Seren finally reached him, and they were so close she only needed to raise her hand to be able to touch that handsome face. Seren gazed up at him while he stared down.
Her purple eyes met his fiery red ones.
“My Queen,” he said, his voice a low croon to her ears, “You are beautiful.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Seren replied, her voice breathless. Such a simple exchange of words, yet it seemed so magical to her.
Drayce offered her his hand. “Shall we, my Queen?”
As explained by Lady Tyra a day before, Seren was aware that she had to go to the wedding venue with Drayce in his personal carriage. She could see from the open doors that the royal carriage was decorated with beautiful white flowers and red ribbons, showing that it was for the bride and groom.
Seren accepted his hand and stepped towards their ride. The servants arranged the small stool for her to climb up while Drayce helped her to get inside the carriage. He even assisted Seren with the heavy skirt and the cape of her bridal gown, helping her settle it inside the carriage. Once she was fine and seated comfortably, Drayce climbed in and sat facing Seren.
Although the king’s carriage was the largest in the palace, it was still a relatively small enclosed space, especially for the two people sitting inside. Seren felt like the moment she sat down, her legs lost all strength, and she worried that she would not be able to stand up later once they arrived at the Grand Palace. She sat with her gaze lowered, not daring to look at her groom, while Drayce smiled lightly at the rare sight of her shyness.
As the royal carriage moved, the wedding procession had officially begun. The sound of horns could be heard outside and led by the royal knights on their horses, followed by the other knights and servants, their carriage moved on the wide palace roads. Seren looked outside the window and observed that both sides of the road were decorated with flowers, crystals, and fabrics of white and red, along with the rest of the palace. The entire way was paved with decorations. The patrolling guards saluted as soon as the wedding procession passed by them, and some of the less important guests who were not allowed into the wedding venue due to the seating capacity cheered.
It was as if everything was lifted straight out from the fairytale books she had read in the past.
The procession only took several minutes. The royal carriage soon stopped in the front steps of the largest and most important building inside the Royal Palace of Megaris, the Grand Palace.? From what she could see through the window, from the entrance of the Grand Palace up towards the double doors of the throne room, beautiful wedding decorations that reminded her of the flower gardens in the Crystal Palace paved the way.
Drayce stepped out and helped Seren to get out of the carriage. Stepping out, Seren was greeted by the sight of an archway with luscious green ivy plants growing on it, decorated by white lilies in full bloom, reminding Seren again of the beautiful gardens raised by Drayce’s grandmother. The red carpet on the floor had scattered petals on it, and they looked freshly plucked, even emitting a familiar sweet fragrance that somehow made Seren calm down.
The sunlight coming from the windows caused the small crystal gems on the decors to shimmer, and Seren could not help but gasp at the beautiful decorations.
‘It looks magical.’
Royal knights dressed impeccably in ceremonial uniform saluted the royal couple as they passed by them. They were all lined by the sides, standing in place up until the end of the hallway, which seemed to be the entrance of the throne room. The huge double doors made out of heavy redwood were closed at the moment. However, it did not look imposing at the moment, as it seemed like a portal to another world. White lilies and red wildflowers decorated the arched gateway along with ivy plants. Seren could even hear harp music seemingly floating from beyond the doors.
‘So this is the throne room that Lady Tyra was talking about yesterday,’ Seren concluded as she looked around curiously. She had never entered the Grand Palace before, as she never had the chance to touch any official affairs of the kingdom yet. At most, she had seen this building from a distance when Lady Tyra toured her around the palace grounds. She knew this was where important kingdom issues were brought up and decided upon by officials and high-ranking nobles; she also knew this should be where Drayce spent most of his time as a king, granting audience to his subjects.
Two familiar men could be seen on either side of the door. It was Slayer and Jasper, Drayce’s most loyal men. She then heard Drayce, who was still holding her hand after helping her step out of the carriage, say, “My Queen, it’s time.”
Seren nodded and the double doors opened.
“All rise! His Majesty King Drayce Ivanov of Megaris and Her Highness Princess Seren Ilven of Abetha have arrived!”
The moment the door of the throne room opened, it was as if all the eyes within the kingdom gazed at the delicate lady in red in holding hands with the fearsome young king.
The sight that welcomed her was astounding.
The entire throne room could be said to be the most extraordinary architecture Seren had ever laid her eyes on. Made of pure white marble from the floor to the dome, not even the designs of her own residence could compare. Beautiful crystal chandeliers illuminated the extremely large hall, and the arched windows partially covered by long velvet curtains were half-drawn, allowing sunlight to bring in natural light. In front of the red-carpeted aisle, a golden altar in the form of a dragon could be seen, and above it, there was an inky black banner with a golden crest symbolizing the sun stitched on it. The entire throne room was decorated with delicate green ivy plants and white lilies, turning the hall into one large indoor garden.
