I wasn’t lying when I said I walked into the shark’s den. The Montforts were the family incharge of the military of Lumina. All fiercely trained for any and all combat. Any one of the men sitting at the table could decapitate me with their pinky finger and their eyes closed.

The table itself was long, quite long to only have four seats. At its head, sat Duke Montfort. He was an older man, though not older than 55. His eyes were that deep red, his hair black like mine. He had wrinkles on his forehead and smile lines, though he didn’t do much smiling. He sat there, holding up his utensils as a maid set down a plate before him.

“Alexandra, you’re running late again,” he said simply, not bothering to look up from his plate.

“I’m sorry,” I said, taking the empty seat to his left.

The maid placed a plate before me. It had diced apples, freshly baked bread, and some jam. I picked around the bread, removing its crust before eating it.

Silence filled the room. The silence was only broken by the sound of cutlery on the plates, each of the members minding their own. The seal of tension finally was broken when the duke spoke up.

“Nicholai, my son, how long will you be staying?” he asked, peering up from his plate to look to his right. There sat a boy. He was much younger than the duke, around my age. His eyes were red and expressionless as they looked plainly onto his plate. His jet black hair had a dewy look, the droplets of water from when he washed his hair still on it.

“Not long, father. The war is still being fought up north, and we have a battalion of completely wounded soldiers that are slowing our efforts,” he replied, his voice as expressionless as his eyes.

The duke stopped, taking in the information for a minute before resuming his breakfast.

“I see,” he replied, and with that, the silence carried on. Apparently, the Montforts were people of very little words.

I peered over my shoulder, down to the opposite side of the table. There sat a woman, of the duke’s age. Despite being of similar ages, her face lacked the aging the duke’s had. Her wrinkles were few and far between. Her face was painted lightly with makeup, making it seem like she had nothing on at all. It was done beautifully, enhancing her features. She had pin straight hair, black like the night. Her eyes however, a soft blue, like icicles reflecting the sky on a cold winter day. She sipped softly on a cup of tea, her eyes sparing occasional glances to her children, before staring dead on at the duke.

Nicholas looked up, making eye contact with me for a brief second as I looked over at the duchess. He stared longer than I would have liked, before directing his attention forward. “I’ll excuse myself, father. I have errands to run while I’m at the capital,” Nicholas said, dropping his cutlery on his plate before standing up.

The duke made no objections, caring as he stared at the rest of the people at the table.

“Your maids have told you about the banquet tonight?” He asked, now raising his gaze slightly at me. His stare felt deadly, like a dangerous animal painting itself brightly to warn off predators.

“Yes, they have,” I said quietly, feeling little under his gaze.

“You need a dress. Let the tailors come in today,” chimed in the duchess, finally breaking her silence.

“Can I-” I started, before being interrupted.

“Let me know when the tailors arrive. I need one for tonight as well,” she added, now back to staring at the duke.

-not go, is how I wanted to finish my sentence, though I was not given the chance to do so.

“They announced the event at such a short notice. I wonder what it is they’ll announce that is so important,” the duke asked, with no real curiosity in his tone.

“We’ll learn of it tonight, I suppose,” the duchess replied, standing up from the table.

The duke followed suit, and so that left me by myself. I stood from my seat, and left the dining hall, wandering the endless halls of House Montfort. I desperately tried to remember my steps back to my room, though I ended up getting more lost. After a few minutes of aimlessly walking around, I had found my room, my maids waiting patiently for me.

“My lady, you’re back,” Maddy said, giving me a welcoming smile.

“How was breakfast?” The blond added.

“It was nice, I guess,” I replied with a shrug. It was awkward and terrifying, though I can’t say that out loud.

“Well, we must get started on dress hunting. I called the tailors for you during breakfast,” the blond said.

“Why can’t I just use one of my dresses in my closet?”

“My lady, the dresses there are only your daytime dresses. Your nighttime closet is over there,” she replied, pointing towards the other end of the room.

“Oh.”

It’s weird to see just how lavishly the Montforts live.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Within minutes, the tailors arrived. They were all women, of varying ages. Some were as young as me while others as old as the duchess. My entire morning was spent talking with them and figuring out a design for the banquet that night. After countless hours of measurements, fittings, and stitches, the dress was done. Just before dusk.

I was bathed again, and I was helped into my dress. The fabric felt nice and soft. It was made of some high end material; like silk or cotton. Maybe both. Whatever it was, it felt like I was wearing a cloud. It's a gorgeous burgundy color, the petticoat fluffing it out. The bust was ruffled, with the sleeves poofy like small balloons on my arms. The dress itself had a smooth-boned corset, with black lining. It had a black bow at the back, that matched with the black lacing of the corset. It looked gorgeous, like it was worked on for months, despite being made in one afternoon.

I stared at myself in the mirror, spinning around slightly to see all the details.

“It’s amazing,” I uttered, the grin unable to leave my face.

The tailors looked a bit stunned to hear the words of approval leave my mouth so quickly, though they accepted it graciously.

“We’re glad you like it, my lady,” one spoke up, curtsying before leaving.

It’s sad to know that such a beautiful dress will be wasted on a terrible occasion. The royal banquet where I meet her, and my impending doom looms ever closer.

My maids began on my makeup, bold red lips to match my eyes and powdered cheeks. I look unreal. Maybe it was the red eyes or the unnaturally perfect curl of my hair, but I was a sight to behold. To call me beautiful was an understatement.

“You are all set, my lady. I’m sure no one will dare to take their eyes off you for even a second.” Maddy gasped, her eyes wide at the marvelous work they did.

I might as well look good. Not like I have much time left to live in this perfectness anyway.

I left the room again, led by my maids into the hallway and down the stairs. This time, I had grasped the way a little bit better and will hopefully not get lost as on my way back.

There, at the bottom of the steps waited all the Montforts.

The duchess was linked to the duke’s arm, both matching in an elegant navy dress and suit. Next to them stood Nicholas, wearing a deep green suit. His jacket is crisp and well-fitting. Its collar was out, adorned with a ruby pendant engraved with the Montfort crest. He had on a furry jacket, likely made of game he had hunted in the previous spring. He waited for me, reaching his hand out, which I accepted,

He stared at me once more, and off we went to the carriage.

The carriage ride was as awkward as the dinner, except that no one could excuse themselves out of it. I spent it staring out the window, watching the waning cityscape as we reached Camelot Castle.

Camelot Castle was an enormous castle of white. Its gold detailing reflecting brightly the moon’s light. The statues of dragons casted shadows upon the large line of nobility outside of the castle, all lining up to enter the banquet.

When we arrived, the duke and duchess stepped out of the carriage first, arms locked as they walked towards the entrance.

Nicholas did not wait for me, simply following behind them and leaving me to catch up.

We had reached the royal gates, we stood and waited our turn, which came surprisingly fast. In fact, we did not have to wait at all as a guard came for us.

“House Scarlet?” He asked, glancing us over. I don’t even know why he did, the eyes were telling enough.

“Yes,” the duke confirmed, peering over the line.

“Alright, follow me then,” he said, leading the way towards the castle. We completely blew over the line, the nobles simply staring. They could do nothing, say nothing; just watch as we displayed the privilege we had over them.

We were led inside the castle, which was just as grand as its outside. The brick followed inside, its walls decorated with various portraits. Its ceilings caved upwards in a pumpkin-esque shape making a small dome out of the castle. Its ceilings were painted, all with images of fierce battles, wise kings, and holy beings.

The guard had finally led us to the banquet hall, in which he opened the doors and let us step inside. The room itself was grand, as the space still felt spacious even with the large gathering of people. In its center, there was a large staircase, its middle carpeted with red as it went down. There were balconies, all opened. People danced, talked, ate, and drank. Anywhere you turned, there was someone having a good old time. If only I could be oblivious to what would happen tonight and enjoy the night as happily as them.

I stood by Nicholas’s side, waiting for the night’s events to commence. He stared ahead, not particularly interested in looking around or staring into the crowd.

We stood there awkwardly, though not for long before the double doors at the top of the stairs were opened. Through them walked a beautiful girl. She had long pink hair and light blue eyes. Her dress was pure white, matching the bricks of the castle.

The king cleared his throat, silencing the room.

“Let us introduce the most revered lady of Lumina, our Saintess Catalina,” he spoke, his voice echoing through the room. He raised his glass high, staring at the girl, before looking back at the crowd.

Servants were passing out glasses of wine, which everyone took and raised with the king.

The girl walked down the steps, meeting up with the prince and the king at the bottom.

“To Catalina!” He exclaimed, bringing the glass to his lips.

“To Catalina!” The room echoed back, my voice blending in.

All I had to do is stay still where I was at. I was decently hidden, near the entrance, far away from the staircase.

Immediately after the toast, Nicholas left my side and faded into the crowd, leaving me by myself as I waited the night out.

Fine. I could manage being on my own.

It was after the toast that quiet whispers began to fill the room, almost as if noticing my presence. My name is on their lips, but not as often as hers. What had happened, or what was rumored to, was fresh in everyone’s consciousness.

Suddenly, I had begun to move. My feet lost themselves to me, moving with a mind of their own. They worked diligently, finding their way to the middle of the dance floor. I stood there for a moment, and as I tried to turn back, my hands reached out for wine being handed by servants. I turned back on my heel, facing forward as I walked closer and closer towards her.

She stood in front of me, and with a flick of my wrist, the contents of my cup landed on her white dress. I smiled an awkward smile, the type you do when you’re cringing so bad you can’t even hide it. The words “I’m sorry” tried to escape my lips, though they never did.

Despite all my efforts against it, I sealed my fate as the villainess.