"I already hate this," Ibbi huffed when he stepped out of the changing room dressed in the outfit that had been provided to the five. Syri looked down at the clothes he was wearing in response to the omega's comment. The three males were wearing flowy shirts with ruffled collars that rose up their necks by two inches and were tucked into a pair of high-rise, form-fitting crimson pants that enhanced their curvy figures.
"At least you don't have to show this much skin," Bevy growled as she exited her dressing room. Valri's expression was filled with shock and trauma when she joined the four in the common room. She seemed as if she saw a dead body. "Bev...why do we have to be female?!" Valri cried as she mimicked banging her head against a wall made of air.
"I get exactly what you mean," Bevy replied through slanted eyes. "At least they look cute!" The three males looked at the alpha with wide eyes as Bevy gestured to them. A knock on the door did little to stop the grumbles that continued to filter out of the alpha's mouth. Bevy looked at the maid who entered with death rays for eyes as the female inquired, "Are you ready? They are waiting for you."
"Let's just get this over with," Valri mumbled before walking up to the maid and gesturing her to lead the way. The three males followed Valri out of the room with Bevy picking up the rear.
"The banquet does not officially start for another hour, but some of the guests have already arrived, so you will be sent directly to the hall," the maid explained during the five's trip through the castle and to the banquet hall where laughter and chatter could be heard seeping through the doors. "Once inside, you will line up against the back wall until you are given a tray of either condiments or drinks. Once given a tray, you will slowly make your way around the hall and offer the guests the contents," the maid placed an emphasis on the word 'slowly' before continuing, "Do not rush your rounds. It is important the guests feel comfortable and are not rushed. Understood?"
A few "Ae" floated from the five in response to the maid who stopped in front of the heavy oaken set of doors. "Once inside, stay as quiet as possible. You will receive your wages in the morning. Good luck," the maid said as the doors were opened and the five were ushed inside.
Syri sucked in his breath as he hastily searched the room. The zeta followed the omega to stand against the back wall where a line of workers was already gathered. Once stationed, Syri continued to scour the room and released a breath when he did not see the prince. 'Whew, he's not here yet. Hopefully, I can get myself transferred to another position before he shows up.'
The five remained silent as they watched the current workers circulate through the present guests. When a worker returned with an empty tray, the next one in line would be handed a full tray and sent into the hall. The returning worker would then resume their position at the end of the line and wait until they were cycled through again.
Syri could not stop the spike in his heart rate each time an arriving guest was announced. The zeta released a short breath of relief when a group of three siblings entered the hall; the prince had yet to arrive.
"Wish me luck," Ibbi whispered when he was given a tray. Syri nodded at the omega encouragingly as Ibbi stepped away from the wall and entered the vast hall. Syri kept his eyes on the young omega and watched to make sure he was respected by the guests. Several heads turned toward the blue-haired omega as Ibbi made his way down the tables that had been positioned in U formations radiating toward the center of the hall.
At the next call, an influx of guests entered the hall. Syri was handed a tray as the newly-arrived guests took their seats. With the increase of guests, two workers would now patrol the hall at a time. The zeta sucked in his breath and sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess before stepping away from the wall. Syri made eye contact with the omega and gave Ibbi a reassuring smile before offering the contents on his tray to the guest sitting at the end of the table farthest from the center of the hall where the tables for the royals were positioned.
Chills ran down the zeta's spine as he felt several hungry gazes turn to him. Syri shook off the daunting feeling and continued his rounds despite the objectifying glances. Hardly any guest who was offered a glass of champagne from the beautiful zeta could refuse, and soon, Syri's tray was empty. The moment the last glass was given, Syri made a B-line for the wall. Ibbi, who had also completed his duty, joined the zeta in hurrying back to the safety of the workers' zone.
Much to the omega and zeta's confusion, the moment they arrived at the back wall, they were handed another round of fully-loaded trays. "Um, sir," Syri began to the beta who was managing the workers for the banquet. "We just finished our rounds."
The man smiled sympathetically at the omega and zeta before explaining, "You two made record time. The guests seem to like you, so I'd thought I'd send you out a few more times. Now, go on." Syri's heart sank at the beta's words. He would have to serve those objectifying wolves yet again. The omega and zeta could do nothing but bow and accept the duty given to them.
The chatter grew progressively louder as the guests continued to consume large amounts of spirits. During his third round, Syri sensed a set of eyes watching his every move. It was different from the ravenous gazes that stuck to him like flies to a piece of meat; it was curious and anticipating. The zeta began to trail his eyes over the rows of guests in attempt to discover the source of the curious eyes. Syri only saw reddened faces and slurred smiles until he saw found the source. Syri sucked in his breath as he locked eyes with a white-haired male sitting across the hall from where the zeta currently stood.