Bloodbound Heart

1.

ELARA'S POV:

The castle walls of Arindor reverberated with the sound of music, people chatting, and laughter. The noise became bothersome to me eventually, as it seemed like we always had gatherings almost every week, especially to greet newcomers who joined our community. While my mother and father were kind individuals in that behalf, they still held beliefs of their own that I didn't agree with but I'd be a disappointment if I was ever to tell them about it.
But My thoughts came to were quickly cut short when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said, my voice ringing through the air. I watched the door open and saw one of the maids walk in, it was one of my favorites, Dalia. "What brings you here, Dalia?" I asked, a soft hum leaving me as I walked over to my bed. I took a seat and watched her walk inside and close the door.

"Your parents mentioned that it's time for you to start preparing...nearly all the kingdoms people have arrived. I have just the right blue dress for you. You will absolutely adore it!" Dalia remarked with a smile on her face, as she walked to the closet where she had stored the ball gown.

"I hope I do," I mumbled, a sigh escaping as I walked over to the mirror. I took off the simple purple dress I wore to walk around in, leaving me in my underwear and bra. I looked in the mirror and saw Dalia approaching me with the ball gown in her hand. I looked down a bit not wanting to spoil my reaction in the dress, only able to get to see the color it and from what I saw so far, it looked beautiful. Eventually, my ball gown was on, with just my corset being tightened on me. A soft grunt left me as she tightened it slightly. I could never really get used to that feeling but I tried to relax as she adjusted the corset, slowly getting lost deep in my thoughts.

Yeah, of course I liked all of the balls my parents would host, but after a while, it could be overwhelming, especially with all the new people wanting to greet me and talk to me all at once. It practically made my ears bleed, so sometimes I really did just wish I could have a break from all of this. But I didn't see that happening anytime soon, especially with the recent news I've been told, I was supposed to marry a prince. I'm not sure who, but I was told it was time 'to secure my kingdom's future' because I was getting older and I was also my parents' only child. But keep in mind, I'm only 19, so I didn't see the big deal yet when it came to this. But to my parents, they think I don't take anything as a big deal.

The only thing that woke me up from the thoughts was the sound of my maid calling my name as I blinked and looked in the mirror. My eyes fell to the dress. It really was flattering, maybe one of my best dresses so far, the corset hugging my hourglass figure perfectly. I could feel a smile curl up on my lips as I let out a satisfied hum.

"It looks amazing, thank you" I said as I turned around to face my maid before heading over to my vanity, putting on my jewelry, and fixing up my hair slightly. I decided to just leave it down and curled for tonight.

Dalia smiled as she nodded, "Of course. You look beautiful, my dear," she said before starting to clean up any of the mess I had in my room from putting on the ball gown.

"Thanks for your help," I said before walking out of my room and heading to the stairs. My white heels made a soft clinking noise against the white marble floors of the castle, though the sound of them was mostly drowned out by the music as I got closer and closer to the stairs.

As I got to the top and started to walk down the stairs, I could feel all eyes on me. The feeling never got old, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite feeling either. From where I was, I could see my parents standing and talking to some boy, a prince, with a smile on their faces.

A sigh left me. I was guessing that's who they were setting me up with. I didn't have much of a choice either when it came to that, considering my parents said I waited too long to find a husband of my own. It just wasn't on my priority list at the moment, like it was on theirs, but they wanted their legacy to continue something I didn't care too much about.

Once I finally got down the long flight of stairs, I was greeted by everyone. I smiled while trying to welcome the new people as much as I could, while also trying to get to my parents who seemed to be ushering me over with the look they had in their eyes. They were excited, while I was mentally preparing myself for this. I knew how to talk to men, of course, but when it came to marriage being on the line, it was a bit much for me.

I stopped in my tracks when I was in front of the three, bowing in front of the prince as he did the same for me, while I tried to give him my best smile.

"Princess Elara, I heard many things about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Prince Vincent said softly, smiling at the princess across from him, who he seemed to have plenty of interest in.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Your name is?" I asked, feeling like I was making a fool of myself already considering I didn't know his name because my parents didn't tell me anything about meeting him today. But to my surprise, I only heard him chuckle and his smile get wider, which slightly eased my nerves as my eyes focused on the blonde-haired male.

"My name is Vincent. Would you like to take a walk with me?" He asked, holding out his hand for me to take, his eyes training and focusing on me. I wouldn't say that I was uncomfortable, but it was definitely unusual to see someone so fascinated by me in this short amount of time. It just wasn't used to any of this. I mean, sure I had crushes, but I never even dated someone before in my life.

But like I normally do, I played off how I felt, grabbing his hand as I nodded with a smile, "Of course." I said, letting myself walk away with the male, my ball gown slightly swaying as I did.

As we walked, I listened to him talk. Pretty much, he was talking to himself the whole time because he was only really talking about himself, making me quickly learn that the guy I'm supposed to be with is pretty self-centered... something I genuinely didn't want to deal with. It was a surprise how he was so into himself based on the way he was looking at me in the beginning, but maybe that was because my parents were around.

But I couldn't take it anymore, causing me to turn to him, a polite smile coming to my lips. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I'm gonna go use the bathroom real quick," I said before quickly walking away before he could even say anything. A sigh of relief left me when I glanced back to see he wasn't following as I made my way up the stairs. At first, I was going to go to my room, but I saw the balcony doors open, so I decided to walk out there. I needed a breath of fresh air anyways.

It was slightly windy out, making my ball gown flow a bit in the wind as I looked down. My eyes wandered the garden before averting to the woods, landing on a male's, our eyes locking almost immediately. It made me feel like my heart almost stopped or something. From what I saw, the male had no expression on his face, but what I did see was that he was tall, had green eyes, and pale skin, making him stick out more. Something about him felt like it was pulling me in. I didn't know what it was, though. But before I could fully take in what he looked like, he turned around, his gaze falling from mine.

I watched as the male started to walk into the woods, something about him making me want to know him and call out to him, but I didn't. Instead, I watched him walk off, disappearing into the trees.

To be continued.

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