The Book Of Flowers
Something Unexpected
--- 3 Months later ---
"Have you used a fragrance?"
"Already"
"Are you ready to go?"
"Already"
"Are you ready to steal food?"
Verdea giggled at my last words
"It" he answered after that
"Can you stop joking now? The party was about to start in half an hour" Luna interrupted with a look of annoyance
He and Veskal have been waiting for us at the door ever since, which is why they have looked impatient
"It doesn't matter, does it? We only need 10 minutes to get to Rose's castle by horse-drawn carriage" I replied
"Let's go now...!"
Luna complained for the umpteenth time for waiting for us too long
"Alright, alright. Let's go" I said
Luna immediately stopped leaning against the wall and began to make way for us to get out
"Are you ready?"
"Since then" Veskal answered
I laughed awkwardly at his answer
We all went out of Thyme Castle to attend a party
Outside, my other friends came to us with the Fae. They warned us to always be careful, especially Ordelia
Nor did they forget to say happy birthday to Verdea, even though I told them to prepare a surprise while we were away
"It's okay. We'll be back soon" I said to convince them
The train that was going to take us was already right in front of the gate. And after we finished telling them until later, the four of us began to ride the train one by one
Not forgetting before I entered, I gave a sign to my friends. They all nodded enthusiastically
Verdea's birthday party here should be as lively as possible later. I, who wasn't on my birthday, was already excited about the party, so I could imagine how happy Verdea was when we gave the surprise
"Pak Kusir's. Please"
After I said that, the chariot's horseman took us straight to Rose's castle. All my friends who did not come directly waved their hands to usher in our departure
Huh... Let's hope the Debutante party isn't a hassle...
By the way, I feel that wearing this hooded robe will not be okay for me later. But these are the only clothes that I like, and can cover my face
Luna and Veskal just wear neat suits to attend this party, even though they look not like what they are wearing
I also didn't expect that the black suit suited Luna. He is always better suited to wear men's clothing than women's clothing
...
I got nervous for some reason. All the nobles there might scorn me later because of the clothes I'm wearing
But, let it be. I'll just avoid them if they say no. And I'm sure Luna will probably intend to beat them up if anyone denounces me, so I might have to hold her back later as well
......................
- - - - Rose Castle
This castle was no less magnificent than Lily's castle. It's more magnificent. I don't have to tell you the details
In essence, this castle is very majestic
Why do humans like to make large buildings like this try...? Not to mention that this castle is only used for royal activities such as noble parties...
Lily Castle was used for the concubines and the sons of the king, Azalea Castle was used for the residence of guests from outside as well as the important meeting place, Hibiscus Castle was used for the servants, the, and this castle was used for the residence and room of the king's throne, as well as the place where important parties were held
Not to forget Thyme Castle which originally served as a makeshift, neglected, refugee camp was later given to Verdea for private residency
Why do they need to split up like that try? Wouldn't it be easier to make one grand palace?
The building materials must be very expensive to make those castles, and the function itself is not too much. I just live in a mushroom house with my family in Miralius, and I'm king
Humans are strange
Just ignore that for now. We have to get in
After getting off the carriage and being greeted by the butler, the four of us immediately rushed in
The big castle entrance was opened by the guards for our entrance. The contents of the castle were instantly visible in front of all of us
A large chandelier made with his heart hung above his spacious room exceeded my expectations. This room itself looked very shiny as if every corner was cleaned every day. The beautiful paintings were exposed on the walls of the room, and what caught my eyes was a large painting that contained the current image of the royal family. The painting was attached to the right side of the room and many people were gathered there
The musicians at the end of the room played the melody beautifully. Music that is very soothing to the mind interrupts between the mouths of people who are talking
There were a lot of people who had already attended this party, and they were talking to each other while waiting for the party to start. But when one of them looked at us, all eyes were on Verdea
Straight in front of me, Artorius and Celeste sat on the throne, accompanied by both concubines and their children sitting nearby. Their clothes were very neat and magnificent compared to what the four of us were wearing today
That's where I realized something
Ah, we're late apparently. If the royal families are already present, it means they have already started the party. I don't know the specifics of the rules of this party, but I'm sure we're late
Seeing our presence, Artorius, Celeste and Rosalia stood up to greet
"Welcome to Oberon. I hope you can stay here"
I don't feel at home here just because of all the eyes in this room. Verdea who was hiding behind me must have felt so too
But, I still returned his words with a smile and, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty Artorius. May the flowers always bloom with you"
Hearing that I was the Oberon, the guests there whispered to each other
Some say that the way I dress is disrespectful, others say that I do not look like a leader. Some try to be neutral
Luna's hands immediately itched, wanting to beat up those people. But I held back by putting my hand on her shoulder before she could even move a single step
We all walked to the left side of the throne of Artorius, where Verdea would sit, beside all his brothers besides Rosalia
After Verdea took a sitting position, and the three of us who were already standing behind him, Artorius also opened a new event of this party
"Knowing that everyone has arrived inside the party hall, let's start the main event!"
Everyone toasted to Artorius and the musicians began to prepare to play another song
That means they're going to dance with the star of the show, Rosalia. But the one who will get the first dance of a child must be their father the king, according to the tradition of this kingdom
It seems only to show everyone that the loyalty of the daughter lies with the king. He danced there not as a father to Rosalia, but as a king
How ironic. Even in public, Artorius could not offer his affection for the boy at all. His face carved out clearly what was in his heart right now
Artorius then took Rosalia's hand, and they walked to the center of the room to begin the dance
The musicians slowly began the music, after all things had been in their respective places. The two of them then began to dance to the rhythm of the music, slowly
But I'm not amused by that. I just stood behind Verdea who was sitting around waiting for the right time to pick up some food that was in this place
"Verdea" Collin suddenly whispered
Verdea's brother sat right next to her and wanted to talk to Verdea
Verdea thrust her ear to hear Collin whisper
"Dad and 2nd Brother are very good at dancing, huh?" Collin whispered. He then thrust his ear to hear Verdea reply
"I actually want to go home as soon as possible" Verdea replied in a whisper
"yes too. It's more fun if we play now, but Celeste's mother must be angry"
"He was fierce. Like a lion"
Verdea and Collin then giggled silently
They kept turning their ears to talk to each other
I who saw their behavior was just silent and let them continue, while smiling little to see the behavior of the two innocent children. But Lynia, Collin's real mother, is not at all happy about it and tells Collin to shut up
Collin immediately remained silent for fear of reprimand, as did Verdea, who was disappointed that their conversation had stalled
And without me knowing, the dance of the two main stars ended. A handclap filled the entire room after the rhythm of the music was over. The four of us patted our hands
Artorius then walked back and approached me this time, while Rosalia was busy serving the nobles who asked for her hand to dance
"Are you comfortable so far?" Ask Artorius
The four of us nodded. He was immediately relieved and asked a waiter to take a drink for us
But I refused the offer of the drink. Artorius then simply asked the waiter to get us a snack
Veskal then grumbled because I didn't want to be delivered a drink. I was amazed by this boy's love of wine, though I'm sure he'd never had a drink
The rest of the Hortensia family also stood up and looked for their respective talking groups
Only Collin and Artorius came to us. And it also did them to spend time with Verdea
"Then what do you want for now?" Ask Artorius later
I turned towards Verdea, and as I thought, she seemed uncomfortable with the atmosphere of this party
"Maybe, we'd like to go back if it's allowed. And I hope soon"
"Ah... So"
He then examined the clothes that Luna and I were wearing
"If I may ask, why do you look like that? And also, I didn't see any of your other friends coming here."
Artorius then looked around to find my other friends, but I just shook my head and said
"I don't want them to attract too much attention. I don't want to be the center of attention either"
"... Why?"
Just easy. It's because your family contains the snake
I wanted to say that, but I just kept quiet and didn't answer. Better than lying, right?
Veskal then pulled my shirt, but did not look at me even though I turned my head. Apparently, someone called him from a side of the room. After a moment of thought, I allowed him to go serve that person
He looked unenthusiastic, but also seemed to have no better choice
But not stopping there, Verdea once again hid behind me and said, "Everyone is looking at me"
Artorius and I turned to the people who were looking at Verdea to cast away their gazes, so they immediately turned their eyes away because they did not want anything to happen
You rascal. How dare they
"... It's okay my son. You-"
"I want to go home Vain..."
...
Verdea didn't even care about her father's words. When his words were cut off by Verdea, Artorius instantly fell silent and put on a sad face
Meanwhile, Collin looks worried about his sister Verdea who is starting to feel uncomfortable
"Well, gee? A strange group"
Ah, one annoying thing happened to us again...
Rosalia suddenly came to us with two glasses of white wine
He then handed one of them over to Artorius, then drank the other
"What about your visit here, Oberon?" She said
I didn't answer, and just gave an annoyed look to him
He also just smiled cynically and continued to drink wine in his glass. Artorius finally drank
"Then I go first. I wish I could talk to you more, but I can't" He said before saying goodbye, then went in the direction that turned from all of us
...
"... Be patient, Veri. It's not polite if we leave now"
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about being here. Artorius and Collin still want to spend time with Verdea
*PRANG!!*
The sound of a broken glass suddenly filled the room
When we all turned to look for the origin of the voice, we found Veskal among the crowd of nobles, with a visible vexation peaking
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY AWAY FROM MY LIFE, YOU FILTHY ARISTOCRAT!!"
Luna directly blocked Veskal before she did something further
When I looked at the person who called Verdea earlier, I realized something
That's Duke Grandier. Philip Grandier. Veskal's own father
His entire family was there, even his family who came from the Kingdom of Crux
"So your mouth is before your father! Don't act like you don't have ethics, just like your mother!!"
An old man wearing the judge's clothes spoke in a stern tone
Although he looked old and weak, everyone in his family seemed to be obedient to him
"Silent grandpa... I don't need that foul talk out of your mouth!"
That's grandpa...?
...
I went up to them with Verdea, as the whole family scoffed at Veskal under the unpleasant whisper that came out of their mouths
"Excuse me. Isn't it rude to make a scene and insult someone here?" I interrupted between Veskal and the old man
They all looked at me
"Ah, if it's not wrong you're Oberon. I didn't recognize you because of that veil. Introduce, my name is Yuriel. Yuriel Grandier"
Ah, the world-renowned supreme judge, and the Ambassador of the Crux kingdom. The one who made Grandier's name big and famous in the world
The man then shook my hand with a smile and said, "It's an honor to meet you"
"Me too, Judge Grandier. It was quite nice to meet the person who took care of my license to get into Crux" I replied with a smile
"ahahaha. Apparently we've met before, even until Oberon remembers that little thing I forgot"
He's got a lot of work to do. Naturally he forgot, plus when he found out his age
He then glanced at Veskal who was looking at him with a wrathful face
"If it's not wrong, he's a subordinate of Prince Verdea isn't he?" Yuriel asked with a flat face
"... Yep. You could say he's my partner" I replied
"... Ahahaha! I have no intention of blaming him on the prince of Verdea. We were wrong for never properly educating him"
"Your mouth is rotten, you snake..." Veskal interrupted
Luna immediately closed her mouth so that she would not speak any harsh words anymore
"... I hope he doesn't cause you any trouble"
"No. He's precious to us, isn't he a prince?"
Verdea nodded in agreement without the slightest hesitation. He also looks unhappy dealing with the Grandier family, just like Veskal
"All right then. Forgive us for the commotion"
He took his hand off my hand. Then, he took a few steps forward and intended to whisper in my ear
At that moment, I felt something strange. Something strange filled the entire room and felt in almost everyone there
And the fear was confirmed by the whisper Yuriel put into my ear. With his extremely calm yet terrifying tone
"I hope your trip to heaven is fun" whispered Yuriel to me
My eyes are wide
The loud sound of someone falling down suddenly rang out along with a broken glass, filling this room
The voice spontaneously caught our attention, until we turned to look at Artorius who had fallen to the floor, with foam coming out of his mouth
