Beginning

Chapter 12

Titania made her way to the Dining Hall, perhaps earlier than she ever had before in her life. On her way there she started thinking of the list of women that would be in her party soon. She has worked on the list for quite a few weeks already but has yet to make any final decisions. She will have another week or so to make the final list and give all the servants and aristocrats an invitation for them to join. They will all be leaving their everyday work or activities because no one ever refuses an escort party invitation.

To be invited and accepted in a royal escort party is a great honor. It is similar to having a small court to go with you wherever you please. They are to stay by their Highness, give advice, take notices, and always be sure to please their Highness in any way they wish. The advantages of being an escort also add to the honor and the motivation to join. lamia and human servants, both may be asked to join, however, their privileges differ. It also differs in who they are escorting.

Royals and high aristocrats are general the only people who have escort parties. Never does a normal lamia have such a luxury. The higher the party's Highness is, the more privileges the members get. An escort for a Romenheart Princess, for example, would be a very sought after spot. The benefits a lamia member would receive would include boasting to others that they are climbing the social ladder with the show of their new status and title next to their Highness, invitations to almost any and all parties and socials their Highness is invited too and being very well taken cared of by others who are not in the party as well. All of that is the reason so many women have been kissing up to Titania even more than normal lately. They all want the chance to be part of this.

Human servants have a chance to join an escort party as well, but there is usually a small number of them included, as the majority of the party is held by lamia members. Their benefits vary, most are just honored to be about to serve so closely by such high up lamia. Others use it for the title, the little power they hold over others of their own kind, believing being picks makes them better. It's a trait most lamias try to avoid if they decided to include a human member.

This brings Titania to a slight inconvenience; telling Margareta she will not be joining the party.

Titania noticed how much extra work Margareta was doing, and despite the reason of her motivation just being to try to please her princess for her birthday, she felt Margareta was aiming for something else. A spot on her escort party is probably what her handmaiden wanted to earn. That position, however, would not be given to her. Yes, Margareta would be disappointed when she finds out she wasn't chosen, but the princess felt this would be best for her. Her handmaiden was just too young to handle the exposure to dominance. Such exposure could lead to tarnishing.

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William waited around the corner, a hallway away from the Dining Hall doors. As William could see, no one had arrived yet, just a lot of servants coming and exiting from the doors. William took a deep breath and leaned against the wall he was peeking behind of and tried to look like he was supposed to be there as he heard a group of guards started to walk down the hallway. Thankfully no one seemed to notice him or they would have surely stopped to talk to him, delaying and distracting him from his objective.

Right as the group of guards was passing, he heard another step of footsteps. This set came alone and walked with such an air of confidence that he knew instantly who it was. He peeked around the corner and just as he thought, there came the princess walking down the perpendicular hallway. Someone opened the door from the inside and she went inside.

For a moment William was worried he missed the King and Queen arriving. Titania is never early for anything, especially not to meet her parents in the Dining Hall, let alone beat them to arriving. He was hoping to get the secret from Alina before the princess could come and tell her before she became too busy with the rest of the day.

As William started to recalculate a new plan, he started to hear another crowd of footsteps, this crowd full of nothing but heavy sounding boots marching down the halls as if they own the place. Which they kinda do, as the King and his escort's voices could be heard as well, their chatter full of spirit. The popular topic is, of course, the princess's birthday today. Soon the crowd came into view, with the king in the front middle of them. As soon as they got in front of the Dining Hall, servants open the door and the King bid everyone goodbye. He stepped inside as the doors closed behind him, which swallowed all sound as they shut. The men of the king's party all left after the king has gone inside.

"She showed up early huh? First time for everything," William muttered as he kept his tried to focus on hearing for the Queen's party. It was a few minutes before he heard any noise in the silent hallway, aside from the occasional servant running about doing some duty or another. It was quieter than normal because almost everyone who isn't waiting on the Royals in the Dining room at the moment was in the Grand Ballroom, getting ready for the guest that will be arriving soon.

FInally, William started to hear the small peddling sound of a group of women walking together. He peeked his head out of the corner to have a look when they got closer. He saw the Queen soon, followed by the group of much too excited party members that make up her escorts. They are all talking at once so it is difficult to make out any particular voice. That didn't matter, however, for there she was, with a red choker around her neck, Alina.