Chapter 149: THE DECORATIONS
The great hall was alive with the sounds of shuffling feet, rustling silks, and the clink of wood against the floor.
Lumina stood in the center, her posture straight, her pale eyes unseeing yet somehow commanding.
"Shift the second arch to the left no, two steps more," Lumina said, her voice calm.
"Stella, tell them to lower the lanterns by half a span, the light needs to spill downward, not burn holes into the ceiling."
"Yes, my lady." Stella’s voice rang clear as she turned to relay the instruction to the waiting servants.
A moment later the hall echoed with the scrape of ladders and the soft thud of lanterns being adjusted.
Lumina tilted her head slightly, listening. Every sound told her where everyone stood, how the hall was transforming around her.
"The floral arrangements?" Lumina asked, her hands clasped loosely in front of her.
"They are being brought in now," Stella replied. "Would you like the lilies on the dais as you planned?"
"Yes please, and the roses along the center aisle make sure they alternate crimson and white, I want the contrast to lead the eye forward."
The maids exchanged glances, whispering to each other in the background.
"She’s blind, yet she talks like she can see everything..." one muttered under her breath.
"Shh, don’t let her hear you!" another hissed, though her tone was more awed than mocking.
Lumina smiled faintly. She had heard them, of course, but chose to ignore them. She wasn’t decorating for praise, she was making a statement.
The grand doors of the hall swung open with a heavy groan and a rush of cool morning air swept inside.
Rhynera stepped in, her presence as regal as ever, the faint clink of her crown as she moved announcing her status before she even spoke.
She looked around and her lips parted slightly. "Wow, sister... You really did an amazing job."
Lumina’s smile deepened, even though they hated one another she could tell Rhynera was amazed by what she had done.
"Well, someone thought I wasn’t good at anything I did. So I decided to make this extraordinary. Thank goodness you approve. It will give you some name at least, even though I do not intend to collect every single accolade for what I have done."
Rhynera’s brows shot up. "Really? You mean to say you don’t want credit for this, yet you still decided to ruin my room?"
Lumina gasped softly, her blind eyes widening. "I don’t understand what you are talking about!"
Rhynera folded her arms.
"I just heard the news about something happening to your room, from you"
Lumina said quickly, stepping closer, her voice holding that genuine worry even though it was fake.
"Goodness, sister, are you well? Are you wounded? Oh my goodness, I wasn’t even expecting this."
Rhynera slapped Lumina’s hands away.
"Get your hands off me," she snapped. "Are you pretending now, after you have finally accomplished whatever you wanted to do?"
Lumina’s expression hardened, her shoulders straightening.
"Crown Princess," she called, "as much as I respect you and your position, I will not accept you accusing me of a thing I know nothing about."
"You know nothing about it?" Rhynera’s voice rose. "We have been sisters for ten years, Lumina. I know what you can do and what you cannot do."
Something in Lumina snapped then. She smiled faintly, the kind of smile that was not soft but cutting. "You know what I can do?" she said softly.
At that exact moment, one of the servants stumbled near the ladder, and the heavy lantern pole tipped dangerously toward Ryneta.
Gasps filled the hall but Lumina pulled Rhybeara sideways just in time, her hand shooting out to catch the rope before it could hit the ground. She stopped the fall cleanly, her grip sure despite her blindness.
The hall went silent and she turned her blind gaze toward Rhynera and tilted her head. "Did you know I could do something like this?"
Rhynera’s eyes widened, shock flashing across her face before she scoffed. "Whatever."
Lumina rolled her eyes and turned away, dusting her hands as though she had just swatted away a fly.
"Everything is in order now," she said. "But where are the things we are to use in decorating? Why did you not bring them today?"
Rhynera’s jaw pulled. "Are you trying to annoy me?"
"You said you got them already," Lumina said lightly, "and everyone was here yesterday when you said it. So why not deliver them now?"
Rhynera’s teeth sank into her lip, frustration clear in her stiff posture.
"My whole room was burned down, Lumina."
But Lumina smirked in return, "In times of disaster, we must always be prepared for the next step, don’t you agree, Crown Princess?"
Rhynera bit her lip so deeply, "Everything was destroyed and you still expect me to bring those things?"
Lumina let out a soft gasp. "Are you saying that spending on the Palace Festival is too much for you? That you cannot sacrifice for the event?" Her voice was soft but carried to every corner of the hall.
Low ripple of gossip from maids made Rhynera’s cheeks flush hot.
"You.." Rhynera’s glare could have cut glass.
Lumina only smiled sweetly. "As the Crown Princess, surely you understand the importance of tradition. It is your duty, after all."
"I have no time to argue with you," Rhynera snapped.
"As an older sister, I must help, must I not?" Lumina said lightly, turning her head toward Stella.
"Stella, tell them to bring in the things we had prepared." Stella’s lips curved into a smirk and she clapped her hands sharply.
The doors opened again and several men entered, their arms laden with costly decorations, ribbons of silk, carved wood panels, crystal vases, and trays of several rare flowers. The maids gasped, their awe filling the air.
Rhynera’s face darkened. She had been outmaneuvered, and she knew it.
Lumina turned toward her sister, her voice calm but laced with victory.
"There... Now we can finish preparing without delay."