Ophelia and The Dragons

Chapter 14

"We do not go to holy communion because we are good. We go to become good."

-John Bosco-

***

Ophelia's P.O.V

The day of seasonal ceremony had arrived. A royal carriage arrived in the morning to pick me and Helios up.

Both of us wore one of the outfit that was bestowed by the crown prince.

It was a white formal dress and suit with silver pattern on it, perfect for the occasion since the seasonal ceremony had a silver theme to match winter's season.

The entire ride, Helios was rather quiet, which was unusual for him. Plenty of thoughts streamed his mind and he was deep in his own thoughts.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him.

"No, that's not possible. I'm just a bit worried. It will be our first time together being exposed to such a large crowd of royals and nobles. The high priestess would be there as well. I'm more worried for you than anything else."

"I can handle it. You should just have fun later during the ceremony." I advised him as I placed my palm on top of his.

"Ah, I don't understand how you could remain so optimistic, Lia." He smiled for the first time since we got on the ride.

Actually, I also had mixed feelings about this ceremony, but then again, the crown prince personally invited me, so there shouldn't be an issue, right?

We finally arrived at the dragon temple. It was my first time being here. The temple was massive, to say the least.

Just by taking a glance outside, one could see a huge dragon statue in the front yard. Anyone who's about to enter would have to pass the statue and it was hard to ignore due to its size.

When we walked to the main gate, two guards blocked us. Asking what our business was since we didn't seem like a member of the noble family.

I handed them over the invitation and the guards looked a bit surprised by it. Then, they uncrossed their spears and allowed us in.

The inside of the temple was equally as astounding as the front. It had at least thirty different rooms inside and four different floors, separated by tall stairs and each floor had high ceiling as well.

It might not be as grand as the palace, but it reached a quarter of the palace's size and that said a lot considering I spent days touring the palace before and couldn't even see everything just yet.

What caught my attention the most was the intricate decorative details on the walls and ceilings. Carvings of various dragons were visible even from the ground floor.

How could there be such a contrast in personality between the first and second emperor? The first hated dragons. The second adored them?

I saw the members of the royal family seated at the upper seats on the second floor with better and more exclusive views of the altar and the nobles were seated on the ground floor.

When I looked up at the royal family, I could see them noticing my presence. Serena smiled kindly at me and I smiled back at her in a polite manner.

Nicholas was pleased with my presence. He might not smile brightly like Serena did, but he had a gentle look in his face toward me.

However, when they noticed Helios' presence beside me, some of them seemed confused while Nicholas looked a bit agitated.

Both me and Helios took our seat. It didn't take long before the ceremony started.