"Mother! Mother! We got an invitation!" Edna screamed excitedly, waving the invitation in the air like a trophy.
"What invitation?" Her mother asked indifferently.
"We are to attend the king's ball tomorrow evening!" She said with great enthusiasm.
Mrs Rutherford froze. She has never seen the king. In fact , no one has, but she heard rumors. He was said to be a ruthless, blood sucking demon who killed without batting an eye. Many entered the castle but never came back.
Now he's hosting a ball all of a sudden?
She was worried about her children and herself.
Edna snapped her fingers in her mother's face to bring her back.
"Mother, is something wrong?"
"I need to get my best dress ready for the big day. Don't you agree, Aurora?"
Edna was undoubtedly a beauty. Hazel eyes, fair skin, brown curly hair that cascaded down her shoulders, she was the belle of the village and she took pride in it. She had several suitors in the past but she turned them all down.
Edna shifted her gaze to her younger sister, who was silently wiping the table. If Edna was beautiful, Aurora was gorgeous. She had pretty emerald eyes that looked deep into the soul and a fragile body that made one want to pamper her. She has long golden hair, skin as white as snow.
Deep down, Edna envied her sister a little but she wasn't cruel to her. She was only a year older.
Edna was 20 years old, while Aurora was 19.
"I'm not going" came Aurora's soft voice. She rarely went out unless she wanted to visit Thomas Roosevelt, her betrothed, or she was asked to run an errand by her parents.
Edna smiled. "Unless you want our heads to roll, you have to go to the ball. Aren't you excited to see the castle for the first time?"
Edna and her sister were polar opposites in everything.
Edna was quite chatty. She cared so much about riches and wealth. Despite their poor status, she spent every penny she had on elevating her looks.
Aurora on the other hand didn't care. She spoke less and her only wish was to marry the man she loved and live happily with him.
"I'm not," Aurora said.
"Thomas will be there"
Aurora paused. "Really?"
"Yes. Almost every household got an invitation"
Aurora nodded.
"Who knows? I might find something who fancies me. Say the king?" Edna chuckled. Her eyes were dreamy.
"The king? I've heard so many bad things about him" she beckoned Edna closer and whispered into her ear. "I hear he's a monster and a tyrant"
Edna rolled her eyes. "Those are just rumors. Lies. No one in this village has ever seen him"
"You are right. But one thing is certain"
"What?"
"The king is dangerous. We all know how he took the throne"
A year ago, King Reid led a war against the former king. No one knew or heard of him until that day.
He forced the former king, who was childless, to abdicate and sent them into exile. No one heard about him after.
Reid began to rule the kingdom of Ashvale. He wasn't part of the royal family but no one dared question this ascension to the throne.
"Come on. Let's go do some dress hunting"
She dragged Adelia to her room.
For the rest of the day until the evening, Edna chattered about the ball and practiced her walk. If she wanted to catch the eye of someone of high status, she had to act like one.
"The carriage has arrived!" Edna announced and ran out of the house.
Her skirt fluttered behind her.
"Oh! It's so beautiful" she squealed.
The king sent a carriage to every household to pick them up while the nobles had to come with their own carriage.
Edna was the only excited one. Aurora was apathetic, while their mother had troubled looks on her face.
Considering their status, the former king never invited them to a ball.
It had always been all about the nobles.
In the carriage, Edna sat next to her sister, while their mother sat alone. It was in moments like this that she wished her husband was alive. Mr Rutherford, a fisherman, died years ago at sea. His body was found a few days later.
Aurora looked outside the window, the wind blowing strands of her hair in her face. Her mother spoke.
"I heard the castle is a huge place. Make sure you don't wander off, stay together and do not cause trouble. Do you understand?" she sternly warned them, but her eyes were on Edna. She knew what her daughter was capable of and the length she could go to get what she wanted.
"Yes, mother" both girls chorused.
The ride took nearly two hours. By the time they arrived it was already dark. The carriage stopped at the entrance of the castle.
Their parents came down first, then Mr Rutherford helped the girls down.
Edna looked up at the castle in utter amazement. "Magnificent"
They did not know where the ball was holding so Mrs Rutherford approached a guard who directed them to the main hall.
They were to write down their names and which village or district they were from before they could go in.
Edna smoothened out her dress and took a deep breath. She was nervous.
The door opened and they stepped into the room.
Only a few people glanced in their direction.
They snickered, looking at them with distaste. These people were of high status in the society and looked down on the commoners. It was no surprise.
Soft music was playing in the background as they waltzed in tandem with the music.
Aurora looked around the ballroom, searching for one person. Thomas.
Edna had convinced her he was going to be there.
"Do you see the king anywhere?" Edna whispered, looking around.
"We don't know him, Edna. We can only identify him if he's putting on his royal regalia or a crown maybe. Are you certain Thomas is here?"
"If he is not, he's probably on his way"
A man in his early thirties approached them. Judging from his appearance and his clothing, he emitted the aura of a lord.
Edna smiled warmly. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she fluttered her eyes.
"Milady, would you like to dance with me?" he stretched out his hands to her.
"Of course, Milord"
Soon, another middle aged man invited Mrs Rutherford to dance. She accepted.
Aurora was left alone. She sighed hoping Thomas will be here soon so she could dance with him.
Reid Youngblood stood on the mezzanine, looking down at the filled up ball room. The top three buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing a generous part of his skin. He held a cup of wine in his hands.
He was many things; Evil, dangerous, brutal, and most of all, strikingly attractive.
His beauty was one of the many traits he inherited from his father, Lucifer.
Yes, he was the devil's son!