I'm Just a Nameless Side Character in a Vampire Romance Novel

Chapter 40 - The Ceremony

The road to the Palace center was surrounded with perfectly groomed flower beds and young flowering trees. Since we were no longer apart of the parade I finally sat down, letting out a satisfied sigh. Eclis sat stiffly in front of me. From what Richard had taught me about the palace its grounds were larger than Eclis' estate and getting from wing to wing and building to building would require a carriage. Now that the parade was finished, I could see the crown prince's chariot drawing nearer. There wasn't enough room for it to pull up beside us but from our position I could tell he was looking at me. I turned around and called out to Heinrick making small talk with him until we reached the central courtyard. Heinrick was happily talking about the different military accomplishments each knight faction had accomplished. The Alenta Knights accomplishments were of recent feats defending or retaking High Castle while the Dumont knights boasted centuries old feats from the war. Interestingly, there wasn't much to boast about when it came to the imperial knights, despite them claiming they were the best trained out of all three.

The central courtyard was a massive garden, complete with a lake at its center and surrounded by the palace on three sides. The carriage rode over the grass coming to a stop in front of a red velvet carpet. On either side were rows of the highest-ranking nobility and diplomats in the capital. Because of my lessons with Richard I was able to put a name to most of the faces here including which faction they hailed from. At the front of the ceremony stood the faction heads nearest the Emperor.

Eclis stepped down from carriage first and like planned, he didn't wait to escort me. Instead, Richard offered me his escort leading me in Eclis' shadow as he marched down the carpet to meet with the Emperor. Richard and I stopped short, joining with the crowd in front. As we walked I could feel everyone's gazes on me. Some looked like they were sneering, others held passive curiosity. Others still looked like they were calculating my usefulness too them. Instead of acknowledging anyone I kept my stare straight ahead, watching Eclis' back as he marched down to meet with his Emperor officially.

From here the ceremony moved forward exactly how it was explained to me. First, the Emperor addressed Eclis by his full title before recounting all of the heroic acts he had done for the empire. After this, Eclis would confirm his loyalty to the empire and to the Emperor at which point the feast in his honour would be announced.

This was my first time seeing the Emperor for myself. He had an intimidating presence that begged no question on who was Emperor. He was as tall as Eclis with his burgundy hair perfectly styled back matching his attire that was neatly tailored if not a bit excessive. He wore massive shoulder pieces just like it was described in the book. Supposedly, Julia saw him as kind and caring but that description didn't fit the person standing in front of me today. He looked cold and calculative and perfectly comfortable using the power he held. This was the man who set the original novel in motion, granting Julia's wish to be with Eclis when he'd rejected her intially. I felt uncomfortable seeing him in person. Eclis' words rang out in my mind again. Why did this man have an obsession with Eclis?

Eclis kneeled, offering his loyalty to the Empire once again as its protector and its prince. The ceremony was nearly finished. I scanned the sea of faces. My eyes locked with the crown princes. He was openly staring at me. Beside him, Vermillion Xavier the head of the imperial faction was also smiling kindly at me. Taken aback, I returned my gaze to Eclis as the ceremony completed. The look the Emperor wore bothered me. He looked like he had just tasted something foul. In my peripheral vision I could see the crown prince still watching. He was being so unashamed about it that it was likely the entire crowd would have noticed by now.

"Then I invite you and everyone here to a midnight feast in honour of Eclis Dumont for his numerous contributions to the Empire!" A smirk crossed the Emperors face as he regarded both princes. "Tonight, we shall honour Claude Alenta, crown prince of the Empire for his recent victory at High Castle!" There was a brief murmur in the crowd. To attach the crown prince to the feast that was meant to honour Eclis was an insult, as if to say neither of their accomplishments were great enough to warrant their own celebrations. The smile on Vermillion's face was gone.