YURA stood at the entrance, her mouth agape.
It was much different than she’d imagined. The mood was quiet and there were hardly any decorations, making it look so unremarkable. Yura had imagined something closer to the banquet from the other day, but this was a vast, simple space.
There were a row of windows near the ceiling, all of them open. The ornamentations throughout the white room were lovely in and of themselves, and the engravings on the walls and pillars, as well as the mosaic floor, were all covered in ceramic glaze. Perhaps due to the color scheme, it seemed to be a very sterile space.
Running along the length of the room were two long tables with white tablecloths over them. Spaced at regular intervals along the back wall were guards in heavy armor. Yura blinked.
“Lady Yura, please close your mouth…” Leila whispered from behind.
There were so many people and yet, almost everyone was speaking in the same low whisper. People stood rigidly about, here and there, chatting lightly in barely audible voices. Yura lowered her voice as well.
“Is it always this quiet?”
“Yes, but this year, the table is set up different than usual.”
In the center of the room were several massive candles that didn’t seem easy to reach. They were as tall as an adult and easy for any child to climb.
I bet those will be difficult to light, Yura thought, a giggle escaping her lips.
“How do they light those?”
“They are sacred flames. The clergy have special long candles they use…”
If things move along with no delays, we’ll be done by noon, Yura thought.
By her perception of time, that’d be about three hours. How many questions would she be permitted in that time?
I’ve tried to plan ahead, so it should be fine.
“I wonder where Lord Evayne is…”
“There is no need to be hasty.”
As Yura looked around, she spotted faces she recognized here and there. The first face she recognized from yesterday in the portrait room was the young governor. There was Madame Benechka, with her hair in an impressive style, and a lady-in-waiting carrying her hedgehog. The man next to her was likely her husband. When the pair of them spotted Yura, they smiled.
There were several men who looked like they might be knights, walking around in fine clothes. She searched for Sei but didn’t see him. Apparently, only certain people were allowed to participate in this ceremony.
“If we’re celebrating, it seems better to have everyone here like before…”
“This is no simple ceremony…” Leila whispered with a bitter smile. “The ceremony today is best described as a performance to promote friendship. After all, what follows are talks that only occur once every two years.”
“Talks?”
“Within the church, even though the archbishops have the right to elect the Pope, the bishops don’t have the same right when it comes to selecting archbishops. Tolkinia is responsible for the appointment of archbishops and subsequently the Pope himself. Specifically, His Majesty. That is why he is discerning in who may attend, whether they be from the administration or otherwise…”
I don’t really get it, Yura thought, nodding vaguely. To be honest, I don’t get it at all! I have no idea how this whole hierarchy thing works. I’ll have to ask Sei later.
“I see…”
“You don’t understand at all, do you…? Leila’s smile dimmed. Yura frantically shook her head.
“I-I do understand…”
Next to the massive candlesticks stood a boy about Yura’s age. He was clad in indigo-violet robes, and just as Leila said, he was carrying a long staff with a candle on the tip. Yura tried standing on her tiptoes.
A small crowd formed around the candlesticks. It was very lively and all the people and their finery blended together.
“Lord Evayne is here,” Leila said.
“Where?” Yura asked excitedly. Then her eyes met the boy’s, who dropped the staff in shock. It was just at that moment that the crowd decided to move.
“Oh, come on—!”
Yura desperately tried to head toward him. Leila panicked and yanked her back. Generally, trying to walk through a crowd dragging a full skirt behind you was a Herculean task. Her body took up far more space than usual and she had to find a way to go around. Yura glanced around, trying to find an alternative route. No matter where she looked, there were people, people, people everywhere.
A little ahead of her, there was a small space, big enough for two people to get through side-by-side. That was perfectly fit for a detour. She slipped her hand through—
But at that moment, a black shadow played at the edge of her vision. Before she realized it, she had a head-on collision.
A guard barely missed catching the stumbling Yura’s back as she toppled to the ground. The other person was sitting on the ground, their head down.
“I’m sorry,” Yura was saying, as she tried to reach out. However, the other person knocked her hand away with full force. Even with her gloves on, she could feel the anger in that strike. She gasped and froze up.
“Move aside!” Ashes pushed the crowd out of his way. He helped the girl on the ground up and then looked at both of them.
“You aren’t hurt?” he asked.
“…No.”
The girl with her head down looked up.
“Your Majesty.”
At that moment, Yura noticed something curious. This girl was a very lovely girl, indeed. Her ebony hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck. She wore a dark green dress and her long-nailed fingers were clasped together. She was staring at Yura.
“You aren’t hurt, are you?”
Yura faltered, then shook her head. She started to ask, “Are you?” But oddly enough, once again, her voice would not sound.
It was like standing before a beautiful flower, while also trying to block out the poisonous gas it was spewing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ashes turned and walked away. Following his lead, the crowd began to move again. The ebony-haired girl watched Ashes go before turning back to Yura. Her lips pulled into a smile, and with bewitching movements, she bowed to Yura.
“I’m Ermetel Ravelia.”
“…Ermetel?”
Yura thought she’d heard that name before. That instant, Leila gave the top of her glove a tight tug.
“The bell has rung,” she said hastily.
Yura came back to her senses. In a panic, she stepped back and curtsied.
“I-I beg your pardon…”
Yura allowed the girl, who was still staring at her, to walk past before hurrying off on her own. She fought to get through the crowd, guided by Leila to her seat. The eyes staring at her from behind were cold and harsh, so she looked back just once.
Ermetel?
The girl from before had her back to Yura.
Yesterday’s conversation came rushing back and Yura vigorously shook her head. It was a little cold, and she hugged her elbows. Sisty rubbed Yura’s back. Feeling the warmth of the hand on her back, Yura suddenly began to long terribly for the touch of a different comforting hand.
—Sei.
The din began to calm. The ceremony was beginning.
No matter where she looked, all she saw were unfamiliar faces. When she looked outside, the sky had darkened and become grey. Rainclouds had rolled in.
“It looks like we’re in for some rain…”
Yura heard a voice she thought she recognized and turned around. But there was no one there. She was just being jostled about in the waves of people. Yura took a deep breath and tried to calm her swelling emotions.
“Lady Yuura, please hurry.”
Leila turned back and prodded Yura along.
It was starting. The third bell rang out, indicating not an ending, but signaling the start of the next part of her journey that would hopefully lead her home.
To be continued…