Chapter 19 - The Banquet

Raymond did not even question how Lilith was able to think up the solution and just went along with it, agreeing to go to the castle for the banquet.

Maybe Lilith really was Princess. The way she so easily found a solution to the problem he was having had him distracted for the rest of the day. Lilith made him swear that he would go to the castle and then she mentioned that if she went with him then she would do something she always wanted to do.

And so, on the day of the banquet, Lilith and Raymond arrived right on time. And by right on time, it meant they arrived at the castle as soon as the celebrations were supposed to begin.

As the front gates opened and their carriage went through, Lilith practically stuck her head out of the window, trying to take in as much of the scenery as possible. Since in modern times, there have been some modifications to the landscaping. Lilith was pleased to see all the greenery that surrounded the place in the past.

Once Lilith got back to the present she would petition for some of the major historical sights to be restored to what they were when they were in their prime. If Lilith could get rid of the car park by Avarice Manor or try to restore the land at the back of Raymond’s manor, then she would not be the only one to experience how majestic the places once were.

The carriage went through a road in the middle of a vast garden. There were rose bushes lining the road and Lilith swooned at the beauty of it all.

And once the carriage stopped in front of the castle, Lilith was the first to get out, she looked around for as long as she could. She would have even gone exploring the property if Raymond had not stopped her. The castle was not only tall but it was long and it stretched far out in the land the royal family owned. The rest of the land that was not the castle was neatly cut grass, more gardens and trees, and some ponds. Lilith was sure that there were areas where they kept horses and rode them around as well, but she could not see that from where she was.
“We are not here to sightsee. I see that this is the reason you were adamant on me coming and not for the purpose of me seeing my father.” Raymond grumbled, straightening his tailcoat. His full eyebrows were in their usual frown and his lips were slightly pressed together.

“It’s a little bit of both I should admit.” Lilith laughed gently as she also smoothed out her clothes and gently ran her hand over her hair.

“If you wanted to see the castle that badly then I could have had you accompany Lucan. He has so many servants that you would probably go unnoticed.”

“Then maybe I could have swiped something from the castle. Darn, a lost opportunity.” Lilith sighed.

Raymond turned to look at her and she gave him a smile.

“I’m joking obviously.” she waved him off. “And please, stop furrowing your eyebrows so much, you’re so young and yet you’re creating such deep-set wrinkles.

Raymond’s eyebrows wavered at her words and he straightened his face out. “You focus too much on the unimportant things.”

“You’ll scare the ladies away if you look like an old man by thirty. Just trying to help, Your Grace.” Lilith said coolly.

Raymond opened his mouth but he was stopped when the doors to the castle opened and someone exited. They looked like they were an assistant of some kind, holding papers and pen in their hand and even sporting some glasses. That also reminded Lilith that she needed to get Raymond to take an eye exam.

“Mr. Cavill, always a surprise to see you around this time of year.” The man greeted Raymond with a small bow, which he returned.

“It is on short notice but I decided to come anyway.”

“The King will be most pleased.” he nodded, and his gaze shifted to Lilith. “You there! What are you doing- Mr. Cavill I apologize for the disturbance. I'm not sure how she could have gotten here.”

The man came down the stairs with strong long strides and he grabbed Lilith’s arm. Panicked, she looked to Raymond for help but he was already holding the arm of the man and pulling him off of her.

“This is my servant. There’s no need to be alarmed,” he said sternly.

The assistant collected himself and cleared his throat. “Oh, I am mistaken. Alright then.”

After that incident, Lilith wondered if it was going to be like that throughout the rest of the day. The day was not transitioning from morning to afternoon and they would be at the castle until evening most likely. She knew that Raymond did not have a personal servant for a while and she wanted to know how many people would mistake her for a fan of his.

But those thoughts were quickly squashed when they entered the castle. The castle had never been open to the public for tours, which meant that Lilith was seeing something only a select group of people would see. Her neck was too busy being craned in every other direction that front to see where she was going and she had bumped into Raymond on numerous occasions because of it.

“How could you not want to come here. This castle is breathtaking.” Lilith quietly said to him.

She looked to Raymond for a response but all he did was shrug and so she went back to absorbing her surroundings.

The carpet lining the halls was red with gold detailing on the end. There were portraits on the walls and the ceiling stretched way too high to be considered practical. There were arched wooden doors in the hallways. Some double and some single. And they all had gold handles.
Lilith and Raymond walked for a solid five minutes before they stopped at a dead end with large double doors in front of them. The assistant opened the door for them and as soon as he did, a wave of noise, followed by the delicious smell of food came out of the room. It made Lilith sad that she would only be standing up and watching people eat, instead of doing it herself.

The banquet hall was large. Obviously. The walls and floor were marble and there was a giant wooden table in the middle of the room. The table was practically overflowing with food and the people sitting around it were merely picking at all the delicacies presented to them. She definitely hoped the food would all be eaten even after the banquet, but she highly doubted it.