Duke Alton did not hide his displeasure as he watched his daughter willingly walk away with the prince. The same could be said with the men he shared blood with.
"Let us not ruin the atmosphere with worry, shall we?" It was the emperor who broke the ice as it was getting too evident that the Arkwrights disliked the gesture he made previously when he allowed his eldest son to whisk away the only Arkwright lady.
"Rumors might start, Your Majesty," Lord Alcasser replied, calm yet showing not a hint of amusement. However, inapparent his vexation was to the surrounding individuals, it was clear for his family to see.
"This is the first time that the little princess attended a gathering. Will you let her wait for you to finish talking about business matters when she can go forth and socialize?" Emperor Lucian smiled with his subtly twinkling golden eyes, not breaking his front in spite of the heavy stares on his person.
The Arkwrights knew all too well that the man before them never offered the lady to go with the first prince out of the goodness of his heart. It was because he wanted to claim her without uttering even a single word to other countries and without making a bold move that may or may not instigate unwanted ire. After all, he cannot put shackles on the girl due to her family's wishes and their agreement. An invisible string will do for now.
Kriseon is powerful enough as it is, standing on top of other nations in terms of military power. The only flaw they have is that their land does not bear sufficient magic stones that would serve as a main power source that would run the empire. Having a diplomatic relation through arranged marriage with a country possessing this desired quality will surely solve the problem. However, this is not worth more than the support that the Arkwrights could give if Avy entered the imperial family.
Emperor Lucian could get his hands on countries that could provide his empire the things that they lack. However, there was only one Avy Arkwright that could support his heir during his rule after his era as the reigning monarch was over. She was an investment that he could not afford to let go.
"That aside, I hope the agreement with Auxiviel is going well," the white-haired monarch remarked with an unreadable undertone, obviously changing the subject to redirect the Arkwrights' attention.
"It is going as expected, Your Majesty," Duke Alton answered, his tone still has yet to lose the venom laced intricately within it.
"Excellent. That country's young ruler specifically asked for the Arkwrights to handle this affair. There must be no miscalculation lest we get a small cub feasting on our legs."
The Arkwrights understood what he meant, the two heads' eyes became more serious than before.
"He is indeed ambitious. Deciding whether that one is a friend or a foe must not be done out of mere magic stone mines, Your Majesty. We will be sure to keep track of what he does." The previous duke narrowed his eyes, though his prior vexation earlier has yet to fully disappear.
The ball continued as usually did the year before and the ones before that, with each representative conversing about matters involving their countries with their fellow envoys. It was, however, interrupted when darkness swallowed the entirety of the luxurious hall.
The Arkwright men stood on guard even though they all felt a pang of pain hitting their heads. It was almost identical whenever the monthly cessation of their empire going without magic for a maximum of two days happens. Then, they remembered the absence of their only girl in the midst of the chaos.
Avy was not with them. She was alone with a man they did not trust––out of their reach once again.
~~~
"You never liked crowds..."
Prince Lucifer's voice was soft, almost drowning in the background noises that penetrated through the door of the balcony. The moonlight gave an ethereal look on his tired features. His eyes, the color of stunning sunrise, focused on the lady before him as he spoke.
"When did I tell you that?" Avy wondered, because she knew that the original Avy always talked about things that made her attractive. Yes, she hated crowds, but saying that she hated it would not make her likable. Especially when the role of the empress is to build connection through socializing.
Prince Lucifer averted his gaze. "You never did," he replied, causing Avy to raise a brow in confusion. It was followed by nothing, just silence except for the blowing wind and near inaudible chatters coming from behind the closed balcony doors.
A few seconds later, she was hit by an unexpected realization about the aloof and indifferent prince in front of her. An amused smile erupted on her face before a hearty laugh escaped her lips, prompting the prince to look her way again. His brilliant gold hues widened a bit in subtle panic.
"You're right, I hate crowds," Avy admitted in between her snickers. She composed herself, although the grin never departed from her face, before she spoke once again.
"But wouldn't your friends look for you, Your Highness?" she asked without tearing her eyes from him. She did not mind the gesture that the white-haired mage displayed. However, he was one of the hosts of the banquet. If he suddenly went missing in the middle of the gathering, people would surely talk.
Lucifer's expression was still the same. "I do not have friends," he revealed, as if it was simply an information as irrelevant as what he ate for breakfast.
Avy's smile disappeared in a second. Right. How can someone like the prince have friends like a normal person? She meant no malice with such thoughts. She simply forgot for a moment.
"I don't have friends either." She definitely did not feel obliged to make him feel better, it was just a statement to make the situation less tense.
The heir to the throne looked like he was surprised. Avy could not choose if she would be offended or feel complimented that he thought she would have friends given her personality.
"Well, obviously, Your Highness. You're the first one to not walk on eggshells around me. Not counting the people that I'd rather not be friends with," she told him, the respectful tone unknowingly leaving her. She looked at the beautifully vast garden view from where they were standing, looking nonchalant. However, a glimpse of the prince's face made her neck swerve to his direction.
A hint of happiness was evident on his face although not so much. His aureate eyes radiated with warmth as he slightly looked down.
Avy was puzzled, of course. As far as she knows, the prince does not have any romantic feelings towards anyone. He was absolutely unable to feel such things because of how touch-starved he was throughout his life.
"I can be your friend too..." he muttered, giving clarity to Avy's uncertainty.
What the hell was he on about?
Avy wanted to ask out loud. She did not want to be his friend. She just wanted to be on good terms with him so that she would not have to face difficulties regarding their relationship in the future.
"I don't-"
Seeing how serene the prince's countenance was, Avy cut her own statement. She could not imagine how those peaceful eyes would look if she shot down his offer.
Fine. It would not hurt her either way. Perhaps, she could take advantage of the current situation, too. After all, she does not offer free friendship to random people.
"Can you give me your hand, Your Highness?" she requested, erasing the peaceful expression on Lucifer, replacing it with a panicked one.
"No," he firmly replied. His voice was cold once again––guarded. Avy, on the other hand, grinned mischievously, her face displaying that of faux friendliness.
"What do you mean? Friends hold each other's hand, you know?" She subtly chuckled under her breath when she saw the horror laid out on her fiancé's eyes.
One trait that people often pointed out to Avy was her blunt personality. In her previous life, she would always get into trouble because of her straightforward nature. Lucy would always reprimand her for being too honest that most of the time, it made others view her in a bad light. No one ever escaped her cold logic that pierced through many.
"I refuse..." Lucifer stepped back, not backing down.
Avy shrugged, unbothered. "Sure, I don't like forcing people anyway—"
"A suspicious presence is near."
She was interrupted by the serious voice of Andras as she was speaking. At the same time, the prince seemed to come to the same conclusion as his demeanor became more grim, turning to the direction of the palace garden. It was just below the balcony.
"Please, go inside," Lucifer instructed, getting ready to jump off the bannister.
Avy watched as her fiancé left. However, she could not bring herself to go inside just like she was told. Lucifer was probably going to rush in towards that unknown presence by himself.
All the knights were not allowed to enter the palace premises and all the attendees were discouraged to bring any kind of weapon inside. If Avy were to alert anyone inside the palace hall of the situation, it would bring panic and chaos would ensue. Not as if she could go back alone after leaving with someone. It would only mean that she was left without an escort.
Her family would surely eat the crown prince alive.
She frowned with that thought as a familiar cold touch made its way to her left shoulder. It was followed by a cloud of black mist forming a silhouette of a cat that sat comfortably on the bannister. As if the two familiars read her mind, both of them showed up, waiting for her command.
"Fear not. If you wish to quell your curiosity, you may do so." Andras' orange eyes gazed at the direction where the prince had gone off to, his tone still prideful yet with evident reassurance.
"I don't think fear is the right word," Avy replied rather flatly. She took off the troublesome heels that restrained her from moving freely and held the hem of her dress. She gave one look at Ares who just sneered as though he understood what she wanted him to do. The curse formed a rope with the black smoke that he often utilized and used it to lock the door in place.
Avy, with no hesitation whatsoever, dauntlessly jumped off the balcony. Before she was met with the cold and hard ground, her feet landed on a pile of corpses that looked like they were nothing but black matter in the shape of a person.
During her stay in the Harrington Duchy, there were things that she found out about herself.
First is, she has the ability to heal wounds fast as long as she was the one who inflicted it to herself. Hence, any injury that is caused by others will stay unless she puts another wound on top of it.
She learned it the hard way. Well, to be precise, she needed someone to slice her flesh to draw blood and neither Mariel nor Clerivan was willing to volunteer. She needed to practically force them into submission.
Second, she could heal other people, too, but just like the former rule, it only applies when she was the culprit. This came to her rather easily since Clerivan offered himself as the test subject.
Lastly, she was never affected by the cessation. No matter how long everything that was related to magic stayed useless, she was still able to use her own. After countless days of vomiting her organs out, she became accustomed to regulating her mana throughout her body, although it still drained her energy quite quickly.
"Are you sure no one saw us?" Avy questioned the two curses as they walked on the grassy ground of the garden hedge maze. They abandoned the brick pathway lest they come across a noble wandering around. A man, if she was unlucky.
"I would have never shown myself had I known a nuisance is around," Andras, in his cat form, answered, covering their path with dead bodies similar to the ones Avy has landed on. His reason being, the possibility of the filth on the ground clinging onto her feet as her shoes were carried by Ares. Not as if stepping on human remains was a better alternative.
Her newly acquired curse, if were to be compared to Ares, acted like her father. Not in a way that he was doting like a dad normally would be, but similar to the duke's personality over all. Andras was dignified, like a noble who grew up with class. He was quiet, too, often simply observing, unlike Ares who blabbered whenever he so wanted.
Moreover, he never took upon the form of a human. He either stayed as a gray cat when he was needed to be with her physically or a mist of dark smoke when he could. Although, taking words from his mouth, walking around as an animal is not befitting of a being such as himself.
She had heard from Ares that curses tend to take the form of what they were before dying and they will stay that way until they vanish from the face of the land. As they were born from the unfulfilled negative feelings of living creatures, they tend to look unpleasant unless they came directly from a person who died. This process allows them to keep their former appearance as well as the memories.
However, the price of lifeless resurrection is the neverending wave of dreadful emotions. The curse of wrath, for example, could only feed on the anger of its host and the people around them.
Avy wondered what kind of curses her servants were.
"Do not worry, Avy. Andras is quite the big name amongst his kind. He will do great as a servant." Ares sniggered which earned a withering glare from the cat.
"Hurry along. There is an unfamiliar soul other than the boy you were with earlier," Andras claimed, and so, hurry they did.
Almost a minute or two of walking, the two curses decided to return to mist, disguising themselves once again. Avy slipped on her shoes and walked until she reached the open grass field where a fountain was erected in the middle. At last, she found the prince.
Lucifer was pressing down a suspicious man in black on the ground, stepping on said man's arms behind his back. Even in the face of possible danger, he still refused to use his ability to kill. What a waste of such a convenient ability.
Avy ushered closer, her steps were not as quiet considering how the prince looked immediately to her direction, hearing the sound of her shoes having contact with the grass.
The lightning mage's eyes mirrored surprise, and he must have been wondering how the lady followed him so fast when she was left on the balcony. It would only be possible if she jumped off or ran out as though her life depended on it.
"That's impressive," Avy praised him before he could ask a question.
"Lady Avana should not have come." Lucifer's voice was still as quiet, but enough for her to hear. His face devoid of emotion, which made him look and sound heartless.
"There's enough bad rumors about me, and going back alone will make me look worse," Avy reasoned and the prince attempted to respond, but he was overshadowed by a grating laugh coming from the man beneath the soles of his shoe.
"You are too late, Your Highness," the man stated with clear arrogance. A second later, Lucifer stumbled on his feet, clutching his head as he tried to regain his balance.
All the magic powered lights that illuminated the garden lost their glow. A plethora of screams was heard from inside the palace as every remaining luminesce died, leaving the moon and stars to shine.
Avy was stunned for a moment due to the sudden black out, but she was able to see how the man in black broke free from the prince. He stood up and pulled out a knife and tried to stab Lucifer. However, the lady was fast, faster than she thought she could be.
She reached out her hand and pulled her fiancé from the dagger's way. Fortunately, the unknown criminal did not waste more time and fled.
The weight of the prince crashing onto her, which made her lose her balance resulting in them falling on the grass. The itch of the greens below her tickled her bare skin to the point of irritation, yet another sensation stole her attention.
The heat of another living person pressed onto her.
Lucifer's hand was on her arm as he instinctively maneuvered her so that she would not crash on the ground with him on top. Moreover, she could recognize the wave of warmth embracing her being after she has been restless for weeks. However, this time, it was stronger, bolder, and much more definite than the last time.
As the light came back, she was able to catch the sight of the prince's face. The first second, it was almost hurting before morphing into rest. Then, his eyes shot open, reflecting a terrified look—surprise and fear.
If there was a word to describe the prince right at that moment, Avy could only come up with one.
Devastated.