The night arrived, and so did the masses, turning it into a lively place. Young and old filled the streets with laughter and joy.Caelholme at night was a sea of sparkling lantern lights, a luscious breeze of food delicacies, and a music of sizzling fryers and boiling soups. Food stalls and carts that were not there during the day were now parked at the sides of the square. Tents had been set up along with plastic chairs and tables. It wasn’t the usual picture of Caelholme with people just in for a stroll around the town’s twisting cobbled streets, or to buy and sightsee around the shops, or to have a pleasant chit-chat with friends among fancy tea shops. The scene Clara was witnessing right now was a picture of unwinding, a time for people to vent off. Everybody else was there to simply have fun or get wasted just to forget the rest of their horrible day. Dressed in coarsely woven linen and wool fabric, Clara, Alexander, Maxwell, and Holly blended with the crowd. With Holly’s backg
Grunts and heavy, shallow breathing pierced through the deafening silence of the room. Bullets of sweat traveled down past Clara’s chin as she gripped on tight at the edges of the mirror’s frame. She grimaced as the Castellan’s chambermaid tightened the laced corset around her body. “A little more tight, Princess?” “No, no, please. That’s enough. Thank you.”Clara blew a loud breath through her mouth. The cursed fabric was like a tight vice around her lungs, rendering her incapable to breathe. The chambermaid stepped back and bowed her head and Holly took her place, holding the burgundy and gold ball dress that Clara would wear at the prince’s party. At the mere thought of the fourth prince, Clara’s cheeks were painted red in an instant. There were a lot of things playing in her head. Would Alexander like how she’d look in that fancy gown? That kiss.She heard from Holly that the two royal families decided to order a matching pair of attires for them.That kiss. But wasn’t the g
Together, they exited her temporary chamber inside the palace of the Castellans. The ceilings were high, reaching a thousand feet, decorated with thick thunder clouds that Clara couldn’t quite place if they were mere illusions or not. They navigated through silent halls, past numerous private chambers, until they reached the huge oak doors, leading to the grand ballroom. There were two guards stationed on both sides. As they bowed their heads, pulling the heavy doors open, Clara squeezed Alexander’s arm, her nails digging on the hand-tailored fabric. “Say, Prince Alexander,” she whispered beside him, barely opening her lips, “would you be so kind as to explain what that kiss five nights ago meant and the reason why you ran away as if I was a bee who stung your lips?”Clara could feel the tightening of his arm’s muscles under the layer of fabric. The prince’s jaw tightened and he looked at her narrowingly from the corner of his eyes. Oh, to be reminded of that night. Clara didn’t kno
It was one of the last days of summer, and the sun was sitting flush to the horizon, bringing in another warm, clear day to Sierra Kingdom. Clara was to be seen huddled at the back of the palace kitchen near the garden. Her hands were scalded and splotchy and tender to the bone.Since this early morning—when she sneaked in the swarm of buzzing servants—she’d done little more than wash an endless pile of dishes. She worked on scrubbing plates and bowls and gravy boats and whole armies of silverware.The sheer amount of work was astonishing. And Clara didn’t mind the bins of food-caked plates arriving. For someone who was putting on a hard amount of tasks, she was still gleeful. Anyone could see it with the way she hummed a merry tune as her hands and maid's uniform were soaked in bubbles.Unlike the standard eighteen-year-old girl, Princess Clarabelle Zolene had no social life. The Earthal Princess was kept behind the curtains. For them, she was too precious to be left alone with untrus
The jade dragon named Jade was sound asleep with her tail tucked under her ginormous and beefy hind legs. She sure changed a lot from the last week Clara had seen her. Now, her size grew, reaching half the height of the dimly lit cave. Within the short span of days, her wings became more majestic and defined. Her horns elongated to a full meter, as well as the limbs, neck, and tail. Those beautiful dragon scales embossing her body was more like an enchanting decoration that gleamed like a magnificent green gemstone—an imperial jade.Startled by Jade’s sudden shift in movement, Clara flinched and nearly jumped up to the highest point of the cave’s ceiling. She watched in bated breath as the dragon breathed cloudy puffs of smoke. The crackling of the green fire at the far corner intensified, sending sputters of jewel-like embers.“Duke, are you sure Jade wants us to be here?” Before she could even stop him, Duke ran and whined at the undisturbed sleeping dragon. He nudged her beastly sn
At eight o’clock that evening, the guests began arriving through the drawbridge of the palace’s north entrance.Watching from the window in the front hallway as the caravans of lamplit carriages pulled into the circular drive, Clara shivered. The castle was warm with activity. Around her, the servants buzzed, but Clara stood still. She could feel it: a trembling in her chest as the excitement of being around people took over.Her birthdays were rare occasions when she was free to interact with others. However, the guests had always been limited to the rich circle from Sierra and Vermont Kingdom.The castle’s ballroom looked beautiful. Under the glow of so many chandeliers, she almost didn’t recognize the place. Tall pots of violet lilies lined the entryway, and the velvet-upholstered furniture had been pushed back against the wall to make room for the guests.Clara dressed in a fantastic white gown with a soft silk-crepe bodice and an exposed corset back. Her vanilla hair was pinned hi
Theon held his sister at arm’s length, and a calm silence fell between them. “Well?”Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing much, cousin. Just a lot of catching up between us.”Theon looked unconvinced, but he chose not to say anything. He pressed his lips in a thin line before nodding his head to let the subject go. “Then it is what it is.”Meanwhile, the two great golden doors at the head of the room were eased open by two footmen, who stood at attention on either side. And then, a hush swept in the room.“Well—” Theon guided her hand to cling onto his left arm “—as much as I want the three of us to have a nice chat, the important guests have finally arrived. We have to greet them with mom and dad.”“Later, then. I’ll be joining Father by their seats,” Gabriel said, and off he walked in grace toward where Uncle Asher and his wife sat.“Come on, Clara. Aren’t you excited to see him again?” Theon asked as they walked over to the center of the ballroom with the king and queen, anticipa
Fate had a way to weave plot twists in everyone else’s lives.Clara’s dead eyes registered the happy faces, her mind whirring cogs inside her head to find the reason for their joy. Her limbs remained stuck on the ground. Her hands were crippled on her sides. A long static sound rang in her ears, causing temporary lightheadedness. She wanted to hurt herself, to punch her still frozen legs. All Clara wanted was to run away.With trembling hands, she reached for her chest. The suffocating sensation of having the air knocked out of her lungs arose. Everyone at the long table noticed Clara’s sudden heavy breathing. She took in all their worried looks but instead, all she ever felt were hatred rolling in like violent sea waves crashing into huge rocks.With the surge of what little energy left, Clara gathered the strength to go, running away from the people she spent her entire life with—people who had been her anchor all these years—yet, they were the same people who stole her life away.C