My feet steps ringed through the huge hallway, the stone floor was cold as hell under my bare feet. The servant in front of me moved fast and didn't look back once as she led me through these maze-like corridors. I just followed her, keeping up but not rushing.
We got to this massive marble staircase that wound down to where a bunch of people were waiting below. The servant finally looked at me. "Be careful, sir," she said softly.
I caught her eye and nodded. That little moment somehow brought back my usual cool. Without saying anything, I started walking down those steps, and I could see the crowd below getting restless as soon as my foot hit the first step. Their whispers drifted up to me.
"You know that kid ?"
"Nah, never seen him before."
"I Think he's some prince from another place?"
"Damn, look at those eyes they're something else."
Their chatter floated around me, but I've gotten pretty good at blocking that stuff out. I could feel everyone staring as I walked down, but whatever. I kept my eyes on the prize the royal table way at the back of the room.
And the servant was still leading me through the crowd, but she started slowing down because people kept stopping us. Everyone wanted to say hi or ask questions, and I ended up falling behind. I stopped for a sec, not letting any annoyance show just that tired feeling creeping in again.
I smiled at everyone who talked to me, trying to keep it friendly, but man, I was getting worn out. If I'm gonna fit in here with these people, I gotta act like them. Gotta be like normal human, even if i have to act as them. But keeping up this act was getting harder. My smile felt faker with every conversation.
Then this question came out of nowhere, cutting through all the noise. "Which kingdom are you from?"
The voice was smooth but had that royal edge to it curious but like she expected an answer. I turned to take a look at this gorgeous woman who carried herself like royalty. She wasn't backing down from my stare, and her smile was friendly but like she was trying to figure me out.
For a second, the whole room went dead quiet as I looked at her. Then I shifted my attention back to the royal table, where the king and his family were watching. I could feel them sizing me up, waiting for something. I just stood there with that fake smile plastered on my face.
"Where do I belong?" I said, keeping my voice low but sure. "Right here, where I'm standing."
People started whispering again, louder this time, trying to figure out what the hell I meant.
"Is he the third prince?"
"But the king only has two sons..."
"Then who is this guy?"
I tuned them out completely. I'd learned to ignore gossip a long time ago their curiosity didn't mean squat to me. All I cared about was getting to that table where the king was sitting.
"Excuse me, could you move?" I kept it polite but firm. The crowd split apart, and I kept walking toward my target.
I heard the king's voice, sounding confused. "Where is he?" He was scanning the room like he couldn't find what he was looking for.
The servant pointed at me. The king's eyes went wide. "Him?" he whispered.
The servant nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
I felt the royal family checking me out, their stares lingering way too long on me I've always known I look different people say I'm almost too pretty or whatever and it seemed to mess with all of them. Even the queen looked shocked, whispering to her husband.
"He's... wow," she said under her breath.
Their oldest son and ray, was the same. Those bright blue eyes of his locked onto me like I was magnetic or something. His blonde hair caught the light, and he had this perfect face that looked effortless. He kept staring at me with this intensity that nobody else seemed to notice.
The queen glanced at Ray, looking worried. "What's wrong, Ray?"
Ray didn't answer. He just stood up, moving like he was dancing or something. The whole room silent as i could hear the breathing of peoples around me, as he walked over to me. Everyone's eyes followed him, and it got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He moved slowly,like he had pain in his legs
When Ray got to me up close he looked all royal and perfect. Then he did something that blew everyone's mind he got down on one knee in front of me. The crowd went from whispering to dead silent as Ray's hands moved to take off his shoes. He was so careful about it, like this wasn't just some random thing but something that actually mattered. He set the shoes down at my feet, looking so serious, like he was giving me way more than just footwear.
The moment felt heavy, like something big was happening that nobody was talking about. I've gotten really good at not showing feelings, but something moved inside me. It felt weird somewhere between confused and warm. For the first time in over a year, someone was being genuinely nice to me without wanting something back.
Ray broke the silence, his voice gentle but worried. "How are you walking around without shoes? Didn't the servant help you put some on?"
It sounded simple enough, but there was real concern behind it. I blinked, my cold mask slipping just a little. Nobody had talked to me like that in over a year. That question even though it wasn't loaded with emotion messed with me in ways I couldn't explain.
I felt my mouth curve into a tiny smile. My voice came out almost too quiet, like I was talking to myself. "I was rushing, so I forgot."
It was a quick exchange, but what Ray did stuck with me. Made me think about what it really means to belong somewhere.
The room stayed quiet as everyone stared at Ray and me, looking amazed and curious. Ray didn't seem to care about all the attention and looked over at the king, who was watching with raised eyebrows. After a long pause, the king sighed and said coldly, "Get him some shoes." His voice cut through the silence, and a servant nearby rushed to do what he said.
Ray turned back to me, his smile getting bigger. "Come on, I'll introduce you to our family," he said warmly. I followed him, but my head was still spinning from all the attention and that weird moment with the queen. I frowned, not sure what was going on.
"Our' means...?" I asked quietly, not wanting to sound stupid.
Ray laughed a little and explained it simply in few words. "Royal adoption means bringing an outsider into the family. That was my idea." His eyes went soft when he said it, really meaning it.
I frowned again. "Couldn't you have asked me first?" I said, even quieter now.
Ray paused before answering, his voice calm but with some regret. "Things were crazy, and I couldn't explain everything right then. I said that without thinking. Let's talk about it later." He looked at me seriously, like he was making a promise.
As we got closer to the royal table, I smiled politely at the royal family, trying to look friendly even though I felt that familiar tiredness creeping in. The queen looked at me with this warm, motherly expression and asked, "What's your name, sweetie?" Her voice had that soft kindness that mothers have.
Replying to her i stated my name....