Beloved

Chp. 71

Lilith

It was the day of the party.

Weeks quickly passed by in a blink of an eye. It was hard to keep the large party a secret from Khael. It wasn't much of a secret anymore because it was hard for anyone to hide the excitement. It would be the first time for Roemns and Dravicks to be together at such a large event.

Khael didn't consider his birthday as anything special and didn't expect much. Traditionally, they had a large feast, lit the grand fire at the center of Draylum. This year it would be a little different since it was his first birthday after he returned from Roem.

There was a mountain of extravagant gifts waiting to be opened. Khael showed very little interest in them. They were just being stacked on top each other. 

I was a bit worried in anticipation of his reaction to what I had prepared for the ballroom party. I've thought about it wisely but like always I needed some help. I asked the cook of the food that would be served for Khael's birthday and what he liked the most days before. Khael was a meat lover and I was sure to center it around those. However, besides that I wasn't sure of the traditional courses. There were still so many I didn't recognize but the cook pointed to the meat richly glazed in its sauce to be Khael's favorite.

And of course, my sweet tooth didn't allow me to just leave. I had to try what they were planning to serve for the desserts. I picked the one closest to me which happened to be a blueberry lemon cake with little chunks of breadcrumbs on top. The baker waited for my reaction and my eyes widened at the burst of flavors. Oh it was delicious. The soft cream balanced well with the tart crust. The finest, last touch of the citrus lemon scent remained in my mouth. Not too sweet as Khael liked it.

I took a sneak peek into the ballroom and saw a group of maids giggling while they assembled final decorations onto the walls. It made me smile as it seemed like they were still having fun in the midst of the busy preparations.

Everything seemed to be going so well. It allayed my worries.

*

"Oh, Lady Lilith. I really can't be doing this. This is much too fancy for someone like me."

She eyed herself in the mirror as the maids helped her get dressed. The party was right around the corner and Laurdes didn't have one to attend in. I found it as a perfect opportunity to finally dress her up in beautiful clothes. This was also Laurdes' first grand party. Considering she was assigned to stay by me since I was a child, she was also never given the chance to attend the parties at the King's castle in Roem. She was never allowed such fancy events. I wanted this to be a chance for her to shine as a woman.

She assured me that it was never something she desired in the first place. As she said, it was not her place. Those words made me wonder, where is our place? Who assigns them to people like us?

I never knew of the answer myself but whenever I am with Khael, he assured me those things did not matter. That I did not need anyone's approval to where I belong.

Just as how Khael makes me realize this everyday, I wanted to do the same to the people I loved. I wanted Draylum to be a different place than Roem. A place where people did not use their title or status to belittle others. Tonight would be a special night not only for Khael but for everyone here.

"L-Laurdes, it looks gorgeous on you."

The dress was glamorous but did not overpower her beautiful features. It was perfect.

Cree and Cicili were always so engrossed in the details of the dresses that arrived from Roem. There were many that were perfectly tailored for me that Khael had picked out. He knew of the colors that looked best on me. When he had asked of my favorite colors, I did not know. Perhaps I did know but never really noticed my preferences. My eyes always wandered to the colors of autumn like wine, dusty rose, and evergreen. I only noticed when Khael pointed them out.

There were few dresses that enraptured such vibrant colors of summer that were also beautiful and it seemed Cree and Cicili were fond of it too. Their darker skin tone complimented each other well.

"W-Why don't you wear this to the party?"

Their eyes widened at the idea and immediately refused. They also seemed a bit worried since these were dresses Khael had prepared for me but I assured them I had more than enough and that it was fine. I was sure Khael would've done the same.

"I-I've always wanted to see you girls in dresses like these. W-Won't you wear them for me?"

They held the dresses close to their chest and were overjoyed.

Later in the evening the guests started to arrive on their carriages through the northern gates of Draylum where it was much closer to the new towers. Ruel had ordered for triple the amount of guards for safety.

Although it wasn't much of a surprise anymore, I wanted to show him how much everyone had prepared for him today. I wanted it to be a memorable night for him, surrounded by those he loved and loved him.

My heart beated rapidly from the mere thought to the point I did not realize Khael had entered our room.

"I've almost gone blind from your beauty."

He peeked through his fingers from his hand as he looked at me with a sharp grin on his face. I smiled as I looked down at the floor.

I was wearing a two piece dress that was revealing a lot more of my skin. Similar to what women wore in Draylum. It reminded me of those handkerchiefs or those of fairies. Although I had a few gifted from the ladies here, most of my dresses were ordered from Roem. They were a different style from those worn here.

The dress I wore held the colors of the golden hour. The ends turning to a darker shade of fiery red. The small crystals glistened across my chest as they reflected the light from the sun. The bottom piece fell asymmetrically longer down my left leg, revealing much of my thigh. The dress allowed me to show the sign of Draylum proudly on my left shoulder.

It was certainly bold of me to be wearing such an outfit in front of all the guests that would be here today.

"They told me you would be here."

He came closer with his charming smile plastered on his face.

"T-Today is the day...there's something I want to show you."

I held his hands with mine and looked right into his eyes. I led him into our room and helped him get into his attire for the evening.

His attire matched mine in color. He wore a thin leather vest decorated in numerous designs with intricate details. The patterns of the needlework made me wonder how expensive it would be. Khael did not wear formal clothes for the occasion like the men in Roem. The suits were much too tight for him and he compared them to corsets women wore in Roem. He couldn't fathom how women could consider such torture as "attires". So what he wore instead for his pants was just baggy cotton pants that complimented his vest.

We walked up to the ballroom towards the newly renovated towers. As we got closer, the small chatters and the music flowed gently into our ears.

Some of the guards were lined in front of the entrance of the door that was already opened, revealing the polished floor and the grand chandelier atop the ceiling. Ruel assured me that they were all waiting inside.When the doors opened, his lips parted and his eyes were fixed at the crowd before him.

Khael

What held my attention was not the crowd before me but the scenery. It was my first time seeing the finished work of the towers with all the decorations for the party. I had thought it would be quite difficult, if not stressful to be planning such an event during her pregnancy but the results were beyond what I imagined. I was able to see how much thought she had put into this.

This would also be a part of my collection. She was always a part of the worthwhile memories of mine.

*

Thank you