Chapter 7
Dear Lord Caoel, I appreciate the gesture, but I already had someone accompanying me to the festival.
Sincerely,
Nyra.
Simple, easy, and effective. I haven't heard a word from him since, so I'm guessing the letter worked.
I finish applying the makeup I'm going to wear and take a good look at myself. The makeup doesn't need fixing.The orange dress falls past my knees, nearly to my ankles and the long orange sleeves, sure to keep me warm, doesn't look wrinkled or out of place.
I don't typically wear formal dresses, but since this is a formal event, I had to grab something. As tradition dictates, the royal advisors' families—and their partners—wear orange. Everyone else wears any other color but nobody will dare touch green, since it's only for royals.
I put on my necklace. I refuse to wear anything else; that necklace is too important.
Quickly, I put on my black slippers and start running downstairs to see him there, waiting.
He is wearing a suit, just as I had guessed. His shirt is orange, with a black handkerchief and black coat. When he looks up at me, he is taken aback for a minute. As I approach, he offers his hand, and I take it, smiling.
Suddenly, he pulls me slightly closer and whispers in my ear.
"You look lovely."
I turn beet red. Sure, I look nice—but lovely? Ahhhhhh.
"TTTHANK YOU!" I say a bit too loud, quickly putting my hand to my mouth to center myself.
"And you look very handsome."
It is true—any woman would fall for him. His sleek black hair is perfectly groomed, not too long not too short. I never noticed how well he could clean up, clean-shaven. And those red eyes… as he stares at me, they cut into me and leave me breathless.
He chuckles, and I loop my arm around him. We make our way to the festival.
It's not far this year; for whatever reason, we've chosen the port city instead of the capital. If I had to guess, it's to make a statement to me—since the Lord possessive is in charge of hosting it. What is in store? I don't know, and I don't care. Let him look like a fool, I say.
We continue walking through the crowd—packed tightly, the air stifling.. I hate large crowds.
As I look up at him to see if he's okay, I get bumped. He looks over at me, shakes his head, and holds me closer. I can feel his body heat. I turn red.
"Aren't you uncomfortable doing this?" I whisper close to him.
He chuckles. "Seems like I should be asking the one who's red as a tomato."
I playfully lean into him more as he chuckles. The banter among the crowd grounds me.
When we reach the center of town, there's a big stage just in front of the fountain. Food is everywhere, and so are the bands, waiting for the cue.
While I don't like crowds, food and music are my things. My eyes dart between the bands and the food—and that's when I hear a voice in my ear.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get your fill… till you're drunk."
"I—I—I—" I forgot he was there. But before I can finish, the chatter dies down as Lord Caoel takes the stage.
"My fellow countrymen and women, welcome to the fall festival," he begins. "Tonight we celebrate another year of greatness in our country—and my father, who, though ill, has granted me permission to host this year's festival for the first time. I thank all of you, as your future lord, for allowing me to do so.
"So tonight, eat, drink, and dance your fill! For we are Elos—the mightiest and strongest nation—and nothing will ever come between us and the love we have for our homeland!"
A round of applause erupts and the music starts with a lively tune. I roll my eyes.
The fall festival isn't about pride or politics; it's about gratitude—the harvest, the crops, and the meteors that will soon grace the sky to bless next year's yield. It seems he's already lost sight of that.
He heads off the stage and is immediately greeted by the nobles.
"Well, drinks first?" Kaelith asks. I nod, and we head to the wine table, close to the stage.
It takes a while, and by the time we get there, somehow Caoel is already done talking to them. He smiles.
"AHHHH, Nyra."
Oh great. I bow in courtesy.
"Your grace."
He bows in turn.
"Glad you could make it, even if the hand I extended was too late."
So the letter reached him.
I look at Kaelith; his eyes don't break contact with Caoel. That's when I say, my voice tense, "Let me introduce you to Kaelith. This is Lord Caoel. Lord Caoel, Kaelith."
They don't break eye contact.
After a long moment, Caoel extends his hand first.
"Pleasure. It doesn't surprise me that Nyra wanted to go with someone sooooo…" He pauses. "Ordinary."
Kaelith takes his hand. "Pleasure. I just didn't know a leader of this nation would be sooooo…" He pauses, never breaking eye contact. "Selfless."
The crowd noises fade from me. The music muffled as I tensely watch these two.
"Well, what can I say? I am a generous person," he says, combing his golden locks with his hand. His equally golden eyes lock eyes again with Kaelith. He doesn't look terrible, I'll admit, but it's like putting lipstick on a pig.
"Indeed, Your Grace. So generous and so willing to step up when your family has not been seen in months—may they soon get better."
Caoel smirks. "Indeed. I wish they could see this—so lively and full of surprises. We would be in for some dark times if they suddenly disappeared. A great shadow looms over us all and we have a responsibility to make sure that the people only see the light."
He extends two glasses to us. Did he have those the entire time? Or did I just not notice?
"Have a drink with me," he says, smiling, still barely acknowledging me. I take a glass from him and Kaelith the other.
Caoel grabs another for himself and raises his glass. So do we.
"To the people of this nation, and may they never see the shadows of evil," he begins.
When I begin to drink, a hand appears on top of mine. He shakes his head.
I look confused. When I look back at Caoel, he looks annoyed.
"What is the matter? Can't you appreciate good wine, you two?"
I look ashamed of my behavior. When I try to take another drink, the same hand stops me.
"Indeed, this wine is a great vintage—anyone can tell from the aroma—but unfortunately, I think it will take our breath away with its…" He inhales dramatically. "…unique flavor."
The lord tilts his head, almost as if doing it for show. He's confused, but his eyes don't meet the look.
"You were right about one thing, though. There is a great shadow looming over Elos," Kaelith says, his eyes and free hand sweeping the crowd. "This shadow is growing within, sadly, as your presence grows and your family's presence wanes."
He then turns back to Caoel. "But make no mistake."
Kaelith downs the entire glass of wine. He makes a satisfied sound.
"Even the biggest shadow… the tiniest light will outshine it."
He grabs my glass. "And I hope you are the light, my lord."
He downs the entire thing.
I stare at Kaelith. He smirks. I shoot my eyes to Caoel—his face now pale as a ghost.
"My, this is a great wine, just as I thought. But for now, we must excuse ourselves. Nyra, we must have a discussion really quick. Do you have somewhere private we can go, my dear?"
He offers me an arm again, playful. "Shall we?"
I nod. Caoel quickly blinks before we head out. "Enjoy the party, you two, and may you live long."
I take it as a dismissal and lead us out. That's when it hits me.
"What did you just call me?"
He smirks, right to my ear, close enough to feel his breath as we walk.
"Nothing, my dear."
I turn redder than I ever have. My heart jumps.
I lead us to a quiet place as fast as possible. Over time, his pace begins to fall behind. I don't bother to look back until we reach the bridge. Nobody is here—which is good. It's on the outside of the party, but close enough to slightly hear the music.
I turn around and see sweat glimmering on his brow. He collapses to the ground but is on his rear. His back leaning against the bridge
"Oh my god, are you okay?" I rush over, but he puts a hand up.
He takes off his coat and slightly unbuttons his shirt to reveal a white undershirt. I can see his toned chest.
He pulls out a vial and a syringe. The vial contains a silvery liquid. In one smooth motion, he fills the syringe and, he stabs it into his chest and breathes a big sigh of relief.
"What the hell was that? What did you just do?"
He removes the syringe. "The glasses were poisoned."