Raised From The Wild-Chapter 37: At The Palace

"What do I do with these?" Amaya was still holding the heels that she snapped off with ease from her shoes.

Marx gestured to the nearby guard and he took it from Amaya. Amaya dusted her hands to remove the soil. Marx handed her his handkerchief. She used that to wipe her hands and then she returned the handkerchief which Marx stuffed back into his pocket.

The crown prince was already waiting on the military truck and standing on the platform that was perched on top. The area where he and Amaya will be standing during the trip to the palace was enclosed in a bulletproof glass casing for their protection.

His jaw dropped when he saw what Amaya did.

Amaya walked faster and Marx has to increase his pace to catch up.

"Princess, a lot of people are watching. You need to walk with grace and elegance." Marx reminded her.

"But Daddy Ibarra looked impatient." She nevertheless lessened her pace and tried to walk gracefully.

Marx escorted her to the truck. Guards were there to assist her and Marx was also escorted to his assigned vehicle.

Crown Prince Ibarra and Princess Amaya were standing side by side on a sea of flowers. Only the tires of the truck were visible. The rest of the truck’s body was decked in colorful flowers.

There were a lot of Lireyans lining on the side of Sunrise Avenue and they were waving Lireyan flags and welcome banners. Amaya was smiling throughout and was waving just like she was told to do so until her face became stiff from smiling and her hand ached from waving.

She dropped her hands and slouched a bit to relax her aching back.

"Amaya as a princess you have to maintain your posture no matter what." Prince Ibarra reprimanded her when he saw her slouched.

Amaya threw a sideways glance at Prince Ibarra. He looked very noble and dignified in his royal outfit. His posture was erect. He exuded a different aura from that of her father Ibrahim. Ibrahim was carefree and adventurous. He was free-spirited while Ibarra was terse and strict. They were like the South and the North Pole.

Amaya straightened her back and plastered a smile on her face. She raised her hand to wave to the people who were crazily waiving and chanting some words she can hardly make out because they were enclosed in a glass.

She entertained herself by looking at the beautiful trees and bushes that lined the street. Their convoy soon entered a magnificent gate. At the top of the gate written on the arch was the words ’Asteria Palace.’

’So this is where my dad grew up.’ She thought as she scanned her surroundings. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Amaya was greeted with seemingly an endless stretch of trimmed green grasses and brightly colored flowers that lined the road that their vehicle was passing through. It took a few minutes before their vehicle stopped at the entrance of the magnificent palace right in front of a beautiful fountain.

Amaya paused and studied the fountain. She was curious as to how the water could shoot up so high in the air. It was just like the geysers back in Miraga. Was there a mechanism that pushed the water upwards? She took a few steps to go nearer the fountain.

"The cast iron fountain portrayed the first king of Lireya in a hunting garb. He is the one standing tall holding a spear where the water shoots up into the air and sprays mist." A female voice from behind her almost startled Amaya.

"These twelve female figures are the Lireyan muses representing the twelve districts of Lireya." She continued.

Amaya admired the craftsmanship of the artists who sculpted those muses who were seated in a circular position below the king. Each muse was holding a symbol of each of the districts and water gushed out of those symbols.

She looked at the man in the hunting garb. The sculptor reminded her of Ibrahim. They have the same physique, the tall nose bridge, those amber-piercing eyes, and the square jawline.

Amaya looked at the woman who explained the history of the fountain to her and she thanked her politely.

"My name is Yolanda and I’ll be one of your teachers. I’ll be teaching you about the history of Lireya, Princess."

"Okay. Nice to meet you, Yolanda." Amaya extended her hand for a handshake. Yolanda was horrified. She didn’t know whether to accept her hand or not.

Amaya noticed something was wrong so she retracted her extended hand and simply smiled at Yolanda.

’Am I not allowed to shake hands with people?’ she muttered under her breath.

She was ushered inside the palace to a large hall where members of the council were patiently waiting for them. She will be formally welcomed and introduced as the First Princess of Lireya.

She scanned the hall and saw Princess Consort Nelida. The twins Danella and Donello were seated on both sides of her. They presented a portrait of a lovely and happy family. Amaya felt her heart tightened. She did not have a memory of her mother and her father has already left her. She was an orphan. The twins were lucky to have both of their parents.

Her gaze locked with that Princess Nelida. Amaya smiled but the Princess Consort looked away. Amaya caught a glint in her eyes but it was gone immediately. Amaya shifted her gaze to Donello who smiled back at her. Then she looked at Danella who was glaring at her. Amaya was a bit surprised at the way her younger sister looked at her.

Donello and Danella were fraternal twins. Donello inherited 75% of his father’s looks while Danella resembled her mother. She learned that Princess Nelida was her mother’s younger sister so technically she was her aunt. But why would her mother’s younger sister marry her Daddy Ibarra? Was that a normal thing in Lireya?

Someone announced the presence of the king. When the king entered the hall, everyone including Amaya bowed to the king. While everyone was still bowing, she lifted her head and met the gaze of her grandfather. Ibrahim and Ibarra resembled their father except for the shape of their faces.

King Duncan was looking at Amaya dotingly. Amaya has her father’s eyes. While Ibarra and Ibrahim exactly looked the same, their eyes looked different. Ibrahim’s eyes were always clear as water and full of determination. When he was angry his eyes were like swords that can pierce you and penetrate you and force you to lay bare your deepest secrets to him.

It was how Ibrahim looked at him before he succumbed to the effects of the drug that they placed in his wine on his wedding day. And that was the last glimpse he had of his son because he never came back.

In the end, Ibrahim did come back, encased in a golden coffin. King Duncan was always a resolute king. He never showed weakness in front of his subjects so he blinked and his eyes returned to the fierce look of a king.