Jewel’s Secret ..Continued (Part 4)

Continued

Didn’t get to read Part 1, 2, 3???

Mr. Fiancé left before dinner, giving excuses about the ball and whatnot. An hour before the ball was supposed to start, I kept replaying my plan in my mind. Get him alone in a room and drain his blood. Sounds pretty easy, right? I just hope it is.
It had been ages since I attended a ball. I stopped going to such showy events because of my lack of social skills and my hunger. If I wasn’t careful or in control, I could eat five men in one night. Yikes! I know. That’s why I normally let Royce set up my meetings. He did it safely and secretly. But, Royce wasn’t going to help me this time. This time I was on my own.

I googled formal princess dresses and figured out this weird costume called a ball gown is kind of like a uniform for any princess during such an event. I knew I had no ball gowns in my closet so I decided to borrow one from my mom. I went into her room and took out a sparkly periwinkle halter neck ball gown. The ball gown was still in pristine condition. Considering that my mother hadn’t gone shopping in ages, the dress must be super old. But, it looked appealing nonetheless.

I walked into the ball with a determined look on my face. I spotted the prince at the refreshments table. He wasn’t alone. Princess Celia was standing beside him, whispering something in his ear. He looked unimpressed. The look on his face was so aloof that it was hard to understand why the two were engaged. I mean when the love of your life is saying something to you, shouldn’t you have a different emotion? Like a smitten or whipped one? God! I sound like a sappy hopeless romantic! I need to lay off the romance novels.

I watched the couple until Celia was dragged away by one of her girlfriends. Alone, he looked unsure and timid. But if Royce had done his research correctly, this guy was the farthest thing to a pushover. A waiter dressed in a black suit handed me a merlot and I tossed it back, in one gulp.
I normally don’t drink but I needed confidence and bluntness on my side if I was going to approach this handsome man. I took baby steps until I reached my destination, just a few breaths away from the prince. When his eyes met mine, his emotions turned back on. Or maybe it’s the merlot playing tricks on me.

“I didn’t expect you to come.” He said, his voice low and husky.
“I’m surprised you even remember me.” My eyebrows lifted in disbelief.
His face remained intimidatingly impassive. He signaled towards the nearest item of furniture and we sat in front of each other, only an oval-shaped glass table with red velvet table cloth separating us.
He relaxed and leaned an elbow on the table, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Even though I was aware of the other guests for some reason I could not concentrate anywhere but his face. I mean sure, he was handsome but still, there was certainly something enticing about him that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Not a good sign. Nobody gets attracted to their food.
He finally spoke up.

“You really shouldn’t be here. If I were you, I would leave as soon as possible.”
“Why? You don’t like my company?” I gave him a teasing look but his facial features were hard, indicating no sign of amusement. What did Celia whisper in his ear?
“Celia hasn’t seen you yet. You can still escape.” His voice was so low I had to lean over the table to hear him. When I didn’t reply, he continued.

“Celia is sure you had something to do with the disappearance of Prince Calvin. If she finds you, she will not let you just walk out of the ballroom.” And just like that, a dark cloud rolled over our table and burst, drenching me in cold, wet misery. I was so confused.
“She doesn’t have any evidence. She can’t possible keep me here if-”“She read Calvin’s diary. He had an ‘interest’ in you. It seems as if he knew a lot about you before actually meeting you. He mentioned that you were a vampire who drinks the blood of young men.”
I couldn’t feel my extremities. My heartbeat escalated and my complexion suddenly paled. No wonder! When I was about to drain Calvin’s blood, he smiled confidently. As if he knew I was going to do that.

I closed my eyes and tried to gather my thoughts. Royce was right. This was a really bad idea. And worse! Mr. Fiancé already knew about my curse. There was no way he would let me close to him. This plan was not foolproof. I had gone out into the battlefield without a gun. Where was Royce when you needed him?

When I opened my eyes, I found Mr. Fiancé forcing his eyes into mine. Maybe even assessing me. Or perhaps trying to read my mind. I almost said, “Stop reading my mind Edward!” But, good thing I didn’t. I took a deep breath and said calmly, “Will you help me distract Celia?”
Relief glinted in his eyes as joy tugged at his lips, like two invisible children playing tug of war. His smile was very peculiar.

“How can I say no to such a pretty girl?” I don’t know why but his reply made me feel even more perturbed. I wanted to ask him why he was helping me. Wasn’t he supposed to be on his fiancée’s side? None of this made any sense!
We stood up together and he tugged on my left arm. I followed him quietly until we reached a big, black door at the far end of the ballroom. It was hidden by a gigantic coral-printed curtain. As soon as I stepped inside, I knew it was a trap.
The door behind me closed and I saw Princess Celia in front of me, her eyes sparkling and her smile wide and beaming.

“Thank you for joining us, princess Jewel.” She said with a hint of victory in her voice.