King of Hearts

27.

Val already imagined the Royal Maze War is going to be a big event, but she never imagined it would be that big. Probably almost the whole city is present.

On the long balconies of the palace stand too many people. His Highness is sitting on a throne, of course, with a few servants and guards. On a bigger throne, on the same balcony, is presumably sitting the King of Senfira, Prince Ulio's father. Val is too far away to make out the Awakening King. All she sees is a broad golden figure, wearing some types of spikes on his head.

Servants are watching from the windows. Even birds decided to attend the game and are gathering on the rooftops. In front of the entrance, numerous tables and chairs are positioned for the viewers. They won't be able to see much, but Val doubts that they care anyway. They are happy to just be here. Other people who couldn't afford a table stand in big crowds on the sides of the palace. And there are still more to come. There are people in every corner, it gives Val anxiety. On the balcony on the right side of the prince, stand two men dressed in yellow, wearing feathery hats, and yelling at each other for unknown reasons.

In front of the gate to the royal labyrinth, all the contestants stand in a row, including Val. She hasn't counted them, but she believes there must be at least 20 players. A few of them stand out more than the others, like that brown-haired girl in green. It's not the girl that stands out but that bear standing on her side. It's probably a dog the size of a bear, and he looks like anything but a good boy.

Val also notices Satyn, who's wearing a rather inadequate dress. It's a slim hot pink silk dress with a slit on one side. Her hair is neatly styled in a bun and her long black gloves match her black pumps. That's the outfit someone would wear to a party, not a game like this one. Her eyes are only set on the prince, of course. The two bodyguards who have accompanied her look like mountains in suits and ties. They are dressed all black, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses and they are so tall that they will probably be able to look over the hedges of the labyrinth.

Basically, each girl has a guard, except for Val, which makes her a little insecure. She must look ridiculous, but she acts as confident as possible. She catches herself gazing at Prince Ulio, who appears to be doing the same thing. 

He's staring.

And he's still staring.

Now she's getting nervous.

The sound of a loud fanfare startles her and the middle-aged woman on her side cackles. One of the yellow men yells, "Welcome, welcome to both old and young, rich and poor, tall and short, thick and thin, welcome to the most awaited event of the year, the Royal Maze War!" The crowd cheers aggressively and Val tries not to panic. It's too late to retreat now. She has to go through it. And it's not like she's going to get actually hurt, right?

The other man takes over to announce, "Like every year, it's our tradition to celebrate the upcoming birthday of His Highness, Prince Ulio. Today, on February 7th, we all gather here at the palace to attend the Royal Maze War. Is see- two, four, six, ... 22 beautiful and brave women standing in front of us, ready for the game and its challenges. Almost everyone has brought a protector, some look more intimidating than the others, some look rather useless, but that's what this game is like: it's full of variety and surprises!"

The first man steps in once more. "The players will have to enter the labyrinth and find the exit. To do so, they will need to complete tasks, but beware who you trust and beware not to fall into a trap. Like always, we won't tell you what awaits you, but we can tell you that winning this game is definitely worth it. The lucky winner is going to attend tomorrow's masquerade with his Highness, Prince Ulio!" More cheering and shouting come from the crowd.