A Walk with Eternity-Chapter 46: A face worth more than gold

The dawn came, but after a night of reckless drinking, a painful hangover was inevitable. Milera’s idea of a morning after heavy drinking is a good hot bath to completely get rid of the raging headache. Right after taking a bath, she changed into more formal clothes that she brought with her. Her matching dress with Dolunay was stained with orc’s blood from yesterday’s fight. While Dolunay’s could be washed, hers was already torn. There was no saving it.

After changing, she took her time to make sure she looked presentable enough. She wore a white and pastel pink dress with a few ruffles on the skirt and the sleeves and some ribbons on her top. She used a pair of ribbon clips to give her hair some attention as well. Her shoes were a simple one-inch pink heel to complement her dress well. She will be meeting an empress, after all. It’s only given to look pleasant in the eye.

Not that Rue would mind anyway, Milera thought to herself, finishing up her make up with some lip tint. She smiled in front of the mirror, feeling giddy and all excited for today.

Milera was a lady who embraces her femininity on another level. She was the kind of lady who adores all things cute. Pastel colors, bows, ruffles, dresses, heels, accessories, and make up... It was as if she didn’t have the temper of a dwarf and affinity with powerful elements such as fire and metal.

Dolunay, on one hand, was a more simple yet unique lady. She dislikes nothing, she’s not attached to anything either. However, there was something about her aesthetic that screams freedom and joy. She acquired a unique fashion style ever since she strayed away from high society.

"This should be alright..." Dolunay mumbled to herself.

In greeting an empress, she decided to use a dress close to the styles she used to wear before, but a little altered to match her taste. A cherry red dress with beautiful white lace details on the hem and the sleeves. Her shoes were a rough half an inch black boot that covered her ankles. After wearing it in front of the mirror, she didn’t feel awkward. This was more acceptable than wearing tight corsets, high heels, and lighter colors that her mother forced her into.

Wearing her cloak, she opened the door to her room, only to see Milera from across the hall leaving hers as well. Milera was yet to wear her cloak, holding it over her arm as she closed her door with the other.

"Oh my, you look stunning," Milera immediately commented on Dolunay’s look. She walks in front of Dolunay, looking all excited with stars forming in her eyes. Dolunay, feeling all flattered, smiles back at her, linking their arms together.

"And you look absolutely adorable."

The two ladies walked down to the diner, all to see their other friends already sitting at their table last night. Lysander and Kian were reading the respective documents from yesterday, Cimmerian was quietly sipping on his cup of coffee as he was writing something in his journal, and Ezio was keeping himself occupied with the solving portion of the newspaper. As planned, they didn’t have morning training to enjoy themselves in sightseeing and prepare mentally to greet the siren empress.

The ladies’ friends were no simple men either, each having their own aura.

Kian is a cunning rogue. He looks mature at first sight, looking like any proper male species, all elegant and fitting into society. However, the more you see of him, the more he exudes a rebellious and dangerous air. He uses neutral colors for his clothes to complement his hair and eyes.

Lysander is a quiet beauty. He attracts any person who would most likely take advantage of him or simply want to dominate him in a way. He attracts women on a different level. However, he’s not completely submissive as everyone thinks he is. With his white skin, he uses darker colors in complete contrast to how people see him as.

Cimmerian is a mature man. He’s tall and lean. He’s friendly and approachable, however, different from Lysander’s. While Lysander attracts dangerous women, Cimmerian attracts the quiet ones who seek validation and love. He exudes warmth and unconditional love.

Ezio is a playful cat, literally. He’s the kind of person you would want as a close friend, and no day would be a dull one. While some would want him as a friend, mean ladies actually lean to him more than the other three. His cheerful and bright energy lets them relax for a reason.

They were already wearing formal traveling clothes, to properly greet the empress once they arrived at the Siren Palace. When all four of them saw their ladies walking down the staircase, they smiled.

"Good morning!" Ezio greeted, as bright as the sun.

"Good morning, care for some coffee, ladies?" Cimmerian immediately asks. Dolunay shakes her head in response to that.

"Good morning~!" Milera greeted cheerfully. Milera sat next to Ezio, who was seated next to Cimmerian. Dolunay sat across them, next to Kian and Lysander. "I’ll have some tea please!"

"Did you sleep well?" Kian focused on Dolunay, and Dolunay simply smiled and nodded back. Her gaze then landed on Syvestian’s seat.

"Where’s Yves? He’s not awake yet?"

The men nodded collectively at her question.

"Wow, that’s..." Milera trailed off, but scoffed her own thought process. "I was about to say rare, but I know Syvestian is either undersleeping or oversleeping because of working himself to the bone."

"On top of that, last night was the first time we actually saw him drink. Since he is still human, surely the alcohol had some sort of effect on him too," Ezio joins in, putting his pen aside.

"Well, he didn’t seem drunk last night..." Lysander says, placing down the document on his hand.

"No shit, he looked completely sober," Kian says, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was actually hoping for Syvestian to get drunk. He had a recording device ready for some blackmail material. "I can’t believe I got drunk first before he ever did."

Cimmerian chuckled at their comments. "We’re seeing so many sides of Syvestian these days, I sometimes wonder if the world is ending soon," he jokes, but right then and there, a certain figure appeared sitting next to him.

"Don’t wish for that so carelessly."

"Not again," Cimmerian mumbled under his breath, lacing his hand over his chest, feeling the quickened pace of his heartbeat. The coffee had him palpitating.

"Stop doing that!" Ezio hissed at Syvestian. But Syvestian paid it no mind.

Dolunay and Milera were used to Syvestian’s jumpscares at this point, not that it bothered or scared them in the first place. Kian and Lysander, on the other hand, were getting completely sick of him suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"What time did you wake up?" Kian asks, raising a brow. Syvestian looks completely refreshed. This was the first time they were actually seeing him in more formal clothing. He wore a simple and decent black and white suit and tie, wearing his black cloak over. His hair, too, was actually combed. And there was definitely something about this look of his that makes him more desirable than normal.

Yves, their mentor and friend, is a mysterious aloof. He looks the most unapproachable among all of them. From his everyday look, which is a stressed overworked scholar, he looks like he would snap any time of the day. However, there was something about his face and build that attracts people who want some sort of thrill. Syvestian is no easy man; he is genuine, secure, and knows what he wants. Other than his beautiful face that’s basically worth more than gold, that was what drew everyone else to him.

"I couldn’t sleep a wink. I trained to clear my head and studied the whole night," Syvestian answers plainly.

"What the... You sure you want to greet her all tired?" Cimmerian asks, and Syvestian sighs.

"I’ll be alright. You all have been worrying about how I will present myself to Rue, hence I made a little effort to wash away those concerns of yours," Syvestian says. He can still remember how they shouted right at his ear before they all went to bed for something simple.

Their conversation shifted once the owner of the inn came by and started placing down their breakfast. They all thanked the lady for such a bountiful breakfast. There were a lot of dishes presented in front of them.

"It’s the least I can do for the future emperor and his close friends," the lady says with a big warm smile. "Well then, please enjoy your meal."

They all feasted at the warm meal before them, and after finishing, Milera had an idea.

"Oh! Before we leave for the palace, can we look around here and the capital city first?"

Today is definitely going to be a long day.