King of Hearts

35.

A rush of nervous and thrilling emotions flashes Val as she and Dánica step out of the carriage. Her heart is thumping wildly. Enthusiasm and anticipation form into butterflies tickling her stomach. The entrance is a chaos of every existing color. Judging by the variety of costumes, Val is definitely not over the top at all. 
The music, buzz, and laughter can be heard from outside. Hundreds of people are lining up to enter the masquerade. Val even notices a few visitors being sent home because they aren't wearing any masks. Val wonders how long they will have to wait until they enter the palace.

Dánica puts on her swan mask and gently throws her hair to the back. "Alright, shall we go in?". She flashes an amused grin. Val also adjusts her panther mask as she watches her friend walking along the line. "But shouldn't we line up too?" Val asks confused. Dánica turns around and winks sneakily, "There's no need to." They pass all the impatient people standing in line. Once they arrive at the front gate where four royal guards are standing, Dánica wordlessly hands one of them a note. The guard examines both from head to toe, although his eyes lay on Dánica for an additional second. He skims the note and simply nods in response. He then moves to the side to let the girls pass. "Have fun," he adds, gazing particularly at Dánica, who just nods in response. Val didn't imagine it would've been that easy and quick. She wonders about the note's content but she's too busy being astonished by the masquerade to ask.

Oh god, how thrilling it is! An actual masquerade! Since she was a child, Val always wanted to go to a ball and feel like a Disney princess. It's a dream come true! Val needs to draw a painting of it when she gets home. This feels too surreal to be true. Yet here they are in the gigantic entrance hall of the palace. Immense golden chandeliers decorate the luxurious ceiling embellished with gemstones. The marble floor shines like the many windows that are framed by thick cream curtains. Val is so glad not to be working here anymore. An ocean of colors spreads in front of her eyes. A few people's faces have already run red due to the drinks that are positioned on long tables. Every room they enter is full of people. Dresses and suits from royal blue, to lemon-yellow, to coral pink. Masks of eagles, bunnies, butterflies, and pandas. Val wonders if it's not going to be too crowded later on. 

Val and Dánica first wander around, exploring each room. There's a room dedicated to food, and food only. There are chocolate fountains of different sizes. Bowls of fruits and pastries on every table in every corner and tons of other dishes Val has never seen before. She can't wait to try each one of them. Tables are set with linen cloths. Chairs are shaped like strawberries and pumpkins. Luxurious chandeliers shaped like cakes are hanging from the ceiling. There are already a few people sitting at tables and enjoying their meals.

There is a room where performers entertain the guests. Dancers going wild and dancing on tables. A band is playing some energetic music. Jugglers, illusionists, and acrobats are amazing the audience. It feels like they have entered a circus or some type of talent show, this is spectacular!

There is a smaller room with the inscription "Hamza Reveals Your Future" on the door. The door is semi-closed, and dark blue light is peeking through the slit. Val stops at the name and a pair of lime-green eyes and a long golden braid immediately pop up in her head. She's not sure if she would enter the room, but then who knows what the night will bring.

Finally, they reach an immense room almost the size of a football stadium. This must be the ballroom. It will take a minute just to reach the other side. Along the sides, various doors lead to a long balcony. Even from afar, Val gazes at the beautiful view of the light city and the starry night sky. Absolutely wonderful.

Val has seen quite some things, yet not the reason for the masquerade. The prince is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he's in one of the many rooms enjoying himself. Maybe he's still getting ready. Val can't help but keep an eye out for him. 

Whom she spots, though, is even more unpleasant than Prince Ulio. It's Satyn the cretin. Val would recognize her even in a full-on panda costume just by her stiff posture. She's conversing with a group of women. Tonight, she's wearing forest green which makes her already white skin appear even paler. The dress is low cut and opens at the back. The bottom is wide and decorated with silver stones. Her dark green eyes stand out due to her black lipstick. She's wearing a mask with blue, turquoise, and green feathers, and a silver beak which should represent a peacock. Obviously. Her almost white hair is pinned up and two locks frame her oval face. She kind of reminds Val of an elf. Despite her unlikeable personality, she looks stunning.

Val also spots a red bob, who she assumes is Felicia. Her half-mask is plain black and full of feathers. Maybe it's a crow? Her off-the-shoulder dress is made from lace and shapes her feminine curves. It reaches the floor, impossible to dance in even due to the very, very high side-slit. The fire red pumps and bright red choker are the perfect contrast of the full black dress. No wonder, the group of men next to them are staring at her in awe.

Val and Dánica are standing awkwardly at the side of the buffet table, kind of unsure of what to do. "Shall we have a drink?" Dánica breaks the silence. "Sure," Val responds. She curiously examines the bowls of colorful liquids that are positioned on a long table. Water is nowhere to be seen, sadly. She doesn't quite trust the neon pink drink, and neither the apple-green liquid with green blades (is that grass?) swimming in it. Farther away, a turquoise liquid with ice cubes shaped like dolphins looks the most inviting. The girls grab two flower-shaped glasses and pour each other some of that turquoise drink. Hopefully, there's no alcohol in it. Val needs to remain focused, especially in Prince Ulio's presence. For some strange reason, it tastes like watermelon and honey, and something else. An odd mixture, yet quite delicious. 

Unexpectedly, Dánica slams her glass on the table, covering her mouth with her hand. She squeezes her eyes as if she has just bitten into a lemon. "Oh no, is there peach in it?" she asks alarmed. She rests her other hand on her stomach and Val is starting to worry. "What? I don't know. Why? Are you alright?" Clearly, she's not alright. Val places her hand on Dánica's shoulder, not knowing what to do. "I think there is peach in it. I'm allergic," Dánica whines. Goodness. Val has no idea what to do about it. "Excuse me, I think I need to -," Dánica storms off heading to a corridor and disappearing from Val's sight. Val wants to run after her, but a figure gets in her way. She recognizes his long braid, this time covered in butterfly pins of every color. His suit is gold and glittery. The mask he's wearing has the long nose of a fox and is also golden. He's sparkling from head to toe. 

"Good evening, lady Val. Are you enjoying yourself?" On the contrary to Val's inner thunder, Hamza's voice is calm. Val has no time to talk to him, she needs to look after Dánica! "I hope you'll come to me for a reading, later on, tonight. The stars have told me interesting curiosities about you," he continues, eyeing her without blinking. Val isn't sure how to respond to that. Or rather, how to politely decline his offer, which actually didn't really sound like an offer, but more like an order. "I'm not sure I'm interested in hearing about my future," Val replies, looking past him to catch a glimpse of Dánica, but she lost sight of her. Hamza chuckles, "Well you should be. Especially since it also concerns our birthday boy," he isn't focusing on her anymore but something behind her has caught his attention. He chuckles once again, his eyes still set behind her. "I guess tonight you'll be the one to put a spell on the King of Hearts," he smirks. 

Val feels a familiar presence. Prince Ulio is standing a few feet away, holding a drink in his hand and paying no attention to the man talking to him. Although he's too far away to detect, Val is sure that the intense gaze behind the gold and white lion mask is fixed on her. He's wearing the same outfit as the one of painting she saw in the museum. Seeing him like this creeps her out. The same coat, the same tie, even the same crown. He looks even more charming than the painting. Val turns off the rest of the world and admires him from afar as she's having flashbacks of the first time she saw him at the museum. Satisfied with her reaction, he smirks and raises the drink for a toast at her. That disgusting smirk. 

Val wants to slap herself for staring too long. What is she even doing? She should be looking for Dánica. She turns away from the prince, acting unbothered, and plans to excuse herself but Hamza is already gone. He just vanished.