“Rafael Casanova de Carta” the name rang in my ears like the siren. She felt the dread filling her heart. All the blood of her body froze and she could hear her heart thumping like crazies.

“Thump” she fell on the floor as her knees gave away while the word continued to pierce all her hopes to live a happy life.

She had heard this name before. She had read about him and his empire.

He is not a human!

How much time had passed when she finally came back to my senses. She was standing alone in the room while her father had gone for a long time. The room was cold and deserted like her life, yet she had always realised that at least she had a place to live and good food to eat with Anne on her side.

But now! She was not sure anymore how she would live when she had been asked to be a sacrificial lamb in the name of marriage._.

“Are you okay, my lady?” she looked back at the girl who had always called me by name even when she was the princess and this was the first time when she was calling her, my lady.

“It is okay to cry sometimes, if you feel like it!” she assured Hazel as she looked at her with concerned gaze and the tears that were on the brim and threatening her to fall any moment came out like a broken dam!

“Anne! They are not even selling me to a human!” Hazel whispered in between her sobs while her tears stained her face and wetted her dress.

“You are brave enough to handle even demons, my lady. I have faith in you!” Hazel shook her head as she heard Anne’s words.

“I..i do not want to marry a night creature Anne. Please, help me! Help me in running away from here.” the girl pleaded miserably but just when the words left her mouth, two guards entered in.

Hazel looked at them widen eyes, no one needed to tell her why they were here. And as she had expected, they opened their mouth coldly and told her,

“We are here to keep you safe till the day of your marriage, my lady!” she was done for! Now she was under the gaze of two guards so that she could not run away and she was barely left with any time.

“You will be fine my lady. Maybe the marriage is not that bad!” Anne tried to coax the girl who was turned into a mess as if her sunny life had turned into a frozen dream.

“You will survive this, my lady. And soon you will realise that the dark clouds were actually filled with sweet rain that would bring the spring.” but no matter what Anne said, Hazel could not see any silver lining in her life.

“Why don’t you go and rest for a while, my lady. The governess will be here soon.” one of the guards said awkwardly as they saw the girl shaking her head and crying like she had lost everything now and then.

“They are right, my lady. Come let me escort you in. you need strength and rest to survive this!” Hazel wanted to deny it but she had no strength left after crying for so long.

Her wails had turned into sobs and hiccups while her whole face had turned messy with stains.

Anne held Hazel’s hand and helped her in walking towards her room.

“Shush, everything would be fine. You have survived worse. Just do not give up so easily!” Anne patted the back of the girl soothingly. She had seen the girl growing in front of her eyes.

A lot of time she had thought that she would break down and would not be able to bear the loneliness, the insults and coldness of her family, yet every time the girl had only grown stronger like a tree that would grow no matter what the season was!

She knew that Hazel had a strong desire to live and she would only grow after this incident too.

Soon the girl started hiccuping and closed her eyes yet Anne continued to rub the back of the girl until she was sure that she had been sleeping soundly. Once sure that she was asleep, Anne stood up only to hear her hiccuping again.

“I do not want to die, Anne.” her heart broke when she heard the sound of Hazel with tear stained eyes but she took a deep breath and closed the curtains of her room and walked out.

“Do you think she would be able to handle it?”

“Yes, she was looking very heart broken!” Anne looked back at the two other girls that were wearing the same uniform of maids as her and sighed.

“Since the decision was already taken. There was not much to discuss! Hazel would be fine after some time. But it also means that we have to leave soon!” Anne looked at both of them with a daunting gaze and they took deep breaths.

“This time came earlier than i had thought!”

“Yes, even I was expecting that it would take a few more years for her to get married.”

The both took a deep sigh but when their gaze met the cold gaze of Anne they took a step back in fear.

“Why are you so angry? Do not tell us that you were prepared for the news!” retorted the girl as she tried her best to keep her facade in front of Anne.

“No! But I was sure that was the case when I heard that her scum father was coming to meet her. The man did not even explain to her that the man would not hurt her! She was looking too scared!”

“You should not have let her read those books in the first place.” chided the second girl and Anne sighed as she sat on the chair.

“I thought that the night creature would fascinate her, who thought that she would end up getting scared of her future husband!”