Yura blinked then followed them into the hallway. They set out, and Yura followed with trepidation.
“…Um, why are we going there, Leila?”
Leila responded to Yura’s anxious questions by keeping her eyes forward and smiling.
“To attend the banquet, Lady Yuura.”
“…But what exactly will we be doing there?”
This time, Leila offered no response.
As if to suggest she should keep her voice down, Leila winked at Yura. This only served to make her more anxious.
Where are they taking me?
After traversing the endless halls for some time, they finally arrived at a door. Standing on either side of the doorway were two soldiers, facing down the dark hallway. As Yura looked all around, they stepped up and pushed the massive doors open.
“Please, enter.”
As they opened the doors, light poured from the room—an intensely bright light. Dazed, Yura squinted in the blinding light.
She stepped forward as instructed. Everything around her seemed blurry. She blinked her eyes a few times and looked up. But the second her eyes were able to focus, she froze.
Before her was a luxurious sight.
Every lamp in the long room that could be lit was. A deep crimson carpet was laid out on the floor, so red that it almost seemed to be ablaze.
Leila began to walk across the carpet.
“Wait, Leila!” Yura continued to panic.
As Yura’s eyes drifted to the other end of the carpet, she realized there was another door. A door covered in red cloth. It was excessively ornate and likely worth more than Yura had ever seen in physical wealth.
Yura froze, hearing music and a commotion from the other side of the door. The sound of people bustling about and raucous laughter.
Yura knit her brows.
Applause erupted throughout the room. Then lively music. The sounds all seemed to coalesce into one. She thought she heard someone cheering.
No, it wasn’t just in her head; she had heard it.
“L-L-Leila…”
Yura didn’t move. Resigned, Leila took her hand and walked forward.
W-Wait!
For some reason, she didn’t want to go. She had a feeling that, if they opened that door, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
“Leila, please!”
Leila opened the door. It gave a loud squeak.
Like the opening of a Jack-in-the-Box, the din exploded from the room.
The shouting and cheering fell upon her like the waves of an ocean. She was overwhelmed by the light that seemed to swell all around her.
Yura gazed down at the scene in awe. Her throat became dry as she took it all in.
Every inch of the massive hall was filled with people. Clusters of innumerable candles hung from the ceiling, casting their light upon the people below.
Overwhelmed, Yura looked all around. There was a semicircle balcony before her. A single staircase descended from it, leading right into the chaos.
The sound of the door opening caused Yura to jump. It was impossible to actually hold a conversation without it being swallowed by the surrounding bedlam of noise.
“L-Leila!” she shouted.
“Please allow me to welcome you to the ceremonial banquet for the 14th anniversary of the coronation of His Majesty, Ashes Fraze Westguard the 13th Emperor of Tolkinia.”
Leila’s words breaking through the din surprised Yura. She stood there, looking at her.
The name Leila mentioned was familiar, though. Yura whipped her head around to meet Leila’s gaze.
“Ashes?”
“His Majesty’s name.”
“Huh?” Yura instinctively replied.
No way. That’s impossible!
Yura saw something in Leila’s eyes, like a mother trying to explain something to a child. She gently motioned for Yura to look.
“Over there.”
At that moment, Yura saw it. A massive hanging banner at the center of the room, right across from the balcony.
It dangled from the high ceiling and fluttered gently in the breeze from the open skylight.
A crest adorned its center. It was an eagle with its wings spread, the sun at its back, and its talons at the ready. The banner stretched all the way down to a podium below it.
Throngs of people were gathered before the podium, all shouting and jostling about. And then, Yura spotted someone standing atop the platform.
She drew in her breath. Even at this distance, she could tell who it was.
That silver hair. That handsome face.
Standing in front of the throne that’d been placed there, he was smiling proudly at a noble who had been speaking passionately.
“Seriously…?”
Yura clung to the handrail, putting all her weight on it. For a second, she thought she saw those aqua eyes glance her way.
“…No way.”
With a silver crown upon his head, Ashes greeted the crowd of admirers with a smile. A bird sat perched on the empty throne behind him.
Ashes lifted his drink in response to the cheering throngs.
“Ashes…”
Yura was taken aback.
Leila gently took her arm. She slowly guided her forward.
Her eyes still fixed on Ashes, Yura followed Leila’s prompting and made her way toward the stairs.
One step after the next, the stairs seemed to stretch on into eternity. Time also seemed to slow to an excruciating lull. Everything around them seemed to move in slow motion.
It was like a music box with the switch broken. The music became sluggish and the movements dull. Until at last, it stopped and ran out of power for good.
The crowd was dancing to the music. Each time the dresses fluttered across the floor, it was like hundreds of flowers blooming and withering all at once.
The chandeliers flickered, casting afterimages on the ceiling. It was a slow-moving world. Sounds and movements were dragged out, the room filled with as much gaiety as the hall could hold.
But the crowd that absorbed them the second they descended brought Yura back to her senses. Leila supported her with a strength Yura couldn’t fathom.
She was not used to wearing heels, and they were making it difficult to stand up straight. She pinched the sides of her dress and glanced around nervously, feeling a lot of eyes on her.