Chapter 50: Chapter 50
Chapter 49:
Sanaya’s P.O.V
Trumpets sounded as the doors were opened slowly, pushed aside by heavily muscled guards on either side of the door. What lay inside took my breath away.
The throne room was ginormous and it was filled with people and from the looks of it, there were over a thousand people inside the room and I realized that almost everyone were immortal. They were standing in two rows, leaving a large space in the middle through which people could walk down the aisle to the thrones at the very end of the room.
The thrones were just like the ones I had seen in movies and they appeared to be made of gold. The king and queen were already seated on the throne and both were dressed in white. Queen Valleria was dressed in a dove white gown with diamonds encrusted all over the dress. Her hair cascaded down to her waist in loose ringlets and a diamond tiara graced her head, shining brighter than the sun. A smile lit up her face as she spotted Lancelin.
But when I turned my attention next to her, I was left truly stunned. This was my first time setting eyes on the King and even though both Lance and his mother had told me that Lance was a shadow of his father, I couldn’t have imagined just how true the words were. It looked as if Lance had a twin brother.
The king, Nathaniel Eustein, was a mirror image of Lancelin, the template from which he had been cast. The same dark hair, the same height and the same build, except for the liquid silver eyes that differentiated father and son. He wore a jacket similar to Lance except it was all white and encrusted with diamonds. The crown on his head however, was pure gold with rubies and emeralds embedded in them and he held a staff that too was made of gold with a giant ruby on one side.
For a second, my eyes met the King’s and I lowered them immediately, feeling uncomfortable.
“Sanaya?” Acelin asked in a low whisper and I realized that I’d tightened my hold on his arm instinctively.
I shook my head at Acelin, forcing a smile that Acelin didn’t seem convinced about. There was no reason for me to feel uncomfortable with Lance’s father especially when I hadn’t even met him. But there was something in his gaze that had send red flags in my brain. It wasn’t creepy or lusty or anything at all. Maybe that was the real reason…the nothingness in his gaze that made me uncomfortable. He definitely didn’t seem happy handing his throne over to his son.
Lancelin began walking inside the room and we followed close behind, just after Erick and Alina. I was quickly distracted by the beauty of the room as we entered. The floors were made of tiles that glittered like diamonds and had beautiful designs bordered with gold. It made me hesitant to walk on it with shoes on even though the shoes were new and never worn before. Huge, heavy, white silk curtains were hung on the sides of the room, on humongous floor to ceiling windows that were open to let the light of the setting sun into the room. The room was also decorated with huge porcelain vases that had beautiful white flowers which acted as natural air fresheners. The vases were also marked as dividers between the two columns where the guests stood and guarded the path to the thrones.
There were pillars on the sides of the room and unlit torches to provide light when the sun would set. Huge crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling with hundreds of large burning candles that lit up the room beautifully. Sanctium, as I had noticed, rarely used electricity even though they harnessed wind and hydro electric power. They were stuck in the past in a good way, like they wanted to preserve their connection with the past, when they were born. Several guards stood on the sides, away from the people and bearing mean looking swords and guns and they kept an eye on every tiny movement in the room.
It was a long walk to the front of the room and once we neared the front of the room, Acelin pulled me aside into the second row while Erick and Alina joined the first row. I think I saw Tanya standing near the back with several other men and women, all dressed in different shades of purple, symbolizing the color of their coven crest. Sophia and Zach were on opposite columns, on either side of the aisle and somewhere in the middle of the room. Acelin had whispered to me that the guests were mostly all Incubi/Succubae and Mages and they all stood according to rank.
As I looked around for familiar faces around the room, my eyes landed on Asmara, who was standing at the very beginning of the second row, on the opposite side of the room with Keith by her side. The only reason I noticed her was because she was glaring daggers at me and as soon as our eyes met, she gave me a sly smile and turned to face Lance as he walked ahead and up to the pedestal that led to the thrones.
Asmara was wearing a bright red gown that hugged her upper body like a glove before flaring into a skirt. As usual, diamonds and rubies were embroidered into her dress as with every high class Incubi/Succubae in the room. Sophia, my brain had vaguely registered, hadn’t been wearing any diamonds, but a heavily embroidered pink gown that matched her hair and gold jewellery.
The trumpets stopped playing as the King and Queen stood up from their thrones and Lance came to a stop at the base of the thrones, on top of the pedestal. My heart almost leaped out of my chest with nervousness. This was it. The big moment we had all been waiting for.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my beloved subjects and mages,” the King spoke with a booming voice with his hands spread on his sides. “Welcome to the coronation of my beloved son, Lancelin Eustein. And now…let us commence the ceremony.”
The music changed from trumpets to violins as a page came forward with a tray in his hands which was covered with a piece of red cloth he walked up the stairs and stood next to the King. He then proceeded to remove the red cloth with a flourish, reveling a golden crown with sapphires and diamonds in the same design as the King was wearing.
Lance knelt before the King on one knee as he picked up the staff in his hand and held it over Lance’s head. “Lancelin Eustein, do you swear to uphold the laws of our Kingdom and look after our people in sickness and in health? Do you swear to chose your people’s interest over yours and always do what’s right for the kingdom?”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Lance’s voice was strong as it echoed through the room.
“Then with this crown, I leave my throne and my people in your care, my son.” The King removed his staff and picked up the crown with both hands and set it gently on top of Lancelin’s head. “Bow, Lancelin Eustein, servant of the Gods above, and rise King Lancelin Eustein, the new ruler of the Incubi Kingdom.”
Lance bowed his head to the ground and then he rose, a magnificent figure as he stood proud and tall with the crown shining bright on his head. Cheers and claps went off in every direction. I clapped with them, feeling relief like I never did before. Lance was now the rightful King of the Incubi and I knew that his people were in good hands.
But right then, a huge chandelier fell to the floor, crashing with so much force that it sent glass shards everywhere.