The Arcton Palace of the Northern Verlices was as busy as an anthill in its preparation for the grand banquet.
There was no end to the things that needed to be done before the guests arrived. Three kitchens kept cranking out platter after platter of delicacies for the feast. Guards stood diligently in every corner of the palace in their polished armor. Maids scurried nonstop on their sore feet, attending to all sorts of duties. They scrubbed the marble floors until they sparkled. Some were busy wiping down the windows in hallways, their dirty green uniforms speckled with sunlight filtering through the tinted glass.
Others dusted each piece of sumptuous furniture for the third time that week and prepared opulent halls for tonight's guests.
A banquet of this caliber- graced by all four heavenly bloodlines from across the nation-required meticulous planning and hosting. Invitations flew out in crisp white envelopes a month ago to every high-ranking minister and general.
The occasion was as political as it was joyous-the first birthday banquet of Princess Azize, daughter of the crown prince. The powerful guests will subject every drop of wine and every speck of dust to their judgment, and Verlices knew it. They will be damned if they leave any room for any form of criticism.
However, Mayhem of the main palace did not reach the far end of the East Wing. It was devoid of any decoration or excitement. Instead, its dark hallway was shrouded in a thick blanket of desolation and gloom.
Separated from the main palace by a heavy wooden door that remained locked for most of the time, the East Wing rarely saw visitors. Its ancient stone walls, weathered by time, bore silent witness to the passage of time. All its windows were covered with laid bricks, not allowing a speck of sunlight or a whiff of wind inside.
LouLou walked as fast as he could without breaking into a frantic run along the scarcely lit corridor of the East Wing and halted at a closed door. He rapped on it rather loudly, proprietary be damned,and pushed the door open.
He poked his head in and called, "My Lord!".
Naturally, no one answered.
Lou Lou squinted his eight-part blind eyes, hopelessly trying to find the outline of his master in the belly of darkness. Pushing his luck, he tried again.
"My Lord, I know you are in here."
A muffled groan answered.
In his rookie days, Loulou made the grave mistake of stepping into the workroom of his master. He suffered a few injuries, including a severe burn from touching an uncovered, hot surface in his blindness.
His master had kindly advised him not to enter the workroom under any circumstance after that. Loulou knew he was looking out for his disabled valet's safety and obeyed. But since then, whenever Loulou came calling for him, if he wished not to be found, he would stay silent and motionless in a corner until the poor servant went looking for him in the library or his chambers.
"Please light up a candle, My Lord," LouLou urged. "How can you work like this?"
There was rusling of paper, accompanied by several objects rolling off the table and crashing on to the floor. Soon, the room lit up, revealing a small, pale figure of a young boy hunched behind a table.
His blue eyes gleamed in the candlelight like two pools of clear water. A thick braid of dark hair fell over his shoulder, and his skin was blindingly pale against the black shirt he was wearing.
With his large eyes and pouty,full lips, he looked more like an adorable young maiden than a man who was almost twenty.
"My lord! Are you dressed?" LouLou questioned, straining his eyes further.
The boy looked down at his nightshirt and pants. Yes,he needed to change into more presentable clothes before his annoying brother showed up in his living quarters.
"The news arrived that the crown prince and his company had crossed the Sanguine Pass. They will be here any minute now."
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River Verlice