going on between us. We were simply good friends now.
I changed into my black suit, white button up shirt and black tie. I hated formal shoes with everything in me so wore black converse sneakers and hoped I just blended in. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt a bit wrong about wearing a tie. It truly felt like it was strangling me, therefore I took it off, unbuttoned the first few buttons and displayed my necklace. Maybe Ezekiel would see it and approach me.
Dad would also be at the event with Mum so I definitely knew he would notice the fact I was not wearing proper formal attire. I had a feeling he had given up on trying to make me dress like a responsible twenty-eight year old and just accepted I would always be stuck in my teenage years no matter the amount of times he tried to bribe me.
Adriano was dressed in a dark green suit and Gino a navy blue one. I thought they looked extremely dapper. I looked stupid compared to them, but I did not care. I was not going to cut off my air supply just to look good for the Royals who would probably be there for an hour or two before leaving.
We climbed into Gino's BMW and he drove us to the Palace. The place was already packed by the time we got there. I immediately felt overwhelmed as I looked at the crowd of people there. Maybe I could just wait to meet the Royals then leave afterwards. There was no way in hell I was going to survive this for six to eight hours.
A valet driver took Gino's car and soon we were climbing up the stairs of the Palace with Royal guards on each side. It was hard to differentiate them because they were all dressed up the same with maroon hats that hid most of their faces. I wondered if Ezekiel also had to dress up like that since he had to be close to the King.
The party would take place by the garden I so diligently worked in every day. It was so strange to see it all decorated with multiple dining tables under a large temporarily built veranda, dance floors and bar areas. It was utterly beautiful too. One could tell we were at a Royal event.
It took me a few minutes to find my parents; Dad, the very person who I could blame my red strands for, was dressed in a black tuxedo nearly resembling mine, but he looked by far more put together. His red hair was always trimmed shortly and he never liked the idea of facial hair.
Mum, who had strawberry blonde hair; I was doomed from the beginning, was dressed in a light blue dress. Her thick curly hair was up in a ponytail and her blue eyes just seemed to make the dress look more beautiful.
"Cloud. My baby," Mum lowly squealed as I walked towards them. I loved my parents. They never forced me into anything I did not like, but they always challenged me enough so I was out of my comfort zone.
"I've missed you so much," I hugged them tightly. Even though Dad and I both worked for the Palace, we were so far apart from one another that the chances of running into each other was extremely low. The Palace was huge, just to walk from one side to the other could take about thirty minutes.
"It's lovely how the King decided to do this for us," Dad smiled.
"Yes, it's good to know that we finally exist in his eyes," I chuckled. Dad rolled his eyes and Mum tried her level best not to laugh loudly. Adriano and Gino greeted my parents afterwards and we stayed with them for thirty minutes before Dad decided to take Mum to his co-workers and we went to go get drinks.
I rarely ever drank alcohol because I hated the way it made me feel. Adriano and Gino on the other hand were so desperate for the Royals to come and leave so they could get loose. They held glasses of champagne whilst I had a light blue mock-tail. It tasted like coconuts and pineapples which I loved.
Surprisingly after an hour Royal guards stood by the doorway we had all entered the garden from. A few held trumpets and started playing them indicating the Royals were about to enter. We all stood up and waited expectantly. The first to walk through was Prince Apollo, he was dressed in a dark grey suit that one could tell was specifically made for him.
Next to him was his well-known girlfriend Maria Santos, a famous opera singer from Italy. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back into a bun and wore a beautiful black dress with ruffles. She was extremely beautiful and kind. She was well known for her charity work and just like Prince Apollo she loved the sea.
After him came Princess Iris, the youngest of the siblings and in my eyes the most beautiful. She had blonde hair that reached her waist that she never liked to do much too. I did not see why she needed to. She was beautiful without even trying. She had hazel eyes which made her look even more mystical. Plump pink lips and high cheek bones like her brothers. She was dressed in a blue ball gown with thin shoulder straps and expensive jewellery. Her smile made the entire place light up.
"Stop drooling," Adriano gently nudged my shoulder causing me to snap out of my amazement.
"I'm not," I huffed even though I felt my face was extremely hot. I looked away from my irritating best friend and looked back to the entrance.
Finally came King Adonis, he was the definition of King. Strong, tall, masculine and extremely good looking. Even though in my personal opinion Princess Iris was my favourite, I would be a fool to not give King Adonis the credit he very much deserved.
He had wavy brunette hair that reached his shoulders that he always liked to push back, he had a slight under shave which accentuated his sharp jawline and perfectly angular face. His nose was pointy and sculpted. He deserved the title of 'Best Nose in the World'. His eyes were a contrasting deep green that nearly matched the surrounding trees.
He was dressed in a black suit with his multiple medals attached to the left side of his jacket. King Adonis had spent multiple years in the army as he had to serve his country when he was still Crowned Prince. Prince Apollo as well, but he preferred not to talk about it since he was still in active service.
The King was not someone you could mess with. He was known for his authority and dignity. At times I felt he could calm down a bit and be more outgoing, until I remembered he was running such a successful country. If the King showed any sign of weakness he could be criticised.
The man did not even have any love interests, therefore leaving the title of Queen extremely empty. We all knew he had a fling with a Swedish princess when he was still a young adult, but that ended quickly when his parents unfortunately passed away in a plane crash, which made him King overnight. He was thirty-two now and had been King for over eleven years. He fit the role extremely well and not once had people had to say anything extremely terrible about him.
He had my respect.
Everyone bowed in respect for the King as he made his way to the podium to address us.
"Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman
I am extremely proud to host this event for all the Royal employees and their families. Without you the Palace would not be the success it is today. Some of you have been here since I was a baby and watched myself, and my siblings grow up to be the Royals who serve this country today.
I want to get to know each and every one of you. I want to form a genuine relationship, because we do care and we are so very grateful for you all. So without further ado, please enjoy the party."
We all clapped for him as he climbed down from the podium. A part of me found it strange that I had mentioned this to Ezekiel and he had somehow convinced King Adonis to carry through with the party. My stomach fluttered when I realized Ezekiel must have mentioned me to the Royals, maybe that was why Prince Apollo came and personally dropped off my invitation.
King Adonis, Prince Apollo and Princess Iris had a lot of people to talk to so I knew it would take them some time before they could get to me. Therefore after thirty minutes of them still talking to the group of people at the front I snuck away. I had not spotted Ezekiel anywhere, not that I fully knew his face but I hoped I would catch someone staring.
Social events made me extremely anxious and the slight disappointment of not seeing Ezekiel made me feel like I needed some time alone. I easily snuck away from Gino and Adriano then walked over to the Royal Family Tree hoping I would see him there.
Once again no one was there, but just like before a note hung from a thin yarn. I looked around hoping no one was paying any attention to me and gently took it off the branch. With trembling fingers I opened the note and smiled when I saw the familiar hand writing.
'Dear Cloud
I am so sorry I could not attend the Royal party. Unfortunately something occurred meaning I had to leave for Vasia,' Vasia was a city two hours away, 'I will be back tonight and I know it is one of your nights off, but I would like to see you. There's a pen behind the tree, please write down your response for tonight.
I look forward to your response.
Yours truly
Ezekiel'
With excitement I rushed to the back of the tree and noticed a gold fountain pen with a beautiful engraving of a dragon. It looked extremely expensive and I promised myself to reprimand Ezekiel for leaving such a pen here. Anyone could take it and sell it for hundreds.
I quickly wrote a yes and wrapped the yarn around the note then tied it back onto the tree branch I had found it on. Just as I put my hands down back to my sides I heard a voice behind me.
"What are you doing Cloud Belmont?"