9 RIN: The Royal Banquet

"You are needed to serve in the banquet, the number of guests coming in is more than we have anticipated," the chief butler of Selene announced the news that made me plead with him like it was the end of the world.

I have been in hiding for three years now, I hid in Selene just down the nose of the snobbish Prince Rin who never once checked on new kitchen maids.

I think I have successfully evaded my death as the timeline for my demise already passed, but if one of them, the male leads were to recognize me... what will happen then?

So I pleaded with the chief butler like my life depended on it, but I was threatened I'll be detained in the dungeon for insubordination.

So I gathered my courage and tried my best to convince myself that everything will turn out fine.

After all, I dyed my hair black and while we have been engaged since childhood, I have only interacted with the prince thrice.

The only thing that I have retained throughout these years in hiding is my chubby self, but there are server maids who have the same body built as I am, so it's not like I will stand out in that banquet just by my weight alone.

And how daring for me to think I will be noticed, right, the prince will be surrounded by the most beautiful dignitaries, so how can he even glance my way?

Rin Saito was crowned king today, after his father died from an illness three months ago he has been named the only suitable successor. So while I've been referring to him as a prince, he has actually been crowned king today.

He should have been crowned king earlier but he opted to wage war on a nearby kingdom, and has just returned today after successfully conquering the enemy country.

Truth be told, Selene has grown more into power than it ever had been centuries before. It is like the prince has been more war-thirsty in those three years than all of Selene's past monarchs combined.

The only neighboring kingdom that remains as it is is my Aurora. I fear one day soon it might be conquered as well.

Cinderella has been crowned as the queen now after both our parents died of a mysterious incurable illness. Me being gone immediately gave her the sole right to rule.

The king is said to have been spending his time a lot of deal in Aurora in those three years.

He spends more time in the castle than he spends in his own palace, which does not make sense at all since Selene's palace is ten times more grandiose than Aurora's ever been.

So that seems like a good sign, right? That maybe Rin has fallen in love with Cinderella, and that is probably why he has spent more time in Aurora than in his own kingdom.

"His royal highness, the King of Selene," the royal butler announced when Rin entered the banquet hall. Everyone rose to show their respects.

If he was handsome and cold three years ago, he is absolutely beautiful now, like a perfect statue made from ice.

His pale white lustrous skin in contrast with his long raven hair just took my breath away. He was the tallest man in the banquet, towering above all other men at 6'3 feet.

Somehow the slender body became even more muscular than I recalled. There was a lack of interest in his eyes for the banquet and the dignitaries who attended, but even that just added to his charms.

The way he walked towards the throne just speaks of elegance, and the lack of patience in his voice just added to his mystery.

This is not a prince... before me is a king, in every way a picture of perfect elegance.

How could I have assumed he will recognize me? This is not the prince I used to know.

The king who silently sat on his throne commands everyone's attention just by his presence alone. He doesn't seem to be interested in the most beautiful of the noble ladies that flock around him.

Before me is the king of Selene, ruler of one of the most powerful kingdoms this world ever knew. How did I even fear becoming recognized? He won't.

The maids started to line up and place food on the long table. Though I know he won't recognize me, my body trembled just knowing he is near.

I silently cursed when I realized the order of food presentation is from one edge of the table to the other. It means while I was at the last of the line, I'll be the one to place the food nearest to the king.

What terrible fate I have! Damn the gods! I didn't dare to raise my eyes, if there is one thing I couldn't disguise, it is the fear in my eyes.

Fear of facing the fiance I ran away from, hid away from... the prince who became the absolute monarch he is today.

Because of the rotten luck I have had until now, I tripped just when I was serving the platter of food I was holding.

The sauce spilled on his highness's royal robes, from his chest down to his beautiful sandals. I fell to my knees even as the crowd gasped and the royal guards came to accost me.

Even when the guards came to bring me out of the banquet, even then I did not open my mouth to speak. I couldn't find my voice, not even to say sorry or to plea for my own life.

Just when I was being dragged away from the banquet hall, I heard the thunderous roar of the king when he ordered, "You dare lay a hand on my queen! Release her at once, or I shall murder everyone in your pathetic families!"

My eyes widened in shock. Everyone kept their distance from the king who suddenly wrapped his arms around me, and said, "I finally found you, Maru. I'll never let you leave my side again."