"In this room full of paintings, she's the only masterpiece I can't stop staring at."

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The King's bedroom,

Crystalline Castle.

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"Alexis! Alexis!"

I turned around in the middle of closing the balcony curtains as I heard Emma's excitement filled voice. I haven't seen her in these past few days, in fact, I haven't talked to anyone besides Maria for a couple of days now. After that small peaceful moment the King and I shared together, he has been avoiding me like the plague. He seemed to be working hard during the day, never visiting his room. Late at night, I would somehow feel his presence, as he teleported into the room. I always pretended to be asleep by that time, only opening my eyes to watch him move his fingers on the laptop. Around 11 o' clock at night, he would be on his bed, glued to his laptop till God knows how long. The way his eyebrows frowned and his eyes concentrated, I knew he was resuming his work.

That's how my nights were spent, without any sort of acknowledgment between us.

I was still debating on if that's a good thing, or a bad thing.

I was brought out of my thoughts as a very familiar, cheerful Emma barged into my- the King's room.

Her eyes spotted me from across the room, and she ran towards me. I stood there confused as her hands took a hold on my own while she swirled us around. It seemed as though the room was spinning with us as we moved in circles.

My giggles mixed with hers as she finally came to a stop, but her hands remained on my shoulders.

"Guess what?" She smiled.

"Uh... What?"

"I have a great news, go on, guess!"

"The King is setting me free?"

I mean what news can be greater than that for me?

Emma's happy mood turned upside down as she looked at me sadly, "No, sorry. Not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I convinced my brother to take you to the Royal Ball!"

My eyes widened, "you what?"

"You. Are. Going. To. The. Royal. Ball. It's being held at an another Kingdom. It takes place every year, each Kingdom takes turn to make it a memorable night. This year, it's Snowvale's turn."

I forgot how to breathe as her words slowly registered in my mind.

"Why?! A Royal Ball? Are you trying to get me killed? I won't last a minute in there, surrounded by blood thirty Vampires."

"Don't worry, Damien is going to be there. He won't let anything bad happen to you." Emma tried to explain.

I laughed humorlessly, "Don't you know your brother? He doesn't care about me. He will probably enjoy my suffering."

Emma shook her head,"That's what you think, Alexis. Trust me, you won't regret going."

Why did her eyes glowed like she knew something I didn't. I mentally shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was probably just thinking too much about this.

"Look on the bright side, you will get to go out of this castle, meet new people. Vampires outside of our Kingdom doesn't know about the prophecy, so they won't have a reason to treat you badly. To them, you will just be a regular human girl who charmed the King into taking her to the ball as his date."

"His date? "

Did I hear her right? Did the King really agreed to take me as his date? Isn't a date someone you're attracted to? Last time I checked, I was a mere prisoner here. Since when did he started seeing me as someone worth going to the royal Ball with?

"Yes, his date." Emma winked.

"And what if I say no?" I turned around.

Emma murmured something that I didn't catch so I turned back around and asked what she said.

"Oh, I was just saying that would be completely fine. I mean it's not like you're the only girl around here. I'm sure there's a long list of girls who would do anything to go to the ball with my brother." She paused and her eyes watched me carefully as she added, "like Olivia... She actually accompanies him every year."

Something in me dropped as she said that. The maid's name echoed in every corner of my mind, blooming this unknown feeling in my chest. Even the thought of Olivia being with the King made me uncomfortable. It started a fire inside of me which was impossible to ignore. Knowing Emma can read my mind, I decided to not think about it much as I whispered, "I'll go."

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I looked at the girl in front of me. Her blue eyes held mine as if having a staring contest, and when mine blinked, hers did to. They looked familiar, yet so different. There was a spark in those eyes that had never been there before. They were gaining more attention than the rest of my face due to the mascara and a winged eyeliner coating them.

The top part of my dark brown hair was twisted in a waterfall braid that went around my head. The rest of my long hair carelessly fell around my face and turned into beautiful loose curls. My usual messy braid was turned into something unbelievable.

Was this really my reflection, or a trick of the light?

When the figure moved her hands, following my actions as I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, it was confirmed that I was staring at myself in the mirror.

Emma, along with some other maids, have been working on giving me a "makeover" for the past hour. I was complaining at first, but now, it felt good to look presentable for once.

A royal blue colored dress elegantly hugged my body. The upper part of the dress was a nude color and a blue flowery pattern was sprinkled on it while the small leaves creeped up to my shoulders. The soft material of the dress loosened at my hips and formed a swirly pool of fabric around my feet.

I was in love with this beautiful dress.

I grabbed a piece of my dress, lifting it up to reveal the silver heels my feet were covered in. They were the only things that terrified me.

I turned around to find Emma and the other maids looking at me in awe,"I can't wear these shoes. I won't be able to walk at all."

Emma, noticing my freaked out expression, tried to sooth me, "Don't worry, you just need some practice. Plus, my brother will be there to catch you if you fall," She winked, "Diana, have you ever heard of Vampires fainting? Because I feel like we're about to witness that shortly when Damien gets a look at this beautiful lady in front of us."

The maid named Diana, along with the other girls, let out a giggle behind their hands.

"Now, shall we practice? Start by walking in a straight line, Alexis."

Yeah, easier said than done.

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I watched the breathtaking view as the ground became smaller and smaller. We were currently in a private jet, as the king has mentioned before. It was me, the king, a few guards, and two pilots occupying the plane. I knew I should be scared because this was my first flight but everything around me just seemed so extraordinary, leaving me to feel nothing but curiosity. No room for fear.

I turned my head to the left, and found those mysterious dark eyes staring at me again. The King has been looking at me ever since I came in his view in front of the castle, where he was waiting for me. He had stood there impatiently with a bored look on his face, dressed in a black suit with a royal blue shirt underneath. His outfit matched mine and it made me wonder if that was planned. The look on Emma's face as she stood next to me, had confirmed that it definitely was.

Then as I walked closer to the king, his bored expression turned into shock and his eyes were shamelessly roaming every inch of my body, making me quite uncomfortable. Gladly, Emma broke the awkward ancounter by shooing us off to the jet.

Ever since then, I felt his gaze on me. Do I have something on my face? He hasn't muttered a single word ever since we stepped into the plane. The last time we talked was about his mother, when he hugged me. What should I say? Hey, how are you doing now? You know, after that incredible piece of information I gave you?

Uh no.

"Look, the kingdom looks so beautiful from up here."

I had to distract his eyes from looking at me somehow. It looked like my plan worked, but instead of looking out the window, he averted his eyes from my face and closed them tightly.

"Don't remind me."

A thought made its way into my mind, and I was having a really hard time believing it.

"Are you scared of heights?"

His eyes snapped open as they found mine, glaring at me, "do you want to die, human?"

I held up my hands, basically telling him to calm down. I shifted my gaze to the outside again, but this time I was met by nothing but clouds. Guess I'm going to have to sit there and look at the plain view, because clearly the King doesn't want to be buddies anymore.

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My eyes took in the dimly lit ballroom in front of me. The only source of light in this big hall was the huge chandelier that covered up almost of the entire ceiling. The tiny mirrors on it peeked down and formed the shape of falling snowflakes. They reflected the difference colors around the ballroom, making light glimmer on the brown hardwood floor.

Everything was blue and white, the ceiling, the walls, the table cloths. It felt like I had entered some sort of winter wonderland. A winter wonderland filled with bloodsuckers.

There were waiters and waitresses rushing to serve the royal Vampires. Some people were occupying the sitting area, surprisingly eating real food. The bar in the corner was busy with customers. A few couples swayed on the dance floor while others just stood around chatting. Laughter filled the atmosphere every so often. Everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives.

The Vampires carried themselves with dignity. One look at their face and you will be able to tell they thought of themselves higher than everyone else.

I had never felt so out of place. As we got closer to the staircase that would lead us down to the ballroom, nervousness took over me. A million thoughts rushed through my brain. What if I fall going down the stairs? What if I accidentally spill my drink with my shaky hands? What if I make a fool of myself by doing something stupid?

There was an announcer by the stairs with a mic. He was announcing the names of every couple that walked down those stairs and their friends and families greeted them at the bottom.

I looked at the king next to me to find a smug look on his face. With his prideful eyes, he would fit in so well in this crowd. He glanced at me too, noticing my nervousness, he gave me nod. I don't know if that was supposed to assure me.

His hands directed mine to rest on his arm. I noticed the other ladies posture as I followed their action.

"My king, it's an honor," the announcer bowed down as he noticed who was standing beside me and then he glanced at me, "and who might the lady be, Sir?"

Damien whispered something to him that I didn't catch. The announcer nodded and turned towards the ballroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. Please welcome the King of the Vampire World, Damien Knight, along with Alexis Smith, his date for the night."

As the announcer said Damien's name, every single pair of eyes presented in the room turned towards the stairs and glued onto the figure next to me. Then as he finished talking, a bright smile was seen stretched onto their faces. The crowd cheered and rounds of applause erupted throughout the room. I could taste the love that was in the air. The love these people had for their king. I'm sure it wasn't easy at all for him to deserve this kind of affection from his people.

The King started walking, going down the stairs, as I tried to match his steps. All pairs of eyes turned towards me and I could practically feel them judging every part of me. The men seemed to be less affected by my presence than the women. Every where I looked, all the women gave me an unpleasant look, or a dirty one.

What did I ever do to you?

I focused my attention on keeping my balance, the heels were already killing me. We finally reached the bottom of the steps and people surrounded us immediately, greeting the king. He shook each and every hand offered, giving everyone a breathtaking polite smile. Why couldn't he act like that with me?

Everyone seemed to know him already, but a few people still introduced themselves and he welcomed the warm gestures.

Suddenly a group of girls appeared out of nowhere and took a hold of the King. They dragged him with them as my hands slipped away from his arm. I could hear his laughter and he told them to slow down but they insisted, saying something along the lines of "come dance with us". I stood there watching them take him out of my sight. But I didn't miss the look a girl from the group gave me as she turned around just to give me a wink.

"Quite the ladies man, isn't he?"

I turned around to find the source of the voice. A man who looked to be around 21 appeared into my sight. His black hair was styled with gel, not a piece out of place. His green eyes reminded me of an endless tropical forest. They held a playful look in them. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants. His suit was identical to Damien's but with a pure white shirt underneath. And instead of a tie, he wore a black bow tie.

"I'm Sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm King Nicholas of Snowvalle. The host of this party." He smiled, showing his pearl white teeth.

"I'm Alexis Smith. Nice to meet you." I returned the smile. I shook his outstretched hand, but he brought mine up to his face and lightly kissed it.

"So your the famous human, huh? You're the top news of Eveland. Something to be proud of, I must say."

"I thought nobody outside Damien's Kingdom knew about me?" At least that's what Emma said.

He laughed, "they don't. But see, hmm how to I explain this. Damien and I... Let's just say we keep track of each other's every step, secretly. I know about everything that goes on in his kingdom and vice versa, since we are neighbors."

"Shouldn't that make you guys allies?"

Last time I checked, neighbors were supposed to help protect each other, from any foreign invasions.

Nicholas found that amusing, "If there's one thing you should know about this place, Alexis, is that no one is your friend here. All theses Vampires care about is themselves and all they want is power. And how do you get that power? By taking control of everyone else, of course."

I stared at him, confused, "So what you are saying is, everyone is constantly trying to overthrow each other?"

Nicholas took a hold of my hand, he made me sit on a chair and took a seat next to me himself.

"Look, " He pointed towards a group of people sitting on the small circular dining table," the older guy in blue vest, he's trying to marry his son to the daughter of that woman sitting across him. Everyone knows she runs one of the strongest Kingdoms here, successfully, without a king. She only has one daughter, so after her, everything will be her daughter's. Now, why does that man want that girl to marry his son?"

His watched me as I answered, "for power."

He nodded," Now look at the dance floor."

I followed his gaze towards the center of the room where Damien was dancing with a girl who was basically hanging off of his arms. Their bodies were glued together, making my stomach turn. I could almost feel the food I ate earlier making its way back up my chest. Her golden colored dress was backless, leaving the King's fingers to roam every inch of her naked skin. Her own hands were around his neck, occasionally playing with his hair. For some reason, it killed me that he didn't seem to mind at all.

"Why is she trying to seduce him?" Nicholas asked me.

"Because he's gorgeous."

I realized what I just said and immediately averted my eyes away from Damien, looking at Nicholas to find him smirking.

"Well, what I meant for you to say was for power, but yeah, that works too."

I looked down, feeling my cheeks get hot, "sorry I didn't mean it like that. I mean he's gorgeous but I don't -"

"It's alright," He let out a chuckle, "you're not the only one who falls for his charms. He's the number one bachelor who ladies throw themselves at, hoping he will notice them, hoping he will make them his queen. It's quite amusing really, watching them get turned down after he's had what he wants. If you know what I mean."

I did know what he meant. For some sick reason, it made me feel a little better they meant nothing more to him. It made me feel selfish.

"You seem to know a lot about him." I told Nicholas.

"What can I say? You tend to observe a couple things here and there if you've lived for over a hundred years. "

I gasped," You're a hundred years old?"

He frowned for the first time, "Yeah, don't wanna talk about that though."

Rule number one, don't bring up a Vampire's age, it's a touchy subject for them.

"So tell me about you and that little player over there."

"There's nothing to tell," I shrugged, "just that he kept me locked up for ten years."

"I know, I can't believe he would stoop that low. I mean, who would ruin a child's life after something a witch said. Like come on, they're known for their lies."

"Really? Guess the King isn't so smart after all then."

Nicholas laughed and drank out of his glass, "But that's not what I meant. Tell me about your relationship status, don't think I missed the look of jealousy back there."

I shook my head,"What jealousy? I'm not jealous."

He stopped a waiter who was passing by, taking a glass of black colored liquid from the tray. I accepted it from his hands and after taking a small sip as a test, I was confirmed that it was coke.

He nodded his head but his eyes told me he didn't believe a word I said.

"Sure haha," He stood up, clearing his throat, he offered me his hand, "my lady, may I have this dance?"

I smiled at his royal gesture but shook my head, "I don't know how to dance."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you." He winked.

He lead him towards the middle of the room, a few pairs of eyes followed us, making me more nervous. He came to a stop right next to Damien, my eyes glanced at him for a second, to be met by a hard glare.

I ignored his usual look and focused on Nicholas as he placed my arms around his neck, snaking his own around my waist. He was a lot taller than me, my head reaching just below his chin.

"Just relax your muscles," He whispered in my ear, "and follow me."

He started moving slowly to the beat of the music, a low melody surrounded us as I followed his actions. After some time, I finally got the hang of it, and we danced just as gracefully as the others around us. He twirled me around with his hand, and then brought me back close to him. My eyes met his green ones as he returned my smile.

"You're doing great." He complimented.

Our dancing came to a sudden stop as a hand grabbed onto my elbow, pulling me away from Nicholas. I turned around to find none other than Damien shooting daggers with his eyes towards Nicholas.

Without saying a word to him, he dragged me away with him, ignoring my protests.

The king turned into a hallway, and finally came to a stop in a corner, where we weren't visible to anyone.