IMPERIUM

Chapter 16

The ballroom was full of life. Again the ones present were people of high status. Although this time, recognizing them wasn't very easy since everyone was wearing masks.

His majesty was not present. Alayna didn't know if it was a good or a bad sign.
'Definitely good' her inner voice answered. Nonetheless the guest whispered between themselves since it was unusual for him to miss such events.

Aunt Mara rose from her throne that was placed beside the king's empty one. She cleared her voice and went her way to give some opening words before putting the whole celebration in action. The crowd's attention turned to Aunt Maras as she began her speech.

"Welcome, welcome, everyone. I would like to announce that his majesty the king is unable to attend due to some important matters. Nevertheless, do not let that disturb our wonderful evening. As you may know this is the second prince's first celebration since his coming of age ceremony which signifies his growth and maturity." You could say a lot about Angelo but maturity was one of the things that didn't sit right with Alayna.

"Please enjoy yourself to the fullest and most importantly, glory to the purple Iris kingdom."

With her finishing words the crowd erupted in applause and cheers while music from the orchestra started playing. Alayna looked around observing the noisy setting around her. Although she didn't enjoy being at parties like this, she was still thankful for her position. Not everyone had the chance to live a life like hers and dress as extravagant as she could. 

The theme for Angelos celebration was a dark masquerade. The women at the party followed a trend of dark shades. Their dresses were extravagant with a hint of elegance.

'An extravagant party for an extravagant prince.'

The same went for the men who were clearly also following the theme of dark shades. Some even took it as far as covering themselves with capes to give off an extra anonymous aura. The people blended in perfectly, so much that everyone looked very similar to each other.

Alayna was wearing something rather classy, that wouldn't make her stand out too much. An indigo mask paired with a silk dress of a slightly lighter color as the mask. The dress was embedded with glitter that sparkled as she walked. It was one of the dresses that Lina insisted on wearing. The mask followed the shape of a flower with small diamonds around its outer edge. It might sound extravagant but compared to the women at the party, it was passable.

Angelo, the center of attention, had made a clear effort to stand out, yet he still somehow managed to fail. He was wearing a burgundy colored suit with a fox like mask in the same color. His ice blond hair truly made him look like a fox. Not to count in his own behavior that matched his own mask. Angelo was so full of himself and acted way too cocky as he was conversing with nearly everyone. On a positive note he didn't even bother making any comment towards Alayna like he usually would.

Alayna on the other hand wasn't interested in starting up a conversation with anyone in particular. She walked over to the table of sweets. Which was the only thing she was excited about. A butler passed by with drinks on a silver plate. She sneakily snatched one from the plate and sat down on a seat. She silently sipped on her drink until Lorenzo came up to her. He was wearing a dark blue suit with an ironically royal silver mask. It appeared that the crown prince wasn't one to hide his identity.

"Not too excited about this all, huh?"

"Not really."

"Do you want me to help you around? Maybe we could find you a friend."

"I don't know. I prefer being alone."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

Alayna was happy just standing on the side and watching over the guests. If she started a conversation with someone the only thing she could focus on was how they viewed her. She rarely felt comfortable mingling with others. On the outside she acted as if she knew what she was doing but on the inside her true self was very self conscious. And so she sighed heavily.