His smile faltered, but he quickly corrected it, slouching in the chair, resting his chin on his left hand already in a fist, trying to act nonchalant; meanwhile, in truth, he tried hard to be like his elder he envied so much.
But the news washed over him like tiny electrical bolts coursing through his body in shock;
He just couldn't stay in the throne room any longer; he got up from his chair and quietly whispered to his mother, "I need to head to my room for a moment."
The Queen bent her head slightly to hear her son, "Go." She knew he was leaving to put his emotions in order; she had always taught her son that a leader must not show emotions, no matter what.
The queen was angry; she couldn't slip before her subjects. She let a warm smile rest on her face, as she had always practised; she couldn't show her displeasure.
This was not the plan. She gripped the arm of her throne, her nails scraping lightly on the polished wood.
Her jaws clenched behind the smile.
Her eyes filled with anger as she looked at her husband, who had gone to talk to some of the nobles.
She couldn't wait to have the king out of her way, but she had to play her part and play it well; she would.
Two butlers walked into the courtroom, one held a parchment paper in his hands.
"Lunch has been served in the royal dining room for the Lords and Ladies, if you will follow me this way," the first one announced, his voice rising above the chatter, loud and clear.
The second butler opened the parchment in his hands and cleared his throat before announcing, "The debutantes are to follow me to the main hall for debriefing of their stay in the castle and also to be assigned their room and to prepare for the first ball of the evening."
Before the butler could finish, some of the younger ladies began to murmur. The butler paused and placed his hand by his side.
"Ladies, I assure you, lunch will be served in your rooms," he quickly said to put their worries about skipping lunch to rest.
He opened the door and gestured, saying, "Follow me this way, please," before walking toward another door.
"I wonder when we'll get to see the first prince." One of the women uttered, the lady beside her nodding her head.
"I heard he was a monster with one eye. The second prince is dreamy," another fawned, letting a chuckle ricochet through the crowd as they followed the second butler.
Castella still held on to Lillian, "I guess this is where we part then, good luck on the marriage selection." She wished for her.
Lillian smiled slightly at Castella. "It's not like I have a choice," she muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm.
Castella let out a chuckle. She quickly hugged Lillian and went towards the dining room.
Lillian's heart felt as if a weight had been placed on her chest.
A familiar feeling pricked at her, as if she'd known Castella for years, but she just couldn't pinpoint where or how due to her lost memory fragment.
Shannon, living in Lillian's body, didn't know anything about Castella because the story had taken a twist.
The ladies were already far gone from the courtroom, leaving only Lillian, who snapped out of her scrutiny.
She headed towards the door they had taken, rushing to catch up with the other debutantes.