ㅤㅤToday was the day.
ㅤㅤIt was Quilliene's nineteenth birthday and it was a momentous celebration. Even through the mess of discovering that Alexandria was alive and Neo being completely unreasonable - at least in Christopher's eyes - the prince had organised it so that the people of the city were invited. They had a big enough castle to fit most of the open invitation letters who responded with their confirmation of attendance.
ㅤㅤQuilliene had managed to make it free, which seemed to please the public. Nonetheless, they were excited and thankful for having an open invitation. It was all over the news, which meant that even though a part of Neo, Christopher, and even Quilliene hoped that Alexandria would show up... they all knew that she wouldn't. They all had matters of getting ready to attend to, anyway.
ㅤㅤSpeaking of which, Quilliene had woken up early that morning to get ready. It was an all-day affair for her, even if the party was in the evening. A deep and hot shower, bustling handmaids fixing up her hair, and multiple try-outs of dresses and shoes. Between each brush of her hair, each tightening of her dress, each discarded shoe, she couldn't help but yawn. As much as she loved her birthday, she couldn't help but anticipate the end.
ㅤㅤNeo, on the other hand, spent the majority of the morning pacing in his room. Now that the day was finally here, ripe for the taking, he found himself extremely nervous. He stared at the lavender box with worry, picking up and putting down his suit anxiously, and rampaged back and forth with frequent murmurs to himself to just get it over with.
ㅤㅤEven if he was a bodyguard who had to attend anyway, he felt more than an obligation to do so. Quilliene likely expected him to do such a thing in his normal clothes, since she was well aware they were the only style he wore, and she didn't think he would make an entire new suit for the occasion. That was the whole surprise - well, one of them, anyway.
ㅤㅤFinally, after a stern talking to from Daileth, he was pumped and ready to get dressed. Putting on the suit, he had Daileth arrange the neck tie because he was incapable. Then he glanced inside the lavender box and tucked it away into his left pocket. Biting his lower lip, he took a deep breath and exited his room. Quilliene wasn't done yet, so he waited not-so-patiently by the door across the hall.
ㅤㅤAs he waited, ten minutes passed. Then thirty minutes passed. Finally, a full hour had passed. He paced, leaned against the wall, and chatted with his pixie friend absentmindedly. As he waited, more and more demon servants and guards appeared in the hall, giggling and whispering and gossiping. For once, no one seemed to pay any attention to Neo. That was a relief, but he knew it wouldn't last long.
ㅤㅤThen the door opened.
ㅤㅤThe main attraction on the revealed queen was a black gown, flowing from her hips like the petals of a flower. It curled up around her shoulders like black vines, spiralling and twisting with a low V-cut that covered her chest neatly but revealed all the way down to her abdomen. The gown reached her ankles, revealing pastel violet heels.
ㅤㅤA purple translucent tail matching the pastel colour of her shoes reached floor behind her, but barely. Despite that, a maid stood behind her, carrying it in her hands with a big smile like it was the most amazing task to be given. Every maid complimented her on the dress, all the guards swooned and clapped lightly, but...
ㅤㅤNeo was looking at her face. There was a dark purple choker that matched her hair on her neck, chandelier earrings dangling with amethysts, matching black and purple eyeliner over her eyes that overlapped. Surprisingly a nude lip was chosen, but there were flakes of the pastel purple around her eyes - like little violet stars. Extensions were put in her hair so she had two short strands in the front, but a braided curly bun behind her head.
ㅤㅤStunning. Absolutely stunning.
ㅤㅤNeo had to gawk for a moment before he physically turned away from the spectacle that was Quilliene. He covered his mouth with a gloved hand, trying to hide the flush that raised to his cheeks. He looked down at his outfit - did he match? Or did he match too much? Maybe it was too different? He shook his head.
ㅤㅤDaileth fluttered in front of him, wearing a leafy green butler's waistcoat and pants. "What's wrong?" He whispered.
ㅤㅤ"Are you kidding me?" Neo murmured frant-ically, lowering his hand. "Look at her - she's great, she's beautiful, she looks..." He trailed off.
ㅤㅤ"Like a queen?" Daleth finished.
ㅤㅤHe looked behind him at her again, a slight pause before he said, "Yeah."
ㅤㅤMeanwhile, Quilliene was busy fidgeting with the top of the dress at her chest, her face giving away just how uncomfortable it must have felt to have so much showing. She was talking to a a woman, worry across her face. Then, she turned her attention towards Daileth and Neo, and she felt herself completely falter.
ㅤㅤNeo.
ㅤㅤHe was in a suit. She had only seen him in a suit once, and that was because she had told him to be. However, that suit was completely black. This one shared some black on it - the undershirt was black. The tie had a white and black spiral design across the silk. A black handkerchief rested folded diamond style in the front pocket, and the inner of the collar was black as well.
ㅤㅤBut the rest of it? Including his new gloves? Pure white. That being said, it wasn't painful to the eyes. It was... pleasing, to say the least, and she found herself happy looking at it. She didn't realise she was doing it at first, but she was fanning herself. He look absolutely amazing - and she hadn't even asked for it.
ㅤㅤ"Your majesty!" A little flutter came to her ears, and she looked up to see Daileth coming towards her.
ㅤㅤ"Uh..." She found herself speechless for a moment before she shook her head. "How do I look? You don't think this is a little too much?" She gestured down to herself.
ㅤㅤ"No, of course not, your majesty!" He shook his head with green sparkles flying wildly. "Me and Neo think you look beautiful - right, Neo?"
ㅤㅤThe pixie shot a playful glance at him, and Quilliene's gaze immediately flew over to him. Neo stared at her for what felt like an eternity, but was really just a few seconds. Why was she so stunning to him right now? He felt his heart racing - he knew his face was probably red. Then Daileth snapped his fingers at him, and he looked over, then back at his queen.
ㅤㅤ"Yeah!" He said quickly. "Yeah, you look good - really... good."
ㅤㅤHe muttered the last part under his breath as he glanced towards the stairs. Daileth flew over to him, giving him a stern look with his tiny fists on his hips. As if he was silently telling him to put the plan into motion. Was it really such a good idea? He glanced at the demons around him, whispering compliments and squealing in excitement. Taking a breath, he held out his hand to Quilliene, preparing for a declination.
ㅤㅤ"Would you like me to lead you down?"
ㅤㅤQuilliene looked down at Neo's hand, feeling her breath escape her lips. She couldn't see them, but she knew the heads of the other maids and guards would turn at the oddity of Neo's proposal. She could hear it - the whispers of the demons crowding around her. Judging him, patronising him. Perhaps it was jealousy. Perhaps it still had to do with the ongoing feud between them and the devil attached to him. Perhaps both.
ㅤㅤYet, deep down... she didn't care enough to ask.
ㅤㅤWithout even thinking about it, she lifted her own hand and let it rest in his. She looked up to see his face, the surprise crossing it, before a content smile. Then she looked back down, double checking to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Rather the expected air of an illusion, she felt the warmth of his hand and the soft material of his gloves.
ㅤㅤ"I..." She paused, her lips widening into a grin as she looked up to him again. "Yes. I would love that."
ㅤㅤNeo had never seen her smile so authentically before. It made him feel warm - inside and out. He and Quilliene rearranged, so he had his elbow out and she was holding onto his arm with both hands. Close. This was as close as they had been since he carried her from that warehouse. Daileth remained behind them as they walked towards the stairs, and Neo didn't expect the whisper that Quilliene let loose.
ㅤㅤ"You look very handsome, too."
ㅤㅤOkay, he was definitely red now from that comment, but it brought the corners of his lips up into a smile. He tried to act as formal as was humanly possible to him, the arm not held by the queen resting limply at his side, his back straightened. The only thing that gave him any semblance of strangeness was his eye. Daileth had earlier offered an eyepatch, but he refused - he didn't see a reason to hide it.
ㅤㅤThey turned before they reached the stairs, heading for the ballroom. Stopping at the doors, they were at a separate entrance - the main entrance, so Quilliene could be the main attraction as she walked inside. Meanwhile, Neo knew Christopher was with Raemith inviting in the guests and handling the RSVP. It was customary to allow everyone inside before giving Quilliene the space to have her own main entrance.
ㅤㅤQuilliene had been sitting in a chair for hours trying to get ready before, and now she would stand there, occupying a small hall with a couple maids, guards, and Neo. Most importantly, Neo. Even though her eyes were nearly glued to those double doors, she couldn't help but occasionally find herself glancing at him to see if he was looking, or if he was as nervous as she was - but he never did seem to look.
ㅤㅤNeo, on the other hand, felt like he couldn't look at her. If the demon servants could see past his mask currently, they weren't showing it. He didn't want them to, anyway. Why? Because he didn't want them to know how he was feeling, know the butterflies in his stomach, or know he desperately just wanted to pull her in close for warmth due to the cold glares he received. Then her voice broke the silence.
ㅤㅤ"We used to throw balls all the time." She said. "I never liked it, though. Never went... people coming for just two kids who had idea what they were doing, and their king and queen who just smiled and waved. I used to sneak away and hide in the kitchen with the cooks. It would be our little secret."
ㅤㅤNeo smiled slightly, the vision of the doors before him slightly faded as his sight was unfocused. "That sounds like something I would do if I was royalty, too." He mumbled back to her.
ㅤㅤShe laughed lightly, catching his smile as she rambled on. "You know," She mused, pulling him closer. "I never truly thanked you for what you had done. The demons had to look for me. My brother felt obligated to. You... You had no reason. You just did."
ㅤㅤShe shifted, looking at the floor. "So much has gone by and been done, and... I just wanted to say thank you. That I appreciate you for having saved me. I almost though you wouldn't go looking for me."
ㅤㅤ"Wouldn't go looking for you?" Neo looked down finally in surprise. He didn't care if anyone was watching now. "I was definitely looking for you. Chris could hardly stop me." He paused. "Did I ever tell you the random goose chase we were sent on by Axelius? He made us go through so many puzzles... I don't even know how he found out all he did. Demons, probably."
ㅤㅤQuilliene raised her head to see him. "Chris-topher said something along those lines. That Axelius wasn't so pleased that you played all of those games, ended up still in one piece, and..." Her voice wavered and she swallowed, turning to look at the ground.
ㅤㅤNeo frowned. "It's okay - we don't have to talk about it anymore. It's done and over, it doesn't matter. We made it through and we're fine now."
ㅤㅤHe raised a hand and pressed his fingers against her own on his arm lightly, and she looked up at him. He smiled - a reassuring smile, in hopes to cheer her up from her stupor. Although it made him receive some glares and quiet mumbles from the other servants and guards around, Quilliene managed a smile in return and stood upright.
ㅤㅤ"We're not... entirely fine right now." She said softly. "I want to make sure I make it through the rest of this with you. Afterall, you should know... I'm scared, too. Not for myself, but for-"
ㅤㅤShe trailed off, surprised with how honest she was being with him. She hoped he didn't put together what she was about to say, but Neo had already. For you. He took a breath, as if about to answer, but he didn't know what to say. Quilliene turned her head away, biting her lower lip, and stared at the doors.
ㅤㅤThen it all happened.
ㅤㅤA guard signalled that they were all set and ready. Neo stood up straighter, looking on as he put his hand from Quilliene's to his side, the words unspoken echoing in his head. I'm scared for you. He grit his teeth, listening as loud trumpets and a matching orchestra of instruments played a beautiful symphony. With the noises muffled, they were soon heard loud and clear as the doors before them opened.