𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔐𝔢, 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔪𝔢 𝔫𝔬𝔱

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 5

                  My father was dressed in a light blue tailcoat and white trousers and my mother with a coordinating dress. They descended the stairs as everyone was hunched over bowing. Except for Mathew who stood in the shadows and continued to sip his drink.
Arrogant bastard. I kept myself from walking over to him and punching him for how cocky he was acting. No one else noticed except for a few nobles, who were eerily uncomfortable; it was easy to tell even from afar.
"Welcome my dear guests! Today's banquet is in honor for you all. you have graced us with your presence here today, so I won't disturb you further. Enjoy!" A round of applause scattered through the hall-- the sound was absolutely deafening.
"I'm going to go get some fresh air," I informed Hestia as I ducked through the museum of people and entered the opening to the gardens.
The sun had plunged under the horizon leaving a wistful darkness in its place. The air was cool and crisp as it carried the scent of magnolias, lotus flowers, chrysanthemums and the many other scents of different flowers. I walked down the gravel path, my heeled boots clicking lightly in the comfortable silence of the night.
I found a tree to sit under and was careful not to get any grass stains on my perfectly white outfits as I adjusted.
I'm tired I thought to myself, as I brought my hand up to my forehead, trying to excuse the throbbing beats of pain. I still had documents to finish up, and preparations to make. I probably wouldn't accept any invitations to tea parties or any other gatherings, but after that period passed, I would have to attend those events and my etiquette lessons.
It was quite bothersome.
The Spring banquet would be held in two weeks, the festival would start a week before the banquet took place, lasting the whole week until the banquet. The delegates would stay a week after the Spring banquet and the two weeks before, not including this week which had already come to an end.
I let my thoughts wander as I gazed up at the full moon above me. Stars twinkled brightly against the pitch black dark of the night, the moon being their compass. It was nice to sit there as if I had no care in the world and the burden of the whole empire resting on my shoulders. I would be crowned queen next year on my twenty third birthday. I was expected to marry at least a year after that and give birth to an heir later on in my twenties— at least that's what my mother had done. I had always dreamed of sitting on that throne, wearing the crown and presenting myself to my people as their queen, the mother of her nation. I still did of course, but nothing came without consequences. The workload, the appearances, the responsibilities. They were quite the ordeal. It still didn't stop me from wanting it. The idea of marriage was well enough, some queens didn't get married, the main reason being that they never wanted to share power. I had never understood those women— prideful and arrogant at their own expense, sure there could be other reasons, I would take that into account, but not marrying for the sole reason that they would have to share power? It was greedy and ridiculous. You would want someone to carry your burden, help you, listen to you. Sure finding that person was up to you though. And I would be wise in my choice as well. It may not be a marriage out of love, but I wanted a person I could at least depend on, who would respect me and my decisions. And the most part being that I needed someone to dump majority of the workload on. I smiled at the thought.
It was short lived though.
I caught a glance of the Eridian princeling prancing around the garden. And I may hate him more than I hate my most hated subject, which wasn't hard to decide on since it was standing within viewpoint, he looked utterly beautiful. The moon reflected off his skin, the light giving his eyes a glassy like illusion, he had loosely hung his jacket over his shoulder, clasping it with two fingers, and held a glass full of clear vodka. His white sleeves were rolled up to reveal taught muscled arms. He was absolutely divine indeed.
He barely met the standard though.
I shifted myself away from his direction positioning myself behind the tree, my back towards him.
Multiple questions went through my head at once. Why was he here? Did the Eridians put him up to this? What does he want from us? I know I sounded dramatic, but Eridanus was not to be trusted. That was one thing I had learned from experience.
It had happened when I was twelve. My grandmother and I had been in the library for etiquette lessons, but veered off track. We were playing hide and seek, and I had hidden myself behind a small hole behind one of the bookshelves, small enough to fit me at the time. We had just started the game when I heard a loud crashing sound that echoed throughout the library hall. People were wailing and screaming and I had heard loud gun shots and the clanging of swords. I remember the horror I felt that day as if climbed out of my hiding spot to find dead soldiers, our soldiers lying bloodied and dead on the floor. I ran throughout the library, avoiding soldiers and attacks. I had screamed for my grandmother. I ran to see her pinned against the wall, she had looked at me one last time that day and smiled at me. I remembered the gathered tears in her eyes as she looked at me, just as a sword was plunged into her stomach. And to figure out it was the Eridians who had attacked us— how uncanny. Apparently my parents had an  important Eridian official captured. He was to be interrogated not long after the attack. I had hated the Eridians sorely since that day, I wanted them gone, abolished and done for. They didn't deserve to be happy not one bit. They had the blood of my grandmother and thousands of other people on their hands. I couldn't bear the thought. And as my heart pounded with hatred, the same cursed voice sounded from behind me.
"Ah. So there you are,"