Chapter Twenty

On Tuesday after having breakfast, Evan, Gabrielle, and Adelyn were getting ready for Michel's birthday party at the Royal Palace.

Evan found himself in his room, deciding whether he should wear a tie or not.

On his right hand, Evan had a silky pinstriped blue tie. On his left hand, he held a mustard-colored cotton bowtie, still untied as he wasn't able to decide what to use yet.

He was wearing a white cotton peter-pan collared shirt and a wine-colored summer gabardine blazer. For bottom wear, a pair of cinnamon-colored corduroy tight trousers. And, for footwear, dark brown laced moccasins matching a bit with the blazer's color.

What to choose…? What would Michel have liked the most…?

Suddenly, he heard someone knocking on his door. Such a sound interrupted his indecisive thoughts.

He walked up to the door and proceeded to open it. Adelyn was standing on the other side of it.

"Oh, Adelyn…" He let out, seeming surprised. "Please don't tell me it's getting late already." He added as he gulped.

Adelyn looked really gorgeous then. She was wearing a strapless cotton blouse accompanied by a black sequin jacket that matched her skirt, made of the same material. She was wearing dark brown tights and black knee-length rubber laced combat boots. Something Evan noticed and found even funny was that she also wore glasses, her square glasses were of a neon pink color on the front, and white on the back. Her cherry red hair was down and adorned with an almost invisible black plastic tiara.

"Unfortunately, Sir, it's getting a bit late indeed." She replied, sketching a concerned look on her face. "Do you need help with something?" She asked.

"Um, yes, I can't decide whether the tie or the bowtie is best. Come in." He opened the door wider so both Adelyn and he could get into his room. "They're over here, see?" Evan walked up to his bed and grabbed the cloth pieces.

Adelyn examined them closely for a couple of seconds, then, she gave her final verdict on the neck accessory topic.

"Go for the bowtie, it'll match your pants just like the shoes match your blazer." Was her opinion on it. "Plus it will look really well with the peter-pan collar."

Evan took a look at the bowtie, and suddenly, the fact that the normal tie didn't match with anything he was wearing at all made perfect sense.

"Thanks, Adelyn." He said, sketching a thankful smile for her.

Adelyn smiled back at him.

"No need to thank me, Sir, I'm really happy I could help you." She said, with a soft and kind voice. "Now, Lady Gabrielle is waiting for you at the entrance, so please hurry up and meet us there as soon as possible." She finally said.

"Sure thing, just let me do this bowtie really quick and I'll meet you in five minutes." Evan replied, gaining a nod from Adelyn as a response. "And please, Adelyn, just call me Evan. Remember you're going with us as a friend, it would be weird of you if you called me 'Sir' all the time." He reminded her with a gentle tone of voice.

Adelyn's eyes opened wide in nothing more than mere surprise.

"O-Okay… E-Evan." She replied, stuttering.

Evan let out a chuckle.

"That's much better, Adelyn, I'll see you in five minutes!"

And with this, Adelyn left.

Evan rushed to the walk-in closet and took a look at himself in the mirror: he indeed looked extravagant, but still handsome in a way. He had managed to tame his carrot red cowlick and it was now combed to his right side, glossing a bit with gel but… oh, well, what could he do…

He quickly did his bowtie and took a final look: it was… something… at least. He was in no way going to impress Michel with this attire, but he tried. He tried his best, right?

Then, when he had made sure that he had his mobile phone and ID cards on him, as well as the music sheet for his original cello composition (the birthday present he was going to give Michel), he rushed downstairs to the entrance gate, where Belle and Adelyn were waiting for him.

Luckily enough for him, he had already gotten a sharper sense of orientation when he was in the Martí Manor and got lost less frequently. A bit more than a week wandering around that place was fruitful despite all, it seemed.

When he arrived at the entrance gate, Belle and Adelyn were waiting for him inside of the freshly-polished black limousine. Then, Evan proceeded to get in the vehicle with the noble lady and the maid (or maid in disguise, maybe?).

The vehicle turned on its roaring engine and started making its way to Île Paraíso and to the Royal Palace.

The weather was nice and warm that afternoon. The sun shone in all its splendor and the characteristic toucans in Île des Toucans were flying every-which-way; sometimes, you could even see a flock of them flying with the typical 'V' shape in direction to the north.

"They're probably migrating from the southern areas, it's almost summer and that's the season for them to make Avevia their home." Belle explained, sounding slightly enthused.

"Do you also like ornithology?" Evan inquired, a bit puzzled.

Michel also seemed to like birds in a way. Evan still kept the handkerchief with the canary design that he had gifted him. He had told him about how Avevia was named after the many birds that visited the island every season, and he had even mentioned that he owned an aviary in the palace. Avevian citizens surely enjoyed ornithology or a simple bird's company.

Belle let out a small, amused giggle.

"Yes. I'm no expert, though, but sometimes it's nice to go sighting wild flocks of birds." Was Belle's response, accompanied with a gentle yet charming smile.

"To be honest, I prefer sea life. When I was a child I wanted to be a marine biologist, so my aim was to study animal biology. But… I guess some other things happened along the way and I ended up in a different career." Adelyn gave her opinion.

It was clear that she didn't feel quite comfortable at all inside of the limousine and with the nobles. Or at least pretending to be a friend of theirs. Which, in a way, was strange, because both Evan and Gabrielle did find her as a good friend and confidant.

Perhaps she didn't feel up to the nobles' standards...

"You don't have to worry about that, any career you choose will be just great for you." Evan asserted. "Right, Belle?" He eyed his fiancée.

"Of course, Lynn, I'm pretty sure you'll be the best lawyer ever and you will succeed at everything you pursue." Belle added, smiling at her.

Adelyn smiled timidly and blushed, her cheeks turning a vibrant shade of red that contrasted her dark skin tone adorably, making her look rather cute.

"Thanks, you two…" She uttered, embarrassed, but seemingly still happy.

Then, she buried her face in those cherry red locks of hers and giggled lightly.

"You're slowly growing fonder of each other, I see. You look more and more like an old marriage." She added, making both Belle and Evan's eyes widen in sheer surprise.

It took a couple of seconds for Belle to burst out in goofy giggles and for Evan to blush harshly.

"Well, we are getting married in a month, after all." Belle replied, emphasizing the 'are'.

Evan looked for a more comfortable position in his car seat, attempting to conceal the blush on his cheeks unsuccessfully.

He had yet to get used to the idea of marrying Belle and feel content with it. To even fake it when people complimented him and Gabrielle on how good they looked together and how they fit perfectly for the other, sketch a proud smile and thank them. But still, he'd feel like one of those wild birds ploughing Avevia's skies caged and deprived of freedom when he married Belle…

Evan got lost in his erratic, tormenting thoughts. It took one simple question to get him out of that place. Or more like one name, in particular, to bring him back to the material plane.

"So, Evan, would you mind terribly if I asked you how Prince Michel and you met? Was it at Prince André and Lady Madeline's engagement gala?" Adelyn inquired, sounding rather curious about such a topic.

"Oh, no," Evan replied, shaking his head light and briefly. "We used to be best friends when we were children. We met at a summer camp for the international nobility back in 2005. Sadly, though, our friendship lasted only two weeks until we had to part ways; me back to Derbyshire and Michel back to Avevia." Evan explained, suddenly feeling enthused about telling the story of how he and Michel met, like an old man explaining how he and the love of his life met…

Well, it's said that the first love never gets forgotten. That the first love is the one true love, right…?

Was Michel the love of Evan's life? He wanted to believe he was. And now they were reunited and totally seeing each other's faces more often, the feelings would only get more fueled every time…

"Oh, wow, that's a really interesting and loving story, who would have thought you'd be reunited after so much time?" Adelyn replied, she sounded astounded by such an unbelievable story.

It took a couple of minutes more for them to reach Île Paraíso. Luckily for them, the traffic wasn't that heavy on that day, so they could access the Royal Palace without much trouble.

The tree-lined boulevards were fully blossoming and its leaves moved calmly at the pace of the gentle spring breeze blowing through.

The air smelt like dew and tropical fruits and flowers; the air always had a specific scent in each island of Avevia, and it seemed to change every once in a while.

And the sound of the small yet bustling metropolis that Île Paraíso was resounded with the roar of the sea surrounding the island.

When they arrived at the Palace's gate, there was a multitude of paparazzi and press interviewers crowded in front of the formidable, black ancient iron gate, clearly unable to get in.

The limousine's driver, Jerome, honked at them so the crowd could make some space for the vehicle to advance to the security cabin. A bundle of unknown faces peeked in the car's windows (which were now closed) and talked to Evan, or to Belle, or simply to their respective television channel that broadcasted the party then.

The security guards got out of their cabins to control the massive crowd and make sure none of them would get in the Palace, and the electric gate slowly creaked and opened for the limousine to enter the security check.

"Name of the guests, please." The guard at the post asked the Martís' personal limousine chauffeur.

"Sir Evan Clarke, accompanied by Lady Gabrielle of House Martí and Miss Adelyn Mahoe." Jerome replied.

The guard firstly checked the invited guest list, then, Evan was able to see him scribbling on the clipboard and, after that, he simply said:

"You may come in. Park in front of the Palace's entrance and the Royal Counsellor will guide you to the Royal Family's private dining room."

Jerome advanced a few meters more to the entrance, following the guard's instructions.

The same grand staircases and majestic ancient double doors that Evan had seen back in André and Madeline's engagement gala welcomed them from not so afar. There was a man standing in front of the entrance door, and he assumed he was Sir Francis Lambert, the Royal Counsellor.

The limousine parked. The multitude of paparazzi was left far behind and they were safe from intrusive questions now. The three of them hopped off the car with the help of Jerome and Sir Francis.

Evan took a closer look at him: he had gray hair meticulously combed backwards, a mustache that matched his hair color and curled slightly on the edges, a greek nose, and grayish-green eyes that stood out among his aged face.

He was dressed in a tartan beige summer gabardine blazer, a deep wine-colored formal shirt and belted trousers that matched his blazer's color, but without the tartan pattern, otherwise it would have looked too distasteful.

"Lady Gabrielle, Miss Adelyn, Sir Evan Clarke." He said, kissing the hand of both girls and shaking Evan's hand. "Welcome once again to the Royal Palace, I'll be guiding you to the Royal Family's private informal dining room." He added as he turned around on his heels. "Follow me, please."

He started moving upstairs and went through the entrance door.

The throne room welcomed them in. It was majestic and ethereal. It boasted the colors of the Avevian flag every-which-way. It was decorated with planters of a bit aged tropical style, and ancient French and Spanish historical decorative body armors. Swords and shields hung on the walls with the Avevian emblem on them as well.

"Over here, please." Sir Francis pronounced, going through the right grand stone arch. "I would like to say that it's a pleasure to have another man with English heritage among the Avevian nobility, Sir Evan." He added, sounding rather polite, and a glimpse of comfortable joy could be perceived in his clear and delightful voice.

Evan frowned slightly in bewilderment. Another Avevian noble with English heritage? What did he mean by pointing that out?

"E-Excuse me?" He uttered, stuttering.

Sir Francis chuckled a bit.

"I have English heritage, too." He explained with concealed condescension, and realization suddenly hit Evan.

"O-Oh! I see! I'm sorry, I wasn't able to understand what you meant by that, my apologies." Evan added, flustered.

Sir Francis let out some husky nasal laughs as he kept walking, going through the many arches of the Palace.

"My grandfather was from Yorkshire, he married a French woman, my grandmother. They lived in England for a couple of years with my father, and when he was seven, they returned to Bretagne." He explained. "They began running a flower shop that grew quite successful over time, and when my grandfather died, he left its ownership to my father."

He continued telling his story as he guided them through hallways that were completely recondite and unknown by Evan, Gabrielle, and Adelyn.

They all looked exactly the same... Sure, it was easy to pay attention to him while they kept up and followed him. But how could he simply walk past every corridor telling a long story without getting lost? This man must have certainly been living in the palace since he was born or something.

"A couple of years later, when my grandmother passed away, my father sold the flower shop and, with all the money he had earned from it, he decided to buy a nobility title here in Avevia. I'm of French nationality, in fact, but I studied Political Science at the University of Brighton."

He finished telling his life story to the group, but mostly to Evan.

"That's quite interesting, Sir Francis. I hope we get more opportunities to talk and exchange stories from our stayings in England soon." Evan added, not sure of what else to say.

It was surely going to be interesting to have another Englishman to talk to, even if Sir Francis was certainly much older than him. It would be like talking to the grandfather he would have liked to have in some way…

But he wasn't going to open up to him right away. He guessed it would take him a couple more visits to the palace and some time, as well.

They kept walking until they reached a hallway similar to the rest. In fact, it looked exactly like the other ones except for one thing: there was a door made of polished dark wooden tables, with two pedestals on each of its sides boasting golden urns with beautiful, colorful carnations the size of Evan's hand.

"Well, here we are." The Royal Counsellor said, knocking on the door before getting a response from the people inside.

"You may come in." A solemn yet kind, polite voice answered from inside the room.

It was King Antoine's voice.

Sir Francis took both of the door's dark metal handles and pushed them forward gently.

Evan got to see the inside of the private dining room: white molded panel walls and dark brown straight parquet wooden floor, pedestals crowned with fine vases with elegant, rare bouquets of flowers and opulent sculptures every-which-way. There were grand windows that offered a view to a beautifully landscaped garden of the palace on the wall in front of him. A huge, majestic diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling. And in the middle of the room, slightly by the end of it, an enormous glass table with enough space for twelve people.

Evan was able to recognize some faces sitting there: on the head of the table, of course, King Antoine, with his auburn cherub curls already fading into a lighter hue and his pristine, charming smile that was crowned with a lock beard.

On King Antoine's right side, Prince André was looking away, apparently distracted discussing something with his uncle.

Next to Prince André, Lady Madeline of House Blanchard, who was smiling warmly at the three newest guests with her lips painted crimson red and her medium-length blonde curls delicately tied with a thin yet frilly ribbon into a half updo.

In front of her, Prince J.J, also smiling at them, more specifically, sketching a wry smile for Evan.

On King Antoine's left side and next to Prince J.J, someone he assumed was Prince Richard, younger brother of the current Avevian king and who, ironically, looked much older than his older brother.

Lastly, sitting on the other head of the table, was Prince Michel, who immediately turned around and darted out of his chair when he finally heard the Royal Counsellor saying:

"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Lady Madeline, His Highness Prince Michel's guests from Île des Toucans are here already." With a polite, solemn tone of voice.

Michel rushed to greet the three of them, but especially Evan. He bowed at them and they bowed back at him, all of them with formal smiles on their faces.

"Lady Gabrielle, Miss Adelyn, I'm glad to have you here with me." He pronounced politely, trying not to look too informal in front of his father and uncle.

He proceeded to give them instructions on where to sit.

"Miss Adelyn, feel free to take a seat next to Lady Madeline, in the middle of the table. Gabrielle, you can sit next to Evan by the second seat on my left. Evan, you can sit on my left, but stay here for a minute, please." He looked at Evan conspiratorially, and Evan stared back at him with the same expression as he waited for the two girls to take a seat and leave them alone at last.

Michel quickly glanced at Sir Francis, who seemed to understand this gesture immediately, and, sighing, he finally gave in and left the dining room, closing the opulent wooden door behind him.

Finally, some time for just the two of them, Evan and Michel alone…

"Hey, I'm very glad you came, I wasn't sure you would." Michel sketched an apologetic smile. "I was afraid I'd scare you away with my cello playing request or something…" He looked down, embarrassed.

"It's no problem, I wanted to come and see you on your birthday, you don't turn twenty-four every day." Evan replied with a reassuring smile. "And just in case you're wondering, I brought my music sheets with me, so you'll get to listen to my composition."

Michel sketched a cheerful grin.

Surreptitiously looking both sides, he leaned over him and whispered:

"When you're almost done with the main course, excuse yourself to go to the restroom. It's by the end of the crossing hallway on the left, but they'll think you'll get lost so I'll excuse myself too so I can accompany you, and then we sneak out to the aviary."

Evan nodded in understanding, feeling hyped about the new adventure he was going to experience with his childhood best friend.