The Blood Maiden

Chapter 23 | Belle

Elaire's POV

In the morning, the royal cavalcade— a procession of soldiers, horses, and carriages, paraded in front of King's Hall. Unang dumaan ang convoy ng Grand Duke na si Lord Cassien at sumunod ang karabana ng Duke Ambassador ng Irvina na si Lord Anselm, Duke of Thane, who, I just found out, was also Lady Krista's brother.

It was a small show of military power, their knights and horses carrying the banner of Irvina— a two-colored rose, white and red, set upon the sun above and the moon below. Nagmistulang korona ng bulaklak ang sinag ng araw habang nagmistula namang trono ang kurba ng buwan sa ilalim nito.

The banners of Halzen soon entered my sight. Kulay itim ang mga ito at sa gitna, nakaguhit ang ulo ng isang lobo na bumubuga ng apoy.

Nanliit ang aking mga mata sa bagong watawat ng Halzen.

I remember, the kingdom's original symbol was a lion with eagle wings, and their color was green and gold. Not black and silver.

Pumarada sa aming harapan ang isang marangyang kalesa na ginintuan ang mga detalye, pati ang mga gulong. Isang footman ang bumukas ng pinto nito upang ibunyag sa'min ang bagong hari ng Halzen na si King Yurik.

Bowing my head along with the other servants and nobles, the new king's features almost immediately imprinted in my mind. Lalong-lalo na 'yong mahaba at matalim niyang mga tenga. He and the rest of his troops all had it.

King Yurik was younger than King Asthor but older than Prince Mirev. He wore thicker garments of velvet and fur. He also looked a bit rugged. His deep brown hair was curly and his beard was unkept. It wasn't surprising, though, kasi hindi naman siya ipinanganak na royal o noble ng kaharian nila. Isa siyang pinuno ng mga rebelde na kauupo lang sa trono at kinikilala pa ito.

Nakangiting lumapit si King Asthor sa kanya. "King Yurik!" bati nito. "Welcome! Welcome to Irvina."

The new king grinned. "Your palace is everything compared to the rest of the world's, King Asthor. Isa sa pinakamalaki at pinakamaganda."

A tall soldier stood behind him— Gideon told me his name earlier, pero nakalimutan ko na, but he was King Yurik's personal guard. He was also his right-hand man during the rebellion, now one of the generals of their kingdom's army.

After exhanging a short conversation, King Asthor finally introduced the royal visitor to Prince Mirev.

"The heir," King Yurik said upon firmly shaking the prince's hand. "Balita ko ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit umikot-ikot pa kami sa inyong kapitolyo at natagalan ang aming pagdating," natatawa niyang sabi.

"Your Majesty," the prince replied. "I hope you understand that the sudden change of plans was made for precautionary reasons."

"And so, I've heard..." Tumango-tango si King Yurik. "I would like to know more about it once we all get inside." He signaled to the main walkway where some nobles and servants lined up to get a glimpse of him.

I spent the rest of the morning standing outside the king's office, kung saan nag-usap sina King Asthor, King Yurik, at Prince Mirev, kasama sina Lord Lucius, Gideon, at iilang admirals ng Irvina. They obviously talked about the green gasoline found within the sewers that threatened to kill the new king.

Fortunately, I wasn't bored.

Kasama ko kasi sa pagbabantay ng mga pinto ang guard ni King Yurik na kanina pa pinupuna ang napili kong trabaho dahil hindi raw ito nababagay sa mga babaeng katulad ko, at kung naging kapatid niya raw ako, dati pa niya akong pinatapon sa mga lobo— a brutal metaphor, of course, of how he believed I was better off married to whoever men.