Luna Queen

Chapter 5: The Dinner

                    Cassandra Stewart did not get into cars often. In fact, it had been more than ten years since she last rode in a car. Most people used public transportation in the city and cars were a symbol of social status.

The car that belonged to the Prince was very comfortable. The car seat was soft, and sunk as she sat on it. It wrapped around her giving her a sense of comfort, like being hugged. It only took the car thirty minutes to get to the gates of the palace.

She had seen the palace from the outside before. A large gate that Cassandra had to crane her neck to see the top of; through the bars, she could see the large grounds surrounding the building. The garden had the perfect lawn, shaped bushes, flowers, and a grand water fountain with a statue of a Beast in the middle.

Their car was granted access almost immediately, and the gates were thrown open. As they moved closer to the building, Cassandra got a look at the building she had seen only from the distance. The palace was built tall and strong, in a U-shape, with squared edges.

The car came to a halt in front of the palace, near a huge, old tree that stood like a wise guardian. The driver opened the door for her, and as Cassandra got off the car, she was led inside through a small gate in the left side, instead of the main entrance.

As she walked through the wide corridors, she was overwhelmed by the luxury of it. She tried not to look around like a commoner and walked with eyes straight ahead. Through the corner of her eye, she could see paintings and photographs hanging on the wall on either side of her, but did not turn to examine them.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a large wooden door with an ornate wooden knocker on it, bearing the Royal Beast. "I shall leave you here, miss," he bowed and left.

I shall never get used to people bowing to me, she thought to herself.

She watched as the man turned and walked away, leaving her feeling intimidated in front of the door. She took a moment to breathe and knocked on the door softly with her knuckles. She felt stupid after that. The knocker is there for a purpose, Cass, she told herself.

It took only a quarter of a minute for the door to be opened. On the other side, in a suit, looking exactly the way he had the last two times, was Prince Christopher.

"Good evening, Cassandra. You look beautiful." He smiled at her.

Cassandra blushed, again grateful for the melanin in her skin. "Thank you."

"And a happy birthday to you, in advance."

Cassandra stared at him. "How did you know it's tomorrow? I didn't give you the date."

"I know it is easy to forget because of my easy-going personality, but I am the Prince. I have access to the database," he teased.

Cassandra was not sure whether to consider that a romantic gesture or an invasion of privacy. She decided that the former was better than the latter for the sake of peace of mind.

The room had a high ceiling and a large chandelier handing from the centre. On the right-hand side, there was an L-shaped couch and a few chairs with a small tea table. On the left side, a dining table, enough to seat ten. He took her by the hand and walked to the right.

She sat on the couch, with him next to her. They were far enough that they were not touching each other, but close enough to do so if one of them wished to. The butterflies in Cassandra's stomach seemed to multiply by the second.

The Prince smiled at her. "Would you like to drink anything? I am not allowed to give you anything alcoholic, but that is just for tonight, until you turn eighteen."