In the inner palace, several men, in embroidered silk robes with supple sashes donned on them and in feathered headdresses, stared at them with great curiosity.
To Nathalie, their presence screamed no less than the nobles in her homeland and the Imperial Capital, and she had to measure their strength first and foremost.
"Greetings to the almighty Goddess Pandora, I''ve returned safely from the arduous journey." After which, he then took a deep bow at her presence, which she and the rest of them peered at as they stood in their stead.
Somehow, their utter ignorance didn''t sour the array of guards and the official men that stood from either side of the palace like they were presented in the imperial court.
Perchance they let it slide, thinking about it had her sigh inwardly out of relief.
Nathalie went rather silent for most of the time as she wasn''t in her territory, lest as she couldn''t afford to put more burden on the people brought with her at this instance.
''So, I''m about to meet her right now.''
Several steps ahead led to wide stairs, and above the flight was akin to a curtain veil that only shrouded only the silhouette of a woman and not her exact features. Moreover, she thought the supposed throne where she was on happened to be a chaise.
''Plus she has lots of haute men fanning her, how grand that would be…''
Though it didn''t take long, she had to assess the situation they were in— not that stifling for her, to say the least, when the woman''s voice echoed once more.
"You''ve brought some esteemed guests for the night, Jackal." A tight giggle came from her while she shifted from her position.
"Indeed. A good harvest, I must say," he replied then had an intense gaze, almost peeling her naked.
Although, she paid no mind to him as her thoughts suddenly led astray from their formal greetings.
''Jackal… Hmm,'' upon humming, she creased her eyebrows a tad bit, replaying in her mind until she got the name like a notification in her head. ''Oh, hell no…''
The man, Jackal al-Viziri, who would be one of the guardians of the ''Twilight Twins'' supposedly in the sequel as she collaborated with Pandora for the upcoming war.
Right now, his strength was harder to gauge. Knowing him, he would rather feign his presence; it got her a little bit of complacency.
If possible, then she wouldn''t have to go against him and created more of the ruckus than she ever wanted.
''Damn it, and it gotta be someone who looked like Chad as heck!'' She nibbled her lower lip as she shut her eyes deep from what she thought.
Ever since she got her, it has always got her by the edge of her seat with so many characters in this large ensemble of the story she wrote that had so many great resemblances— not one of them had the total persona of what they were in the world she lived originally.
Only the physicality, and probably better from most of them— had a lot defined and elevated when it came to this fantasy world, like some filters and whatnot— and it gave her some type of way ever since.
However, she got interrupted when Jackal muttered, enough to pique her interest. "Like the prophecy you suggested, they came, and now everything fell into the right places."
His words earned a choral of guffaws and hearty laughs from the esteemed audiences as their eyes were on her.
Meanwhile, she ended up her eyebrows meeting to one fine line as she stared down at the polished quartz tiles.
''A prophecy?''
After which, the nobles uttered a mix of their praises and bold suggestions, almost topping one another.
"Despite their noble birthright and prestige, they ventured far and wide to quench their thirst from their ignorance."
"Foreign enemies shall not advance a single step to our sacred lands."
"Oh, Goddess Pandora, your immeasurable grace knows no bounds, we beseech you to cast a punishment to the heathens."
For a moment, she couldn''t help but glance at them, and her heart raced when she noticed notable people in the crowd, who had the same faces as her university colleagues and the companions from the Cafe Evergarden.
''They''re really so noisy, and what is this prophecy?! Have I even—?!"
"Silence!" Clarice Pandora then clapped, sending a wave of serenity among them as she took their attention, and groveled to a tremble.
A few seconds later, she then stood up, and her fingertips slipped through the slit. With a sway to the side, her linen and silk robe glimmered as it adorned with jewels that melded well on her voluptuous curves and swerve.
She also had bangles and armlets to match the aesthetic of her outfit.
Slits on her body— from the dainty shoulders and arms, the navel, and to the slender legs she got.
When the curtains unfurled, they all gasped.
In Nathalie''s case, she wasn''t impressed as much as the fashion Clarice wore for the night, but the fact that the face bore her was her only best friend.
''Daisy—?''
She couldn''t help but take a glance at Jonathan as he had the worst reaction of them all; he could no longer keep up his composure after witnessing her beauty.
Right now, her emotions also spiraled out of control. The dynamic relationships they all had thus far were too much for her to bear. She ended up trembling from her knees and hands that fiddled instead of biting the nails.
For Keith…
To Jonathan…
From Nathalie…
''... This is some bullshit here…'' Goosebumps surged through every inch of her skin; she wanted to get away for a while to process the information she had.
Although things were easier said than done...
In the meantime, Clarice gracefully took steps down. With her found a few of the lean and toned golden almond-skinned men, with nothing on top but alloy strings and armbands with white silk wrapped around their hips like a skirt.
Nathalie needed to calm her heart down as she needed to stop getting into her head in this case.
''Calm down; this isn''t already surprising to you…''
"Have you seen this coming, ''The Mystical Seer,'' or should I say… ''The Soulful Siren of the South'' that is?"
She couldn''t even squint her indigo eyes as she couldn''t keep the facade out of astonishment.