“That explains why I am dressed up as if I were attending a ball. Any idea who the mystery guest is?”
“I’m not sure, your highness, a nobleman, I believe.”
Kathlyn continued to add small jewels to my hair then added a choker to match my dress before giving me the look of —
‘yes, perfect.’
“Will you be escorting me tonight?” I asked as she began clearing up my discarded dress from earlier.
“I’m afraid not, your guard will instead.”
She smiled a soft smile at me and disappeared into the bathing room, leaving me to stare at myself in the mirror for a
moment or two before I headed towards my bedroom door. My footman opened it, and I was greeted by Marcus, my personal
guard and one of my father’s favourite soldiers.
He was tall, gloomy, and barely said two words to me. That was how it had always been. Well, until after my fourteenth
birthday, when we had come to an agreement about me wandering off the grounds without any protection. He would usually,
during that time, visit his mother who I believed was ill and his wife.
Normally, guards would have to request leave, even if they were the favourites of the king, and sometimes they were
denied. This way, he got what he wanted, and I was left to be by myself. It was a win-win situation and one I was happy to
keep to ourselves, not even Kathlyn knew of it.
“Marcus, do you know who our visitor is?”
“I do not, your highness.”
Walking in behind me three paces back, I thought about asking him some more questions, but judging by his grunt after he
answered me, I knew not to bother.
“Grumpy old man,”I thought to myself as we walked through the gallery corridor.
The corridor was nicely decorated with many painted portraits of my family's bloodline, along with wedding portraits of
my mother and father, and a number of portraits depicting my siblings as we all arrived in the world. As well as a recently
painted portrait of the three of us together.
The reminder of that day made me smile. We had been allowed to spend the entire day together, something that we weren’t
able to do often. And for the most part, we just sat, playing card games, chatting about our adventures, and hearing about
Norok’s kingly lessons as father took him under his wing to be the best king he could be.
Taking each stone step slowly, I could hear the light plucks of harpist strings float in the air and out of the grand hall as
Mother’s laughter joined in. Voices and chatter amongst the court filled the stairwell as I watched a few guests dart into the
room when my announcement came.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves as I've always hated entrances. I would much rather prefer to be upstairs