Naomi was familiar with the procession to request an audience with the Queen. She'd watched over audiences since she was young, until at least she began attending the academy.
Formally, it would take a few days for a request to get approved. A letter of acceptance would be sent back, and only then would anyone be able to freely walk into the castle.
Naomi sent a personal letter to their butler a day before to inform the court officials of their visit. Their butler had always been prompt, so Naomi was confident they'd be able to walk in as they pleased, but the further they walked towards the castle, the worse Naomi's gut feeling became.
The estate was desolate.
Usually there'd at least be gardeners or guards settled in their own corners. At the entrance of the castle it was common to find officials in their neat suits holding their documents and exchanging important conversation, but now it was as if Naomi was visiting a foreign castle.
Naomi felt a light squeeze from her right arm. She'd expected to meet Lenz's comforting gaze, but was met by Damien's instead. He gave a little nod to Naomi.
Regardless of whatever it had meant, it grounded her. She'd been so focused on charging forward for the team, she'd almost forgotten that they had her back too. At the end of the walkway, just before the main doors into the castle, they finally met their very first court official since the coachman.
"Naomi of Azalea has come to announce our attendance." Naomi curtsied. Lenz and Damien repeated after Naomi.
"State the reason for your attendance." The official replied.
"We've requested an audience with the Queen. We're students of the Noble Academy. We've come to discuss an important project that requires Her Majesty's attention."
The official shook his head, "Her Majesty had closed the window for requests. We will announce it a week before the reopening. In that time you may resubmit your requests."
Naomi had never factored in the possibility of being refused.
"But Oliver—" Naomi caught herself as she mentioned her butler's name. She was not the Crown Princess of Azalea, at least not today.
Her carelessness pained her. It was so blatantly obvious how much Naomi's depended on her position as a Crown Princess, she'd just never put much thought to it.
"Naomi, we should go. We hadn't made a formal request in the first place." Lenz held Naomi's hand as he spoke under his breath. He looked dismayed, but like the way he is, he still held her tenderly.
Naomi shook her head. There was more to the situation that bothered her.
If something really had happened for the Queen to refuse an audience, then Naomi should have been informed well before the closing. Naomi exchanged monthly letters with her grandmother. She wasn't estranged to her only family.
Naomi felt sicker. Damien from her side also took one of her arms as he spoke softly, "We can always try again. We have three months on the calendar."
Naomi shook her head again. She wasn't going until she had gotten rid of the sick feeling in her stomach.
The desolate estate was strange enough. Now the Queen had been refusing audiences without her knowledge.
"Had something happened to the Queen?"
The guard stayed silent.
Naomi fought the urge to throw up on the spot. Instead, she held onto Lenz and Damien who was already supporting her by her arms. She hadn't realized she'd gone faint until she felt her knees give in.
"We're going," said Damien.
Within one fell swoop, Damien took Naomi into his arms and carried her all the way back to the carriage.
——
Damien had felt Death's presence the moment the carriage arrived before the castle. He didn't quite know why Death had been in the castle, but he knew for sure that Naomi wasn't the reason.
Death would have especially noticed Damien's presence. After their last encounter, Death would have understood well enough what he shouldn't mess with.
The air was tense already while driving to the castle due to Naomi's sudden revelation of their upcoming audience with the Queen. Death's lingering aura didn't help lighten anyone's mood.
It'd been affecting both Lenz and Naomi equally. He had tried to help anyway he could, but the most he could offer was to purify Death's aura around them. It had been good they linked arms. It saved Damien the embarassment of trying to touch either Lenz or Naomi during the purification.
Although, the moment they unlocked arms to greet the court official, the aura had quickly consumed them again, especially Naomi who'd been brooding this entire time. She fed the aura around her with her negativity, enough so that whatever Damien had purified, had doubled in amount.
Damien tried convincing Naomi to give in for the day, but she didn't relent. It made no sense to Damien how much Naomi stood for her own stubbornness, and the situation was looking grave.
"Had something happened to the Queen?"
When Naomi dropped the question, Death's presence grew the strongest. Damien felt like he was being gutted inside out, when Death suddenly materialized through the castle doors, hand in hand with a pale ghost of a woman. The woman's pink hair stood out to him.
Death was hand in hand with the Queen herself, Queen Celine of Azalea, and this time Damien had been sure it was her time. They floated closer and closer to Damien and his friends, until they reached Naomi. The Queen looked down on Naomi with a pained expression, before leaning down and laying a kiss on her forehead.
The moment had been so suffocating, Damien had almost forgotten about the living before him. Naomi fell the moment the kiss touched her head, and Damien snapped out of it just in time to catch her.
He took a breath to last him one more moment, as he swooped Naomi into his arms. Then he ran. He ran as far away from Death and the Queen.
He wasn't going to let Death take Naomi too. Not now, not ever.