As soon as Adeline and the King stepped into the ballroom, the warm ambiance welcomed them and the whole place turned quiet, except the soft music playing in the background.
When Adeline had been told that there would be a party to introduce her to other nobles, she had thought that it would be just a small gathering with only the important people in the Kingdom, but what met her eyes was a huge crowd that filled the entire room, making her wonder if there was another occasion apart from what she knew.
Clearing his throat, Roderick glanced around the room and addressed everyone with a smile. "Good evening everyone. Thank you all for attending and I hope you're enjoying your night. Tonight is a special night to celebrate… my son Sylvan's marriage to this beautiful young lady," he paused to look at Adeline, and so did everyone else in the room.
Adeline smiled back brightly, waiting for the King to finish.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Adeline Sage Lowell." He dragged out the last name, but with a wide and genuine smile that no one really noticed except Adeline, who was standing right next to him. Her eyebrows only creased for a moment, but the smile on her face didn't falter and she turned her face to the guests, who had already started talking in low murmurs.
"This is a special occasion to welcome her to our Kingdom, so make the most of it and enjoy yourselves," he added, picking a glass of red wine from a maidservant and raising it in the air as a cue to officially start the party, and all the guests did the same and cheered happily.
Adeline was glad that she didn't have to say anything and just fake smile, something she was already used to because of her status.
Roderick excused himself, pulling Sylvan to the side and whispering something in his ear.
Adeline stared at the two for a few seconds, suddenly realising how little she had interacted – or even conversed with her new husband. She thought it would be better to be ignored, but now that she was actually experiencing it, it didn't feel good at all.
"If it makes you feel better," she heard Katherine's voice next to her ear, reminding her that the woman was right there next to her. "He just used you as an excuse to hold a party. As you might have heard, he loves these things," Katherine added, no longer leaned into Adeline because the latter had already turned to face her.
Up close, Katherine was even more beautiful. Her pale skin now had a little bit of colour, and it just added to her charming appearance. The red paint on her lips stood out contrastingly against her complexion, and perfectly complementing the dress she was wearing. If Adeline wasn't so caught up in staring, she would have noticed the disdainful looks sent their way by some of the women, and some men openly ogling at Katherine because they couldn't do so with the Prince's wife.
Realising she had been staring, Adeline broke the trance and drew in a long breath, the polite smile returning to her face as she tried to remember what they were talking about.
"Oh, I… didn't know that," she remarked and Katherine nodded as they started walking around the room.
"Don't worry, you'll eventually get used to it," Katherine comforted lightly, her unconvincing tone reminding Adeline of something.
"Katherine."
"Hm?" Katherine turned to her and their steps briefly slowed down.
"I wanted to ask you something," begun Adeline, and Katherine raised her eyebrows quizzically. But before Adeline could proceed with her question, she saw someone approaching from her peripheral vision and stopped, turning to the woman who was nervously fiddling with her fingers.
"Y–your highness," the woman curtseyed, her eyes darting around nervously.
Adeline smiled, but her countenance changed naturally and even Katherine noticed, which made her smile widen.
"Lady Nora, nice to see you," Katherine broke the awkward silence by greeting the nervous woman.
"Ah, thank you Katherine," Lady Nora responded, not knowing what else to say.
Nora was a short, slightly chubby woman, only recently married to a Lord in the royal council and a sweetheart as perceived by Katherine, but also jittery and shy.
She was dressed in a white, short sleeved dress, the low neckline showing her upper chest and her hair styled up exquisitely.
For a split of a second, Adeline saw her eyes darting back to a certain man standing alone in a corner and her fists tightened, which made Adeline's eyebrows furrow slightly. But the next second, her lips cracked into a sweet smile and she greeted Nora.
"It is nice to meet you Lady Nora. I hope you're enjoying your evening," she said in a subtle voice, not too cold and not too welcoming either.
Taken aback, Nora's eyes widened and she stared up at Adeline with parted lips.
"Ah? Uuh… i–it's nice to meet you too Your Highness. I am enjoying my evening, the King's parties are always… very enjoyable," she said with much struggle and Adeline's smile widened. Seeing this, Nora's nervousness instantly disappeared and she smiled brightly.
"We should greet others guests… your highness," Katherine interrupted on the side and they both looked at her.
"Of course. I'll see you around Lady Nora," she said to Nora, then walked away with Katherine by her side.
Nora remained standing there for a while, staring at Adeline's retreating figure as she swept across the room gracefully.
When she finally looked around her, she found most of the people staring at her with contemptuous and envious looks, because she was brave enough to be the first to approach Adeline.
Nora ignored them and turned around with a happy smile, quite relieved that the Princess wasn't an arrogant woman and even seemed friendly. Knowing her husband would push her towards the Princess even more, she was glad that she won't have to put up with an entitled spoilt brat.
****
Due to Roderick's extravagance, the palace was decorated exquisitely, and so did the people filling the place dress up because this was a chance for the women to get closer to Adeline, now that there was finally a woman in the royal family they could coze up to.
Exquisite hairstyles, flamboyant dresses and gowns, fragrant perfumes that made Adeline's head ache, and exquisite make ups that made every lady in the room stand out, one way or another.
One would have mistaken it for a beauty competition if not for the most outstanding lady out of them all. Completely different from when she had arrived, having travelled the whole night and looking like a total mess, Adeline now looked nothing less of a Princess.
She carried herself like true royalty, like she'd been trained for the role and it made people glance her way whenever she passed. Her appearance itself commanded respect, and paired with her graceful and elegant aura, it would be hard not to take a second look.
Her attitude was also not too overbearing, and not too friendly either, giving people the feeling that they should be wary and comfortable at the same time.
"Since you're supposed to make the most of this," whispered Katherine as they continued walking around leisurely. "I'm only here as your guide. In here are members of the royal council—very important people to the Kingdom —. There are also your ladies in waiting, people who'll be accompanying you everyday, Dukes and Lords. Close people to the King and the royal family."
Adeline listened quietly, inwardly digesting everything that Katherine was saying.
"You're not new to the dynamics of the high society, so I'll provide you with information regarding every important person in the room, and you can evaluate them according to your own understanding."
They were both walking shoulder to shoulder, often stopping when someone 'accidentally' stood in their way, or when a maidservant passed by and they grabbed a drink.
They stopped at a corner where long tables were decorated with all kinds of dishes and snacks, and at the sight, Adeline's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since the wedding.
Katherine gave her a side glance, deciding to ignore the growl because no one was close enough to hear and point out how the Prince's wife was unladylike.
Adeline picked up a small piece of cake and put in her mouth, almost moaning as the sweetness melted on her tongue as she chewed.
"As I was saying — uuh…" Katherine started again, but then suddenly stopped when she saw Sylvan walking towards them.
"What?" Adeline asked, turning to see why Katherine stopped and caught sight of Sylvan's tall figure.
"The dance?" Katherine simply asked and Sylvan nodded solemnly.
Adeline stared between the two confused, her hand hanging mid air as her chewing became slower.
Turning to her, Katherine took the glass from her hand and placed it on the table. "Your first dance," she said and Adeline's eyes widened slightly.
'Oh?'
"Let's go," Sylvan uttered, grabbing Adeline's hand and leading her to the dance floor with long strides.
Adeline scowled inwardly, resisting the urge to snatch her hand back.
He couldn't just ask politely?