Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 162: The banquet

Chapter 162: The banquet

As Rhea sat in front of the dressing mirror, the soft flicker of chandelier light cast a warm glow upon her face. The servants assigned to her moved around her with grace and precision, their nimble fingers weaving through her sliver locks, delicately placing jeweled hairpins and arranging intricate braids. Rhea watched their skilled hands move with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

The reflection staring back at her seemed foreign, as if she were peering into the life of a stranger. Her usually wild locks were tamed into an elegant updo, adorned with pearls that glimmered like moonlight. The vibrant blue silk of her gown clung to her figure, accentuating her curves in a way she was unaccustomed to.

Rhea had heard whispers of the servants talking about the banquet thrown for the princess. It was said that the king adored his daughter. And today, as the realm teetered on the brink of war, he had chosen to throw a grand banquet, a lavish affair that seemed to defy all reason to welcome her back.

Rhea couldn’t help but wonder how the princess managed to survive for so long in Birhhan without getting caught or killed like the other princess? The servant had said she was a beauty with brains, she knew her way with humans.

Although Rhea was aware that she should be worrying about her revange against Azure and Oriana, she knew she should be honing her skills, practicing with Draven on their process of bone changing, which she was yet to know how it would work; were they going to have to open her flesh and rearranged her bones, or was there a magical way to go about it?

Instead of worrying about all that, a part of her yearned for a break, for a taste of fun and being to an event. To be honest, in the past she had never been to any banquet, the only one she’d been to, was the one hosted by Oriana, and her sisters had deliberately taken her just to frame her of stealing so she could be executed.

Life in the Villden mansion had never been fun or easy for her, for twenty years, she had been treated like an outcast and a cursed seed. And now that she had a once in a life time opportunity to belong somewhere, she wanted to enjoy it even though it wouldn’t last. She wanted to forget about revenge and anything else for today and enjoy herself at her first banquet where she was invited to, where she would be treated like an honored guest.

As the servants finished their work, stepping back to admire their creation, Rhea’s eyes lingered on her reflection once more. The woman staring back at her now was a vision of grace and beauty. She had never seen, never imagined herself in a dress like this, with its low-cut, tightly fitted bodice that forced her breasts high and exposed a daring expanse of flesh. And she had never taken pleasure in her appearance than she did now.

However, she suddenly felt self-conscious about the exposed flesh at the bosom. Nonetheless, she had noticed it was a normal attire In the Dragon realm, the females liked showing off their flesh, unlike in the human realm where females were expected to dress modest and elegant.

Rhea thanked the servants for their hard work in transforming her into a beautiful lady, however one of the servants smiled.

"Miss, we only added little to you, you were already a born beauty. And I hope you enjoy yourself at the hall, we shall take our leave." They all bowed and left the room, leaving Rhea to blush at their compliments. She rarely received compliments In the past, as people always saw her as a trash and disgrace.

For some reason, Rhea suddenly felt a bit excited to show Draven her transformation, she wondered what he’d think, and as if the Heavens knew she was thinking of him, a knock came from the door and he strode inside the room all dressed up himself. He stopped dead in his tracks as his blue eyes moved over her with unhidden masculine appreciation. Pride of ownership was evident in his piercing gaze and Rhea’s stomach jumped nervously when she saw it. He had never looked at her like this before— as if she were a tasty morsel he was planning to devour at his leisure.

"You have the most disconcerting ability to look like an enchanting child one moment, and an incredibly alluring woman, the next," he said without tearing his eyes away from her.

"Thank you," Rhea said uncertainly as she wasn’t sure if his comments were supposed to be a compliment or just a remark, "I suppose."

"It was intended as a compliment," he assured her, smiling slightly. "I’m not usually so clumsy with compliments that you can’t identify them." he said as he walked closer, and without warning, he suddenly raised his hand and pulled up her dress to cover the exposed flesh on her bosom.

Before Rhea could react in embarrassment, he said, "It’s looks much better this way," because by Heaven, he’d have the urge to strangle any man whose eyes fell on her chest in the hall, thus he’d rather make sure nothing would get their eyes below her face.

However, unknown to Draven, Rhea mistook his intentions of pulling up her dress, she thought perhaps he didn’t like what he saw, she must really be an eyesore to him that he didn’t want to see. Though she had no experience with men, she had heard in Aria’s establishment that men desired woman more when they show their bosom. But it seemed Draven didn’t like it...well, they were friends anyway, she was the one getting over herself for being excited of his reaction to her dress.

Actually, she had intentionally instructed the servants to select this particular dress for her earlier because she desired to impress Draven. However, she now regretted her choice and strongly desired to change it. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to waste their time, so she smiled and remarked, "You don’t look bad yourself, I mean you look handsome."

Indeed, he appeared handsome in his black attire and a regal robe that cascaded down his back and trailed behind him as he moved. His tightly bound black hair accentuated his long face and defined jawline.

Draven smiled and responded, "Thank you," extending his arm to her, "Shall we?"

Rhea nodded and linked her arm with his, then walked out of the room alongside him.

***

As Rhea and Draven approached the grand entrance to the royal hall, the anticipation in Rhea was palpable. The massive double doors stood wide open, inviting them into an enchanting world of overwhelming grandeur. Rhea’s heart skipped a beat as she caught her first glimpse of the breathtaking sight that awaited them inside.

The banquet hall stretched out before her, adorned with intricate diamond chandeliers that cast a bright, inviting glow over the hall. The walls were adorned with rich decorations, adding an air of royalty to the already majestic hall. The high ceilings looked like it were made with clear mirror ice, as one could see the reflection of the activities in the hall.

As Rhea and Draven stepped into the hall, the hum of conversation and laughter with a slow music playing in the background filled their ears. Guests moved gracefully around, their elegant attires shimmering in the soft light. Rhea could feel the weight of curious eyes upon them, but she refused to let it deter her. She copied the posture her sisters used when attanding banquets, she held her head high and exuded an air of confidence and grace.

Ahead of them was a high platform where the king sat with the important members of the royal courts and his sons. Rhea noticed how most of the women were staring at Draven with interest, while the men looked at him with wonder. It was no surprise they would stare, because everyone of them had probably learned of his presence, the once most powerful Dragon In existence, who had been reduced to nothing by his lover but now was climbing back up again after his downfall.

However, was making another mistake of having a human by his side despite what had happened to him In the past. The people were whispering to themselves as they stared at Rhea with hate and some with admiration of being beside Draven.

Nonetheless, Draven paid no attention to anyone and lead Rhea to the high platform where the king was. There were high court members at the platform, but he barely bowed his head to the king alone as he said, "King Henry," and then directed Rhea to sit beside him on the same platform where the esteemed guests were seated, ignoring the other court members.

Feeling apprehensive, Rhea took her place next to Draven, aware of all the eyes below the platform fixated on them. She noticed Lilac among the guests laughing and doing just fine, the girl had a way with people. Rhea thought.

Shortly after everyone had arrived, the king rose to address the gathering. As he began speaking, the conversations and music immediately quieted down. "I appreciate all of you making the time to be here, despite the short notice. I would like to extend a warm welcome to my daughter, Princess Ariana, who has returned home!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman entered the hall. She was wearing a dark blue gown and had her hair elegantly styled. Her face was beaming with a smile. When Rhea laid eyes on the princess, she couldn’t believe it. Without thinking, she jumped out of her chair and exclaimed, "Aria!"