"Here they come!" shouted one lady.
There was a rustling and swaying movement among the crowd. Sounds of carriage wheels and galloping horses neared the castle.
The ladies and gents of the court craned forward their heads to catch a glimpse of the incoming guests.
Prince Angelus, his security, and his attendants managed to secure a place on the balcony. He looked down at the approaching vessels carrying the kingdom's young ladies and gents who've come of age.
He leaned his arms on the ridge, he endured the minor discomforts of having to be present for the useless tradition.
His lazy eyes caught sight of ladies alighting from their carriages in dresses of the finest silk, satin, and lace.
Palace maids walked out with bouquets of different flowers: roses, lilies, chrysanthemums, lavenders, and lilacs. The flowers chosen were ones that stood for love, protection, happiness, and innocence. Representing the hope of what the palace hoped for them during their stay in the castle.
"Here," Jesper stretched from his hand and handed Prince Angelus a red rose flower.
"You are required to give that to a lady that catches your eye," Aila gently informed.
Angelus stared at the flower in hand and frowned. The only flower that caught his eye was a flirtatious shapeshifter that wasn't at all among the arriving guests.
"What a waste of a perfectly beautiful flower," he thought.
"It's not a waste, it's a sign of interest. One which might lead to a proposal," Aila's eyes lit up, her eyes distant as she imagined how it feels to receive a rose from a suitor. "Make no mistake, all the young ladies are coming to court armed with skills and grace to win over everyone. They won't allow themselves to go home without a promise of marriage or the marriage itself," she warned Angelus.
Prince Angelus felt canoodling with Cassiel sounded better than the nightmare of the coming days in the castle. Every single atom in his body wanted to sneak away to the Maroon Mountain pleasure house, to see him and find better ways to spend the hours of the day together.
More and more carriages pulled up at the main gates of the castle. Young ladies and gentlemen flooded through the gates, their valets following behind them with their luggage.
"You're a sight to behold," Lady Immith Kilgore spoke up.
Angelus glanced up from his concentration on the crowd with a scowl that drew his dark brows together over his green eyes. "That depends on who's beholding me," he muttered.
Lady Immith laughed. "I hope I qualify as someone worth beholding you."
"I don't know about that," Angelus said briefly, his scowl deepening as he saw that she was walking towards him. Adorned in a beautiful pink mermaid gown, she took slow lady-like steps to reach him.
"It's been a while, Angelus," Immith made herself at home next to him. "Who is the rose for?"
Prince Angelus stared down at the flower in his hand. Aila gave it to him for the purpose of it ending up in a Lady's hand, and he couldn't think of anyone worthy of a sign of affection from him.
He reached out and handed the flower to Lady Immith. "The first lady who speaks to me today," He answered her.
Lady Immith smiled. A weak smile that her lips barely curved up. Any Lady in the whole kingdom would be thrilled to receive a flower from the Grand Prince, but not her; her heart bled with forbidden affection for Angelus's younger sister.
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness," she made a subtle bow to the prince and joined him in watching the crowd.
Unknown to the two of them, the little exchange was witnessed by two people in the crowd who went red with anger. Watching Prince Angelus give a symbol of interest to Lady Immith had Lady Saskia's insides twisting into knots. Not far from where she stood, a gent adorned in a coffee-black robe stood furiously fanning his face at the sight of Angelus and Immith together.
Prince Angelus felt the cold stare on him. The iciness of the gaze shook him to the core and forced him to find its source. His eyes ran through the crowd, perusing the ladies and gentlemen that entered the castle for the daring eyes.
His eyes halted at the gentleman in the coffee-black attire. The man's deep brown eyes glared icicles at him beneath the fan waving back and forth at his face. Prince Angelus froze, as Cassiel's face came into his view.
Cassiel's eyes were enough for him to drown in, the mere sight of the shapeshifter had the butterflies in his stomach transforming into fireworks and setting off.
Angelus flashed Cassiel a friendly smile. A smile that brightened his face made him shine brighter than the sun; it was hard to look at him but even harder to look away.
This attracted the ladies to his presence, each and every one of them taking in the appearance of the mysterious figure they'd never seen before due to Prince Angelus's limited exposure to the public. The ladies marveled at his sexy male beauty and wished to tame his dreamy green eyes to themselves.
The gents envied his looks, they felt him to be their biggest competitor for the hearts of the young ladies of the kingdom.
"Who is that man?" one of the ladies asked.
"He is Grand Prince Angelus Tiberius Rathmore of Sevigoria," Estella answered as she handed the lady a flower.
The crowd gasped as they took Angelus's handsome appearance which went contrary to the rumours they'd heard. The Grand Prince was far from a beast or a troll; he was gorgeous with his golden beauty and frosty ice-green eyes, and a mouth made for kisses and lies.
He looked like a fallen angel, replete with all the dangerous male beauty that Lucifer could devise. His bright smile captivated the hearts of the beauties; he gave off an aura of someone who's never had to work hard at seductions and had a wake of broken hearts behind him.
"He's way more dashing than Prince Augustus and Prince Ambrose combined!" one lady gasped.
"Prince Angelus is fairer than most in the kingdom. Like a fairytale knight!"
"I wonder why people call him a beast when he's so charming."
"Perhaps they refer to his beauty as that of a beast. It's surreal and unworldly."
"I have my sights set on him. I doubt any gentleman in Sevigoria can meet his standards of beauty."
"I agree with you, he's one of a kind."
Prince Angelus stood still, staring at Cassiel, oblivious to his newfound reputation circling the crowd. He motioned to Cassiel, asking him to come up. An invitation that Cassiel honored by taking a route that leads to the balcony.
"Who's he?" Lady Immith asked curiously.
"An immaculate friend," Angelus answered, consumed with a passion for the man coming towards him. Time stood still as though no one else existed in the castle but Cassiel.