The massive courtyard of Throuvalon was filled with enigmatic chatter from all the noble families that littered the whole castle. The thuds of the heels of the women clanked loudly against the marbled floor, while the gentlemen were busy attending to their partners.
Half of the kingdom's servants were busy checking the decorations and doing final touches, while the cook servants were all exhausted in the kitchen preparing for the feast.
Today is the princess' fifteenth birthday, and everyone in the kingdom was in high spirits for the celebration of the princess' coming of age.
The queen merrily greeted every visitor that arrived at the venue with their exorbitant ballgowns and suits. The whole kingdom had become a parade of lavish displays of elegance from the noble families.
Suddenly, the courtyard's vivacious noise dwindled into a complete silence when a black, opulent limousine parked in front of the entrance.
A tall, middle-aged chauffeur, wearing an all-black suit and a black cap perched atop his head, emerged from the driver's seat and walked casually towards the back part of the limousine, opening it with a collective demeanor.
The barons ogled curiously at the newly arrived visitor, whispering to themselves their guess at who this might be with a wine glass in their hands.
While the high-ranking aristocrats waited patiently in their seats for the new visitor.
A foot came in display clad with a black, bejeweled heels. A fair, petite middle-aged woman dressed in black, sparkling long-sleeved gown came out of the limousine.
"It's Duchess Matilda!" One of the baron's wife softly exclaimed upon catching the sight of the woman.
"Duchess Matilda? You mean, the wife of the most influential Duke of the kingdom of Malta?" One woman audibly responded with a slight gasp coming out of her mouth.
Another woman leaned towards the fiest woman who reacted and whispered. "I heard they rarely accept invitations from our King and Queen, I wonder why they were here now."
Quizzical brows turned to the direction of the woman who stood there waiting, perhaps for the duke to come out.
Another foot came out of the door of the limousine. Everyone waited for the duke to come out. However, a young and tall honey-blonde teenaged boy clad in dark navy tuxedo with a white bow in his neck, emerged from the car instead of the duke.
The ogling crowd patiently waited for the newly arrived visitors to finally enter the grand courtyard.
The young boy offered his arm to his mother, which the Duchess proudly accepted. The two became an instant celebrity amongst the gawking spectators. They walked the red-carpet laid on the small staircase towards the grand courtyard, elegance and an air of grace surrounds the two aristocrats.
Most of the attendees were nobles, but these two was just another league compared to most of them.
Especially the Duchess whose composed gaze was fixated on the king and queen who was sitting to their thrones at the elevated platform. And her son, despite the young age, was handling the crowds' stare in the most gracious manner—politely bowing at the nobles and smiling at them.
"Your Majesty, may I present to you the Duchess Matilda of Malta and her son, the young Lord Bryson of Malta." The attending officer announced in front of King Andruche.
The newly arrived visitors bowed to the king and queen.
"Greetings to you, King Andruche and Queen Ysmena. The Duke regretfully couldn't attend Princess Aurnia's birthday due to some urgent work that he must attend first." The queen somberly told the king in the most dignified voice that enthralled half of the noble guests. She, then flashed the king and queen with a huge smile, and continued, "But, he bids the princess a happiest birthday."
"Welcome to the kingdom of Throuvalon, Duchess Matilda and young Lord Bryson. It is indeed regretful that the Duke couldn't come, but I hope that both of you will enjoy the celebration and Throuvalon." The king greeted the two guests back with a huge smile plastered in his face.
"Your son is a very good-looking one, he will surely grow up more attractive than he is now." Queen Ysmena complimented the young Lord who couldn't help but blush slightly after receiving a praise from the queen.
After a few more chats, King Andruche and Queen Ysmena stood up from their thrones and walked together towards the grand staircase that leads to the second floor.
Much to everyone's curiosity, the two guests followed them.
"Do you think our kingdom will finally accept the trading offer from the kingdom of Malta?"
"Perhaps, or they could be plotting an arranged marriage between the princess and the Duke's son."
All of the nobles who heard it nodded in agreement.
***
Aurnia heard three knocks on her door while checking herself out in front of the large vanity mirror inside her chamber.
"Come in." She yelled at her personal attendant.
Aurnia's lady maid came in while bowing her head slightly. "Your Highness, Queen Ysmena is here to see you." The maid announced and exited out of the door.
She paused for awhile and gawked at her reflection with furrowed brows. 'Why is mother here all of a sudden?' She wondered.
Her mother came with a bright smile, "My beautiful daughter… I am absolutely certain that anyone would fall to such beauty." She proudly beamed and sat down on the high-back cushioned chair in the center of her room.
The princess met her mother's gaze through the mirror. She smiled back at the queen.
"But, of course, such exquisite beauty doesn't deserve anything less." Her mother added with a haughty expression that made her arch her brows.
"What are you even saying, Mother?" She asked her kiddingly.
"I was just saying Aurnia." Her mother shrugged and looked at her reflection with a proud gaze. "You are the kingdom's most precious treasure, my sweet daughter. One day, you will rule not just this kingdom, but two kingdoms."
This time, Aurnia finally turned to her mother. "You're not making any sense, mother. Father only rules Throuvalon, so, what are you blabbering about?" She nervously chuckled and went back to look at her reflection.
The queen stood up and approached her, something dangling between her fingers.
"Forget what I just said, my Aurnia. Anyway, I came here to give you… this." She said and revealed a dainty, diamond necklace in front of her.
She exclaimed, her eyes gaped open in surprise. "Isn't this grandmother's necklace?" She asked her mother excitedly.
The queen enthusiastically nodded at her reflection, "It is! Your grandmother passed this necklace to me in my fifteenth birthday as well." The queen looked at her and beamed, "Now, this is your turn to have this necklace." The queen unlocked the necklace's lock and put it around her neck.
She couldn't help but touch the diamond pendant on the center of her collarbone. The necklace majestically completed her whole look.
The queen rested her palms on her shoulder blades and looked straight to her eyes with teary eyes.
"Don't cry, mother, or else I will think that you were forced to give me the necklace because of family's legacy." She quipped to stop her dramatic mother from bawling her eyes out.
The queen gracefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and chuckled. "I have another request from you, my sweet Aurnia, and I really hoped you won't decline my request." The queen suddenly blurted out.
Aurnia was playing with the diamond, "What is it, mother?" She asked her mother in an eager tone.
"Well, the Duchess of Malta and her son had finally accepted our kingdom's invitation and I wanted them to enjoy your birthday celebration… " The queen deliberately paused to check her expression, but Aurnia's unwary eyes made her continue with confidence. "...so, I asked the Duchess' son to be your escort for your grand entrance." The queen beamed, expecting that Aurnia will get excited with her announcement.
However, contrary to the queen's expectation, the smile on Aurnia's face dropped. "What? Why would you do that, mother? Aramis was already my escort." She grumbled, a little bit disappointed with her mother's request.
Queen Ysmena's expression drastically changed, her gaze turned sharp, and her lips pressed into a firm line. "Why would you chose Aramis over a Duchess' son, Aurnia?"
Her brows arched up in dismay upon hearing her mother's resort. "Why you were making it seem like it is a crime to have Aramis as my escort? I am the celebrant and I wanted Aramis to be my escort, end of discussion." She firmly answered her mother with finality in her tone.
The queen stared at her which she did the same to convey her seriousness of her decision.
"Besides, I couldn't believe you would make a stranger as my escort. Either Aramis will be my escort or no more birthday celebration. Deal with it, mother. I am more comfortable with Aramis." She declared with conviction. Then, her voice softened and stood up to embrace the queen. "I'm sorry, mother, but my decision's final."