The young women did as the man instructed, introducing themselves while making subtle movements to draw attention to their dresses.
It wasn't long before Lael's turn came. She bowed before the queen, hidden behind the curtain, and spoke.
"My name is Lael Sylavera, Your Majesty. The garmentmaker of the dress I'm wearing is Noa Ardenn, and we have come from Freedom Garden."
At the mention of Freedom Garden, soft murmurs began to ripple through the hall. Lael could feel the weight of countless eyes on her.
Still, she paid them no mind, lifting her hands to gather her hair at the back before letting it cascade down once more as she turned gracefully in place. She had spent hours— no, days if one counted them altogether— crafting the dress she wore.
The floor-length gown was crafted from crimson velvet, sewn from a fabric both heavy and fluid. Wide sleeves cascaded gracefully from the shoulders, their inner silk lining creating a majestic wave with every movement.
From the chest to the hem, fine golden embroidery shimmered like dragon scales under the light. The dragon's head began at the heart, its body coiling along the sleeves, and its tail ending at the lower edge of the skirt.
The gown's overall presence was powerful and imposing, yet the delicate embroidery and the graceful fall of silk allowed the queen to appear both magnificent and refined.
Though almost no one saw it, a faint smile appeared on the queen's face behind the curtain. As the young women following Lael displayed their dresses one by one, the only sounds filling the hall were the orders of the attendant servants, since the queen had yet to speak.
After what felt like a long wait to Lael, an unexpected development took place— one that no one in the hall anticipated. A short man entered briskly at the direction of a gatekeeper, leaned toward the queen, and whispered something.
The queen then rose from her throne behind the curtain. As her attendant adjusted her dress, the man stepped aside near the door and spoke loudly.
"His Highness the Prince has arrived."
Everyone bowed their heads as low as possible. The young women, unable to suppress their curiosity, turned the direction of their bowed heads toward the door. Lael, however, maintained a respectful posture, resisting the urge to look.
After a few seconds, the prince entered, his tall stature accentuated by his long strides, his black clothes flowing behind him. Without showing interest in anything around, he strode directly to the queen and stopped before the curtain.
"Forgive me for my intrusion, my queen."
A few in the hall, hearing his voice, cast furtive glances at him with expressions that suggested they had never had this opportunity before.
The prince's eyes never left the queen. Lael thought his unique voice stirred no feeling in her, but deep within her soul, the branches of curiosity began reaching toward her heart.
The hearts of the girls who caught a glimpse of the prince's face almost melted at the sight of the handsome prince; each felt their knees grow weak. Like flowers bowing their necks to the sun, they admired him.
The prince, the last person to call himself a sun, continued speaking as if he had no secret to hide.
"After the celebrations planned for my birthday, I will go hunting, and afterward, I will spend a few weeks at the God of Life Temple for training. I am preparing for this, which explains the activity in the palace. I will be accompanied by several men; I wanted you to hear it from me personally."
The queen had to press her lips together at every sentence the prince spoke because he continued as if he already knew what she was going to say whenever she tried to speak. Smiling at a thought that crossed her mind, she took a breath — only for the prince to interrupt again.
"I was also thinking of visiting Her Highness the Princess. If you have any messages for her, you may tell me."
At last granted the chance to speak, the queen stepped out from behind the curtain and approached the prince.
"Axiel," she said— her using his first name was unfamiliar to everyone else in the hall, as she was the only one who addressed him that way. After placing a hand gently on his arm, she added,
"Take care of yourself. I had prepared some gifts for Princess Nicha as well. I will have your men deliver them. You didn't have to come in person..."
Axiel smiled faintly. "I wanted to see you, my mother," he replied.
Though the queen noticed the coldness in the deep brown eyes of the prince, she matched his smile. After slowly retreating behind the curtain again, as the prince bowed before her and turned toward the door, she stopped him with an "Ah."
"I wanted to have a dress made for myself to wear at your birthday celebration. You know about it, of course. Could you help me choose it?"
After the prince kept silent without objection, he directed his gaze toward the young women and Lael a few steps away.
Lael, who had been forced to listen to the nobles' conversation for some time, noticed how formal their tones were. Although their sentences were cleverly arranged to sound sincere, a coldness lingered between them.
Feeling the weight of their gazes clearly on her, Lael tried to look at her dress again, inspecting it for any possible flaws made during its sewing.
As the prince looked at them, the women began to hold the hems of their dresses and gently display the details with subtle touches.
Lael saw what they were doing and wanted to take a step forward herself, but her heart was pounding so fast she was frozen in place. She desperately wanted her dress to be chosen but felt like the chance was slipping away.
When the prince started walking toward Lael, her heart raced uncontrollably. With every step he took closer, she silently offered thousands of prayers. When he bypassed her, a cold wave ran from the roots of her hair down to her toes.
Was that all? What is going to happen now?
"No," she thought to herself. "I can't let it end like this."
A sudden determination filled her, and she brought her hands to gather her long hair, lifting it up to reveal the details on her shoulder.
"My prince, " she said.
As all eyes turned to her, the prince stopped and turned to Lael, who was a step or two behind him.
Though her heart was about to burst, Lael spun around slowly, letting her dress flutter.
The prince stared at Lael with his dark brown eyes, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her— she was about twenty centimeters shorter than him. His gaze traveled over her exposed white neck, her hands, and her long, light brown hair she held.
He had examined everything except her dress, and when his eyes lingered on her cheeks, he walked towards her and stood just one step away.
Lael's hands lost their strength holding her hair, so it fell in strands over her chest. She wanted to lift her head and look at the prince standing before her.
Did he like it? Is he going to say something?
Axiel tilted his head faintly but couldn't stop staring at Lael. Every detail about her intrigued him, and when his gaze settled again on the same spot, he stepped closer and brought his hand to her cheek.
Startled by the sudden gesture, Lael lifted her head and looked at the prince.