Chapter 23: Graveyard
Tillian stopped his horse before the towering metal gates of the Royal Palace and jumped off the horse. The feeling of the solid, well-tended stone path leading to the gate made him dizzy for a brief second – he was used to the uneven blankets of the northern snow as well as the rough, cracked surfaces of the frozen roads of the lands he called his home.
His red eyes slowly glided over the pristine witness of the King’s quarters, surrounded by the tall, green, leafy trees that never wilted even during autumn or winter thanks to the expensive services of the mages who were paid to keep the palace in the perfect condition.
’Everything has to be perfect in the House of Ruan. Even the people. That’s why someone as damaged as her couldn’t find her place among you.’
The duke retrieved the envelope with the invitation from the inside pocket of his black uniform and handed it over to one of the guards standing behind the gates. As the guards confirmed the authenticity of the invitation, they finally opened the gates before the man and invited him to come through.
’They did not even send anyone to escort me, huh? That is one clear imperfection here, Your Majesty, – your manners.’
Tillian tugged at the reins and led his horse through the gates, ignoring the judgemental looks of the royal guards.
As he made his way through the stone path that carefully threaded into the lush gardens and orchards that filled his lungs with the unusual, almost forgotten smell of fresh greenery and flowers, the duke couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of sadness that pierced through his heart like an invisible arrow.
It was a painful sense of nostalgia he thought he had buried deep inside his chest and hoped for it never to resurface again.
’I felt it the first time I came here when I was twelve and I still feel it now... This is supposed to be my home. The home that feels even colder than the deepest, darkest cave in the Snow Forest.’