A lie crumbling down

“What took you so long?” Theus asked when she had finally made it back to them.

The ritual being done, Theus clothing had changed into something less traditional, a light brown tuxedo. While Lux, keeping her promise, changed herself into a wonderful, puffed dress that denoted the same colors of her old one. On the other hand, Atelia respected her son’s own uprising and left all the protagonism to him, wearing a slim and simple not very ornated silk dress.

“Forgive me sir,” Pandora denoted “I got lost.”

“The important thing is that you’re now here with us” Atelia said. “Do you want something to drink?”

At that question Pandora lifted a brow, glancing Theus’ responsible mom’s way.

“A non-alcoholic drink, silly girl.”

“Even though we’re already on the age to?”

“Yes. As long as you’re with me, you three kids are to follow my tutelage.”

“Ye—es ma’am.” Already used to the out of nowhere lectures, the three friends answered in unison.

“What about your contracted demon, Theus?” Lux asked.

“I don’t know what the procedures are yet. I could call him, but I haven’t seen any other Star Chosen with their demons either.”

That was true.

Pandora had entered the hall and explored the place, but she hadn’t seen any demon yet, or at least not any that looked the way the Star Chosen demons seemed to have the appearance as.

“It seems that the king is going by every Star Chosen and speaking to them, as well as their demons, son.” Atelia emphasized.

The kids glanced Atelia’s way. Other couple drinking in front of them seemed to be in the way of the king with another Star Chosen’s view.

He was with Venus, and next to her a young blond man was standing.

A demon.

They clearly didn’t evoke the presence that highlighted in every feature demonic origin, seen that way he was just a foreigner in Crescentian land.

Venus’s presence also pretended to exude an outsider’s stance. A scandalous thigh slitted red dress swallowed her whole and an open back was also part of the combination. The dress up was sensual, scandalous, but sensual, the whole representation she wanted to give of a sexual goddess could be perfectly perceived.

The king was not minding any of the unwanted attention that engrossed on the trio.

“Speaking of which,” Theus started. “how was your personal conversation with the king?”

The question Pandora feared the most was made.

And once again she had to find a lie for it.

“… It was great!” A sudden excited Pandora answered back. “I didn’t expect the king in person to be interested in speaking with me. He is as nice as they picture him as.”

“And what did he want from you?” Theus continued the ambush.

“He—… was interested in my work!” The agitated girl made up.

“Your work?” This time lux asked back.

“It might seem as I’m no good at my profession, but I caught the king’s personal interest, what do y’all think of myself?”

“Everything, except good at your profession.”

Pandora couldn’t answer anything towards that attack, it was true, and everyone knew it. Pandora was a Star worker. Those in charge of giving maintenance to the whole network that made Crescentia exude light. Giving reparations to the gigantic light bulbs that made the Star and its’ children bring the life essence of daylight to the city.

What could she say in relation to the king being interested in her work? A work she was terrible at.

Giving a dead stare back to Lux, Pandora could come up with a brilliant excuse.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. But weirdly he wasn’t interested in whichever I do my work correctly or not. He just showed interest in a young woman doing what usually is a male’s work in Crescentia’s back-end developing.” She said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

As Pandora spoke, Theus began to have a light pain in his head.

“That sounds great, my girl!” Atelia congratulated Pandora.

And she felt guilty for that.

“Why would the king be interested in that?” Theus said as he was softly touching his perfectly accommodated curls.

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask him, mister Star Chosen?”

Maybe Pandora shouldn’t have told him that.

The saddle-colored girl glanced back at the Star Chosen who was with the king.

Except that Venus was now on her own with her demon.

Noticing the change in the king’s subject, she knew that he was going from Star Chosen to Star Chosen.

It was a matter of time before they could find out she didn’t truly spoke with him.

Anxiously she grabbed a cocktail drink from a server that was going her way. After smelling it and learning that the drink indeed didn’t contain alcohol, she took a sip form it.

As the time went on and the trio walked around, and chit chatted about the manners that surrounded the well-off attendants; Theus’ turn to speak with the king. The true king, came.

As he approached the small unconventional family that stood beside a terrace’s curtains, Pandora noticed how the king truly was from up close, somehow different of how Nocte portrayed him. He had at least two guards, one in each side of him. They clearly had to be of a different ranking from the guards outside the gate or the ones saw on the ceremony, because not only their outfits changed, but also the presence they exuded, being that of well experienced soldiers that in any moment could be ready for an attempt against their ruler’s wellbeing.

And then he was in front of them.

“I hope you are having an excellent time in the party tonight.” The king firstly said.

“More than a simple party, this is a whole gala, your grace.” Atelia answered.

“It is the least I could do for our Star Chosen children.”

“And we thank you for that, his majesty.” Theus answered ang then bowed.

Following him, Atelia, Lux and Pandora also did.

“It’s nice seeing you again, though. Although a more formal encounter it is.” Theus’ mom added.

At that moment, Pandora knew it was her demise.

The king stared back at Atelia with a puzzled look, trying to recall or find the name for the woman in front of him, a woman he had never met in his life just yet.

The momentarily doubtful ruler brought a moment of silence to the scene.

Glances between Lux and Theus happened.

“Excuse me, have we met before? I seem to not recall, mistress…”

Then. Atelia answered with the same puzzled expression as the king’s.

She stretched her hand to once again, handshake him.

“Atelia, your highness. We met today, actually. Right after, the Star Chosen’s ritual completion, before you spoke with Pandora, right?” Atelia looked at Pandora.

All of them did, even the king’s escorts.

“I did?” The king asked, looking at Pandora as he hadn’t seen her before.

Which he hadn’t.

“That is right, your highness. Pandora told us of the conversation you had and how you are interested in the female Star workforce.”

The monarch seemed to be more in a trouble trying to recall an imaginary conversation.

“I suppose I need to apologize ma’am; I do not recall having met you nor your acquaintance right here just yet. Even less, having a conversation with… miss Pandora you say?”

Pandora blinked. Maybe a bit too long as she benefited from the short break she could give her eyes from the situation that was inevitably going to happen. When she opened her eyes, she smiled. More with the corners of her lips than her own eyes. As happy as she could act.

“That’s right, your majesty! Three hours ago, we had a small talk about my job and how you were interested in it, particularly the women that were involved.”

She was still smiling, more to herself so she could believe all the lies she was spitting, even to her it sounded absurd.

But the king seemed to already have caught up in her lie.

“I see. Do you mind following me for a moment, young lady?” The king’s tone had subtly changed. Pandora didn’t know if only she noticed it, or all the peasants around her could’ve perceived a ruler’s change in mood so swiftly as he demonstrated before.

And by that, Pandora was sure the other’s might have already noticed.

“Actually, his highness. Right now, I would like to enjoy one of the last moments I can have with my childhood friend, Theus. All his life he had to endure the harsh reality a Star Chosen child must bear with. That boy doesn’t know what a normal childhood is,” She started waving her arm towards the also clueless Theus. Pandora started spitting complete nonsense to Crescentia’s ruler right in front of her, so she could prevent whatever royal punishment could be done to her by lying in the king’s name.

But Theus, wasn’t completely clueless about this. He was already sure that Pandora had lied before. However, what reason for? The king that had approached them before, quite looked like the king, who was that impostor?

And why was Pandora trying to hide it?