FINDING MARY

Chapter 7-The king’s Party

Chapter 7 — The King’s Party

The journey to the king’s party felt almost unreal. As the car approached the estate, I could hardly look away from the window. The place was beautiful—spectacular, even. Bright lights illuminated the enormous compound, flowers lined the pathways, and expensive cars filled the parking area. People dressed in elegant clothes moved around the estate, laughing and talking as music played softly in the background.

Mary pressed her face closer to the window. “Sam, look at that.”

“I’m looking,” I said with a smile.

She turned toward me, her eyes filled with excitement. “Are we really going inside?”

I nodded. “Apparently.”

The car finally stopped in front of the main entrance. For a moment, neither of us moved. I looked at Mary, and she looked back at me. Then we both smiled.

We stepped out of the car.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I felt as though I had entered another world. The entrance was enormous, with tall pillars standing on either side and golden lights shining above the doorway. Several guards stood nearby while servants moved around the compound, attending to the guests.

Mary held my hand.

“You look nervous,” she whispered.

“I’m not nervous.”

She smiled. “You are.”

I laughed quietly. “Maybe a little.”

Before we could say anything else, a familiar voice called from behind us.

“Sam!”

I turned.

Prince Adrian was walking toward us.

He looked completely different from the man who had welcomed us at his home. He was dressed elegantly in a dark suit that fit him perfectly. His hair was neatly styled, and his calm smile made him look even more charming.

Yet, despite all the elegance surrounding him, his smile was the same warm and friendly one I remembered.

“I’m glad you came,” he said.

I nodded. “Thank you for inviting us.”

Adrian looked at Mary and smiled. “And you look beautiful tonight.”

Mary lowered her eyes shyly.

“Thank you.”

Adrian laughed softly. “Come. There are people I want you to meet.”

He led us into the gathering.

As we walked through the crowd, I noticed something. Almost everyone seemed to know Adrian. People greeted him as he passed. Some shook his hand, while others stopped to speak with him as if they had known him for years.

Adrian never ignored anyone.

He stopped to greet people. He listened whenever they spoke. He laughed with them and even asked some about their families.

Watching him, I understood why people trusted him.

He didn’t behave like someone who thought he was better than everyone else. He behaved like someone who genuinely belonged among them.

Eventually, he brought me toward a group of well-dressed men.

“Sam, I’d like you to meet some of the merchants.”

My eyes widened.

“Merchants?”

Adrian smiled. “Yes.”

He introduced me to the first man.

“This is Mr. Kofi. He deals mainly in textiles.”

The man extended his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I shook his hand. “The pleasure is mine.”

Adrian introduced me to another merchant who dealt in food products, then another who transported goods between different towns.

With every introduction, I became more excited.

These were the kinds of people I had dreamed of working with. People with experience. People with connections. People who understood the business I was trying to enter.

Adrian continued introducing me to more people.

“This is Sam. He’s planning to start his own trading business.”

One of the men looked at me with interest.

“Really?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“What kind of goods are you interested in?”

I began explaining my plans. The man listened carefully and asked several questions. To my surprise, Adrian stayed nearby, helping me whenever I needed to explain something.

For the first time, my dream didn’t feel like something far away.

It felt possible.

I looked at Mary.

She was standing nearby, smiling as she watched me speak with the merchants.

I smiled back.

Maybe things really were changing.

Then the atmosphere suddenly changed.

A loud voice announced, “The King is arriving.”

Everyone became quiet.

The conversations stopped almost immediately.

I turned toward the entrance.

The large doors opened.

The King entered.

My breath caught.

He was a huge man—tall, broad, and mature. There was something powerful about the way he walked. He didn’t need to raise his voice or demand attention. His presence alone was enough to silence the entire room.

Beside him walked a man who appeared to be his personal butler.

The butler looked unusually sharp. His eyes moved constantly around the room, studying everyone. There was something about him that made me uneasy.

Whenever the King walked forward, the butler leaned toward him and whispered something quietly into his ear.

The King would occasionally smile, but his face quickly returned to its usual serious expression.

Nobody spoke.

Everyone seemed to understand that the King’s arrival had changed the atmosphere completely.

Adrian straightened immediately.

I noticed the change in him.

The confident smile disappeared. His posture became stiff, and for the first time since I had met him, he looked almost nervous.

The King walked farther into the room.

Then his eyes settled on Adrian.

“Adrian.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Come here.”

Adrian immediately walked toward him.

I watched silently as the King began asking him questions about the gathering, the guests, and the merchants who had arrived.

Adrian answered carefully.

“Yes, Father.”

“Yes, everything has been arranged.”

“Yes, the merchants have already arrived.”

The King continued speaking.

I could tell Adrian was choosing every word carefully.

Then Adrian glanced in my direction.

For a moment, our eyes met.

He hesitated before turning back toward his father.

“Father, there is someone I would like you to meet.”

The King looked at him.

“Who?”

Adrian gestured toward me.

“This is Sam.”

The King’s eyes moved to me.

I immediately felt uncomfortable.

Adrian motioned for me to come closer.

I walked toward them.

“Good evening, Your Majesty.”

The King studied me for several seconds.

“Samuel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Who is your father?”

I froze.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

I swallowed.

“My father is no longer alive.”

The King’s expression didn’t change.

“What was his name?”

I answered.

He remained silent for a moment before asking another question.

“Where are you from?”

I explained where Mary and I had come from.

The King looked at Adrian.

“Have you investigated him?”

Adrian paused.

“No, Father.”

The King’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You brought a stranger into my gathering without investigating his background?”

Adrian lowered his head slightly.

“I understand your concern.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

Adrian took a breath.

“No, Father. I haven’t conducted a background investigation.”

The King looked back at me.

“And what does this stranger want?”

Adrian answered, “He wants to start a trading business.”

The King looked at me again.

“Explain.”

I gathered my courage.

“I want to become a merchant, Your Majesty. I want to buy goods from suppliers and resell them to traders and customers. I want to start small and grow the business gradually.”

The King listened without interrupting.

“How much money do you need?”

I told him.

“And you believe you can make this business profitable?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

There was a brief silence.

The King looked at Adrian.

“So, that is what you intend to help him with?”

“Yes, Father.”

The King nodded slowly.

“If that is the case, then make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Adrian nodded.

“Yes, Father.”

The King looked at me one last time.

“Then I wish you success.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The King moved on.

I released the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

Adrian looked at me.

“You did well.”

I gave a nervous laugh.

“I thought I was going to faint.”

He smiled.

“You weren’t the only one.”

I looked at him in surprise.

For the first time that evening, I saw a glimpse of the young man who had welcomed us into his home.

The party continued for a while. People returned to their conversations, and music began playing again. Food and drinks were served. I spoke with several merchants, and everything seemed to be going perfectly.

But after some time, I began to feel strange.

My head felt heavy.

The room seemed to move slightly whenever I turned.

I reached for the glass in my hand and stared at it.

I had drunk more than I normally did.

Mary noticed immediately.

“Sam?”

I looked at her.

“I’m fine.”

She frowned.

“You don’t look fine.”

“I just need some air.”

I tried to stand straight, but my body felt heavier than usual.

Adrian noticed.

“Sam?”

“I think I should leave.”

His expression changed.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.

“Yes. I’m just tired.”

Adrian looked at me carefully.

“Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”

I shook my head.

“No. I’ll be fine.”

He studied me for another moment.

“Alright. Get some rest.”

I nodded.

“Thank you for tonight.”

He smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

A few minutes later, we were helped into a car.

Mary sat beside me.

As the car pulled away from the estate, I leaned my head against the seat. The lights outside the window slowly disappeared behind us.

Mary looked at me.

“Sam?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you really okay?”

I forced a smile.

“Yes.”

She didn’t look convinced.

Neither was I.

I closed my eyes.

The events of the night replayed in my mind—the merchants, the King, the strange butler standing beside him, and Adrian.

Everything had happened so quickly.

I didn’t know why, but as the car carried us away from the estate, I suddenly felt that something about that evening had been different.

Something I couldn’t explain.

Something I couldn’t see yet.

I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness outside the window.

For now, I pushed the feeling away.

I had no idea that the King’s party had just opened another door into a world far more dangerous than I could imagine.