My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 82

I could understand why it was such a big thing to move into the Royal Palace. It was a place far beyond my imagination. A slightly modern interpretation of Bavarian Neuschwanstein combined with India's Amber Fortress, all surrounded by magnificent gardens; the romantic style of the nineteenth century sprinkled with the mystic aura of the southern Asian style.

"Wow…" was the only word that could slip through my lips.

The palace had a remarkable main building, reserved for the King and those closest to him. The eastern part of the palace was supposed to be a harem. It was connected to the main building by several secret passages. Certainly, only the King was allowed to use them. The western part was the place for the important guests and their families. The servants and the military men lived in two separate grand buildings a bit further away from the castle. The area was huge. Only after seeing this did I realize the power of the vampire king.

We arrived at the main building's entrance. There was a long red carpet on the steps leading to the large, covered with golden ornaments, door. Around forty to fifty people were standing on both sides of the carpet, ready to greet the new king. They were the palace officials, military commanders, and palace servants.

Sariel opened, got out of the car, and waited for one of the servants to open the door on my side and help me get out. Then he walked towards me to take my hand. He entered the castle with me by his side, bluntly claiming that I was chosen by him to share the throne. I climbed the stairs, ignoring the disdainful gazes and annoying remarks pointed at me. I knew that I had to get used to them because it was merely the beginning. I clenched my teeth, and as soon as I told myself that I was dealing with all the stress just fine, something unexpected came to me...

"I would like to personally welcome King Sariel to his new estate, the Royal Castle," Elora called out, standing on top of the stairs. "Long live the King!" she shouted.

"Long live the King!" the gathered crowd repeated.

The Princess was wearing a long, beautiful black dress with a high collar and a deep neckline. I would say that it was a luxurious mourning dress if it wasn't so damn sexy. Certainly, my pearl white dress with simple lace ornaments couldn't match her elegance. Elora's gaze was on Sariel alone. It was typical for her to ignore me, but this time it was more irritating than ever. She looked like she was seducing Sariel right in front of my eyes.

"Thank you, Princess," Sariel tossed, rolling eyes at her nonchalant ceremonial, then leaned over her and lowered his voice, "Now step aside because you are no longer in charge of this place."

She flinched and stepped away from the entrance, faking her smile. Sariel smirked coldly at her and nodded to the gatekeepers to open the door. Once they did, he grabbed my hand tighter, and we walked inside, followed by everyone else. I found the whole procession awkward, but I guess the same must have happened over a thousand years ago when King Mael took over the throne, and no one thought of this procession as awkward then…

Sariel and I were walking with guards on both sides. The Princess walked two steps behind us. I glimpsed at her at one point, and our eyes met. Strangely, I found a cunning smile on her face. I was expecting her to be fuming mad and I didn't like that smirk of hers at all. It could only mean trouble was coming soon.

We entered a long and grand throne hall. While we were walking along, Sariel leaned over me.

"I will sit on the throne, and you will stand on the right side behind me. Keep quiet no matter what happens," he whispered commandingly.

I nodded nervously in response. Truthfully, I was terrified of what might happen during the coronation. My only solace was knowing that I had the most powerful vampire on my side, as well as Leo and Patrick, just in case.

I looked around the hall. The guards were standing everywhere, securing each corner of the room. Sariel walked straight to the podium where the impressive, over-ten-foot tall throne was standing. He sat on it and nodded at me to stand where he told me to. I smiled faintly and stepped to his right side, staying a bit behind the throne. To my surprise, Elora also stepped up to the podium and stood at Sariel's left side. When she did, Sariel clicked his tongue and turned his gaze away, but he did nothing to make her step down…

I took a deep breath as I watched the hall filling with various people. I found a little comfort seeing Leo and Patrick walking inside and standing on the right side of the hall, near the podium. Patrick smiled at me, giving me the courage to stand there. I was grateful for that. I could focus on his kindness and ignore the fact of how badly I was unwelcomed in that place. Among the spiteful stares, I found someone who seemed to be looking at me with curiosity. He stood on the left side of the hall, quite near the podium. He was tall, with brown hair and bright blue eyes, and was wearing a well-tailored suit. His features were soft, almost feminine, making his face unmatch his quite well-built body, with broad shoulders and a chest barely fitting the tight shirt underneath his jacket. I had noticed him giving the Princess vicious glimpses now and then. It made me wonder who he was.

Once the hall on both sides had been filled with people, three officials marched down the middle of the room and stopped right in front of Sariel's throne. They all bowed down, waiting for Sariel's permission.