Page 80 of A Broken Promise

“Right about now,” Florian whispered, and if on cue, the loud trumpets sounded through the noisy crowd, making everyone pause and bow as the doors opened wide and the lines of Royal guards walked in, making way for the Royal Queen and King to arrive. They made their way up the pedestal and sat on the large carved thrones. With a swift motion of the King’s hand, the crowd rose as one.

“Pricks need to learn how to walk faster,” Priya whispered in the back, rubbing her cramped neck. I stifled the smile.

I was about to turn to Priya when the music changed again, and the crowd stayed still as more Royal Lords and Ladies slowly marched, walking up all the way to the throne, personally bowing to the reigning couple.

“Who are they?” I asked, still slightly bowing each time, while yet another Lord strode in. followed by his guards.

“These are all the Royal Lords and Ladies of the Esnox,” Florian replied.

“I thought most of the crowd were Royals?” I asked, slightly confused, ignoring the growing ache in my neck.

“They are. In one way or other. But these Lords,” he whispered, continuing swiftly, bowing his head once more. “These ones have not only titles and money butland. Given by Queen Insanaria herself to rule over.”

“Is the Mad Queen going to come as well?” I asked as my skin shivered even thinking of her.

“No, she has been letting Destroyers do all her dirty work. People haven’t seen her in years now.”

Priya huffed in annoyance, completely uninterested in our conversation, but Florian went on.

“That one is Lord Ferola. Ruler of the Western Isles.” The tall man in his late forties walked upright with the young, barely of age lady by his side. I raised my brows at that, Florian’s quiet whisper continued. “He is on his third wife, yet still no heir, people question why. My guess? Might be something to do with the fact that he has a boyfriend, but that’s just my opinion.” Florian shrugged. “That one, Lord Reinar, ruler of the Greenwich Pastures. During the Great Fall, he murdered his own family and then traded his niece who was a low tier Creator to the Mad Queen for the right to the land.”

The crowd bowed again.

“That one is Lady Eanaya. Ruler of the Cursed Lands, or as she renamed them, Forgotten lands.” The old lady was quite petite, surrounded by the large number of the guards. She brought the most guards of all the Royals. “She’s been super paranoid recently; in my opinion she’s been hitting the opium too much. The last time her head maid was in town she said that she painted her mansion in weird symbols and is just losing her mind slowly. It’s really a shame. That lady did some crazy shit back in her prime.”

Florian continued dropping names and gossip about every Lord and Lady that walked in and every important guest that followed.

“How do you know everyone and everything?” I said as Florian mentioned more head-turning gossip.

“Oh, precious, I am a barman in the most prestigious club.” He flicked my nose and pridefully smirked. “You’d be shocked just how little it takes for a person to open up when you give them a listening ear and a kindhearted smile.”

“I am sure it has nothing to do with you getting them drunk,” I whispered back, even though deep inside, I knew firsthand of Florian’s soothing presence.

“I got to make my job interesting somehow.” He smiled, fixing a small strand of his hair behind his ear.

“That’s my cue,” Priya said, slipping out like a shadow towards the now departing Baroness past the crowds, disappearing behind the large doors leading to the rest of the castle.

“Good luck!” I wished her, though sure she wouldn’t hear me. Florian didn’t heed to her leaving.

“That one, you see, is a prickly bastard. He rules over the largest piece of land and controls the majority of the overseas trade too. Hemight not look like it but don’t be fooled, he is a force to be reckoned with. Especially considering all those rock and salt quarries he runs.”

A loud bell rang in my head at those words. I turned sharply to the entrance to see the face I had seen before.

“Lord Inadios,” I whispered. My heart froze as I watched that large, familiar figure make his way across the ballroom. That limp, those pig-like features, still imprinted in my mind as if it was yesterday. As if I was still on my scraped knees in front of him.

Florian stumbled slightly in surprise.

“Yes. You know him?”

“I….” I paused, debating. There was nothing of a reason that would explain how or why I knew him.A truth or a lie?I asked myself, but the truth was too long to unravel, and I just ran out of time.

A lie it is.

“I don’t feel too good. Can we maybe go outside?” I asked. Perhaps more of a truth now that my heart pounded against my chest and the tight leash that kept my anxiety at bay. It was ripping with each step of that man and his guards closer to the crowd. Closer to me.

“Um, sure.” Florian’s brows bunched up in concern. “Not sure how we are going to leave right now… but...”

The air in the room dropped a few degrees. For a minute, I thought it was just me who noticed the sudden change. A familiar yet unknown slight stench filled the air. Florian turned his head back to the walls, looking for another door leading outside per my request.

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