Princess Thief [✔]

12. Haunted Past

Trigger Warning: This chapter may contain scenes including violence, trauma, abuse, or emotional distress. If you are uncomfortable with the following, please skip this chapter.

The coronation went along smoothly. As the King of Deliora put the crown on his son's head, I caught a glimpse of Reid. I looked back and forth between them. I could not say they had uncanny resemblance but the undeniable honey-colored eyes were the same.

Are they relatives?  But still, to have the same voice was just not possible with my hearing. Even for a person mimicking, there would still be a time their real voice could slip up unless they had magic themselves.

But at least it was safe to conclude that Reichen and Reid were the same since they had a much more similar physique than the newly crowned King. 

I was not conscious of how I was watching Reid so intently until our eyes met and his lips curled. I avoided him brusquely. I was still brooding on the outrageousness he did this afternoon.

After the ceremony in the throne room, King Freed made his first public appearance on the palace's balcony with thousands of their people overlooking him. It was an astounding sight, seeing the citizens of the kingdom gathering. 

Though, the people could not stop their convulsive catching of breath the moment he revealed himself. It was certain that rumors would come flying about their new king's appearance right after.

We proceeded to the Formal Dining Hall eventually. The size of it was truly impressive. If the dining table in the Greenhouse yesterday was long, this exceeded the limit. It allowed over a hundred guests to sit. Even their Formal Dining Hall in Ezriel could only sit eighty at most. It didn't matter though since they rarely held parties.

Unlike yesterday where it was a competition on relations and power. This time it was more of their titles. After the host's family were the kings and queens, followed by princesses and princes, then by Duke and Duchess and their families. 

This could be the only occasion where such high-ranked nobles were seated at the far end since most guests were of royal blood while they had the lowest status in this party.

We took our seats. I was assigned beside Yves. On my other side was another foreign princess, Willow was quite far from us. Across me were my sisters. Thanks to the spacious table and ornaments I doubt they could do anything to me.

The old King of Deliora offered a toast and the entrees were served.

***

One word to describe me would be recluse but I was not shy, I just didn't want to start the conversation first. But nobody dared talk to me. 

The princess didn't even turn her head once to me as she engaged in talking with her other neighbor. I did not expect anything from Yves either. Erodessa and Lian could not even bother me as they were engaged in tête-à-tête.

The prevailing faces of people I met from the Greenhouse and my stroll yesterday were near but no one tried talking to me. They dared to even if Xenon was there yesterday but at present, not one person did. I even saw a man who was five seats away reached out to the princess beside me yet they didn't even bother to spare me a glance.

I had a growing suspicion of whose fault was it. I turned to my side, looking at the impassive persona of my brother. Our eyes met and there was a twitch on his brow.

It was indicating 'what?'

I just sighed and stared at my empty plate. Dinner was almost over when the flash of lightning illuminated the room. It was succeeded by the loud sound of thunder and heavy rain. With this weather, we could not travel back to Ezriel. Even if we steered clear, the roads would still be dangerous.