Uncrowned Queen: The Northern Wilderness

Chapter 5: Royal Celebration

Chapter 5: Royal Celebration

Third Person’s POV

The endless dark sky of the breezeless night did nothing to tamp down the excitement and enthusiasm of the citizens. The ever bustling night of the capital city filled with dazzling colorful lanterns and late night hawkers seems to explode at this particular time.

The coronation of the new queen is still fresh in their minds and the festive celebrations did not stop with the slumber of the morning star.

It has been a day since the coronation and the royal ball at the royal Flame hall will start as soon as the moon reaches its full bloom.

A lot of the young noble ladies and especially the noble gentleman are looking forward to the royal ball, as it is a perfect time for them to look for their betrothed or maybe some lucky young man among them will be able to catch the fancy of the new queen.

Being able to marry the queen will land them the position of the king and have all the wealth and land of all of Regin in the palm of their hands, so if it isn’t the best chance then what is?

There are even some young nobles that would vie for the position of the queen’s bed slave if they are given the chance. No one can really measure the reaches of a person’s greed. It can even make them trash their pride and forget about the word humiliation.

At the royal palace in Nem Asteria’s royal chamber, a dozen or so palace maids are holding different types of extravagant and meticulously designed gowns. There are even some that are holding boxes of jewelries and shoes.

“Your majesty, please pick the one that you like.”

A middle-aged palace maid that have been taking care of the late king’s attire spoke with respect while gesturing for the young palace maids to line up in front of Nem.

Nem wordlessly stared at the array of beautiful gowns and accessories, but she felt not a bit joyful with the luxury in front of her.

The feeling of being the ruler of a kingdom with a 500 year old legacy and innumerable precious treasures should make someone faint with joy, but Nem only felt like a void sucked all of her emotions.

How could she feel happy and accomplished if her coronation is because of her father’s demise?

Nem have always known that she would inherit the crown in the future and lead her citizens to glory, but fate messed with their lives and now she needs to face the two decades of her future earlier than she imagined.

“Anything will do…”

Nem’s soft voice echoed in the quiet chamber. The middle-aged palace maid hesitantly pointed to one of the gowns in the center of the line.

 It is a silver gown that shows the skin on the back and shoulders. The Regin kingdom is conservative in marriage and the topic of lovers, but it does not include the scope of clothes and attire.

There are some young noble ladies that tend to wear fitted and revealing dresses for their own satisfaction at seeing the ogling and drooling faces of the men around them.

Nem dazedly stared at the beautiful gown in front of her. She had never liked the feeling of being the crown princess with all the etiquettes and fake glamour that surrounds her, because she likes the freedom and peace of mind while playing or hunting in the woods.

Being the crown princess chained her from everything that will make her happy but with her father, she can still enjoy occasionally and somehow live a normal life away from the royalty and hidden schemes.

Nem understands that she will never live the way she wants now that she is the crowned queen, but she decided to shoulder the responsibilities, because she wants the spirit of her father to peacefully rest without worrying about her or the kingdom.

At least, she wants her father’s rest in the afterlife to ease the pain he felt while he borders on the line of life and death before he passed away.

A knock on the door caught Nem’s attention.

“My queen, its Zyar, Lady Aria wants you to come out and greet the guests in an hour.”

A manly voice filled with respect and familiarity sounded from the other side of the door. Zyar is the designated royal knight of Nem since she was a child, and it could be gleamed that they grew up together as friends even though he is 10 years older than her.

“Hmm, tell mother not to worry.”

Nem steeled her voice and ordered the palace maids to help her dress quickly. The sound of bustling and rustles of clothes filled the royal chamber with the occasional tinkle of the jewelries.

Royal knight Zyar ordered a palace servant next to him to send the message to reassure the old queen.

Nem stood tall in front of the full body glass mirror and the contrasting beauty of her amber-colored hair from the silver clothes that hugs her slender youthful body took the breath away from the watching palace maids. Her beauty can really cause the fall of a nation.

“Let’s go.”

The two words that left her lips sounded ethereal and magical while she strides out of her royal chamber with her head held high. Royal knight Zyar bowed in one knee before escorting his queen to the famous royal Flame hall of the Regin palace.

It is said to be built for the prosperity of the kingdom to be like fire, that it can bring annihilation to those who threatens it and also bring life to its own lands.

The royal Flame hall is currently filled with hundreds of nobles, especially young ladies and young gentleman who are filled with vitality and vigor. There are but a few formal gatherings of distinguished nobles that are deemed appropriate to mingle with the opposite gender, and this celebration is like a timely drop of water to the thirst of those noble youths in clamoring to find their betrothed.

There are also the guest ambassadors from the other nations, tribes and kingdoms, and even the old officials and generals of Regin came to participate in the festivities.

A crisp tinkle of a bell sounded in every corner of the royal Flame hall and continuing to echo until it reaches all of the lands of the capital of Regin. Its sound stilled every single person on the city, as they all uniformly stopped in reverence while they dropped to their knees one by one in utter worship.

The phoenix bell has awoken, along with the rise of a new Queen.

It is said that the Regin kingdom is but a lowly barren land in the past and the ancestors are just some savage barbarians that lives on hunting, but a young man with a handsome and heroic bearing was born by a peasant couple.

The young man likes to explore the wild lands and deep forests that surround their poor settlements, and he came back home one day with deep injuries all over his thin body, tattered sackcloth full of blood and thin bony fingers clutching a small amber-colored bell like it was his lifeline.

It was named the phoenix bell and it carries unimaginable powers that gave the young man the foothold to create a kingdom of his own.

The young man was called Regin and he was the founding king of the 500 year old Eastern Regin Kingdom. Though, the legends described the phoenix bell as a powerful treasure, no one knows how to use it and no other emperor was able to even peer a tiny bit of its secrets, and they only know that the sound it creates can pass through a great distance without obstruction from anything.

The phoenix bell was passed down to every reigning king of the Kingdom as an heirloom and a sign of power. No one actually believes the legend of the phoenix bell as a magical treasure but all of the citizens whether nobles or commoners still treats it as the most sacred part of the kingdom.

The phoenix bell resides in the royal Flame hall and will only be sounded by the reigning ruler.

Nem Asteria stood proud, elegant and upright in her silver long gown in the central platform of the Flame hall while a small amber-colored bell glimmers faintly on her slender and pale fingers. Her forest green eyes shone faintly with a beauty that can only be describe as sacred, as she sweeps her gaze to the surrounding nobles. Her arrival along with the tinkle of the legendary bell opens the curtains for the start of the royal celebration.

Hundred or so pairs of eyes glinted with different thoughts and intentions as they stared at her immortal-like beauty and slender body that holds the power of a whole kingdom under her.

“How can a child and a thief like her be the queen? It was all supposed to be mine, father clearly favored me, and father loves me so much, so how can it be her?”

A low voice full of scathing hatred sounded outside the Flame hall as a face of a beautiful 18 year old lady twisted in a horrifying way. Her graceful bearing as one of the princess of the kingdom cannot be seen even under the precious accessories and gown that she wears.