Red

Chapter 6 - Aspen's POV

My Brother Isn't Doomed For Eternity!

I was hiding from my father, he loves me very much but sometimes he can be over the top. Like today.

When he first told me about this obnoxious idea and having this unnecessary competition, I thought he was messing with me. I knew damn well how to protect myself. And on top of that, we had guards.

It had been about a month since I told my family that I was the heir.  It was awkward, to say the least. Everyone was so happy for me, except Charles. Kai was proud of me which I was happy about because I needed him. I know we weren't supposed to pick favorites, but Kai was my favorite brother.

Father had told me about the competition the day before they arrived. I was livid. I don't usually get angry, the last time I did was when my father was nagging me about marriage two years ago. I went outside and people were starting to shake my hand and I put on a fake smile.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a girl. Long brown hair covered her face. I asked one of the maids who she was. "Lei Maggisbury" she answered. I knew that she wasn't who she said she was. I met Lei a couple of months ago and she was not as pretty or as intimidating as her. This girl was scary...

The maid coughed, I didn't even realize I was staring. The maid moved and she and the girl went inside.

Back in my room, I went to get ready for tonight. I took the first clean suit I found and put it on. I wrote a letter to Allie, wanting her to come for a week and distract Kai, they have been best friends forever.

My mother was in her room, she notified us that she didn't want to go to dinner and we left. The table was already full, I felt confident and whispered in the girl's ear. Sat down and ate. My father was feeling chatty and started talking. I couldn't wait for this to end.

Dinner was boring and I decided to zone out for most of it and just eat. No one bothered to talk to me and instead talked to my father. Kai and Charles were secretly arguing but it didn't seem like anyone else realized.

When my father went to his room, I took the chance to escape and went on a peaceful evening walk.

I liked the castle best at night time. The sky was dark but we could see the moon, which was so bright it lit up the hallways. The mysterious girl was there. Was she lost?

I asked her the question and she nodded, I found her to be quite shy which was different from the bold personality I thought she had, she told me her room number.

"So... A girl like you entering a competition like this, you must be either crazy or way too confident"

She mumbled an answer under her breath, and I chuckled. We were in front of her room and I let her inside. I went back to walking while admiring the night sky.

.....

The next day, I spent a lot of time with my mother. She loves talking to me and loves to read more than anything. She told me about all the fairytales she read.

She somehow looked way too young for her age but always blamed it on good genetics. She was from Psho, one of the 5 kingdoms. Her raven hair with a tint of blue shone like the midnight sky, none of us had inherited it but I had the same unnatural yellow eyes as her, however, mine were brighter. Still, her eyes were so warm and welcoming.