Saturday, June 26, 2019

░ The Imperial Conservatory, Bradford, Rilan, Empire of Thetia

░ Saturday, June 26, 2019

░ At 7.45 pm

RILA KESTLE

Today was a special day for me and for the Empire: I turned 18. This meant that I could now ascend the throne at any time, attend certain political assemblies or, like all 18-year-olds, drive and drink, even though most of them had already drunk alcohol. I was going to have two birthday parties. The first one tonight with politicians, my family, friends and several celebrities. Then I would have a more private one with only my close friends and family. We had been planning my party for over a month now. For the occasion, we rented the Imperial Conservatory, where Bess was studying. It is located in the Kingdom of Rilan in the city of Bradford. Its history was symbolic for the Empire, as it paid tribute to Thetia Kestle's husband, Elias Rilan. He was a music lover according to my history classes.

For this evening, the ready-to-wear brand Ethereal had created for me a ball gown made to measure. It was a brand specialized in the creation of ball gowns, evening gowns, as well as suits for men. Nevertheless, their creations were only for people who could afford them. According to the stylist who took care of me, my dress cost $175,000. When she told me during the fittings, I thought I was going to faint. I didn't feel worthy to wear such a dress, even though I was the heiress. Then she confessed to me that according to the company records, the ball gown my mother had when she turned 18 cost twice as much as mine. I could hardly believe her, but she showed me the famous register. My dress was red, which is the color of the imperial family and the Empire. It was a bustier with an ample skirt which dragged a few centimeters in the back. On the bustier were inlaid golden ornaments including pearls and gemstones. On top, I wore a red cape, also red and decorated with pearls, gems and gold embroidery. My shoes came from Auguste, my favorite brand of shoes. They were off-white pumps with gold patterns on the back. Finally, I had to wear imperial jewelry: a gold tiara inlaid with diamonds and rubies, and a ring made of the same ornaments. When they were not worn, the ring and tiara remained in a highly secure vault, as they together cost more than $170 million. The most expensive jewel in the Empire was a ring that Thetia wore during her lifetime and which has been treasured. In 2018, it was estimated at $320 million, but according to my mother, it would be worth much more, over than a billion.

After several hours of driving, we finally arrived at our destination. In front of the entrance of the Conservatory, there were photographers, journalists and inhabitants of the Kingdom with cameras or cell phones ready to take pictures of the guests, my family and I. I began to get stressed. 

- "Rila, don't put pressure on yourself, everything is going to be fine. If something is bothering you, don't hesitate, we're here if you need us" my mother reassured me, and a group hug followed.

Imperial guards opened the door and an immense hubbub of people was heard. My brothers were the first to come out and the flashes from the cameras prevented me from seeing them properly. Then it was the turn of my great-grandmother Octavia, and at her side my grandfather Clayton and my grandmother Vera. As for my paternal grandparents, they were no longer of this world for the past three years. In 2016 his father Irvin Hall died of a heart attack and in 2018 his mother Agatha Hall died of lung cancer. She had been fighting this cancer since 2007. Her condition began to improve between 2014 and 2016, but when she lost her husband, she relapsed, got worse and passed away. In addition, my dad has an older brother, Oakley Hall. However, they had not spoken to each other for a long time, and I think I had never seen him before. Then my cousins came out, then my parents, and finally my turn came. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. As soon as I put my foot out of the car, the flashes started again. I walked confidently to the center of the driveway where the rest of my family was. After a few minutes of photo exposure, we walked into the Conservatory where the guests arrived little by little. As was the tradition, I went to sit at the back of the room on a throne dedicated and each guest came to greet me and celebrate my birthday by giving me their present. 

As the number of guests lining up began to decrease, several familiar faces caught my attention. I saw them making funny gestures at me and I couldn't help but laugh. They were my five best friends, most of whom I had met at Mary Vassethier Middle School. The two I had not met in middle school were Maximilian Roberson and Lorelai Farrell. I had met Max at a dinner party organized by his family, because his mother is the director of the Athanase&Anastasia brand and she was in charge of finding dresses for my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Since we are the same age, we quickly became friends. Nowadays, he is part of a music band from Grotto Entertainment called Chronicles. As for Lorelai, we have been in the same class since elementary school and we have never left each other. When I entered high school, I met Nicky Summers who is a youtuber specialized in makeup, Briella Kidd a talented illustrator and Johnathan Adams who is nicknamed John, a keen photographer. Without them to support me morally and psychologically, my life as an heiress would have been monotonous. In the beginning, like all children of royal families or celebrities, we were always afraid to make friends because we didn't know their real intentions. Maximilian, Nicky and John came from a wealthy background, while Briella and Lorelai were neither rich nor poor. Moreover, they quickly made it clear to me that no matter what my social status, they would always be by my side. The day before, they had announced that they would give me my presents at my second birthday party because we would be in a more intimate atmosphere. I got up from the throne, went down the stairs and took them in my arms. Since there was no one left to greet me, we went to the Conservatory gardens. 

While we were laughing, one of the guards came to get us because it was time for me to make a speech. It was an important speech that every member of the imperial family had to make. It allowed the people to know the first political, economic, cultural or social project that this child who had become an adult was going to undertake. In addition, the people could see whether or not this person was capable of carrying out a project.

- "Dear guests, people of the Empire of Thetia. 

I would like to thank you for being present at my birthday party, which marks for me the beginning of my political responsibilities, as well as my ascension to the throne. As you know, when a member of the imperial family reaches the age of adulthood, he or she must begin a project of short or long term duration. Remember, my cousin Bess here, took the decision to improve the living conditions of precarious families by renovating abandoned buildings. As for my older brother Brad, he was responsible for a major fundraising campaign for the victims of the conflict between Goston and Youmor. So, before that fateful step of becoming the next Empress, I decided to continue my studies and professional training, with the goal of writing a book on the history of Thetia Kestle. Moreover, thanks to the Empress' speech on Monday, June 24th, I decided to go and discover the countries of the Eight Kingdoms. I want to be able to retrace the history of Thetia. How did she get here? But the most important question in my opinion, why did she come here? I know that in order to answer the questions that I am asking myself, that everyone is asking, I have to leave the Empire and investigate. Therefore, in agreement with the rector of Thetia Kestle University, I will spend my double-license science politics and history in distanciation. Every month during my journey, I will send my discoveries to the historians of the Empire, who will be able to link the events together.

I'm sure many people think I'm rushing. In a sense you are not wrong, but I am not going to leave this month, I will wait patiently for the Empire and the world of the Eight Kingdoms to create strong ties so that every inhabitant can travel safely. I hope not to disappoint you by making this cultural journey, which I find necessary for the future of our Empire.

Thank you for listening to me. Take advantage of this evening to socialize, meet people and enjoy yourself.

Princess Rila Kestle".

The most stressful moment of the evening went off without a hitch. I was happy that my family and the people gathered here encouraged me in my project. Now I had to wait for my mother to leave for Edios so I could go with her.