Chapter 24 Celestial Jewels
"Where are your thoughts, Your Majesty?"
I hear Selena's nauseating voice startling me from my thoughts. My routine now consisted of a lot of studying, daily visits to Dominique, and chasing after my mate.
"I think I'm just tired of reading so much," I reply, placing the etiquette book on the table.
I had already heard about our kingdom and its subjects. Now I was studying how I should behave in public.
"Any questions about how to act tomorrow?" she asks, observing me attentively.
I had thousands of doubts and insecurities, but I couldn't express them to Selena. The simple fact that I knew I would enter alone and then sit waiting for someone to take the initiative to start handing out the gifts already made me nauseous. What would I do if no one got up?
"I'm fine. Ask someone to bring the dress to my room as soon as I get back from the dressmaker; I'll be resting in my chambers." I say this and leave without waiting for a response.
I go into my room and throw myself on the bed. I grab the cell phone Conrad gave me and check my messages. No response. How could I organize this party in peace if I didn't know where or how my mate was?
I try to sense his wolf, but I can't. Our bond wasn't complete yet, so I couldn't sense him from so far away. And I couldn't calm down, since so much was happening at the same time.
"I'll give you a simple solution," Harper says, and I notice the sharpness in her tone of voice. "Just get up, stop overthinking, and let's go find our mate!"
I sigh, trying to control my impatience.
"How didn't I think of that before?" I ask sarcastically. "Maybe because there are only a few hours left before I'm presented to the whole kingdom as the next Queen and Moon. And a queen acts sensibly. A queen can't leave the castle and put the entire government at risk. I can't do that!" I repeat the last sentence as a warning to myself.
I hear knocking on the door and immediately run to open it, expectantly. But I only see Richard. I look behind him, expecting to see Conrad coming towards me.
"Your Majesty." Richard bows and I force a gentle smile.
"Hello, Richard. It's good to see you again, how are you?" I ask politely, disguising my disappointment at not seeing my companion.
"I'm fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern." Richard says, looking at me surprised.
I was managing to act differently and managing to hide my true feelings. All this to be a good Luna.
"His Majesty, the King, sent me to deliver this." Richard says, and I quickly take the envelope from his hand.
I know Richard is staring at me with a half-smile as I anxiously open the envelope to find out what was written.
"If Conrad intended to communicate the old-fashioned way, why did he give me a cell phone?" I question my frustration, talking to myself.
"I'll have to stay tonight again. I know you're overwhelmed with the party, so I apologize. But I need to stay and make sure everything gets sorted out. Promise to be back before you wake up.
With love, Conrad."
That's all. No details or explanation of why he was taking so long. I look at Richard, who saw my companion more than I did.
"Is he alright?" I ask, knowing Richard will understand who I'm talking about.
"The King is fine, Your Majesty. He's just making sure everything gets sorted out as quickly as possible, so he'll be back immediately," he replies with a gentle smile.
"Is Conrad eating well?" For a moment I see surprise show on Richard's face.
"Well, he is... busy lately and eats occasionally." He answers, trying to find the right words, as if he wanted to hide Conrad's carelessness with his health.
I shake my head, letting out a tired sigh.
"Come with me," I say, and head towards the kitchen.
I enter the kitchen and begin placing food in bowls. Meat, other food, and fruit. I put everything in a basket and extend it towards Richard.
"Make Conrad eat," I ask, and Richard takes the basket. "Tell Conrad I'll know if he doesn't eat properly. I put enough for both of you, eat plenty too."
Richard looks at me surprised by his attitude, but soon bows again before me.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he says and leaves.
I let out another sigh and touch my heart. It was tight, as if I had a bad feeling. I hear a knock on the door and try to compose myself; that feeling should only be fear and anxiety.
"Come in, please," I reply.
Soon several caregivers enter the room. They all carry several large, decorated boxes. They leave most of them on the bed and the table.
"Your dress has arrived, and the celestial jewels have been released by the Queen." Selena speaks seriously.
I simply nod and open the first box. My dress was white and gold, to reflect purity and wealth. I touch the fabric, feeling its quality. I take it out of the box and look at it.
The corset was full of gold and diamonds. Below, there was much more fabric, making the dress heavy. The white fabric flowed down in several layers and in a long train. The sleeves were puffed, off-the-shoulder.
At the cuff of the sleeve, there was more fabric that joined up to the train. It was a beautiful outfit. I had never seen such a beautiful dress.
"The queen sent all the celestial jewels that every Luna wears during the events leading up to the wedding," one of the caretakers explains, opening one of the boxes.
I see a large necklace covered in gold and full of diamonds. All the jewels were the same colors, white and gold. The earrings were more delicate. A line of gold and at the end there was a diamond.
There was a gold belt with diamonds. In the last box there was a crown of flowers. The crown was filled with white roses, some green leaves, and small white flowers in clusters forming a cloud.
"The flower crown is symbolic. You will only receive the crown of Luna and Queen at your wedding ceremony," Selena said reluctantly.
Her anger at all those things being with me and not with her was palpable. But I ignored her bad mood. Everything was beautiful, and I wanted to live in that moment.
"I'll go get some books for our classes," Selena excused herself and quickly left the room.
I stared at the place she left with a smile. Selena was angry, and that's why I should be on alert. I looked back at the necklace. It was so big that I was sure it was heavy. I touched it with my finger and jumped in fright.
All the caregivers were startled along with me, not understanding what had happened. I stared at the tips of my fingers and saw the reddened skin. As if I had just burned myself in