Thea

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This was my third conscious transition through the portal and so far it has been so unusual. I thought that on the other side of the funnel we would immediately find ourselves in Riliya’s castle, but my judgments were wrong.

But on the other side of the portal, a tavern was waiting for us, spacious and crowded. People chatted noisily, rattled cutlery, and someone even sorted things out in raised tones. I have never been to such places before, and even if I had my will, I would hardly want to be in such a place. It was too rude and noisy. A purely male place, not for girls.

At that moment, I so wanted Raphael to take my hand, but I forgot that my appearance now did not match the pretty feminine princess, and therefore it would be strange for two men to hold hands. Therefore, gathering all the courage in my fist, I followed my company into the center of the room to a long bar table, behind which a bustling buxom lady was spinning.

The woman turned at the sound of Count Garnway’s voice.

- Richie, darling. - opening her warm arms, she pounced on him and squeezed him tightly.

That’s why I didn’t expect at all that the count had such low requirements for women. It’s not that I blame him, it’s everyone’s choice, but I assumed that he was in high society circles.

The count patted the woman on the back and unhooked her hands from him.

- Come on, Claire, you’re acting like my wife. We will be misunderstood. - he grumbled.

But the woman only grinned at his remark and playfully nudged him in the ribs, and then turned her gaze to our whole company.

- You didn’t say there would be more people. You will have to pay extra for this. – she retorted like a real businesswoman.

- Where’s the carriage? - Raphael interjected and tossed her a bag with coins jingling inside.

The woman immediately opened it and I could tell by her face that the salary there was very decent, probably gold coins. She quickly laced up the pouch and slipped it under the corset, as if straightening the dress.

- The coachman is waiting in the backyard. I had to work a little magic on the carriage so as not to attract extra eyes, but as soon as you leave Raswell, the spell will fall off. – And yes, Richie, if you’re on the run, run in, I’ll hide you.

The woman was very mischievous and playful, it was obvious that she liked the count. But her whole appearance screamed about the lightness of her behavior, maybe that’s why he didn’t show her any additional attention.

There was a nondescript, old carriage in the backyard. She looked shabby, but it didn’t seem to bother the king. Count Milos gave some more money to the coachman and opened the door, after which Raphael helped me up inside, holding me slightly behind my back. I sat down on the not-so-soft sofa and heard the sound of the door closing. Raphael sat down opposite and knocked on the cab, ordering the driver to start driving.

- What about the others? Won’t they come with us? – I was puzzled.

- Riliya sent an invitation only to me and my sister, they will have to go undercover. They will get through the portal and will be waiting for us in the palace.

- But then why don’t we use the portal? Isn’t that faster?

- Faster, but we do everything officially, and therefore we use this method.

- Then why get to Raswell if we could take a carriage straight from the castle?

It was pretty weird. Raswell was one of the counties of Riliya and it was confusing to me. Why was this disguise necessary?

- Our departure must remain unnoticed by our guests in Abion, and therefore it would not be too prudent to use a royal carriage, don’t you think? And getting from Raswell to the Marro Palace is the fastest. But I’m not the most welcome guest in this county because of disagreements with the local authorities, so while we go in such modest conditions. You can be patient a little, right?

Raphael was surprisingly calm, answering a million of my questions. But now I could see the weariness on his face. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the sofa, taking a deep breath. It must be hard for him to have a daytime lifestyle, considering that until recently Abion Castle had a night life. I really wanted to know about that, too, but I probably won’t bother him with questions now.

- We still have one unresolved point that needs to be discussed. - he spoke again. – And this again concerns your appearance. It is logical to think that I cannot imagine you as my sister, so you will be my adviser. Try to stay always close and not to make unnecessary contacts. Is everything clear to you?

I nodded. It couldn’t be clearer. I myself was not eager to establish any contacts, so as not to inadvertently blurt out something that would reveal me. In my soul, I was anxious and excited about the upcoming meeting with my family, and I also had to think about where to look for the artifact. Being at my stepmother’s birthday party was just a distraction for the eyes, while we fulfill our main goal. In general, there will be a lot of work, we need to focus.

After almost six hours we left Raswell and the spell cast by the woman from the tavern was broken. Now the exterior of the carriage corresponded to the status of Raphael, and inside it became much more comfortable and cozy, so that the rest of the way to the palace flew by unnoticed, I even managed to take a nap in the arms of a comfortable sofa.

We reached the castle in the evening. The palace was all ablaze with lights, torches and lighting balls were burning around, fueled by magic. The front door and the servants lined up could already be seen from the window. The carriage stopped at the central staircase, and a servant hurried to open the door.

The entire royal family came out to meet the important guest – King Horel and his wife Lilian, Princesses Madeleine and Xana, and Crown Prince Terrence. Although not much time had passed since my escape, I felt that I was not ready to see their faces again. Stoic, proud and domineering, visually they did not show a drop of grief from my loss. Although who would doubt it.

My stepmother never cared about me, and my own father was too much henpecked to have a strong word in this family. He traded his daughter for a new love. I chuckled to myself and got out of the carriage after Raphael, hiding behind his broad back.

The kings traditionally shook hands. Queen Lilian and her two daughters were honored with a hand kiss. Poor Madeleine almost fainted from an overabundance of feelings, she was always greedy for beautiful men. Covering her face with her fan, she hid her embarrassment under her laughter.

Terrence, on the other hand, kept to himself, did not rush to greet the guests with honors, but he sealed a dry handshake with the king of Abion. As long as I can remember, he has always been so distant and stingy with emotions, but he never hurt me, either mentally or physically. There were even moments when he covered for me in front of my family. Therefore, it is difficult to characterize our relationship, they are rather neutral, for which I am grateful to him. It’s better than constantly walking on a knife’s edge under the gaze of stepsisters who hated me to put it mildly.

Raphael moved a little to the side, introducing me to a biased audience. I gathered all the courage in my fist and remembered all the etiquette lessons so as not to fall face down in the dirt. But since I wasn’t the main guest, they didn’t give me much time, and we immediately headed to the palace.

Phew, now you can exhale with relief.