Chapter 20 - The Banquet Pt. 2

The people at the table turned at the opening of the door and Raymond already wanted to go home. With all those eyes on him, he didn’t want to have to sit through something like this for hours on end. He should have used Lilith’s help as an excuse to get ahead of his work and not to come to the castle.

“Raymond! My son!” the King bellowed from the head of the table.

Montey Avery gave him a jolly smile and stood up from his chair. Raymond walked around the table with Lilith who was on his tail, noticing many pairs of eyes following them.

“Father.” Raymond greeted the King with a bow and Lilith smiled at the interaction, but her heartfelt heavy, knowing that this was probably one of the last times he would get to do that.

“I had no idea you were coming.” he put his hand on Raymond’s shoulder. “But it’s always a pleasant surprise to see you!”

The Queen, Nora Avery, got up from her seat that was next to the Kings and also came to Raymond. Lilith’s smile dipped a bit. She was feeling overwhelmed by being in the same room as a bunch of historic figures but knowing what the Queen did and was going to do, she could not help but feel contempt towards her.

Nora wore a green dress with gold accents that flowed to the ground, she had jewels on her wrists and neck. She looked every bit of a Queen. “Raymond, have you been getting proper rest, proper sleep?”

The Queen guided Raymond to the only empty chair on the right side of the table. Two chairs down from the King. The rest of the people seated at the table were accompanied by teams of servants and they stood a couple of feet behind the chairs. Lilith followed suit, feeling somewhat exposed.

From the time she entered the room, she saw the way the servants of the other nobles and royals watched her. Jealousy, loathing. She was able to stand close to Raymond and they didn’t. The hate, knowing that she got to interact with him on a daily. She could see the way their mouths twisted and how their noses scrunched. It made her feel even smaller.

“I’ve been trying. There is much to do,” he said sitting down.

The Queen stroked his head. “You were always so diligent. Please, don’t overwork yourself. God knows if I can handle you collapsing again.”

Again?

Lilith’s eyebrows twitched and she looked at Raymond with annoyance but she quickly neutralized her face, remembering where she was. She definitely was going to grill him about it later.

Raymond let out a little sigh. Did she have to mention that? It had been two years and she was still nagging him over that.

“It won’t happen again mother,” he assured her.

“Yes Nora, it won’t happen again, now stop bothering the poor boy and sit down.” the King said.

“Mind your business Montey, I can fuss over my son all I want.” Nora went back to questioning Raymond.

After she had asked Raymond a million questions about his health and scolding him when she got his answers, she finally went back to her seat. Raymond sat at the table in silence as he watched all of the other royals and nobility engage in conversation. He was the only one with an empty plate and although he was not that hungry, it was considered rude not to eat at an event like this.

“Raymond, why haven’t you gotten anything to eat yet? You there! Why haven’t you served him yet?! Do you think he’ll do it himself?” the King suddenly snapped at Lilith, a completely different vibe than when he greeted them.

It was such a little detail that Lilith had missed but she remembered that servants were supposed to put out the food for them. It was so obvious and yet she cleanly forgot about it.

A couple of snickers went around the room and Lilith rushed to Raymond’s side. “Apologies, Your Grace, I was unaware.”

“It’s alright.” he waved his hand to dismiss her. “I’m not in the mood to eat anyway.”

There was a beat of silence before someone spoke up. “Always the one to ruin the mood aren’t you.”

Landon. He was sitting at the right side of the King, on the opposite side to Raymond. Lilith’s shot up to him and she had never glared at someone harder in her life. She was finally in the presence of Landon Avery, the worst King in the history of Crenese history.

Lilith lowered her gaze back to Raymond quickly and stayed frozen behind his chair.

“I don’t have an appetite, the mood does not need to be affected by me not eating.”

“It’s lunchtime and yet you’re not eating. Are you not feeling well.” the Queen stood up from the chair. “I should go call the doctor for you.”

“That won’t be necessary mother.”

But Nora was already out of the room. Annoyance rose in Raymond’s stomach and he smoothed down his pants. The constant chatter of the room, his mother dramatists, and Landon finally opening his mouth was really doing nothing to bring back the appetite he lost.

As Lilith looked around the room, she noticed that the servants were not the only ones who were staring at Raymond. But in the nobility, who were seated on the other side of the table, there were some women who were very obviously admiring him.
In the past or future, Lilith had read multiple books where someone like Raymond was the main male lead and his cold personality would be what always drew women in and he would have the biggest haram and never pay attention to any of the women. That was why Lilith was almost dragged out of the castle.

It was true that Raymond was very handsome and smart, but that was it. He was the most boring person she had ever met. He didn’t do anything but work and occasionally read books. And Lilith was big on reading books but all he read was Shakespear and books about the economy or politics. She would say that if women got a chance to her position they would see that he wasn’t all that, but with all the stories she heard, she knew that his looks blinded all fangirls from the truth.

“This is a happy day, eat something small at least. We have all this food. It should not go to waste.” the King said taking Lilith out of her thoughts.

“At least eat some protein so that you do not get a headache,” Lilith spoke to him.

“I already have a headache,” he mumbled.

Lilith gave him a death glare. “Seriously? Then why aren’t you eating?” she kept her voice low. The way she spoke to Raymond sometimes would definitely get her in trouble if she was too loud.

“I have no appetite.”

“I knew I should have made you eat more than bread for breakfast.” Lilith had one pocket on her dress and just in case she brought his headache medicine. She knew that the castle would probably have it as well, but at least the one she had was close to him. The medicine was folded in brown paper and she placed it in front of Raymond.

“I just ate what you gave me.” picked up the packet from the table.

“Your tone indicates that you’re blaming me.” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“That may or may not be true.” he opened the packet and tilted the crushed medicine into his mouth before swallowing it down with some water.

Lilith did not respond and picked up Raymond’s plate, she looked at all the food on the table and picked out some meat and vegetables.

“What are you doing? I said I was not hungry.”

“You can’t take that medicine on an empty stomach. It won’t digest well. So you should eat as quickly as possible.” she placed the plate in front of him.

“You tricked me.”

“I didn’t. You just don’t pay attention Your Grace.” she smiled at him and backed away to where she was standing previously.

At that moment the Queen returned with the doctor.

“Oh, it looks like he decided to eat after all. Has your appetite come back?”

Landon snickered, gaining the attention of the people at the table. “You can’t even properly take care of yourself that you make mother worry unnecessarily and even had to have your little servant girl trick you into eating.”

“Little servant girl?” Nora questioned, and then her eyes landed on Lilith.