Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

The Ball was set for the evening of that day, and even before the sun had fully set, many guests had already begun to arrive. It was customary to arrive before the official time, especially with so many people invited to the yearly grand ball.

The Aragonia royal palace was a massive and imposing building, its towers and spires rising high into the sky. Many guards in blue uniforms and polished armor, each bearing the Aragonia symbol, could be seen stationed at every corner of the palace grounds.

Guests' carriages rolled in through the majestic and mighty gates in long, glittering lines. The setting sun was hidden behind the clouds, yet many of the carriages still glimmered as though they carried sunlight themselves, the gold crafted into their frames shining proudly.

Voices, laughter, and chatter echoed across the courtyard as the guests emerged from their carriages, greeting those they were acquainted with while deliberately ignoring the ones they considered beneath them in social status.

Among those rolling through the gates was the Dawson carriage. Inside it, Lady Louisiana sat with her daughter, while her husband followed behind in another carriage. Eve fanned herself with a delicate white hand fan decorated with a red flowery design as she turned to her mother, glancing away from the window where she had been taking in the sight of other carriages rolling in beside theirs.

"Mama, this year's ball seems to have more guests than the other years. I wonder why," Eve muttered as she fanned herself, then used her free hand to tuck back the tendril of hair that kept blowing into her eyes.

Lady Louisiana, who had dressed exquisitely for the event and looked almost as young as her daughter, smiled with a knowing expression. "Of course, people are eager to know whether Aragonia will soon be creating their own weapons, just like Bimmerville, to fight and set boundaries with the bloodsuckers. For years, our people have looked forward to the day we can finally defeat those creatures, put everyone's mind to rest, and even reclaim the people who were taken and turned into slaves.

"Though the news would be limited only to the high-ranking nobles who will be present when your sister submits the report of the weapon to the king, many in Aragonia still want to be present in the ballroom, hoping the rumors and gossip will reach them. If everything goes well tonight, our family name will rise above any past rumors and scandals. And I only hope that girl takes my words to heart and apologizes to the Marquis daughter and that man, so that things will not become complicated for us with the royals," Lady Louisiana said, a grim look shadowing her face at the thought of her first daughter.

Eve listened to her mother, only truly delighted by the part where their family would rise to more power and have their name carved into history for being the ones to bring the weapons to Aragonia. She smiled, but her smile wavered as another thought struck her mind. She peered at her mother through long, spiky lashes as she asked softly,

"Are you sure you told her not to wear any of those dresses in the trunks, Mama? You promised you wouldn't let her outshine me today. It took quite a large amount to get this dress I am wearing, and I don't want to be insulted in public." Her lips pursed, and her brows drew into a worried frown as she waited for her mother's reply.

Lady Louisiana clicked her tongue. "How many times do I have to assure you, since this very morning, that Belle won't wear any of those things today? She knows better than to show up looking as though she owns the world at this event after what I told her. She will want, and need, people's forgiveness for her behavior. And no matter how much she might have changed, your sister has the sense to know that we are her only family. The moment the weapons are created and the vampires are eliminated, she has no place to go but back to us. And her reputation matters if she wants to remain in Aragonia again."

A smile returned to her younger daughter's face, and Lady Louisiana smiled as well as she reached out to fix the wayward pin in Eve's hair.

"You, my dear, will be the loveliest at the ball, just as you have always been. We might even find a more suitable match for you tonight. We have nothing to worry about. Besides, the king will never discover that we sent Belle to the vampires instead of you, because she has already brought back a good report that will protect our land and please His Majesty."

Eve's smile broadened into a grin at her mother's compliment and reassurance. She had long looked forward to this ball, hoping for the chance to get back at her sister for taking back the trunks of dresses she had so eagerly anticipated wearing and showing off as her own to her friends.

She had purposely told her mother to warn Belle not to wear any of those fancy dresses so that Belle could once again be put in her place here, just as she had always been for many years.

Not to mention that Eve had made friends with Lady Althea at the tea party yesterday, after realizing that the marquis's daughter was already planning to make Belle feel sorry for humiliating her husband-to-be in public. Eve had further added fuel by telling Lady Althea about her sister's past relationship with Mr. Marchant, explaining that jealousy had been the true reason behind Belle's actions toward the new Baron.

Lady Althea's face had burned with anger and humiliation as she exclaimed, "They had an affair in the past? No wonder, since the day Jamie broke his arm, he has become distant with me, and there has been a look in his eyes, as though he were haunted by memories of a past lover. So it was her?"

Eve had nodded quickly, eager to press the wound deeper, as she told the lady, "Yes. You know they almost married until my sister was sent to marry another. They loved each other fiercely and used to exchange love letters."

Lady Althea was known as a social butterfly in Aragonia, a beautiful petite young woman with a husky voice that many in society did not find appealing, for it often dropped so low that her words were difficult to catch. Yet, despite the murmurs about her voice, her beauty and high social standing ensured that people continued to seek her favor.

Eve would never have given the lady a second look or attempted to befriend her, since their own family stood higher in rank. But if Lady Althea could actually be used to get back at her sister, then Eve saw no reason not to make use of the opportunity.

With Eve's words at the tea party, Lady Althea's anger towards Belle had only deepened. "She humiliated me, sided with a bloodsucker's baby, and almost killed the man I am to marry because of her jealousy. I never paid much attention to her before, since she was far too plain for my type. But now, now she will pay for such humiliation."

Eve smiled to herself as she remembered the anger and determination she had glimpsed in Lady Althea's eyes. Then she turned to her mother inside the carriage now.

"Mama, by the way, what will happen if sister Belle goes out of hand like she did days ago with Mr. Marchant at this event? What would happen to her?" Eve asked innocently, her tone laced with curiosity.

Their carriage moved closer into the parking space as Lady Louisiana looked absently out of the window, catching sight of her friends' carriages stopping. She answered in a distracted but firm voice,

"With the rumors saying madness runs in our family, she will probably be tested by a doctor the king will assign. And once it is announced that she is ill in the head, she will be sent away to a place where her kind should be and locked away forever. But we don't want that. It will only further ruin our family name, and people will begin to question the sanity of the rest of us as well. It is best if things go smoothly, just as planned."

Eve nodded her head as though understanding. "I see."