As the brown and golden carriage glided through the grand, shiny gates of the Royal Palace, Melania felt her heart quicken its pace even more. The reverberations echoed through her chest, spreading a quiver to her hands and knees, anticipation coursing through her at the impending moment of stepping out into the unknown embrace awaiting her.
The rhythmic drumming on the carriage's roof heralded the onset of rain, a rare thing to occur in the typically warm and sun-drenched Lafad.
"It seems the entire royal family has come out to greet you, My Lady. And there, behold the Crown Prince himself! What a handsome young man he is!"
Loraline gently pressed her index finger against the chilled glass of the carriage window, directing Melania's gaze to the gathering of figures near the main entrance of the Royal Palace.
'They seem so somber... Black and blue, the hues of Geraldion... Black and blue, the remnants of bruising left upon the skin.'
