Raised From The Wild-Chapter 193: The Palace

Amaya waited for a long time but the driver remained silent.

"Perhaps the government has limited funds and has other priorities." it was the royal guard beside her who answered.

Amaya looked out of the window. The traffic eased and she saw a banner on a lamp post welcoming the king’s new bride from Lireya along with her entourage. On the next lamppost, the banner with the words ’Welcome to Ra-Iya, Princess Amaya." She frowned. She did not understand why she needed to be singled out in the welcome banner.

Their van is now cruising along a wide boulevard. Amaya felt relaxed when she saw the old and huge trees lining the sides of the boulevard. A small smile appeared on her face.

"This is called the King’s Boulevard and is very famous for the century-old trees that you see on the side, Princess."

"It is pleasing to the eyes. It is good that the trees are kept."

A big screen on the wall of a tall and majestic building, beyond the century-old trees, appeared in Amaya’s line of sight. It showed a prenuptial photo of The King of Ra-Iya and Zanzara and her entourage.

Amaya turned her head to look at Shanaya. "Cousin look. There is a photo of us on the big screen!"

Shanaya snorted. She was envious of Zanzara. She did not understand why she was not chosen when she is more beautiful than Zanzara. She closed her eyes and ignored Amaya. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Our king has given importance to this wedding, Princess. This is a very grand wedding, second only to the king’s wedding to the queen ten years ago."

Amaya thought for a moment. "The king has many wives already. Why does he want one more?" Amaya can’t help asking. She wanted to hear the answer from the perspective of a Ra-Iyan.

"It is a marriage of alliance. The more allies we have, the stronger we will become." The driver shared his thoughts honestly.

The royal guard sitting beside the princess sneered. Amaya threw him a sideway glance and the corner of her lips curled up. She really loved looking at his raven black hair.

After some time, their van arrived at the main gate of the palace. The gate was very tall and made of iron. There was no fence but instead, there is what seemed like a river that brown murky water was passing through. Amaya pondered if it was a natural river or a man-made canal.

The gate was opened after a few guards checked their car. They passed through a bridge that was ten meters long before stopping in front of another towering gate. This time, Amaya could see the brick wall of the fence that stretched as far as her eyes can see.

"Isn’t this how castles of the olden times were made?" She asked to no one in particular.

"This fortress was the original one made by the first king of Ra-Iya. King Ralden just fortified it and renovated some portions that caved in the last earthquake."

"The king seemed to be very particular about security." the royal guard commented.

"Is it not the same in the Kingdom of Lireya?" The driver commented. He was not actually just a simple driver. He was a high-ranking military officer assigned to drive the Princess and the noble lady from Lireya.

The distance of the palace from the main gate was around a kilometer. There was an expanse of green grass covering the ground. There was a garden of colorful flowers in front of the palace. Just like in Asteria Palace, there was a fountain in front of the palace. To the right of the fountain was a flagpole and the Ra-Iyan flag was unfurled on top. It was of the color red and at the lower right was a crescent moon and on top of the crescent moon were five golden stars arranged in an arched formation.

The palace was a perfectly symmetrical building with a magnificent facade made of ivory-white marble. Even the pillars were all symmetrical. The dome-shaped roof was white in color and the entire face was magnificent to look at from a distance.

"What a beautiful palace. Can we stop for a while?" Amaya asked the driver, her face filled with excitement. Even Shanaya who was silent all the time was infected with her enthusiasm.

The driver simply smiled and parked at the side of the paved road. The Malacan Palace was the pride of Ra-Iya. Many dignitaries from other countries admired its beauty.

Amaya get off the van. She took off her sneakers and ran barefoot until she reached the spot where she has the perfect view of the palace.

There was a pond in front of the palace. It was situated a few meters from the cemented driveway. From Amaya’s vantage, the Palace was reflected in the clear water of the pond.

"Can you take a photo of me with the palace as the background?" She handed her cell phone to her guard.

Her guard obliged and snapped a few photos of him. Afterward, Shanaya joined her.

If not for the driver reminding them that they were running late, Princess Amaya would have continued to snap photos.

At the king’s chamber on the second floor, King Ralden has a playful smile when he received the news that the Princess of Lireya requested a short stop to take photos of the palace. He went to the balcony and saw a few figures in the middle of the palace ground. They were too far away so it was hard to figure out their faces.

He went back inside his room and signaled his servants to dress him up. Since the First Princess has arrived he can now go down and welcome his bride-to-be who has been waiting in the drawing room for more than an hour.

If Amaya was awed by the facade of Malacan Palace, she wasn’t prepared to face the grandeur of what was inside. Just how much did the King of Ra-Iya spend to beautify his palace?

***

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