Chapter 33 - Pompous Noble

The funeral for the King and the coronation were held in the last week of May. Lilith thought it was cruel but others saw it as a sign to move on. Raymond shed no tears for either event and he even looked more gloomy throughout the coronation than at the King's funeral. That wasn't to say that he was not sad about his father's passing, but it really had Lilith shaking her head, she wished he at least smiled once.

On the day of the coronation, the streets of Creona were filled with celebration. Raymond was made to go through a parade on his way to the palace and on the way he got to see all the citizens cheering for him as he passed by in his carriage. The streets were filled with color and the people were just as bright. The sun was shining and there were only wispy clouds in the sky. It seemed the heavens were shining down on this day too. It was a joyous day for everyone but Raymond.

There was a plus to being the King. After all of his thinking, he concluded that he would be able to create laws and systems that could help the citizens and not have to get the approval of numerous impudent people for them to be in effect.

Raymond sat in his carriage alone dressed in grandiose white clothes with gold detailing that was only fit for a King. Or someone about to become one. His mother had kidnapped him to the castle in the early morning to get him ready for the ceremony. His plan originally was to get ready himself and just show up and see how things would go from there, but it, unfortunately, did not go that way. He also had not seen Lilith for the day and wondered where she could be.

People from all three states came to see him and most of them would only get to for a couple of seconds while he passed them through the streets. In his mind, it was all pointless. Why wait all that time waiting for only that brief moment?

The parade took Raymond all the way to the cathedral of, High Priest, Antonio Wells. The church was a highly respected one in the country and coronations had been happening there for as long as anyone could remember. The deed would be done by the current High Priest at the time but they all came from the same family. It was passed down, just like the crown. The current High Priest was Jonah Wells, he was the great great great, and some, grandson of Antonio Wells.

Contrary to what was happening currently, coronations took months and months of preparations, but his mother was able to arrange things in less than a month. Of course, it was not as big and grand and shiny as other coronations looked, but it would get the job done, all he had to do was say an oath. That was all it took, family relations and some words.

When the ceremony began, Lilith was just one among the many people that stood in the cathedral. She was off to the side, hidden by the many other figures there. Raymond was at the front and it honestly reminded him of a wedding, but he was the only person there. He was even dressed in white.

Lilith did not pay attention to anything that was being said. She was too busy drooling over how gorgeous Raymond looked. His hair was all slicked back and his face was cleaned up, so he looked younger than before. Although Lilith did like it when he had some stubble on his face, she still could not tear her eyes away from him. The clothes he wore really hugged the right places and it honestly made him look taller.

As she stood in the cathedral, she come to the conclusion that the fight to be Raymond's Queen was about to become a whole lot more competitive and harsh.

After saying the oath, Raymond was made to kneel. With one knee on the velvet carpet, he waited for the moment to come. He waited for the crown to be placed on his head. He waited for his life to change forever. There was no going back after this. There was no escape after this. If he fled now, maybe he would be able to get away with it. He would leave with Lilith and they would hide away for the rest of their lives. He would shave his head if he had-

The crown was heavy.

A ball followed the coronation.

It was held in the castle of course. And he was able to see Lilith for the first time that day there. The only servants that were supposed to be there were the ones serving the guests their food and beverages. But, since he was now King, he made it clear that he wanted to have his personal servant there so that he would not have to do things as mundane as getting a drink for himself. Some of what he said was true.

She was made to stand off to the side of the room and wait for him to call her. Lilith wore a green dress, she had on small black heels. Her hair was loose and she put a couple of braids in it so that it wasn't boring. Since Lilith was all alone, she looked completely awkward and out of place. The stares she got and the pointing made her feel like she really was not supposed to be there.

The entire time, her eyes were on Raymond, waiting to see if he would need her. The entire time they were there, Nora, now the Queen Mother, introduced women to Raymond. They all came in their luscious sparkly dresses and perfect makeup, attempting to catch the eye of the King, but as predicted, it was all futile.

Women practically tripped over their feet when he walked by them and Raymond did not spare them so much as a glance. Sooner or later he will either be labeled as abstinent or gay. Either would make this experience all the better for Lilith.

A little flick of his hand, as well as the fact that he was looking at her, had Lilith walking towards him. And he did not stop her, so he must have meant to call for her.

Suddenly, all eyes were on her, they closely followed her as she got closer and closer to the most untouchable man in the room. Jealousy, hatred, annoyance. It was written all over their faces.

"Lilith," he leaned down a bit and kept his voice low. "Can you get me a glass of wine?"

Although she did have the nerve to be smart with him and tell him that she opposed him drinking wine, all she could do was raise an eyebrow at him and look at a servant who was carrying a tray of wine not more than three meters away from them.

He looked at her as if he did not get what she was trying to imply. So childish.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she bowed before walking a couple of steps away from him to get the wine. The eyes never eased in following her.

The person carrying the wine stopped when she approached him and Lilith casually took one off of the tray before turning to walk back. But after she only took a couple of steps back towards Raymond, her world suddenly tipped, and she was falling to the floor.

There was a scream that wasn't Lilith's, and the smashing of glass. Wine and blood splashed everywhere. She felt her arm fall onto several sharp pieces.

There was another shriek and this time it was clearer to her where it came from. Lilith was obviously tripped on purpose, and now the person who did it was going to cause a scene with the help of their little posse to try and make Lilith look like the bad guy. What is up with people in the 1800s?

"You little vermin! How dare you spoil my dress. You incompetent, uneducated clown!" Red heels stood in front of her, and Lilith looked up and up until she could see the lady in full. The most noticeable thing about her was the splash of red across her yellow dress. Her pink lips were twisted into a scowl and she pointed down at Lilith.

Now this, was a pompous noble.