Heart of Darkness

[5 months earlier]

Angelica and her father were amongst the first to arrive at the King's ball. Her father, who had quickly turned into the new King's loyal servant, wanted to take every chance to impress him. Getting a higher military rank didn't seem to appease his greed, so he saw to it that they arrived notably early.

Walking with her arm through his, her father led her inside the party hall. Angelica was used to attending these parties because her father would force her to go with him as soon as she came of age to get married. He would introduce her to wealthy, powerful men and let them court her. All of his efforts were in vain because she would deny all of them.

Tonight would probably be the same. The nagging only got worse the older she got. She was approaching her twenties, and she was neither married nor engaged.

"Do you want to die alone?" her father would yell. "You are lucky. If you weren't as beautiful as your mother, no one would notice you at your age."

He was right. Her appearance was working in her favor, or disfavor. She wasn't sure yet. She was a woman who caught every male's attention as soon as she walked into a room. With her unblemished porcelain skin, compelling blue eyes, and long, wavy, red hair that resembled the sunset, she stood out from the rest of the crowd. People would stare, either in awe or envy.

Her father, now chief commander of the royal army, would make sure her good looks came to use. He would buy her the nicest dresses and jewelry and tell her handmaiden to take good care of her. Tonight she was wearing a new expensive dress that he bought for her and a matching necklace. She wondered whom he would introduce her to this evening since he spent so much money on her. She would have to wait and see.

The party hall was soon getting filled with more guests and music and dance started. A few guests came by to congratulate her father on his promotion. The males would try to charm her with compliments as they introduced themselves, but strangely, her father would give them a disapproving smile if they tried anything else.

If Angelica would guess, then her father had someone in mind for her that he was waiting to introduce. She wondered who she would have to scare off this time. Hopefully, it wouldn't be someone as clingy as Sir Shaw. That man had still not given up on her, despite her many denials.

Looking around the hall, she was happy he wasn't there and that her friends finally arrived at the party so she could leave her father's side.

Angelica excused herself and left her father talking to other guests. She went to her friends, who had gathered in a corner and chatted animatedly. They seemed excited about something.

"Good evening," Angelica greeted.

She had four friends whom she knew since childhood. Veronica and Vesna were twin sisters and daughters of a wealthy proprietor. Both had outgoing personalities and could easily switch from being cheerful to scornful.

Then there was Natasha, a beauty with brains. She was a cunning lady, just like her father, a man who had climbed the hierarchy ladder very fast, and now she wanted to climb even further through marriage.

Lastly, there was Hilde, the youngest but most ambitious. Her father was a courtier, and she wanted to become a Queen.

She had tried to catch the eye of the Prince, but both the Prince and the previous King died a month ago from an illness. Some said it was poison; that they had been given small amounts of poison for a long time to make it seem like an illness. Even though Angelica wasn't the kind to believe in rumors, the sudden death was suspicious.

The King's nephew was now crowned as the new King. They said he was young and handsome, and didn't have a queen yet. Hilde's previously crushed dreams could now become true. She was very excited and Angelica could see that she had spent hours getting prepared to impress.

"Oh, here you are," Veronica cheered. "Look," she said, reaching her hand out. On her ring finger, there was an emerald ring. "I am engaged. Guess who?" she prompted with a big smile.

Engaged?

Her friend had told her nothing about meeting a man previous to this, but then Angelica knew that her friends were meeting without her. She was slowly getting excluded from the friendship circle.

"Congratulations! Who?" Angelica asked curiously.

"Lord Allen." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Angelica tried to think of all the Lords she knew, but she only remembered a few names. Unlike her friends, she wasn't interested in men or marriage.

From Veronica's expression, she could tell that Lord Allen was a man with wealth and power. It was what all her friends desired in a man, and they competed to find the man with the highest social status.

Hilde was going for the crown and she was eagerly waiting for the new King's arrival.

Natasha fanned herself with an uninterested expression. Angelica sensed jealousy in the air. Since they all came of age to get married, her friends were no longer fun to be around.

"I am happy for you," Angelica told Veronica.

Suddenly the sound of trumpets came from the entrance, and the King's arrival was announced. Abruptly the room became quiet, and everyone's gazes traveled to the entrance.

Angelica and her friends were also curious to see the new King. Their eyes were glued to the door.

Soon, a young man walked in and the whole atmosphere in the room changed. Upon seeing him, eyes widened, mouths fell open, and breaths hitched.

Despite the fact that she could only see one side of his face, she was mesmerized. His beauty was unearthly and unlike anything she had seen before. He had an aura that commanded attention and respect, but also awakened fear and excitement.

He walked with such elegance, as if there was music playing in the background. His long, dark hair cascaded down his back and a golden crown sat on top of his head. His red velvety royal robe was adorned with golden embroideries and trailed behind him on the floor. Six men followed him inside, each of them equally beautiful from the side.

Angelica and her friends were confused. They didn't know who to look at and admire, but the confusion ended quickly when the King went to sit on his throne and the other men turned, revealing their entire faces.

Now it was only one face that caught everyone's attention. The man with a half-deformed face.