Delina finished taking her bath and saw a dress hanging next to the bed, which she hadn't noticed was there until then. She touched the fabric, which was soft and slightly cool. The dress was silver, with some designs on the sleeves, in blue. The sleeves, by the way, were long and more open near where the hand should be. It was as if the sleeve itself had a tail, just like the skirt of the garment. The middle, starting from the waist, to the floor, the dress had an opening in the first layer, leaving the bottom layer exposed. In the case of this dress, the color underneath was the same shade of blue as the embroidery on the sleeves and hem of the dress.
The girl saw that, next to the dress, there were some other pieces that she understood to be the underwear. The problem was, she had no idea how to wear those. As she was thinking, a knock on the door, followed by the female voice of one of the maids, begged to be entered. Delina authorized entry and the two girls from earlier entered the rooms.
"We're here to help you get dressed, my lady." The fullest spoke.
"Thanks. By the way, what's your name?" Delina asked, as the pale young lady held up what looked like a pair of lightweight, ruffled shorts.
"My name is Sofia." Said the pale one.
"And mine is Martha." The fullest spoke.
"Nice, mine is Delina. And please don't keep calling me 'my lady'. This is very strange for me. I am no noble."
The two girls looked at each other and just lowered their heads, as if in agreement.
As soon as Delina finished putting on her clothes, Martha asked her to sit on the dressing table chair, as they would now fix her hair. As Delina's hair was long, they chose to leave it looser and just braided it in the front, like a tiara. They decorated this 'tiara' with some tiny flowers that Delina didn't know the name of, but which gave off a sweet scent.
"Master Suindara awaits you, My...Delina." Martha spoke, and when Delina turned her back to them, Sofie gave her friend a light elbow.
Delina left the room and a guard was outside, waiting for her. He bowed, placing his right arm across his chest. When he looked up, Delina saw it was the same man who had nearly punished her earlier. Those eyes were unmistakable.
"Please accompany me. Lord Suidara is waiting for you to dine." He looked like a different person, so much more polite and respectful. Delina bit her lip, but said nothing. She didn't want to cause the man any kind of discomfort and, who knows, that could make him go back to his irritable behavior, like before.
"Thanks." That's what she said, in a low voice.
They walked slowly through long corridors, until he broke the silence.
"I apologize for my behavior earlier, my lady." He said. From the tone of his voice, he seemed to be a much older man than she, approaching or even past thirty years old.
"You do not need to say sorry. I understand that you were nervous and irritated that I appeared out of nowhere and almost caused an accident." She spoke, giving him a slight smile.
"My lady must not apologize to a mere man of the royal guard." He stopped and turned to her, who had to look up as he was so tall. "Never apologize like that."
She blinked a few times, stunned. He turned around, without another word, and continued walking. She snapped out of her trance and followed quickly.
They stopped in front of a huge wooden gate, carved with gold accents. The man, who until then had not introduced himself, opened the doors. Delina made a mental note to ask his name the next time she saw him.
Suindara was sitting at the table at the head of it and, hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned to look. When his eyes landed on Delina, all dressed up like a young noble lady, he swallowed hard. She looked too much like her mother. Suindara had met the King and, until then, had never been in love, but Queen Maisie, as soon as he looked at her for the first time, his heart was stolen. When Rowan introduced her as the queen of that kingdom, Suidara felt the world below him being sucked into a terrible vortex, which suffocated him.
"Lord Suindara?" Delina called him a few times, until he came back to reality.
"Oh, dear. Sorry, I was here lost in thoughts. Forgive this old man." He spoke, standing up and bowing to her, then he took one of her hands and brought it to his lips. At that moment, Delina felt a lump in her throat, controlling the urge to pull her hand from his.
"No problem." She spoke, her voice weak.
"Sit down." He pointed to the chair at his right side. She sat up and looked at the rest of the huge, empty table. A few servants were standing in the corners, not looking directly at them. The man who had taken her from the room was still standing a little behind Suindara, his arms at his sides, motionless.
"Are we going to eat just the two of us?" She asked.
"Yes, there is no one else in the castle." Suindara said, taking his place. Delina looked at the guard. Suidara followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes. "Unless Petrus wants to join us." He spoke and Delina saw the eyes of the man she had now learned the name, widened.
"Thank you, My Lord, but I need to take care of some affairs. If you'll excuse me." He spoke, bowing in the same way as before, and when Suindara made a sign with his fingers indicating that his departure was authorized, Petrus was gone.
"He is the general of our royal guard." Suindara said and looked at Delina, but realized that her interest in the other man was not romantic. He felt some relief.
"He seems like a good man." She said and turned to Suindara. "This castle is huge, by the way. If it weren't for him, I don't think I would have found this dining room ever."
"Yes, the castle is majestic, as a castle should be, even more so in a magnificent kingdom like this one here. And you will learn the routes, my dear, don't worry." He said, while looking at her with a strange smile. Unlike the impression she had of Suindara before, this time she felt that he was looking at her differently. It bothered her.
The table was immense, made of stone, surrounded at the edges by a layer of wood and gold. The chairs were tall, almost like little thrones, dark wood like the edge of the table. There were at least twenty chairs on each side. This was a banquet room, not a simple dinner.
"Do you always dine here?" She questioned him as the food was served. She saw that there were many dishes there.
"Sometimes. I usually prefer to eat in the living room of my own bedroom." He replied, holding up the silverware. "What do you want to eat?" He asked. Delina looked again at what was laid out in front of her. Something that looked like a different chicken, steamed vegetables, salad leaves and strawberries, wild boar...
"Oh, it could be the chicken." She said.
"Pheasant, my dear." Suindara corrected her. She raised her eyebrows, as if she understood.
"I've never eaten this before." She declared and he just smiled. Before any servant could serve her, he did it himself. "Thanks."
"There is nothing to be thankful for."
They ate in silence. Delina tried to taste a bit of everything, and whenever her plate was empty, Suindara offered to serve her. Wine was served, which she did not want to drink. So it was just water. 'How I miss a cold coke right now...' she thought, while drinking from her cup.