𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙮

7.

7. Dusty Pianos and handsome strangers
Play Heart of the River of the Sun by Lama House

I felt bad as I left the ballroom, what was I supposed to tell Esme tomorrow morning? Would she even be here tomorrow? She did say her family was coming into town today, maybe I'll have time to fabricate something that she'll believe. I guess I'll have to make up some story and hope she believes me when she hears it. I really hope she believes it, because I don't want to disappoint her, she spent all this time making me look gorgeous and I didn't even stay long enough to really appreciate her handy work..

The sound of my heels clicking against the tile floor echoes around the empty hallway, no one ever came to this side of the castle during the festivities, at least, every year I've gone this way there wasn't anyone cluttering the halls. No drinks clinging onto their bottles and glasses as they stumbled against the walls, laughter spilling from their parted lips. No girls with long hair flirting with the older nobles, most likely trying to get some easy money, the older nobles all looked the same. Old, fat, and always smelled like prunes, well, almost all of them. Shivers sent down my spine from the pudgy-old-man from earlier.

Rotten fruit and sweat didn't mix well with dance floors. Ever.

Nearing the music room, I feel my feet start to ache from the heels, not to mention the burning on the back of my heel from where it was starting to rub. Nearing the wall and leaning against it, I slip out of the gorgeous hills, and carry them all the way to the lovely, lonely piano down this last hallway. I wasn't too far away from it now,

I felt my posture loosen, being this far into the castle was like taking a cold breath of fresh air. Refreshing. No one was around to scold you for bad posture, no shoes, and no escort. No one was around to tell you to turn around and march up to the ballroom and dance until your feet bled, there was just no one in this deep at the moment. Everyone was too busy with the ballroom, and with good reason too. Just not a good enough reason for me stay. The music was pleasant and the food was probably delicious, I never got a chance to try any after all, but the crowd was not something I enjoyed too much. Elera and Leon loved the crowds, and did well in crowded areas. Though to be fair, Leon was probably drunk half of the time, and Elera always looked like she was trying to find someone amongst the crowd. She looked disappointed every time she turned her attention back to the issues at hand. She never found what she was looking for.

Rounding the last corner, I see the door way to the music room, seeing the faint moonlight filtering through the window that occupied the entire back wall, it was calming to walk through the already open doors again after a year.

There was a music room back in Polis that I visited frequently, but there was something different about this one. It may have been because I knew the palace like the back of my hand, and I never had anything to escape from since nothing ever happens in Polis. Or maybe it was just the way the room made me feel.

Sure the piano back home was beautiful and elegant, and just down-right perfect, but I liked the one in Tartarus better. It wasn't beautiful and elegant, and the thing was far from perfect, for saints sake, when I found the piano it was falling apart and was covered in cobwebs, as was everything else in the room. It wasn't unfixable, but it did take many nights of the month to fix, but eventually, with some of the maids help, I was able to make the room look half decent. Maybe that's why I liked it so much, because it wasn't perfect, and it wasn't as clean as the tile floors of the palace, but it was perfect in my eyes. I really did love this place more than I should, but that doesn't mean anything to me. I didn't care if I was more attached to this room than my crown, or the palace. Royalty bought me piano lessons and private tutors, but I would give away the crown for this piano room.