IMPERIUM

Chapter 2

"I see you have finally decided to make an appearance" aunt Mara's husband stated.

"I am sorry for the delay, your majesty. I was met by some nuisance on the way" Alayna stated while curtsying.

'It's not like I came on my own will,' Alayna glanced at her cousin standing behind his mother. He was still riled up from their previous conversation.

"Like daughter, like father, always getting themselves in some trouble." his majesty said while scoffing.

Alayna wasn't surprised by his treatment, it's not the first time either. The same goes for the rest of her family. You can say they were not very fond of her or her parents.

"And see where it got him, not only him, but both of them," he added.

Alayna was taken aback by his statement. 'Was he really here to congratulate her or embarrass her?'

It was a known fact to most people that her parents passed away when she was younger. She was an orphan until her aunt took her in. Aunt Mara was the one to raise Alayna since she was very close to Alayna's mother. A little while after, her aunt got married to his majesty. That is where everything changed.

Alayna could see her cousin smirking from behind his father. The awkward silence was interrupted by her aunt ushering everybody to take a seat. The elders were sitting on one side while the rest were sitting on the other side. Most of the people sitting at the table had purple eyes but not everybody was family.

The eyes of the royals were connected to a source of power, the purple iris. If one possesses the purple eyes it means that the person is given the power of the purple iris. That is to say that one does not have to be related to possess the powers of the purple iris. Furthermore, not all of the royals have purple eyes since most of them are married to rich, higher-class people, like her aunt's husband, his majesty the king. The outcome of the marriage are purple-eyed heirs that possess the power of wealth and healing.
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The dinner continued with a few congratulations and some remarks about her untrendy fashion choice from her female relatives. Alayna could hear the elders talking about important decisions that needed to be taken care of and words about a threat being exchanged between them. She was unable to hear it all clearly because she had a younger child sitting beside her, who did not learn to close his mouth while eating. On the other side were her female relatives chatting about the latest gossip. Apparently this time it was about some nobleman that wet himself because he was rejected by a girl. Alayna couldn't focus on any of the conversations and started zoning out until the dinner was ending.

After the dinner, it was time to socialize with the guests, and that is where her escape plan was put into action. People started introducing themselves to the royal family and other guests. Most of them were not here because the banquet was for the sake of Alayna's coming-of-age-ceremony. They were here because it would benefit their business proposals for making deals with others. More connections equal greater opportunities.

Alayna, being the center of attention quickly faded away which was the perfect opportunity for her to get away. She observed the people around her, making sure no one was looking at her. Alayna noticed Lina serving drinks to the guests. As she continued looking around her eyes suddenly locked with someone else's. He was standing in the corner where the light couldn't fully reach, making him hard to perceive. The man was staring at her with what looked like a smirk on his face. Alayna quickly looked away not wanting to catch further attention. She decided to approach the exit while quickly glancing at the place where the man was previously standing except this time he was nowhere in sight. She didn't put more thought into it and carried on with her plan.

The guards standing in front of the entrance doors looked like they were distracted by their intense game of rock paper scissors so Alayna took her chance and managed to sneak away. She ran to one of the corridors where she had previously hid a bag with all of her things in it.

A million thoughts were running through her head. For once she wanted to experience something different, without having to carry all the pressure of being a royal, and not make a single mistake in all her years of living.

She put on the cape she had in her bag, making her seem like any commoner in the village. After disguising herself she ran to the balcony where she planned to sneak out from.
Alayna knew that the castle was surrounded by a bunch of guards which meant she couldn't make any unnecessary noise. Outside the entrance of the dining hall on the second floor, Alayna jumped out of a nearby balcony, managing to land on the grass. As she hit the ground she accidentally injured her hand.

"Argh," she grunted before realizing she couldn't make a sound, or else she would be noticed by the guards. She hurriedly stood up and hid behind the closest bush. She looked around trying to find an object to distract the guards with. On the grass, in front of her, she found a stone that she picked up and threw in the guard's direction.

"What was that!?" one of the guards shouted. A few moments later a couple of guards gathered trying to look for where the rock came from. Alayna saw her chance and began sprinting. As she ran she kept looking behind her making sure no one saw her. When she was finally out of the castle grounds she felt a big relief and let out a sigh.

Alayna looked up at the sky as she was walking. The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly. She could feel the cold wind caressing her face. Alayna took a deep breath inhaling the feeling of freedom, even though it was only for a short amount of time. She could feel her hand pulsing from the injury she caused earlier but continued to ignore it, not wanting to destroy her current mood. She put on her hood as she neared her destination of choice. Alayna already knew where she was going. To the night market.

As Alayna approached the night market she noticed all the more people coming into view. It was a beautiful sight. The post-lamps lit up the whole place making everything seem so bright. It was a nostalgic feeling for Alayna. Due to her not being able to wander outside of the castle walls, during nighttime and without surveillance she hasn't had the chance to visit the night market since she was a child.

Everyone was interacting with each other, some trying to compromise a good deal while others were just enjoying their visit. Alayna wandered from one stall to another. As she was exploring the place she noticed a stall with different types of pens. From golden quill pens to fountain pens with complicated designs. Alayna was looking through the different pens until she took a liking to a fountain pen with a beautiful pattern on it.

"I would like to buy that fountain pen," Alayna told the seller while pointing toward it.

"That'll be two coins, miss," the seller informed.

As the seller was looking away, interacting with another customer she used the time to secretly use her powers. Alayna put her hand in the purse, conjuring a couple of coins in her hand. She gave the coins to the man and smiled brightly as the man was handing the fountain pen over to her. 'It is really the perfect gift' she thought.

Whilst Alayna was scanning through the different stands she saw another man who was selling hair clips. She went over to his stand. Alayna took interest in a flower-shaped clip made of purple marble, with hints of gold.

"Would you like to buy anything, miss?" the seller asked politely.

"How much for the purple flower clip?"

"Oh, I apologize but that's unfortunately not for sale, would you like one of these other clips instead?" he pleaded whilst putting away the purple flower clip. It seemed that the seller had put it there by accident.

"I'm fine, thank you,"

Alayna was nonchalantly carrying on her way through the night market, until something interesting caught her attention.

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Hi Everyone,

I have some good news. I will be updating two chapter a week instead of one. One every Friday and one every Sunday or both on Sunday.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

S&S