ENCHANTED | Ergi .C

Chapter Thirteen | His Arrival

Navier lay crying in bed when she heard a tap on window. She looked up dully, and to her surprise, she saw Queen hovering outside. She hesitated before opening the window, and the bird hopped onto her bed, picked its wings and stared at her.

"Queen? You have returned more quickly this time."

Navier wiped away her tears, and the bird peered at her with its large eyes, like it had seen her crying. It was such a clever bird in her opinion.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this is your room. Did your master send you on an errand at this late in the evening?"

Navier chuckled and sat down on the bed besides Queen and stroke it's feathers.

"Is your master near?"

The bird nodded as if it understood her words. Navier lifted the bird and placed it on her lap. It froze for a moment and blinked rapidly. She brushed its head then pulled the note from its leg.

- The bird will be named Queen, but keep in mind that he is a male.

It was a short but efficient sentence again. The heaviness in Navier's mind lifted, and she smiled at the words of this stranger who she had neither face nor name for.

"You're a boy?"

The bird flapped his wings as if miffed by her ignorance, but in Navier's defense, she didn't know the difference between the males and females of this species. She patted his head again then went to her desk, and the bird followed. She took out a sheet of paper and wrote a reply.

- I didn't know he was male. An unexpected surprise.

Navier rolled up the note and tied it to the bird's leg, then glanced at the calendar. The New Year's celebrations were just around the corner. Some of the guests would start arriving early tomorrow at the palace...

The owner of the bird was already nearby. Would they come tomorrow?
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The next morning, the lord and lady of the Lux region arrived, as well as other distinguished guests from the neighboring countries. The guests' reception were divided for either me, Navier, Sovieshu, or the foreign minister. Most of the time, they went to Sovieshu.

"Your Highness! There is an arrival from the Bluvohan! "

My hand that's dipling the pen into inkwell paused.

"If it's the Bluvohan..."

"Yes, it's Duke Ergi Claude."

A strange feeling washed over my whole being at Seanna's confirmation. Whether that's a good feeling or not is unknown, confusing in fact, but one thing for sure is that there's a hint of happiness rose in my heart and I was kind of anticipated meeting him again, formally this time.

Because of his slightly awkward but not really abnormal status of officially referred as a Duke and a member of Bluvohan royal family but originally born as a prince of Bluvohan and son of previous King, thus still an individual in line to succession, he was one of the few royal guests that not necessarily need Emperor or Empress to personally welcome them but still required a imperial family member to do so.

Hence, after a moment of hesitation, I nodded and stood up, requested Seanna to go get the officials supervising the guest list. Then I walked towards a large full-body mirror in my room and inspected myself if I'm presentable enough.

Currently, I am wearing a presentable lavish gown that's befitting of my position. It was an elegant ivory and beige color evening dress with puffed up skirt and deep v-shape off the shoulders neckline with rose pattern laces sewn in top. My hair was tied into a high braid bun and golden earrings with tiny dangling roses took place on my earlobes.