Royal Banquet

The Royal banquet was held at the other part of the castle which took some hours for them to get there.

The Prophetess was not excluded, she was already waiting for them at the entrance of the exclusive hall.

It was not just anybody who can just wake up to attend. One must be of high class before one can be able to attend. If any low-class citizen of Vallat was found there, the citizen would be thrown out. The only commoners there were the ones that throw petals on the King and Lord's arrival but they were only a few.

The carriage stopped and they all got down from it. A red carpet was leading them inside the exclusive hall. The commoners were sprinkling petals, hailing the King. While they announced the King's arrival introducing his acquaintance one after the other.

"His Royal Majesty, King Vladimir. Glory to him"

"Princess Ariel"

"The Four Lords Of Vallat. Glory to them"

They went inside the hall. Ariel was amazed by the interior decorations. She clung with the Prophetess. Others were amazed by her dress as they adored her.

"Is that the King's wife?"

"She looks like a seductress."

"Someone is here to anger the demons."

"I love her even though she's the King's wife."

Ariel couldn't pay a deaf ear to what they all said. From the look of things, the people were of high standards. Generals, dukes, duchesses, knights, and other dignitaries.

There was a spacious table that contain more than fifty people. The chairs that were well arranged by the side of the table were more than fifty. They were going to have a feast. A welcome feast for Princess Ariel. The Prophetess was glad that King Vladimir at least put her words into consideration by hosting a Royal bouquet in Princess Ariel's honor.

After they had finished the feast, it was time for the Royal dance. King Vladimir led Ariel to the dancefloor. Ariel reluctantly agreed.

There was a moment of silence between them. This time around, King Vladimir unusually broke the silence.

"Do you like the dress?" He asked still with a straight face.

Ariel's knees weakened at the sound of his voice. It brought butterflies to her belly. His voice was melodious. She smiled sweetly at him forgetting the hatred she had for him and the grudges she bore against him.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I love the dress." Ariel responded with a smile.

King Vladimir nodded. He didn't say anything else till they were done dancing.

The Lords were also going to dance with her since it was a welcome party hosted for her in form of a Royal banquet. So the Lords were not excluded from the dance.

Lord Raul and Louisville spoke less because they were not much of a talker. At least they liked Ariel from the little they knew about her. Lord Orpheus flirted with her which caused her to giggle.

"Has anyone told you that you shine brighter than the moonlight?"

Ariel smiled wholeheartedly. Her smile widened from ear to ear.

"You have such a sweet tongue, Lord Orpheus," Ariel said still smiling at him. Their dance ended and he kissed her knuckles before Lord Luthur carried on.

His cold gaze sent shivers down Ariel's spine. His eyes were blue like that of King Vladimir's. His inky black hair fell on his shoulders. His lips were pale and inviting. Ariel found all of him attractive. She didn't dare to talk to him and he didn't even spare her a glance. Lord Luthur and King Vladimir had a stricken resemblance.

King Vladimir's handsome features got to the best of it now that his hair was no longer long. He also had inky black hair. The mark on his face didn't hinder his handsome features. He was elegant and no woman in her right sense who be able to resist his charm. The same implies to Lord Luthur.

Rumor had it that, Lord Luthur was King Vladimir's long-lost brother because Vallat had only three Lords in the past until Lord Luthur joined years after.

Lord Luthur and Princess Ariel's dance started and ended in silence.

Ariel saw the Prophetess among some women. As she got closer to them, she overheard their compliment on the Prophetess' dress. It was still her style of dressing but this one was different.

The Prophetess wore a golden gown that revealed her cleavage. It was a straight gown that matched her figure. Her breast was like popping out from the side. Most of her body part was revealed apart from her private area.

Ariel went to meet the Prophetess. The was all smiles when she saw Ariel. She hugged Ariel and introduced her to the other ladies.

"Amira, isn't she King Vladimir's wife?" The blonde-haired woman asked.

Ariel was contemplating inside of her if they knew if Amira was the Prophetess.

"Trust me, they don't know who I am. I'm just the King's acquaintance to them." Amira winked as she whispered the words to Ariel.

"Ladies, this is Princess Ariel of Macbeth. King Vladimir's wife." Amira introduced Ariel to women in her midst.

"She's beautiful. Surely suits our charming King." A woman with brunette hair said as she gave Ariel a curtsey.

The woman with blonde hair frowned at Ariel. "Pttf! She's no match for our King."

The Prophetess frowned slightly which didn't escape Ariel's eyes. "I can smell Jealousy in the air."

The other women chuckled while the blondie boiled in anger.

"You don't suit the King either."

"Don't mind her words, Princess Ariel. She has eyes for the King and now she's making it obvious. I'm Graciela." A woman who had been quiet since she came spoke. She was the most beautiful of all the ladies she had seen at the ball. She was dressed in a blue gown that wasn't revealing any part of her body. Her glossy red lips were inviting. Graciela's beauty was off the hook.

"Princess Ariel, this is duchess Graciela. She's the fairest in the land." The Prophetess said smiling at the duchess.

"Amira you flatter me too much." The Duchess chuckled using the back of her palm to cover her mouth.

"It's nice to meet you, Duchess Graciela." Ariel said with curtsey.

The Prophetess excused herself since she wanted Ariel to make friends with at least one of the women.

Duchess Graciela excused herself as well taking Ariel with her. Both of them occupied a reserved sit and they talked about some certain things.

When the Royal banquet came to an end, Lord Orpheus came to meet Ariel to relay a message from the King. He was surprised to see Ariel and Graciela chatting happily.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you ladies. If you'll pardon my manners." Lord Orpheus said with a smirk on his face. His gaze was on Duchess Graciela.

The women stood up after a happy conversation and they both agreed to meet someday. Duchess Graciela stood beside Lord Orpheus with a smile on her face.

"You never told me about the King's wife." She pouted her lips.

Lord Orpheus found her attitude funny and patted her hair. "My Lady, I'm sorry about that."

Princess Ariel watched them play lovey-dovey with each other and smiled. Duchess Graciela waved Ariel goodbye before she left.

"Are you both an item?" Ariel couldn't help but ask.

"You can say that. She's the General's lady. You'll get to enjoy her company." Lord Orpheus assured her.

"But how is she the General's lady?"

"Her father is a General. She's the first daughter of the General, so she came here to attend the Royal bouquet for her father's sake. Also, she's highly favored by the General." Lord Orpheus said before leading her to the King who was waiting for her in their carriage.