CHAPTER SIX

The grand hall where the party was held sported lavish decorations, golden chandeliers and the highest quality luminous stones to brighten every corner of the huge venue. The endless chatter and low whispers echoed across the walls and filled the hall, giving the party a lively atmosphere. Nobles weaved across the crowd of others similar to them as they tried to fulfill their own objectives for attending. Almost everyone in attendance felt an evergrowing curiosity towards the masked woman currently sitting beside the emperor. They all failed miserably when trying to hide the curiosity in their eyes, secretly glancing at her at any slight opportunity that presented itself. The witch was just as mysterious as alway with her mask perfectly hiding all her features from all seeking eyes.

At the far edge of the hall, on an elevated platform slightly above the ground, the Emperor sat on a replica of the throne in his throne room. His cold eyes darted across the hall, silently observing everyone in it. The party meant nothing to him, it was only a boring chore that was being masked as an important event. He was already tired of hearing the high rank nobles wagging their gold coated tongues in an attempt to curry favour. 

Grisha engaged in short conversations with those high enough on the hierarchy to approach him first without the possibility of being thrown in the dungeons or an even worse outcome of being beheaded for the crime of disrespecting the Emperor. He barely paid any attention to the words being spoken, simply smiling and nodding where it seemed appropriate. He showed the least amount of courtesy that could be considered appropriate.The party had it's own purposes but such conversations were absolutely pointless to him. His eyes moved to the figure sitting beside him, there wasn't even a slight change in her calm demeanor.  She played her role rather efficiently, he knew she hated being here more than anything else but that was none of his concern. As long as she was still useful to him, she would play any role he required. Any of her opinions were not going to profit him in any way and with that being the case, it naturally meant that he didn't need them. 

Kharis grew tired of the charade that she had to play a part in. The party was nothing more than only a display of power and she was the final piece to complete the display. The lavish decorations and expensive chandeliers were just a means to an end, their use was little but they still had their roles. She watched nobles approach Grisha one after another, making use of different methods to try and obtain favour from the one who ruled the Empire. Every one of them wanted to be closer to power even if it was by a meagre amount.

She couldn't wait for the party to be over, she had seen enough fake smiles and gold coated tongues at such parties to last a lifetime. Four powerful knights stood by her side, releasing an aura that would discourage any sudden acts of bravery and with the fact that Grisha was seated by her side, any thoughts of approaching her were immediately snuffed out. No one here was nearly brave enough to approach her with the Emperor seated so close to her. The whole thing was set up quite nicely down to where she was seated to prevent any mishaps from taking place.

Grisha was a lot of things and thorough just happened to be one of them. He wanted to block any sort of communication between Kharis and the nobles. He was afraid that she would collude with them and conspire to take his precious throne away from him. What he didn't know was that she had never had such lofty ambitions, at first she wanted to help him achieve his goals but now all she wanted was her freedom but he wanted to break her wings and keep her in a cage, he wanted a trapped bird that was unable to escape.

The party lacked any familiar faces as Aria had been led to another location to wait for her return. Everything was the same as always, it had been the same at all the previous celebrations she had been made to attend. Kharis was put into the role of a silent puppet, fulfilling the goals of another.

After staying at the party for a while, Kharis was led out of the grand hall. She could feel the eyes of everyone present watching her every move but she couldn't care less about their curious glances. She had played her part and now it was time for her to leave.

She was led to the very same side entrance she had used before. It was still packed with guards, a rather funny scenario in her opinion. The carriage was already waiting for her along with Aria and Alistair standing close to it. Her steps were the farthest thing from hesitant as she entered the carriage accompanied by both of the knights tasked with bringing her here. She was more that ready to finally leave the palace.

The carriage sped through the busy streets, it was already well past midnight but the festive mood had yet to die down. The streets were still bright and packed with people, they roamed the streets while trying to make the best out of the celebration while it lasted. Kharis felt her chest lighten and the suffocating feeling that weighed on her disappear now that she was already a distance away from the palace, she quietly observed the lives of the people through the window, she knew everyone had problems of their own but she couldn't help the envy that surged in her heart. A life so carefree that she could stroll around the streets and enjoy a festival was never something she got to enjoy, she could only dream about it but it still seemed unreachable even in her fantasies.

After reaching the teleportation circle, the journey did last much longer. They arrived at the castle in what seemed like no time at all. 

Aria was the first one to exit the carriage, she stood by the door and waited for her lady. Alistair followed her with his eyes but kept the words threatening to spill from his lips sealed in his heart. Kharis watched the both of them and shook her head, she knew a bit about what happened between the pair. A brother who chose to be selfish over protecting the honour of their family and a sister who couldn't come to terms with his choice.

"How much do you know about the man you chose over your blood"

Alistair was surprised to hear the voice of the person who had never spoken so much as a word to him.

"I hope you don't regret the choice you made"

Kharis left the carriage immediately after completing what she had to say, leaving the confused Alistair to process her words. The carriage didn't stay much longer and retreated after completing its purpose...

Kharis took off the cloak and the mask, handing them over to the distracted knight behind her. She headed straight to her room after entering the castle, she couldn't wait to close her eyes and put an end to the horrible day. She felt completely drained and exhausted, spending a couple of hours playing the role of a puppet was more then enough to make her tired but she couldn't help but worry about her guardian knight.

"Aria?"

She asked with worry evident in her voice. The knight tried to put on a calm expression but her eyes betrayed her sadness. 

"I'm alright my lady"

"I should go and return these"

Aria turned around and left with the pretence of returning the mask and cloak. 

Kharis stared at her retreating back with obvious worry but thought that it was best to give the knight some time to process her thoughts. Emotions could be a powerful thing especially when one was torn between  two of such emotions, Aria was angry with her brother over his choice but she could never bring herself to hate him, she felt guilty that she couldn't but real emotions could never be forced, they were stubborn seeds that once planted could turn into the hardest weeds to get rid off.

Alistair was usually not assigned to Kharis during her journey to the capital but the emperor was growing increasingly wary and needlessly paranoid as time passed so he decided to entrust one of his most loyal and powerful knights to the task. He first appeared as their escort four years ago to replace the previous one to fill that role. Kharis could clearly remember the look on Aria's face when she first saw him and the tears that streaked down her cheeks as she explained their story. Kharis sighed as she stared at the place her knight once stood for a moment longer.

She fell asleep that night with many things plaguing her thoughts but the one that disturbed her the most was what she noticed in the palace earlier, she couldn't help the uneasiness she felt. The twisted energy surrounding the palace gave her a really bad feeling and it didn't help that she had no idea what could be causing it, she couldn't pinpoint why but she knew that nothing good was responsible for it.