Silver Amelia

Silver Amelia - Chapter 2: Night of the Banquet(Bugged)

The display of this chapter is bugged! please click next for the fixed one. ======================================================================================================================================= Tap, tap, tap. My footsteps sounded as I slowly walk down along the carpet. Left. Right. Left. Right. I looked forward and maintained a straight face. But even so, it’s as if I’m staring at an endless abyss. As I peered into it, I hear mutters, and voices from the surroundings. Numerous noises could be heard, loud, silent, near, and far. But as I continue, the noise started to die down. It’s as if the curtain on a play had risen. One by one, I started to feel gazes around me. One, two, three… It kept on incessantly increasing as if there is no end. Some seemed curious, but the others seemed awed. Tap, tap, tap. Nevertheless, I kept on walking, slowly as if every step were synchronized with my heartbeat, one by one, left, right. A feeling of wanting to go slower started to swell, but deep inside, I felt that slowing down would be an act of cowardice and would serve to break the resolve I had made. All this gazes, as if they are expecting something from me. This gazes, these people, they are without doubt citizens of Laurel. As a princess of this kingdom, I at least have the responsibility to answer them. I have to do this even if I don’t want to, now that everyone in this place is a witness. With this I have already sealed my own escape, turning back now would only bring shame to this kingdom, the royalty, and to me. This feeling is too familiar. The feeling of losing the chance, the cold and heavy weight in the chest, and the feeling of being trapped. Ah, yes, the feeling of regret, sadness, and helplessness. So you’ve come to haunt me after all this time and effort I gave… Before I approach the end of the aisle, I balled up my emotions, hid it, and swallowed it whole. After that, I took the last step and stood before a tall, broad-shouldered, and medium build man with the same silver hair as I. Would this be the man I am to tie my fate too? - - - - - - - - - - - - - I was holding a glass of wine while having a pleasant chat with my fellow Nobles. We exchanged our experiences in managing the territory, but more often than that, we talked about our complaints in the difficulties we encountered. It trailed off and turned into some sort of competition on who had it even worse than the other. “Oh, indeed, I too had a headache from a similar case, but this time it was a wyvern.” “I had the same trouble in my territory previously, every now and then a few juvenile wyverns fly down the mountains looking for a place to build a nest.” As we were giving out our responses the noise from guests started to die down. Such an abrupt silence has made us turn our gazes towards the direction it came from. There and then, our sights were glued to the woman walking down the carpet. Silver hair tied up into a braided bun pinned by an ebony hair stick. A slim, young body wearing a simple yet attracting white gown decorated with black ribbons. And lastly, a small tiara decorated her head. It was none other than the first princess of Laurel, Amelia Laurel, dubbed as the silver princess. Every single gaze among the guests was instantly absorbed, not just because she was the princess, but because of spectacle that none of us expected. With each step her Highness took, the dress started to emit dust of light; it then created a trail of light dust. In addition, the ends of the gown gradually turned translucent up until above the knees of her Highness revealing its clandestine details. But what drew the guests to quietly gaze in pure awe was not the display of the beauty of a youthful woman. It was the air that surrounded her Highness. The display of resolve coupled with determined and dignified steps. It was as if her Highness is moving towards the throne as an honorable queen. To think that her Highness would demonstrate such presence for her coming of age. Her Highness’s future, I want to witness it. This, I thought, as her Highness approaches the end of the carpet, where a man stood wearing a surprised impression. It was none other than her Highness’s father, 7th king of Laurel, King Auguste Laurel. - - - - - - - - - - - - - One second, two, three… I stood there in with a blank impression for who knows how long. The longer I stood the more I felt time has begun to stagnate. “Amelia, your hand” The man, who was my father, and also the king, asked me as he raised his own. I unconsciously offered my hand without muttering a single word. Numerous thoughts started swirling within my mind looking for an answer to this unusual event. As I kept my thoughts running, I was led to a seat inside a large garden alcove. “Now listen, my dear guests!” My father joyfully shouted. “Today, we celebrate my beloved daughter’s coming of age! And tonight we feast!” At the same time, he raised a chalice into the air. “Oooooh!” The guests shouted, and minstrels started to play their instruments. After I heard his speech towards the guests, I started to realize the situation. Slowly, I felt a cold sensation creeping over my body, as if my blood started to drain. “I was wondering why you ignored me when I called for you at the entrance,” A man said nearby. “But it seems you had a huge misunderstanding judging from that pale face of yours.” I looked towards the source of the voice and found my uncle, Duke Tervin. He’s wearing a huge grin while forcing not laugh. “You probably thought it was some other kind of ceremony, right?” He asked. “I’m guessing a ceremony related to marriage?” Ah… I shuddered as I hear his words. “Gahahahahaha!” He laughed with his hand over his stomach. As my uncle laughs over my misunderstanding, I felt my mentality taking hits one blow at a time. Please stop… As I sat there agonizing in silence while wishing for the world to end, my father came over. My father asked my uncle for the situation, and so he explained with traces of tears in his eyes. When Father realized, he had a wry smile on his face. “Don’t worry, this secret would be kept among us.” My father said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. That does not make me feel better at all. And besides, Erina probably knows. Realizing that Erina probably knew of this, I shuddered a second time. Just thinking about the ways she could use this against me, it’s terrifying. “Besides that, Auguste won’t let you get married so easily you know?” “Anyone who wants my daughter needs to at least take my fist every day for at least a year,” My father added. “And I’ll be sure to use augmented knuckles while I’m at it.” “If only you would say similar words to Argent, I’m sure he would be motivated.” “Hmph. He’s no longer a flightless chick.” As I listen, I started to regain control over my scattered emotions. Hm? “Now that you mention it, where is Elder Brother?” I asked. “and wasn’t Elaine supposed to be here?” “Elaine might have overslept. She’s probably being dressed as we speak.” My uncle answered. “I have no idea for Argent, he should probably be around here.” “He might not arrive.” ““Huh?”” Uncle and I wondered. “That’s because I dumped the papers in his room.” I slightly felt delighted at my father’s statement, but at the same time, I felt sorry. It’s quite a complicated feeling, to be honest. “Father, why was the celebration held today?” I asked confused. ”It’s earlier by three days.” Albeit a little bit late, I still remembered to ask. I also inquired about the royal guard’s unsightly actions. The explanation is a bit lengthy, so I’ll just summarize it. For the issue regarding the royal guards, it was actually staged as it was. It was actually meant to delay my arrival to the capital and to increase the chances of me returning to the manor instead of the palace. Now that they mentioned it, it is quite unlikely that my cousin would be there just to invite me to this banquet. And as I was pre-occupied by Erina, I failed to notice that not a single Noble waited for me at the city walls. In addition to that, Ark knew that Elaine is joining a banquet he had no idea of. I’ve let my guard down so easily. But I guess it’s fine since it worked as a surprise. Aside from that, the reason for moving the date of the celebration was simple. It was to assure that the 2nd Queen consort would not be able to attend and to name the celebration under my uncle. That way, the celebration would be considered as ‘unofficial’. That woman would readily spoil anything with her condescending attitude. It seems that they gave the 2nd Queen consort a task to investigate a village two days away northeast of Aves. It was ascertained that she would arrive the day before the announced celebration. The three-day buffer between the dates is insurance if ever the consort arrived earlier, or if ever some sort of miracle happened that she got wind of the plans. In addition, my 2nd brother Mark also accompanied her, so he too won’t be joining this evening. And as for this ridiculous dress woven with the skin of a Formosa, emits light dust, and a few more functions to accentuate the beauty of the wearer, was a mystery to both my father and uncle. They were even surprised that I asked, they thought I prepared it in advance. So, in conclusion, this dress is prepared by Erina. There’s no need to investigate, that’s all the evidence I need. Where did she get the funds to- My face paled after I had a glimpse of my wardrobe while surrounded by traitors. N-no, it shouldn’t be, right? S-she couldn’t have sold them right? I must confirm it, yes. Yes, she couldn’t have… but what if she did? At that moment I was dragged into a dimension of endless doubts and questions. Until after a few minutes that I decided that I’d better confirm it first, while a lingering heavy feeling remains. - - - - - - - - - - - - A few moments later, while sharing a meal and idle chatter, my mother came along with both my brother Argent and sister Elaine. “Looks like they’ve arrived,” My uncle said. “Hm?” I looked over to the direction he pointed. “Ah! Elder Sister!” My sister exclaimed as she hurriedly walked towards me. “I’m happy you’re back!” I stood as she approached to receive her. Then she proceeded to give me a hug, and of course, I returned it. “You seem well,” I said. “But where is your mother?” “Mama said she can’t join today.” She said with a frown. How to say this, my bright little sister is just like always. Innocent, cheerful and naïve, but I get the feeling that breaking her innocence would be inexcusable. And if you might have noticed, Elaine is my half-sister born, from a mistress, but I’ll discuss the details at a later time. “Welcome home Amelia,” My mother said as she approached. “I suppose your father notified you regarding that woman. No?” While my mother was speaking I released Elaine, and then she went to my uncle. “I have returned Mother,” I said in reply. “Yes, I am grateful for the consideration.” “Oh! Diane co-” “Please refrain from speaking for a moment, dear.” Mother raised her closed fan to interrupt Father. “Amelia, try to not be like your Father as you grow,” Mother said. “It’d be a shame as a royal.” “Please be relieved Mother, Father showed me what not to become.” “Very well said, well then I’ll be giving your father a little bit of advice. I’ll give my greetings at the announced celebration. For now, enjoy the banquet.” My mother left as she dragged my sad figure of a father away. Mother is probably angry about the papers he dumped in Argent’s room. You reap what you sow. I thought as I wave my hand to my father being dragged away. Then my brother spoke. “It seems you’re in a good health dear Sister.” “And you t-” I stopped midway. I raised my hand and place it over my brother’s shoulder. “Stay strong,” I said. Sorry dear Brother, but you have to be a sacrifice for our hopeless father. “What might you be referring to?” I increase my grasp on my brother’s shoulder. “Stay Stro-” “Ahahaha, please refrain from the jokes.” [Amelia, you’ve got to help me!] I was interrupted when a voice spoke inside my head. It is either telepathy or wind whisper, but judging from that pathetic cry for help, I bet it’s wind whisper. “Sorry dear Brother, but that is not my intention.” [Didn’t Mother left to do just that?] I activated the same magic to communicate. “No, it’s fine, anyway, I’ve heard you’ve exhibited a sublime presence.” [You know Father; he’d vanish the next day. If you’ll help me, I’ll give you two of those weeds.] Please don’t remind me of the event earlier. “Surely you jest; I only exhibited a presence befitting a royal.” [At least call them herbs you jerk! You say it like I’m a cattle in the fields!] “As expected of my sister, you are indeed a good image of a royal.” [There’s no helping it, they look like an ordinary weed without a mana shard.] “Dear Brother, why don’t we take a seat?” [Half a day.] I gestured to a nearby chair. “No, I am fine.” [One day.] “Then, dear Brother, have you eaten?” [Three for one day.] “I’m afraid not, please excuse me then.” [We have a deal.] “Please enjoy your meal.” [I’ll drop by two days from now] My Brother affirmed with a nod and took off to have a meal. After that, the banquet proceeded until it was time for me to receive the gifts from the guests. But since this is an unofficial celebration, the gifts were not presented to me. Even so, I was still required to greet everyone and receive their blessings and praises. Nevertheless, I was told by my uncle that the gifts were already stored inside the palace, and they would be moved to the manor starting tomorrow. Just hearing those made me feel excited. There might be some unexpected stuff mixed in among the gifts. Soon after, the banquet has officially ended. The guests started to leave, parked carriages moved, minstrels kept their instruments, and servants started to clean. The same was true for my brother and sister, but I promised that I would play with Elaine some other day so she was delighted when she left. When I scanned through the area, I found Erina waiting nearby the garden entrance. It seems like she already prepared the carriage. When I started walking towards the direction of the carriage, my uncle called out to me. “Amelia, wait, there’s still a gift you haven’t received.” I was puzzled by what my uncle said. “Please bring it.” As my uncle said those words, a Knight brought a rod-like object covered in white cloth. “This is the last gift; the guest is unable to join the banquet so I was asked to do a favor and pass it to you.” A favor from whom? Asking a duke to pass over a gift, is there even anyone capable of that other than my father? While I was trying to guess, another Knight stepped in to unroll the cloth covering the rod like object. After that, the knight presenting it with both hands kneeled before me presenting the object. It was a rapier. Although it was still inside its scabbard, it still gave a presence that it wasn’t ordinary. “Surprising, right?” my uncle said. “Even I would have trouble acquiring such a sword.” I reached for the rapier as my uncle speaks. Then I unsheathed a portion of it to peek at its blade. The Knights left quietly as I did. Bluish silver. That’s the only words that came to mind. “Fascinating, isn’t it?” I nodded. “This one was made by combining both mithril and silver creating a quicksilver alloy.” My eyes widened from hearing my uncle’s words. “Who would give such sword?” “It was forged by the dwarfs of Alabaster.” “That…” The Alabaster dwarfs, they are dwarfs that have a favorable relationship with the mountain elves at the foot of the Alabaster mountain range south of Aves. Both races live by supplementing each other. The mountain elves hunt for food using their agile bodies and their trusty short bows. On the other hand, the Alabaster dwarfs mine for minerals inside the mountain and produce weapons and armor for the mountain elves. Both races live as a single Tribe, unlike most races. In the year I was born, my grandfather 6th king of Laurel persistently entered the forest at the foot of Alabaster to meet with the Tribe. He believed that if we are able to build a relationship with them, Laurel would further prosper. Only a few shared his belief due to the influence of the human supremacist church. My grandfather frequently brings me along when visiting the forest when I turned five. And after a total of 7 years of persistent persuading, the Tribe finally recognized him. After a year has passed, Laurel’s development has become more obvious. Basically, the trade with Tribe and exchange in information has begun to take its effect on Laurel. Another year after that, while Grandfather was promoting the benefits of peace and trade with other races as he travels across kingdoms, he died. He died due to an unprecedented monster attack on the road to the kingdom of Libet. That event gave a huge blow to the pride of Laurel’s Knights as none of the Knights during the event survived. But that was a lie. It was made to look like a monster attack took place. The reason I know this was because I was there. For now, please forgive as I‘m not inclined to retell my past, but to sum it up it was the day I woke up from my dream. And even after I woke up, reality was not so kind to give me a reprieve. It slapped mud over my face over and over again till I lost my sanity. Leaving behind my past, the day the Tribe heard the news of my grandfather’s death, they stopped all their trades with Aves but still kept the peace agreement. The only reason they gave is that there is no longer someone from their Tribe that they could trust within Laurel. In any case, I was the one who continued what my grandfather started. I visited the forest like what my grandfather did, but to no avail, I was refused. After that, I went to study in the neighboring kingdom academia, the kingdom of scholars. I’ve dabbled in a lot of fields scraping up anything that I thought that might convince the Tribe to re-establish trade. I took in reports every day regarding the Tribe while I was studying. I kept on drafting propositions, suggestions, and advice that I think would be helpful for the Tribe and sent it back to the capital to realize those drafts. I continued doing that repeatedly for five years and now… “Yes, your efforts have finally been recognized by the Tribe.” “A-ah…I” My mouth kept on quivering, my hands, my fingers trembled. As I stood there, my knees started to weaken, I tried to keep my trembling legs from bending, but I still fell down. As I sat there on the ground, I again looked onto the rapier which was the proof of my recognition. “I-i…” “Amelia you’ve worked hard enough, you deserve a rest.” I felt a hand over my head after my uncle uttered those words. Finally… My sight immediately blurred as I thought of that word. “Amelia its fine, you’ve been holding it in for five years. Father would surely be proud.” I felt as if something warm was rushing out from out of my chest; something deep inside that I have long forgotten. I tightly grasped the rapier in my hand and brought it over to my chest as if I was a child refusing to hand over her precious toy. Afterward, tears started to trace over my cheeks. The tears gathered under my chin and fall to the ground drop after drop. Then slowly, as if a faucet has broken down, tears gushed out from my closed eyes. Finally… Grandfather… You can finally rest peacefully…