Chapter 8: The Shadows of the Past
Prince Dorian moved through the corridor seeing the same high ceilings, so much time had passed but the grandeur of this place never seemed to diminish. His boots made small tinkling noise as he walked on the polished furse.
There is only one thought in his mind, everyone knows the place for its beauty, elegance and grandeur, but only those who live here know the reality of this grandeur, that it's all just a facade and that behind the glittering surface lies a world of shadow.
As he approached the last of the corridor paths. The view of the king's private garden came into view. Another luxurious thing, he was also in awe of it, when he was a child and he liked to come here but after time he gradually lost interest.
When he stepped into the garden he heard the laughing voice of a woman and his expression became unreadable. But still, he remained calm and walked towards the sitting place in the King's garden. Various maids and servants greeted him, but he could only nod.
Because he was anything other than calm. He knew who had been waiting for him alongside his father. The queen, Queen Selene, who had once been his father's consort before, but now wore the crown that had belonged to his late mother.
His mother was Queen Liora, Who had been everything that Queen Selene was not—gentle, loving, and fiercely protective of him. She had ruled beside King Aldric with grace and wisdom until a mysterious illness took her life. And still he couldn't find any clue about it.
He was just a boy at the time, who could not understand many things, only remembering the deep sorrow that had gripped the entire kingdom and that incident left a deep void in his heart ever since.
Dorian entered the pavilion. his gaze sweeping over the assembled maids and servants around the king and Queen. He didn't like to be surrounded by so many people but it seems like they were different than him, who felt powerful and superior surrounded by others who were ready anytime to fawn at them. Specifically Queen Selene and he thinks his father had gotten this habit too.
His father was sitting on a royal chair with his usual imposing aura. The king of Aetherlyn, King Aldric. His father was a formidable figure with a commanding presence and eyes that had seen too much of the world.