(Time skip to present, 7 years later)
I was in the ballroom of the palace for her highnesses birthday. As of recently some noble was talking to me. "So as I was saying you're quite the beauty in the kingdom; there's not a soul in this empire that hasn't heard of your beauty; and as you know I may not be a prince but you can't tell me this face isn't what you're looking for …blah blah blah"
what is idiot blabbering about…I can't help but roll my eyes…. I know It'll soon be time to look for possible suitors…but what a pain; I can't believe I'll have to marry one of these fools…hah well this idiot is off my list that's for sure…but uh—Son of Marquis of Lobone was it?… I heard their family is struggling financially due to gambling habits; no wonder he's eager to marry.
I made up an excuse and left as he was still blabbering about whatnot, sigh Honestly it serves for amusement hehe. It's like encountering a fool everywhere I go—I heard the king has a court jester ..an actual fool I mean. How marvelous and I don't even have to pay for one, they come to me on their own to serve for my amusement!. Maybe I was chuckling to myself too loud because as I was walking by, one of the ladies looked at me nervously and slowly avoided eye contact when I looked at her. Oh well not like I care.
I looked both ways, I swore I had seen him earlier so where was he now? It's not like he can just disappear out of thin air; he's too important to go by un-noticed. As I was lost in thought I suddenly heard that cheery voice, I turned around and there he was…
"Leonor Burnelay. I was hoping to see you, I believe you still owe me a dance. Last time you disappeared out of nowhere- oh my heart, you're too cruel!"
Please why does his highness the prince always do thisss, now I can feel the eyes of people around me! Even more than usual!! Thank you, highness! this guy…He knows I hate dancing!
I bowed down to his highness and greeted him
"Your highness I would never do such a thing, truly I was so looking forward to dancing with you last time but i suddenly felt so unwell. I hope his highness can understand…"
His highness may look like an idiot on the outside, but if you were to really focus on his face for a moment…you'd notice every so often his eyes glint as though he's figured you out.
"Leonor Burnelay. I hope you're telling the truth, you know lying to a royal could get yourself in the dungeon ."
I just smiled at him. It's bad enough that people are staring. It's not like noble ladies are fond of me, And his highness being close to me means the noble ladies will uphold even more jealousy and hatred towards me.
After the dance I made sure to stay out of his highness's eyesight, he always pops out of nowhere so it's good to be sure i'm far away. I honestly don't think his highness has his eye out for me in a romantic way— so I don't understand why he seems to have taken a liking to me. But it's better than if it were his older brother; the crown prince…he's always given me a weird vibe…I can't place my finger on it but he, his Majesty and the empress are like that. It's better to not get involved with them.
As I was lost in the thought, I suddenly realized I had stopped near the grand table in the ballroom, the one that had all the food, many fancy dishes, some dishes you can only find out of the kingdom and….of course….the one dish a nobles party could not go without….mermaid tail.
I was beginning to feel unwell before a voice brought me to my senses.
"Leonor Burnelay, I'm glad to see you here. It's hard to see you—you know? You're known for not attending many parties"
Haha that was true, social gatherings are a must but they're just too tiring. I quickly greeted the princess, the princess…the star of today's gathering…they say I'm beautiful but her highness is truly the empire's beauty. She looks extra dashing this evening. her pink dress adorned with intricate lace and her gold jewelry makes her stand out. She's worthy of being the main character this evening .
"It's an honor to be here your highness, i'm truly honored to be in your presence, thank you for the invitation"
She just nodded her head, we're total opposites; truly opposites—if my hair is the night then hers is the sun, if my eyes are the green forest surrounding the kingdom then her eyes are the sky on a sunny day.
"You don't have to be so tense around me. My brother seems to like you a lot so I wanted to greet you personally. He can be a handful, so be patient with him." With that she gave me a quick smile and left. How odd…the whole royal family seems odd, greeting me because his highness "likes me" a lot?" Still that's by far the most normal conversation I've had this whole night so cheers to that! So for that I say Happy birthday 19th birthday Princess Anneliese.
It had been a couple of hours later when I finally decided to head home. It was ideal to bring an escort when attending parties. I had brought my cousin along, though he had left earlier before me. But I would be fine though.
On the carriage ride home, Maybe I was too distracted to notice but when I decided to take a look; I noticed we had passed through a wooded area…odd that wasn't the way we had taken earlier. Just then I heard a scream and the carriage abruptly stopped, too fast to comprehend but what I did know was that I stumbled forward falling off the seat….. What was going on? Was that the coachman's scream?…. I let a few seconds pass by; seconds that felt like eternity, I was scared… of course I would be but curiosity was also killing me. I knew it was a stupid decision…I knew it but what was I supposed to do? just sit there? If there was something then at least I would know and could potentially run off, instead of just sitting and waiting around for whatever it was to get to me first. I gathered the courage to get out of the carriage, making my way slowly to the front of the carriage ... .I shrieked in horror when I saw his body….the couchman….I suddenly started hyperventilating…no no no…what is going on. Please am I dreaming??! At some point I heard a noise not too far away and finally noticed it…a group of…people in cloaks standing not too far away just staring at me. Bandits maybe? Who knows but then one of them stepped forward in front of the others, taking off their cloak. I could still not really make out their face as it was dark but their eyes…their eyes were GLOWING…they had red glowing eyes!.