Chapter Text
Once upon a time there was a girl named agent Starlight.
Agent Starlight had been trained into a spy since her parents died due to a war that had been going on between Westalis and Ostania.
Her father's colleagues had taken agent Starlight in. Her father used to be agent Twilight, a well respected member of W.I.S.E. His co-workers could only thank him for his time by taking care of the only thing he had left.
A child. Today known as agent Starlight.
She has been put under the wing of a woman named agent Nightfall. Nightfall was a cold woman, always stoic and efficient but Anya knew that she had a soft core inside her that rarely came out.
How? Well, Starlight wasn't the biological daughter of Twilight. He rescued her from a human experimentation laboratory, taking her in and raising her as he started settling down and preparing his retirement. (Spies were forced to retire at least at the age of 40. Twilight being an overworked man who threw himself into work was told that he was forced to retire at 35, which the then 32 year old man struggled to comprehend.) The experiments caused Starlight to have the ability to read minds, which she never dared to tell anyone. Not even her parents.
Starlight had an amazing time, Twilight married a woman who could keep up with him mentally and physically, backing up his weaknesses and softening his shells while she learned what it means to feel another love besides that from her younger brother (who had some unhealthy obsessive attachment to his sister) which made up around the best and most peaceful time in Starlights life.
But all things come to an end, whether these things are good or bad.
Not wanting to remember more about the end of the happiest time in her life, she went back to concentrate on her current training. Agent Starlight was meditating inside the lake's water, training her mentality and her body.
The place where she stayed was in a hut, with three other colleagues. Agent Nightfall, who was training her and the other two alongside a pair of twins, agent Dusk and Dawn.
Nightfall had a bell that she would ring when they got a mission from the HQ. Which she rang, forcing an end to agent Starlight training.
Walking back into the hut, not bothering to put on any clothes, she entered the hut. Nightfall shook her head in disappointment while the twins blushed.
“Starlight! Put something on! How does she manage to be so strong without looking like a bodybuilder? ”, Dawn said, not voicing her thought, looking away embarrassed. Dusk also had something to say:,”That's why you never get the honeypot missions, you have no idea how a lady behaves”, she chuckled, her face also slightly flushed.
Starlight didn't understand them. She stopped bothering with that early on when she was taken in, realising the other three women were completely different from her.
Nightfall threw a dress at her, before starting to explain their mission.
“One of the scions of the royal family will turn of legal age. They're gonna host a huge ball, inviting daughters of successful families to find a potential bride.
Dusk and Dawn nodded, Anya struggled with the dress because her whole body had still been wet. They ignored the noise she made, being used to it.
“They want us to infiltrate the ball, get close to one of the royal members to get any kind of information about plans about their next attack on Westalis. The war might be cold, but our intelligence has provided reliable sources of a potential outbreak”
The twins nodded. Starlight spun after finally managing to put her dress on. They ignored her antics, being used to it.
“Dusk and Dawn will enter the ball as potential brides, under the name of Alice and Lilly Williams. I will be your mother Katie Williams. I will give you your story in a second”, the twins nodded. Starlight chimed in. “Will I be there as someone from a different family?” Nightfall sighed ,”You're going to make sure that everything happens securely. There are definitely some political enemies trying to sabotage the ball, or one of the guests might cause issues. You will stay hidden and take care of these obstacles”, Starlight whined. ,"Okay fine…”, And she was so excited to be able to taste new pastries and sweets. What a shame.
After having everything talked out, the women went to their activities again. The twins trained their roles, and noble manners to fit into their roles as Alice and Lilly Williams perfectly, while Nightfall was monitoring them. Starlight kept training in her own way. Nightfall had given up on giving her a training plan when Starlight was nine.
With that Dusk and Dawn were regularly rehearsing their roles, while Starlight and Nightfall dared to risk approaching the castle at deep nights, securing escape routes.
,”There is a ventilation staff, 2300 from the entrance”, Nightfall signaled with her hat. Starlight nodded. She sneaked from roof to roof towards the located area, inspecting the shaft. It was secure, but with two weeks left, they had time to melt this thing without the royal family noticing ,”acid”, Anya signaled, this time in sign language. Nightfall nodded.
From secret doors, to the stalls with the multiple ponies and the garden the women searched for areas that can be useful. They did this for 6 days by now. Starlight was applying Acid on the shaft. It didn't take long until it was loose, and ready to enter. She also dared to read the minds of the royal chefs or maids, which did not provide any important inputs.
Today was the new moon, to her demise.
She was alone there. Her only job had been the last three days to smear the acid on the shaft, forcing its grid to decompose without any sounds. She finished quickly and made sure to have not forgotten anything. She jumped down, planning to leave, but when she wanted to escape, she almost got caught. She usually always jumped down into the stall, disguising herself as one of the caretakers of the horses, leaving the area and then making sure that she wasn't followed, which she easily did by reading the area's mind. Being more tense for this day of the month, she didn't realise that there was actually someone having a conversation with themselves.
The voice was grumpy, even angered. “I can't believe they fucking arrange a marriage for me, it's not like I'm the heir. Why the hell do I need to be forcefully married and not Demetrius?”, He was leading a beautiful white horse into one of the stalls. He took a deep breath in ,”First they neglect me all my life and suddenly they marry me off. Can't I just-”, the prince clicked his tongue, muttering more curses to himself.
This was a surprise to Starlight. She always thought that the rich were happy snobs, who only cared about power. But it seems that they also have issues. Curiosity took over her, as she dared to peek from above, poking her head lightly from the small hole that seemed to be broken.
Usually Starlight would read the person's mind. Often people have thoughts and imagination with pictures, which helps her imagine what the person looks like without looking at them. She concluded that knowing the Prince’s face, who the ball is held for, wasn’t a bad idea.
The prince was most likely a head taller than herself, Starlight estimated. He had beautiful brown hair that shimmered greenly in the light. His attire was luxurious, Starlight assumed that for clothing like his her whole salary for a year wasn't enough.
The most surprising thing was when he turned around. His eyes were sleepy but the golden colour of his iris and his long lashes made him look elegant but also confident.
She was too busy admiring his eyes, his beautiful droopy golden eyes with long lashes. Starlight had never seen someone with so pretty eyes. But he noticed her and his eyes widened ,”HEY! WHO ARE YOU?”Starlight shrieked before she immediately pulled her head up ,”ouch”, she whined as the broken hole’s wood scraped her cheek. She quickly got up and jumped away into the forest. The prince tried to catch up with the intruder, wanting to catch her but she easily escaped.
“I can't believe that they even break into the stalls now”, he muttered. He returned to his horse, wanting to make sure nothing happened to her. He was already thinking of how to word this matter, having a higher security especially with the upcoming ball, when he saw something.
A teeny tiny puddle of blood dripped from the hole on the hay.
Ah. Sweet evidence.
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“You. What?”Nightfall might sound calm, but Starlight knew better ,”I.. basically got.. almost caught by the prince himself? He might have seen my face too”She smiled, ignoring the dripping blood on her right cheek.
Nightfall took a deep breath and out before staring deadly at Starlight. Dusk and Dawn were watching them from afar ,”And she fucked up again How can someone so unserious like her become a spy?”, Dusk sighed. “I admire her for not shitting herself everytime”, Dawn chuckled ,” I don’t know if I want to be her or be with her”, Dawn had always weird thoughts about Starlight
“Having the Prince know your face is a huge risk for the operation. You will be taken off this mission, Starlight”, Nightfall declared. Starlight's eyes widened ,”WHAT?”Nightfall glared at her ,”The royal family will especially be cautious during that time. Not only do you have natural pink hair, for some reason, but also you've got a huge cut on your cheek, which the prince, with his education, probably also concluded. If you were, even outside of the castle, seen by the security then the whole plan falls apart”, Starlight gasped. She wanted to defend herself but Nightfall stopped her ,”Not just that. For fucking up such a huge part of our mission you will clean the whole house during the ball. If I see one tiny dust corn I'll make sure that you'll never make a mistake ever again”, she glared deadly at her.
Starlight had only seen once Nightfall glare at someone like this. Said person went missing and wasn't found til today.
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The curious, puppy-like stare, with the most beautiful emerald eyes he had ever seen. And the squeak when she realised that she was caught… that alone got his heart beat fastened. Hopefully her beautiful face wasn't completely ruined by the scratch. Her blonde? Probably blonde hair looking in the sun set like a beautiful pink, just like cotton candy.
He immediately raised his voice out of instinct when he saw her, she escaped swiftly before he could observe her face more. What he saw though was that she was so small… probably the perfect size to be held. She was probably also built too, not as fragile as the nobles forced their daughters to be.
He wanted to see that woman again. He NEEDED to see her again.
He shook his head. Still with the telephone in his hand, with the number already pre dialed, he hesitated to inform Jeeves, who would then send the information to the King and the Queen.
Is her personality just as cute as her face? She looked so… mature and childlike. Like a woman who didn't lose joy and curiosity, instead embraced them. Something that not only the upper class teaches their children to lose and get rid off, but the commoners too. Something that… He had never observed prolonging in an adult.
He needed to see her again. He needed to talk to her.
He prayed until the ball every night to see the woman again, possibly at the ball. As a possible, no, as his future bride.
𓋸
Only three days were left. Without a surprise, Anya had it hard with the crowding women, trying to buy the most expensive and beautiful garments and dresses for the ball.
Anya sighed. This was a rare occasion where she wasn't agent Starlight, the daughter of the legendary Twilight. She was Anya. Anya Forger, a sister of two, helping her widowed (who never married in the first place) mother during the day.
She wore an old, almost broken dress. She wore a scarf, to hide her scratch and her usual hat ornaments. With a basket in her hand, she was buying utensils to actually go through with her punishment.
“OMG OMG OMG THE BALL IS SOON!!”
“Ugh… This dress is too lose”
“I have never seen so many women in one place..”
Too many thoughts. Anya put her whole energy in her nose, trying to prevent nosebleeding.
Not because people would see it, but because she would feel it underneath her black mask that Nightfall forced her to wear in case of guards searching for her.
“A huge broom? Are you thinking of actually becoming a witch?”, the elder man joked. There was a long time a rumour that Anya might be a witch, because of her hair ornaments. Thanks to her clumsy and childish behaviour most people doubted, saying she was too stupid to be a witch.
Thankfully nobody knew about her mind reading ability.
“got the eggs, powdered sugar, granulated sugar… oh?”,
Anya's attention got taken. Sweets? She bought the broom and followed the voice.
“They have no Almond flour in stock… But a brand new ingredient. Peanut flour huh? It shouldn't be too much of an issue to create something new for the ball. I am sure it'll raise attention positively if the public finds out that the macarons have something individualistic, that only the royal family will be able to eat”,
WHAT?
Anya can't believe it.
MACAROONS. PEANUT MACAROONS. DURING THE BALL. TIME LIMITED.
There is no fucking way that she'll do her punishment. She's got a priority. Get into this ball without the prince and its security realising, without Nightfall and Dusk and Dawn realising, and to feast on those macaroons without even giving the rest of the guests a chance to even take a look at it.
She was a genius.
Now she just needed a dress…
Fuck. She had no sense of style, and no one to ask.
~
Some might think it was concerning that her worry was not on how to get into the Ball. Hell she was a spy, not the guards, nor her age, or Nightfall will stop her.
But she knows that she'll be kicked out immediately when she is caught with peasant clothes. She also couldn't buy a dress saying that she is going to the ball. The town knew she was a commoner and even if they didn't, her clothes already said enough.
She was standing in front of the dress shop. Would these dresses even fit her?
“Martha! This one's also very cute! But I don't want it to be too cute! But I want it!” Anya heard a voice. She wasn't sure if it was a thought or actually someone's voice.
“Your father told me to buy you what you wish, Milady. If you wish for it, we can buy it”, Oh. Must probably be a noble, an important one, if she can buy more than one dress.
“Let's not waste more time here, Martha! Let's rent the whole royal shop tomorrow, these men keep staring at me!” That's disgusting. Sadly it also happens to a lot of commoner women. But Noble ones are more desired and thus also more objectified
Anya looked curiously at the door. A beautiful lady with long beautiful dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was fair and looked extremely soft, somehow she managed to have the desired ‘perfect doll like’ skin, which is scary but admirable.
The noble lady didn't notice Anya. She was busy talking to her bodyguard, who was also her butler, Martha apparently. Martha had all hands full, thus she couldn't see anything that was in front of her.
“This stupid hierarchy… making us work for those who don't deserve it. I will show them that we're not messed with!”,
Oh oh. Anya heard someone mutter. She took a deep breath and decided to follow the duo without getting their attention, making sure that everything is alright.
Anya hated the political system and the hierarchy too, extremely even. But she knew that the individual people are not directly at fault. She decided to make sure that the lady in front of her wasn't in danger.
“Ugh! I am in such a dilemma Martha! I don't wanna look ugly but if I am as cute as usual then the bratty prince might like me! I don't want that”, she huffed. Her bodyguard sighed ,”Your father would be pleased if a Blackbell married into the royal family. But you wouldn't be happy. I won't tell you what’s right, but I can help you decide”, Anya liked the Bodyguard. The noble Lady Blackbell, her name apparently, seemed spoiled, but not evil.
“No need to worry about this, Becky Blackbell. You won't attend this ball when I am done with you”,
That voice! Anya grasped the direction of its owner. They were on the church tower, with.. a sniper.
“A little more… yes..”,
Anya quickly grabbed her new broom, running to that woman and pushing her behind her.
“Wha-”, PENG She gasped in shock and fear. Anya swung the broom like a bracket, slowing the bullet immensely down. It hit the wall, leaving a small hole and destroying the broom, but thankfully the Lady wasn’t hurt.
“Damn it! This pinky! I will just shoot her legs and then kill Blackbell!”
,”Milady!”The bodyguard helped the woman up. Anya defended her legs PENG
The man was fuming. ,”Dear, let me handle this”, the bodyguard signaled Anya to step back, running at an incredible speed towards the church.
“Oh my god! You saved my life!” The Lady held Anya’s hand,”What a shame that you're not a man, I would have married you immediately!”, she smiled.
What? Anya blushed lightly. Even with less distance the woman looked gorgeous. Getting a compliment like that from such a beautiful woman was lightly getting her. Not just that. Not only didn’t the Lady lie, her thoughts were the same, but also she said it with Anya wearing a mask.
“You.. think so?”Anya asked shyly. The last time someone complimented her looks genuinely was before her parents died.
“You look amazing! Not as amazing as me but still beautiful enough to pass as a princess with the right clothing!”Now Anya was confused. Is this an insult or compliment,”What's your name? What’s with the mask?”The Lady asked.
“A-”, wait.
She is a noble. Anya wants to infiltrate the ball. If she was caught, someone would know her name. She could be tracked down and caught.
But if she says to be someone else entirely, then people around who knew her would get suspicious, and then she would get caught.
So the perfect solution is..
“I am Anna… Anna Frost”, Anya is a nick name for Anna in an more eastern country and the civilian surname of Nightfall was Frost
,”Oh my god Anna, We have to get you a make-over! This mask is not ladylike at all!”, the lady's eyes sparkled ,”ah, before I forget, I am Becky Blackbell, you probably knew”, she smiled.
Anya didn't dare to tell her that she's never heard of her before.
“I got the danger out of the way”, The bodyguard returned. Becky didn't comment on how all of her clothes were stained with blood. It seems to be a regular occasion for them.
“Martha. Look at this potential. We need to give her a make-over!”Becky spun Anya towards her bodyguard.
Her bodyguard, being used to Becky's antics, just sighed. ,”We have to return your new belongings to the mansion, Milady, I would suggest that if so, then tomorrow What’s with the mask? Does the woman have an ulterior motive for saving Lady Blackbell? I have to keep an eye on her.”, Becky sulked.
Anya just watched curiously. What a nice girl. “Anna! Tomorrow at 3 pm you'll meet me here, we're giving you a make-over, I will pay!”, HUH???
Becky saw Anya's eyes widen ,”Don't worry, I can't just let such raw potential go away! See if as a thanks!”She smiled.
Wow. What a generous lady. Not used to physical touch, Becky hugged her tightly, ”thanks again”, before she waved and left with Martha.
Huh.
Maybe Anya did not need to worry about the dress.
~
“That’s so unacceptable! Next time you see him, tell me! I will let this man get executed!”Becky scoffed, inspecting Anya’s huge scratch on her cheek. “First to have the guts to corner a woman and then run away when caught! Truly a pig!”, Yeah, Anya didn’t tell her the truth.
“Wear this! The sea green of this dress will compliment your eyes greatly!”Becky shoved the dress in Anya's direction. Anya never bothered with her looks. Dawn and Dusk usually always did the honeypot missions, Anya always did the violence.
“Sure…, Thanks, Miss Blackbell”, Anya smiled. Becky seemed insulted: “How many times do I have to tell you, Anna? Call me Becky. We're friends now, or do I call you miss Frost?”, aaah Anya wasn't used to fake names.
Anya entered the cabinet and tried her best to put the dress on. She usually also struggled with commoner clothing but this. This was a level too. “Be-”, Anya stopped. The bell rang, signaling someone entering. Weird. Didn't Becky rent the whole shop for today?”, Anya thought as she looked out of the slit from the cabinet.
THE PRINCE???
He wasn't alone. He had an elderly woman with him, who looked awfully similar to him. Probably his mother.
Anya read from Beckie's mind how she wanted to hush the intruders away, until she saw who they were. She knelt down ,”What a surprise your majesty!”, She greeted them ,”JEBRIXEUSH THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST ME AND ANNA DOING FRIEND STUFF!”, she cursed in her mind.
“Blackbell, I assume?”The woman asked. Becky nodded ,”Where is the shopkeeper? We have an urgent matter”, The Queen declared. Becky looked up ,”The shopkeeper is currently not here. He will return in an hour”, She told the Queen.
The Woman eyed Becky,”bring him to me, it's urgent”, Becky had no other choice as to obey. The royal family's word was the law.
Anya climbed the walls of the cabinet up so the Queen and the Prince didn't see her feet. But Anya's shoes were visible. The shoes of a peasant. The Queen gasped. Becky looked at her. “Miss Blackbell, is your family's business going down?”Becky was confused. Anya understood what was going on.
“Don't tell me-”, The Queen walked towards the cabinet, Becky now got what the Queen meant. The prince eyed them curiously ,”weird, didn't Sir Blackbell mention in his report that everything was fine? Why would she wear peasant shoes?”,
Anya climbed even higher up, hanging at the ceiling like a spider. “Please don't open the door Please don't open the door
Please don't open the door Please don't open the door Please don't open the door Please don't open the door Please don't open the door Please don't open the door Please don't open the door”
The Queen opened the door. She gasped at Anya's clothing, thinking that they belonged to Becky,”You will attend the ball, right? Bring your father along, I will have a talk with him”, the Queen turned around. The prince walked slowly up to them. He didn't want to intrude too much into a woman's privacy, but… ,”a black mask? I always thought the Blackbell heir loved to show off her face”, The prince took the mask, observing it. ,”is this blo-”, he was surprised when his mother slapped the mask away from his hand ,”Don't touch it, you might get sick”, she said, eyeing the dress that Anya didn't manage to wear.
Yeah. She hung in the ceiling above them with only panties and a bra. Becky tried her best not to look up, knowing her new friend was up there.
“Green doesn't fit you, I expect you to come in blue or purple. That's an order, Blackbell”, She walked away from the cabinet,”Tell the shopkeeper to be here tomorrow at sharp 1 pm. Otherwise he'll be fired”, the Queen walked away. The prince eyed Blackbell. He whispered ,”What's with the mask? You're not the spy from the stall, are you?”, he added mentally. Becky just glared at him ,”none of your business”, she mouthed.
The Queen returned with expensive glass heels,”You and your bodyguard will be wearing these. The public can't know that the royal family's most trusted business partner went bankrupt”, She handed Becky a pair ,”One the same size of… this abomination”, she pointed at Anya's shoes ,”and one for Martha”, the glass heels were identical, just the size was different.
,”I expect you to keep this a secret at the ball”, The Queen said, leaving with her son.
They waited for five minutes until Anya decided to slide down ,”I… am so-”, Becky hugged Anya again ,”YOU ARE AMAZING! HANGING THERE WITHOUT A SOUND THAT LONG WHILE THE QUEEN AND THE PRINCE ARE THERE! THAT'S AWESOME!”, her eyes sparkled
Anya smiled confused ,”bu-”, Becky put her fingers on her lips ,”shh…. Just do me a favor okay?”, Anya raised her eyebrow confused.
,”King's and Queen's words are law, she ordered me and my ‘Bodyguard’ to wear these shoes”, Anya listened as she held them in her hand ,”The thing is, the one that was supposed to be for me, is too small for me, they're your size. The one that was supposed to be for Martha, are my size”,
Oh
Oooooooooooh
“Ehe”, Anya grinned, Becky looked at her confused,”That's not how a lady smiles, Anna. But I guess you understood. Guess you have the honor to be the only peasant at the ball in two days.
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“So, this is the plan. You’re wearing this matching, less fancier dress than me, the sunglasses and those glassheels”, Becky was having her maids put make up on her ,”At midnight you have to leave though, if daddy finds out that in his eyes a ‘stranger, a commoner nonetheless’ has been guarding me during the ball then daddy won’t ever allow me to put my foot outside, got it?”Anya nodded.
Perfect. Now Anya can eat those magnificent macaroons. She wanted to stand up, thinking that she was ready, but Becky pushed her down ,”nuh uh”, she commanded, she snapped her fingers, demanding the maids attention ,”You might be my bodyguard tonight, but I won’t let you go… like this”, she pointed at Anya's face. She clapped her hands ,”Girls, give Anna an amazing make-over, but not better than mine!”She was immediately overwhelmed when the maids swarmed her face. Two of them were washing her face, two others were applying some products on her face ,”wha-”, Becky shushed her ,”One of the greatest powers of a woman is her beauty, or why do you think something like ‘pretty privilege exists?’” She proudly huffed ,”Now help me wear my dress. And I wanted to wear green so bad… this damn Queen, but if I don’t follow her order I might get executed”,
“PEOPLE GET EXECUTED FOR THAT???” Was Anya's first thought, the second was the pain of her hair being pulled by one of the maids. It took them around an hour until they put Anya in a matching blue dress-like suit. Its length was just up to the knees, light with a black tie, and a corset that was bulletproof and made her chest look bigger. not appropriate for a guest of a royal ball, but Anya was just a bodyguard. Her hair was open with two buns at each side, her bangs were styled with a hairdrier, her eyes were hidden beneath black sunglasses. Her Make-up was light, to appear ‘natural’. The maids made sure to make Anya look older than she actually was. Make-up was magic. Not even the cut on her cheek was visible anymore. Something that Anya made sure to hide from Becky and the Maids were the weapons. Underneath the dress she wore shorts. She didn’t put her weapons in pockets of the shorts, but literally inside her shorts, next to her skin. She had to be careful not to accidentally wound herself. Even if she could just lie that suddenly she got her period.
Becky in comparison looked like a princess. Everything, literally everything looked amazing at her. The material and colour, even colour tone of the dress was the same. Her dress was sleeveless, showing off her slender shoulders. The bodice was almost just diamonds that shaped flowers. The silhouette had multiple layers, the bottom was the blue that she had with Anya, the top was shiny with some more diamonds that matched the bodices ones with vines of diamonds. Her make-up eyeshadow was a light blue and her lashes were curled the perfect size. Her lips were shining and inviting. Her hair was put in a bun down with multiple diamond accessories. How did the maids manage to make her hair glittery?
Anya knew that this dress alone would cost three times her salary in her lifetime. No wonder why Becky was so confident in her looks. She looked stunning, even more royal than the Queen herself, but Anya wasn’t voicing this. She feared that the Queen might jump out of a corner and execute her.
“Miss Bodyguard, I entrust you my life in this ball, so don’t disappoint me”, Becky held her arm. Anya nodded “Macaroons, here I come”, she wrapped her arm around Becky's, intertwining them. Becky laughed ,”Really? That’s all you’re thinking about? Not even nervousness that we might get caught?”,
Yeah… Anya forgot about that. “Becky… Why are you even having me with you? I am sure you might get in more trouble than me if something goes wrong”, Becky laughed ,”Well, you saved me, and you’re weird in a good way! And even if the Queen wanted me and my bodyguard to wear the glass high heels, it's not my fault that they didn’t fit Martha but you”, she giggled.
“Becky… you’re amazing”, Anya smiled. Becky got flustered as she playfully slapped Anya's shoulder ,”Anna… I don’t swing that way, but I appreciate it”, the girls giggled as they entered the carriage.
𓋸
Damian sighed as look down into the huge area. Multiple women his age were there with either their parents or bodyguards, all had one common thing in mind. Impress the royal family to marry their son.
Damian didn’t like this at all. Not only did he not want to be married to someone based on their background, he didn’t even want to marry at all. The past few days he accompanied his mother, the Queen, around the preparations because she realised he’d been out too long everyday, fearing he might ride away.
“I wish that cute spy would have just ended me in the stall”, he looked bored down.
“Son”, the emotionless voice of his father appeared behind him. Damian turned around, to see his majesty, the King himself. ,”Go down, build connections for the family's benefit”, he demanded. Damian kneeled down ,”Yes father, as you wish”, he said emotionless. As a child he always wanted his fathers acknowledgement, but he realised quickly around the age of seven that he should rather try to have his father forget about him. Now that the monarchy is falling, his parents are trying their best to save it by marrying Damian off. He was born a pawn and will die as one. Royal blood doesn’t matter. Only the first child matters. As a child Damian used to be jealous of his older brother but with time he realised how soulless Demetrius became. Being born a royal sucked. He wished he was a commoner, not needing to worry about something as stupid as reputation or something, just having loving parents and finding the love of his life in a bizarre way, maybe while she was milking the cows? That’s way better than… This huge expensive ball.
Damian wasn’t a person here, he was a product. At least he had a tiny say too who he can suffer the rest of his life with.
As he walked down he politely greeted the guests, The women were shy, unlike their parents. Especially the mothers of them swarmed him, trying to convince him that their daughter was the best choice.
This night will be long.
𓋸
“Were in, operation macaroons is going smoothly”, Anya whispered to herself, Becky was confused but didn’t comment on it. “Oh my”, she looked around ,”Why are… “, she held hand in front of her mouth. Anya could see sparkles in her eyes. “Be-Miss Blackbell?”, she asked. Becky grabbed her hand pulled her in a corner ,”Anya…. I am not into middle aged men… But why is he… oh my”
…
Anya was confused, she looked in the direction where Becky was looking, her eyes widened.
He looked like Twilight. Who is this man and why does he look like Twilight? Does Nightfall know? Did she see him?
Something shifted in her. Starlight looked around, making sure there was nobody watching her. “Miss Blackbell”, her tone was professionell. Becky picked up this sudden change in her bodyguard and looked at her worried ,”Anna..?”Starlight sighed ,”How about we enjoy this ball?”Starlight will bug this man and find out who the hell is.
With that Starlight followed Becky Blackbell, making sure nothing happened to her. This actually saddened Becky. “If I wanted an actual bodyguard I would have asked Martha to come with me…”, she thought. Anya managed to pick it up, even with all the other thoughts and noises in the background.
For some reason she felt guilty. Becky was right. She can bug and follow the man later, Becky risked so much to smuggle her in, at least she can make it worthwhile.
Anya sighed, grabbing Becky's hand, running out to the wintergarden. “Anna?”Becky asked, Anya smiled at her ,”I am sorry Becky for not telling you earlier, but my name is actually Anya”, her gut wrenched. Should she have said it? She met Becky three days ago. Becky's eyes widened. Then she laughed ,”Is that why you suddenly got so serious earlier?”That surprised Anya. She isn't mad? ,”You’re not mad?”, Becky giggled ,”No, I am glad that it’s just that, and I thought something serious had happened. But why did you lie to me, when we met?”, Anya nervously scratched her head ,”I was afraid you might get suspicious of me after saving you with my broom”,
Suddenly Becky hugged her, “Anya” She whispered.
Anya blushed. She wasn’t used to physical affection.
“I never had a friend before you. I am glad you saved me. This is way better than being saved by a handsome man”Anya hugged her back.
“A friend.. Yeah, let’s stay that, even after the ball”, the two women hugged there for some minutes before they untangled ,”Now let’s get back. You did want to eat those macaroons right? I’ll pack some for home and let the lab run on them, so they can recreate them”, Becky gently smiled. She truly is an Angel in Anya’s eyes.
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The women entered the hall. The King held a speech and Anya went on autopilot. Yeah Yeah, marriage and royal stuff, WHERE ARE THE MACAROONS????
The Buffet opened half an hour later, after the King finally shut up. Classical music had been playing in the background on a stage. Even Anya recognised some of them. Becky and Anya trotted to the buffet. Anya finally was in front of the Macaroons. Her eyes sparkled and her saliva was accumulating in the mouth. “Hey Anna- wait no, Anya”,Becky tapped her shoulder, holding a glass with a deep red liquid ,”Wanna toast our friendship?”, she had such a childlike smile, one which pure joy, Anya’s macaroons could wait, she thought. She accepted the glass as they silently toasted. What Anya didn’t know was that wine was a drink you were supposed to savor, so she immediately drank it away.
Becky had her eyes closed as she took a sip. Thankfully she gulped the liquid down because as soon as she opened her eyes she had to cough. Anya was worried, immediately going to Becky,”is everything okay?”, Becky put both her hands on Anya’s shoulder,”An- Anya… You’re not supposed to drink the wine immediately away, slowly”,
oh.
Anya looked around. Thankfully not many saw her, but those who did stared.
,”Oop-”, Becky immediately put her hand in front of Anya’s mouth before she loudly blurped.
“Anya…. Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t have a single clue on mannerism?”Becky asked, panicked. Anya just looked guilty away, trying to suppress a laugh. Suddenly both women laughed out loud. They might have gotten attention now but none of them bothered.
But Anya had forgotten something incredibly important. A beautiful woman tapped Becky's shoulder ,”Miss Blackbell right?”both girls looked at her
"Oh no. oh fuck. I am cooked, served and eaten"
The woman was extremely pale, her hair was as white as fresh snow, her eyes were pitch black and her dress fitting to them. “You’ve got quite a young bodyguard there, Didn’t you have an older one?”, both were sweating. For different reasons. Becky was trying not to get caught, Starlight is trying to milder her upcoming punishment.
“Sh- She- is just temporarily my bodyguard, the other one has vacation”Becky nervously laughed.
“Is that so?”It felt so wrong seeing the false kindness on Nightfall.
“A-Anya, let’s leave! I really want to taste the cheesecake at the corner!”, Becky clapped her hands before pulling Anya with her.
If stares could kill, Starlight would be in hell’s hell.
When the women finally escaped the scary lady. They took a deep breath. “EEEEEEEEEEEK! WHo was this wOOman?”, Becky shrieked ,”My personal Grim reaper”, Starlight thought.
Anya shrieked as Becky suddenly took her in her arms ,”I would have passed out if it weren’t for you, Anya-chan!”Anya patted her.
What Anya couldn't hear was that her shrieking got someone's attention.
Crowded places are her Enemy.
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