And then came the last house, not the weakest, but the quietest, and most unpredictable. The violet banner with a silver serpent floating above marked the House Evermoor.
The Evermoor House was surprisingly led by a widow, Lady Nysha who was standing with the poise of a feline queen, her long violet cloak hugging her form softly. The resemblance between her and the Queen wasn't missed by those who looked close enough. Distant cousins, yes. But not raised as a family. They had only met after Lady Nysha was appointed lady of her House. She was the only female head among the Five, and that alone earned her a different kind of respect.
Her sharp eyes flicked over to the yellow banner.
There, Lord Vikar was already leering at the servant girl like a dog in heat. Typical. That man was her nemesis, always had been. She was sure he'd come today with enough lies and "evidence" to try and have her stripped of her title and cast out from Castle Court. But he wasn't the only one who came prepared.
Lady Nysha had brought her own weapon... she looked up to the sky. The clouds were dark and gathering above them, heavy with something more than rain. Today was different. She could feel it deep in her bones.
And it had nothing to do with the King's death.
The horn blared once again like a final warning… and the Houses moved on.
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/-Kaelynn's pov-/
They all looked so colorful and intimidating at the same time. I could tell their families had been summoned here by the Royal House to mourn the King.
Then a question popped into my head: who was watching over their castles back home? But the moment I asked myself, I realized how silly that sounded. Of course, they had servants. Many loyal guards and representatives keep things in order, especially in case of an undead attack.
No one was worried about uprisings from their own people. It was the undead we feared now.
I nodded to myself. That made sense.
It didn't take long for all the houses to gather in the grand hall. Their eyes slowly lifted to the banister above, all of them watching in silence, waiting.
Most likely, they were expecting the arrival of my mother and brothers.
I looked up too.
"All shall welcome, Her Majesty, Queen Isolde Raventhorn."
"All shall welcome Prince Heir, Prince Cedric Raventhorn."
"All shall welcome Prince Daemon Raventhorn."
As soon as the sound of heels echoed across the polished floor, the lords and ladies of the Five Houses dropped to their knees in perfect timing.
The hall went still.
I gasped, caught off guard by the sight. Was this what it meant to be royal? I blinked, trying to take it in, as Nephroma, Syrr, and Evangra, all knelt, their heads bowed low in full reverence.
It was... fascinating. I glanced around, realizing I was the only one still seated at the table. And unfortunately, bowing to my knees wasn't an option.
From where I sat, I couldn't see my mother or brothers clearly, so I let my attention drift back to the Five Houses instead.
I spotted a beautiful lady in a violet cloak, two twins in blue cloaks who giggled until an older boy beside them shot them a glare, and a Lord whose red head was bent in a stiff bow, but his eyes still lifted to eye the queen with a charming smile on his lips.
Then there were the women in thick gray cloaks, kneeling in silence, and another lord in a yellow cloak whose scowl was as fixed as his eyes were to the floor.
Clearly, not everyone was happy to be here.
Just as I was about to look away from the House of Varek, I felt a strange weight of someone's eyes on me.
My gaze swept back over the gathered nobles, but every head was still bowed.
No one met my eyes.
So who had just been staring? I narrowed my eyes and scanned each face again, searching slowly for anything unusual. But nothing stood out… until I looked up.
Warm, black eyes stared straight into mine.
My breath caught and I immediately looked away. Who was that? I'd found whoever it was, but the moment I did, I didn't feel comfortable anymore. I tilted my head slightly, trying to sneak another glance, and there he was… still looking at me.
What in the world?
I looked down again, feeling weirded out. Why was he still staring? I couldn't meet his gaze, but I found myself studying him anyway.
Judging by the color of his cloak, he was likely from House Varek—the one with the seahorse banner.
But unlike his lord, his head wasn't down.
What audacity!
He wasn't bowing so how did I not notice him earlier?
I swallowed.
"All shall rise to introduce their Houses to Her Majesty, Queen Isolde, and the Prince Heir to the Black Throne."
At once, the Five Houses stood.
The first Lord stepped forward with the kind of smugness that made you look twice, even though his head was bowed in respect and his eyes were fixed on the Queen.
"I am Lord Alrik Thorne of House Thorne," he said in a smooth voice. "My condolences, Your Majesty. The King was… efficient during his Black Reign."
A long silence followed.
One by one, the other Houses gave their formal greetings, saying what they had to say, all in the expected tone and order.
When House Varek was called, I let myself properly ogle at the man.
He had a build that belonged in stories… tall much taller than most men here, and those powerful thighs looked like they belonged to two people instead of one. His face was something else entirely. I couldn't resist staring at his thick black brows framed by dark, intelligent eyes that seemed to study me.
My eyes trailed down his jawline. They were carved, but not in a pretty-boy way… and that nose was straight, sitting above full, serious lips.
His hair was closely cropped on the sides and just long enough on top to hint at a curl, and dark as ink.
It was rare to see a man that tall still carry the features the Creator gave him… unblemished.
He was… beautiful.