Mistletoe Masquerade [Abandoned]

1) An Invitation

Bee's POV

I pounded on the door to my brother's room. "Will! You need to wake up!" I called.

Father likes us to have breakfast together as a family, but Will hates it. He's also just lazy and sleeps late in general, but today, Father said that he wanted to discuss something very important with us. And with Christmas growing closer and closer, I'm excited to hear what it is. If Will doesn't wake up soon...

"WILL! Get up you lazy arse!" I may be little bit impatient when it comes to important matters.

I heard a groan through the door and something shuffling around. A moment later, the door opened, and I was greeted by the wonderful sight of my very annoyed-looking brother. He ran a hand through his untamed brown hair, and his brown eyes glared down at me. "What do you want?" he asked crabbily.

"Good morning!" I cheerfully replied. "Father has something important to share over breakfast, so could you please hurry up? I'm dying to know what it is!"

He groaned. "Fine," he said, slamming the door in my face.

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I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Will to come and eat. "Bianca!" My father said, grabbing my attention.

I sighed. He always called everyone by their full name, no matter how many times they insisted to call them something else. "Yes, Father?"

"Where is William? I told you to make sure he woke up in time for breakfast, didn't I?"

"Yes Father, you did. I made sure he woke up, but I'm not sure where he is-"

Just then, my brother strode into the dining room, saving me from further excuses. "Morning everyone!" He said, taking his seat at the table. "Now, what is so important that Bee demanded I be present at breakfast for it?"

Father gave me a look before responding. "With the holiday season coming up, I thought we could throw a royal ball."

"A ball?" I asked.

"Yes, an event that will be hosted here at the castle, and all the citizens of Zavenu will be invited to attend, as well as noble families from other kingdoms."

I could barely contain my excitement. Father rarely let me out of the castle after mother's...incident, so I would finally be able to interact with people outside of the castle.

But Will rolled his eyes, clearly having other thoughts. "Boring!" He said. "The whole kingdom dressing up in their finest clothes to dance and chat? Sounds pretty lame if you ask me. Why are we doing this, anyway?"

Father's brow furrowed. "What, can we not just have a holiday celebration? What do you propose we do instead, William?"

He thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up. "What about a masquerade ball? A ball where no one knows who's who. And that way, you don't have to worry about Bee getting in trouble!"

Father smiled. "Sounds like a wonderful idea!" He clapped his hands twice and a young servant quickly walked to his side. "Austin, I need some invitations prepared for a masquerade ball. I need printers to get working on them promptly. William, do you mind designing them, since this was your idea?"

"Not at all, Father," he said enthusiastically. Will isn't one to get excited easily, so I was surprised that he was so willing to help.

"Good good. Now, you are dismissed," he said to the servant, who quickly bowed to us before rushing away.

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Shelby's POV

I quickly hurried down Main Street towards the shop I worked at. I prayed that I wasn't late, or else Madame Alexandria might fire me.

As I entered the store with a tinkling of the bell above me, the Madame herself stood there, frowning. "Shelby!" She exclaimed, clearly mad. "Why are you late? You know that this is one of the busiest times of the year for us. I can't have you slacking off now!"

"My apologies Madame, it won't happen again. But you know Lia-"

"Oh, let me guess, she's 'sick' again, isn't she? She's lucky she attracts so many customers. Otherwise, I would have fired her a long time ago. With her absence, you'll have to run the front counter, understand?"

"Yes, Madame." She nodded her head and walked into the back of the store.

I sighed and walked back behind the counter, taking off my coat and hanging it on the hook. I made sure all the shelves were properly stocked before placing the "open" sign in the window.

Why is Lia like this? I asked myself. She always makes excuses to why she couldn't go into work, and I'm sick of it. I'm usually the one in the back of the store, taking inventory and avoiding the judgmental customers.

Lia can get away with a lot of things though. Some more frequent customers, usually young men, come into the shop specifically asking where the "fair maiden" is. On the other hand, they tend to wrinkle their nose when they see me. And even though Lia says not to listen to them because I have a "different kind of beauty," what they say and do to me still gets under my skin.

The bell rings as a young man walks in, with clear excitement in his rich, brown eyes. The twinkle dulls a bit when he sees me, but he still swaggers forward, giving me a smile. "Hello! How are you this fine day?" He asks.

"I-I'm quite well, how are you?" I silently curse myself for stuttering. I tend to do that around unfamiliar people. Though, this is one of the said customers that comes in just to see Lia. He's one of the only ones that Lia has actually shown interest in, though.

"Very well, thank you for asking. Pardon me if I come off as rude, but may I ask where the usual maiden who works here is?"

"I'm afraid that she's not here today, but she most likely will be tomorrow. Is that all?" I ask the question somewhat rudely, but at this point I just want him out of the store.

"Actually, I have something to give you ladies," he replies, grabbing a couple envelopes out of his bag. He hands them to me, smiling. "And be sure to tell her where you got them from." He winked and walked out the door.

I rolled my eyes before opening one of the envelopes, pulling out a piece of parchment, and reading what they said.

Attention to all royal subjects of Zavenu, under the rule if the mighty King Andrew Simon Moira IV:
All are herby invited to attend the Mistletoe Masquerade this Christmas Eve. It is a celebration unlike any other. All citizens are welcome, and disguises are mandatory. Dress in best possible attire. It shall be a festive and not soon forgettable night!

I raised an eyebrow at the invitations. They were printed on what appeared to be very expensive parchment, so unless the man was incredibly wealthy, then these must've come from the King himself.

I wasn't one to attend such events, but I knew that Lia would be ecstatic, so I put the invitations into my bag, and waited for the next customer to come in.

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I hope you all enjoy the story!

-💜✌️Shady

(PS- I'm still allowed to use my signature, right?) Yes, Shady, you are

This chapter was 1236 words.