Chapter 19 – Curiousity (2)
After our stroll together, I returned to the western palace. Countess Eliza was helping change my clothes, when she suddenly exclaid “Oh!”
“What’s wrong?”
Countess Eliza was smiling at the window. I followed her gaze and saw Queen sitting on sill. That was normal, but today his back was towards us. Countess Eliza chuckled.
“He flew here, but when he saw you changing, he panicked and turned around.”
“Queen?”
“That bird is so clever, Your Majesty. Like a gentleman.”
When I finished dressing, I approached the bird, but Queen still kept his back firmly towards . He cocked his head when I approached, but didn’t turn around. I spoke to him in a soft voice.
“I’m dressed now.”
I poked his feathery rear, and he spun around and rubbed his forehead against mine.
“Did you not look because you were ashad?”
Queen nodded his head primly. He really did look intelligent. However...
“Did you co here in a hurry today? Why are you tired?”
Queen seed exhausted from his journey when he carried the first note, but after his owner arrived at the palace, he appeared to be more at ease. He looked exhausted again today, however, as if in a rush.
Queen fumbled a little, then held out his leg with another note. I petted his head and pulled out the scrap of paper.
– Looking for ?
Queen tilted her head and stared. He then went to drink so water, keeping his eye on . It was a long mont before I finally replied.
– Looking hard. And you?
Queen shook the water from his beak then flew towards . He looked at the note, then tapped my arm lightly with his wings as if to reprimand for my lie. He was so adorable the way he reacted to my letters, and I patted his beak again.
– !
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The New Year’s celebrations finally began.
Fireworks glittered in the sky at night, and people laughed and chatted in the streets by day.
Although I had lived in the palace for a long ti, the image that still ca to mind when thinking about New Year’s was the lively pre-marriage festival.
I opened the window, allowing the cool yet moist morning air to tickle my nose. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, then half-closed the window and rang the bell next to my bed. After a mont, Countess Eliza entered, dressed more extravagantly than usual.
“You will be quite busy today.”
The Countess smiled at , then quickly lifted the dress she prepared from the closet. My mother had given the dress to as a gift, a beautiful thing adorned with white pearls and underlaid with layers of snowy lace to give a full skirt. My mother didn’t say it directly to , but I knew that she was worried about after the rumors about Rashta.
“It’s the first day, so we must all dress up. On an event like this, one should look colorful, but too strong of a color would look tacky. Instead, it’s better to make the queen’s image stand out.”
She explained to that concept was “The Queen of Snow”, then urged to get up and wash my face. After sliding into the scented bath water and receiving a massage, Countess Eliza washed my hair and placed on light makeup to make my skin look smoother. She helped put on the white dress, then decorated my hair with more pearls. I slipped on the white shoes, and soon it really was as if I ca from a country of snow.
“You look so beautiful, Empress. I’m not only saying this because you’re here.”
“Thank you, Countess Eliza.”
Countess Eliza seed to want to speak more, but she smiled silently instead. Perhaps she was about to say sothing like, “Sovieshu will be impressed when he sees you.”
I checked the schedule on my desk one final ti, then headed towards the eastern palace. From the second day onwards it wouldn’t matter, but on the first day it was required that the emperor and empress enter the first grand banquet together.
I found Sovieshu waiting for outside. He smiled at gently and extended his arm for to take. I thought he would be more upset and longing for his lover, but I noticed no such thing in his expression. It was surprising, but I took his arm and we walked towards the grand ballroom.
The doors to the hall were wide open. Four guards, dressed in splendid imperial uniforms than usual, stood on each side of the door, and one rapped on the door when they saw Sovieshu and I. An official sounded the trumpet, and the noise in the hall subsided.
I took a few steps with Sovieshu at my side, and an enormous staircase stretched downwards from our feet out towards an enormous hall dotted with the colorful outfits of the guests. Sovieshu raised his hand, and everyone bowed at the sa ti. I took in the crowd, when sothing I saw made my hands clench involuntarily.
Near the center of the ballroom was Rashta surrounded by foreign nobles.
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