With a grace that only years of training could produce, I vaulted over the hand rail of my balcony and fell through the air. The fear was still the same—no matter how many times I forced myself to do this.

The ground approached too quickly and I slammed onto the stone floors, my body working desperately to distribute the energy away from my ankles and knees, and throughout the rest of my body.

I had been too foolish the first time. Unprepared.

The scarring on my knees was a testament to that.

But still, although the pain was still as sharp around my ankles as before, it didn't completely feel as if it shattered the bones this time—unlike before.

"Miss!" The voice from above reigned down in absolute horror. "How many times do I need to tell you! It is not lady like to jump off a balcony, from a whole level up no less!"

Lettie's voice was something I could now instinctively pick up in a room full of people. Much like how a child would pick up their parent's laughter amongst a crowd.

Looking up, I laughed. "I never claimed to be a lady!"

When Lettie left the balcony to rush down to see if I was hurt, I could feel the smile disappear from my face the moment she left.

Honestly, no matter how much I practised, I only ever got better at a painstakingly slow pace. Unlike my brothers, who seemed stronger every time I saw them despite being locked away in an academy, I had to practise for hours every day just to not fracture my bones when fighting rabids or when completing complex aerobic manoeuvres.

With how slow my progress was, one would almost think I was fully human.

But this was necessary. Although I knew I could access Nyx's help, I was adamant to get stronger by my strength alone. I knew that if I relied on her every time for something as menial as this, if there ever came a day I could not access her power, I would helpless.

A liability.

Scrunching up my nose to distract myself from the pain, I stood up slowly, trying to gauge the extent of the damage.

Although my legs were slightly numb, I didn't collapse. Hopefully this meant my body was getting used to my harsher training.

Although Tirack had initially been hesitant to push me in training, especially when Kael came to "watch", I assumed my relentless attempts to push myself had moved something within him. Now, he was picking me up on every minor detail that I was doing wrong. Every technique he made sure to drill into me to the point where I questioned if knighthood was really the best option for me.

Then I had visions of my head being decapitated and falling to the floor with a resounding thud, thus reaffirming the fact that knighthood was indeed my only option.

Although the gruelling training left my body exhausted every day, I had finally reached a point where I had been allowed outside of the residence and into the woods to purge them of rabids.

Interestingly, I had become quite proficient at being able to sense where they were. I didn't know if it was luck or some other sixth sense, but Tirack seemed to notice my keen senses and now had placed me more towards the front of the group, pointing in the general direction that I 'sensed' them coming from. Better yet, none of them questioned it. Whether it was because they were told to, or whether it was because they thought it was the demon in me, I didn't know, but I was still excited because that still meant one thing.

They trusted me.

They relied on me.

It was an overwhelming feeling, as if I belonged here. It gave me a renewed sense of hope. It was after one of these weekly raids and we had just come home from the woods that I saw a figure waiting for us in the centre of the training grounds.

It was later in the day, and the sun had turned the sky a beautiful gold, softly illuminating the surroundings and casting a beautiful gold light on the mansion and garden.

The soft light and gold filter was a stark contrast to what stood in the centre of the training grounds, casting a long, dark shadow.

There, a few feet away, was my father.

He wore a matte black suite that seemed to suck away all the light around him. He must have been out on official duties today, which was a rare event. As we approached, I noticed how he towered above the other soldiers around him.

Then I froze. He had black, neatly trimmed hair and a clean shaven chin. I almost mistook him for another person. His long dark hair was gone.

It was only when the deep blood red eyes looked at me that a shock ran through my body, reminding me that I indeed knew this man.

"The DeVillanova knights have been summoned."

The soldiers and Tirack immediately straightened. I was confused, but kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to seem incompetent in front of this man.

"It seems," His eyes glowed as the light of the setting sun reflected off his irises. "That they are need of guards for the upcoming ball for the crown prince."

A ball! I perked up. The first prince! It said in the novel that his eyes were a beautiful sapphire blue!

I sighed internally. You wouldn't understand, the way they were described was so dreamy.

I really had been a hopeless romantic back on earth. Now, hearing about the crown prince, I was struck with a strange sorrow. It was strange, knowing that he was going to die.

In a war no less.

This was how Eleanor was able to form a relationship with the second prince while the first prince was at war. Then, after he died, the second prince became the new crown prince, thus making Eleanor the new empress once they were married.

The perfect cinderella story.

Still, a ball!

I couldn't believe it. The thought of dressing up and entering a hall of grandeur and being able to dance all night was something I had only ever imagined back on earth.

Now, it was more a wistful memory.

"Are we to refuse?"

Over the time I had spent living here, there was one thing I knew for a fact. Kael rarely made appearances in public. This was the same for his knights. Although the emperor himself made requests of Kael, it seemed he was at liberty to refuse him.

Something which would normally result in capital punishment.

For some reason, Kael seemed exempt from this rule. I had no idea why.

"Their idiotic attempts at subjugating this darkness have made them realise who the true power is. What else can I do but give them a taste of this power? Hopefully this will satiate their incessant requests for audiences."

I pursued my lips. For the first time in years (at least, since I had come here) he was making a move. Aside from the few times we had visited Rounen and Lucius at the academy, Kael remained within the borders of his territory. Albeit, his territory was so large that it took up almost a third of the kingdom, so I guess he did have room to move—and out of all that land, the only structures that were built on that vast landscape were buildings that he owned. The only people that lived there were the DeVillanova's. No one else was allowed.

From what I'd heard from some of the maids, apparently people believed this land was cursed as well.

Well, it did belong to a demon.

Now, for the first time, I was going outside—to a ball!

"I'll leave the planning to you Tirack."

Tirack thumped his chest. "Sir."

Kael ran a hand through his short dark hair. He let out a low growl, his body causing the darkness around him to quiver. Even from here, I could feel his power. His demonic energy almost left me breathless. "It seems I will have to make a public appearance. Maximillian truly knows how get under my skin. Just like his useless grandfather. There is truly no hope for that lineage."

Did he just causally call the emperor by his first name? Wasn't that treason?

The soldiers around me seemed to unperturbed by his casual referral to the emperor by his first name, so I assumed that this must have been a habit of his. The fact that Kael could even insult the current emperor's grandfather only served to remind me how old Kael truly was.

He had to be at least hundreds of years old.

A shiver went down my spine. No wonder he was able to get away with so much.

Tirack and the other soldiers then uniformly saluted Kael before leaving. I was about to follow suit, until I was trapped under Kael's gaze. It practically rooted me to the spot.

After the soldiers were completely out of sight, Kael was quite for a moment. We both stared at each other and I was left wondering if my eyes were as scary as his.

"I won't be able to attend dinner tonight."

My mind was blank. Out of all the things I was imagining him to say, this didn't even make it on the list. As result, my reply was less impressive than what I'd hoped.

"Oh."

For a moment, his eyes narrowed. With his new clean shaven look, I was thrown off by how sharp he felt.

Like a newly sharpened blade.

To fill in the silence, I asked the only valid question I could think of. "Why?"

He tilted his head to the side and mirrored my emotionless look. "It seems that Tirack trusts you."

My heart beat quickened. "Really?"

"Enough to request that you be a part of the guard."

I could feel my excitement shoot through the roof. "Seriously?!"

He seemed surprised by my sudden outburst. "Well, if you are going to become a knight, it is only natural that you should start fulfilling your duties."

I would have been completely elated if not for his next words.

"Do not tarnish the DeVillanova name."

Of course. God forbid I tarnish his name. Never mind the fact that I could possibly be risking my life with this. His reputation was clearly more important than my life.

After a moment, I decided to voice my thoughts. I had to distract him, to keep him from second-guessing his permission to allow me be a part of the guard at the crown prince's ball.

"You cut your hair."

Another infuriating smirk.

When I blinked, his hair was long again, floating around him as if weightless.

"...or not."

"I change my appearance to suit the setting. After years behind these walls, nothing makes me feel better than making those filthy humans recognise who the true authority is."

Of course. He was a demon, why didn't I think that meant he could change his appearance?

After another blink his hair was short again, giving off a more modern vibe.

"It could be dangerous. Tirack will not be able to watch over you the entire time."

Was this concern, or was he trying to gauge my reaction? I couldn't be sure. He poker face was as good as my own.

One might even say we were related.

At that moment, a breeze swept across the training grounds, picking up the dust and swirling around as the hot air chased the cold air. The breeze blew around us and I could see the golden sky become tinged with pink and reds as the sun continued to set.

Kael's body remained still, nothing—not even a hair—moved despite the wind blowing around us. His deep voice could have commanded the wind itself to stop.

"A DeVillanova..."

For some reason, I knew what he was going to say next. It was so clear in my head. Perhaps because these were the famous words Kael said to Edythe in the novel before she was sent to be executed. Before I knew what I was doing, I finished his sentence despite him never having uttered a word about it to me before.

"Must never be weak." I finished.

His eyes widened. It was the first time I had seen such obvious surprise on his face. I would have celebrated this small victory if his next actions hadn't completely caught me off guard.

I hadn't realised how close we were, but when he reached out, he was close enough to tuck a stray hair behind my ear.

My body froze.

What is he doing?!

Nyx seemed amused.

I was panicking. But he's always been mad!

Nyx shrugged.

All I could do was watch as Kael tucked the strand behind my ear, then slowly retract his hand before pausing and touching my cheek.

It felt as if my insides were about to burst.

In all the years I had been with him, he had never done this before. I didn't even know how to respond.

I knew that if I moved, I would somehow break this spell that we were both under. It felt as if we were both suspended in time, and that if I didn't stay still, this would all shatter.

After a pause, his hand dropped to his side and he shifted back into his usual self. "Correct."

Before I could even question what had just transpired, I blinked again.

And he was gone.

There one moment, gone the next.

Magic was truly amazing. If not for that, he would have seen my face turn to fire only a few seconds later.

I dropped to the floor, holding my cheeks. What just happened?!

Nyx truly had a way at bringing me back to reality.

I rolled my eyes. Because there's nothing quite like telling your daughter that she could die and she's not allowed to be weak.

I sighed. Of course you wouldn't.

Still, I slapped my cheeks in an attempt to bring myself back to reality. There was no use dwelling on what had just happened. I would never find out the answer.

Kael would always be a mystery.

Instead, I directed my thoughts towards the present.

The ball.

The thought of seeing the beautiful halls and gardens of the castle had me filled with an entirely different sense of excitement. Just the thought of seeing others dressed up to dance the night away was something I never imagined myself witnessing.

It felt like a Cinderella moment.

Except I wasn't Cinderella. In fact, I wouldn't even get to step one foot inside.

My first time at a ball, and I wouldn't even get to wear a dress.

Fate truly was cruel for the villainess.