108 Meeting With Royalty

"He's the King?!" Lycster exclaimed out loud.

He covered his mouth as soon as the words came out and his face flushed beet red. He had overheard Dotty's conversation with Vy and he was in shock! Everyone was looking at him, the silence was excruciating!

"The King? Who are you…" Hazel turned over to look at the other customer that was in the shop.

Her jaw dropped as she realised that it was indeed King Olwin in the flesh! She could not recognise him because of how different he looked! But what was he doing here?

Hazel knelt down immediately and said, "Your Majesty! Please pardon me for my insolence! I did not recognise you!"

Vy laughed it off and everyone started to laugh along too. Vy stood up from her seat on the sofa and walked over to the man. She bowed to him respectfully and apologised.

"I apologise on behalf of all of us, your Majesty," Vy apologised.

King Olwin was not wearing his crown or had his usual royal outfits on. He was simply dressed in a buttoned shirt and dress pants, matched with a pair of black smooth leather shoes. He was amused at how things played out.

He simply nodded and pardoned Hazel as well, as she stood up and kept her head hung low. This was so embarrassing for her! How could she not recognise the King? If Elisa found out, what would she say?

"Did you not find anything you liked in the appointed shops, Miss Vyrena? I did not expect anyone to come here looking for a dress for the Masked Ball," King Olwin asked.

"Most of them were preoccupied with other patrons, especially those who looked like they could afford a lot more. So I decided to see what other shops would be able to take me in," Vy replied.

After a short chat, King Olwin made the final orders with the shopkeeper and left the shop. Before he left, he ensured that none of them would divulge about his recent secret trip out of the castle.

After he left, all the attention was turned to Vy and her little band as they continued to pick out items to purchase. Hazel was still very much worried if Vy would be able to afford everything; especially after she picked out a few more items.

It was not until Vy successfully foot the bill with ease that Hazel let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for patronising our humble shop, Miss Blackfire," the bubbly girl said as she sent them off, "We will deliver your purchases as soon as they are ready!"

They left the shop all in smiles as they had gotten everything they needed. Upon stepping out into the streets, the sun was no longer out. The moon hung dimly on the sky and the street lamps were lit.

All of their stomachs were growling.

Elette tugged on the hem of Vy's clothing and rubbed her belly as she gave Vy a sad eye-watering expression.

Vy smiled and patted Elette on her head, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry too."

"We can head back to the castle, I will get the kitchens to prepare something for you as soon as we get…" before Hazel could finish what she wanted to say, Elette's eyes were filled with tears.

Lycster picked her up in his arms and wiped those tears away, "You must be really hungry! I don't think she can wait till we get back, Vy."

Vy let out a sigh, "Well, it looks like we will need to get some food as soon as possible then."

She turned to Hazel and asked, "Is there anything you could recommend for us to get?"

Ending their day on a high note with a delicious dinner, it was time for them to head back to the castle to get some sleep. Once everyone had taken a bath and Lycster and Elette were asleep, Vy called for Hazel's assistance.

She was looking through some documents when Hazel entered the room and asked what she needed.

In a hushed voice, Vy asked, "Would you be able to get me a list of all the people who would be attending the Ball? I just wanted to familiarise myself with the people who would be attending."

"Sure thing, Miss Vyrena. I'll get it for you. Actually, there's a copy of it in every room, in the drawer over here," Hazel replied as she went over to a side table and opened a drawer.

She took out the red covered book that was in it and handed it over to Vy. Flipping through its contents, Vy realised this book was extremely detailed. Not only did it contain a guest list of everyone in attendance, but it also included a list of activities the attendees could participate in leading up to the Ball.

Looking at the words on the pages, Vy realised that this was done by a printing press, not typed.

-Looks like there are places with better technology.-

As she flipped through the pages, it did not take long for Vy to take note of a couple of familiar names. Dotty looked on from Vy's shoulders. She too saw the familiar names.

\u003cLooks like there will be familiar faces.\u003e

-Looks like I might not be welcomed after all.-

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Hazel was startled. The knock had echoed through their silent atmosphere while Vy was reading. Vy signalled Hazel to open the door.

Hazel walked over and was greeted by a messenger. After receiving the message, Hazel walked over to Vy.

"Miss Vyrena, you've been summoned to meet King Olwin and Princess Viviana."