The Massacre 1

The Day of the Ball arrived alongside many guests from all over the kingdom. The Princess would be holding a dinner for all prominent members of the Kingdom, trying to raise support for the Future project she was working on.

The princess had been working hard on a project that would see to it that children are protected all around the kingdom and even abroad. She had been a vocal speaker against any form of child slavery or child abuse. She had hoped to find people who would share her views and join her course to make sure that the children all over the Kingdom were all taken care of, especially the orphans and those in the slums. There were phases to be worked on, but now she was looking for more support to build more orphanages all over the Kingdom, something she couldn't do alone. Although not everyone shared her views on the total abolishment of slavery and protecting the children, she was still able to gather a large guest list to attend the dinner - or at least the red Queen had threatened to ban anyone that refused to come from any social gathering involving the royals.

Lady Irene and some other staff of the orphanage had been preparing for this day for a long time and had made sure they had prepared the children well for the ball. Since there were children of all ages in the orphanage, a selected few had been chosen to attend the party while the others would be resting in their dorms.

By the time it was late in the evening, the venue had been lit with various colors of light crystals and adorned with the best flowers in the entire Kingdom. Because of the kids' security was reduced to not scare them, but it was still very tight, and no one could even come close without an invitation or proper reason. Lady Irene and the members of the orphanage staff welcomed all the guests as they all made their way to the event. They were all in gorgeous uniforms that made them both presentable and alluring to the eyes of those that saw them. The children present were also not left out, each wearing a beautiful dress or suit.

Various guests from different parts of the Kingdom had come to the Capital at the Princess's request to see the good work she was doing and gather more support. It was safe to say that this particular gathering was one that was of most importance to Princess Lena.

As the guests began to arrive, everyone started talking to each other. The lesser noble class were using the privilege to curry favor from the more powerful. Some were talking to either long-time friends, business partners, or even enemies got the chance to make each other feel miserable. As everything went on, the master of ceremony kept on mentioning the names and class of people that arrived at the Ball. Whenever a notable name was mentioned, the people grew silent and looked at the guests; otherwise, they continued their conversation.

"Lord Taran Of Legacy House Balor and his wife Gloria Balor," the master of ceremony announced as a young good-looking man in his late twenties walked in with his pregnant wife. Everyone looked at them, and they could not help but glare in jealousy. The couple were not only beautiful; their family would soon be blessed with a child. Lord Taran and Gloria Balor both smiled as they stepped inside the Ballroom, greeted with both sincere and insincere smiles. Since this was not their first rodeo, they were not moved by everyone that came to congratulate them. They just smiled and joined the party.

A few minutes later, the Master of Ceremony announced again.

"Lady Masha of House Marlok and her Fiance Captain Ira Donis."

Masha Marlok was a dark-skinned petit woman. She wore a silver dress that barely got to her knees, and the neckline came down towards her chest, exposing part of her bosom. She had short dark hair, but that didn't make her less pretty. Her smile as she walked in with her fiance brought life to the room, making everyone's presence just want to stare at her smile all day. Beside her was another young man wearing a military uniform with three military insignias signifying the rank of a captain hanging on his shoulder. On his chest were three medals shining bright, showcasing his achievements in the military. The couple immediately walked in and were first greeted by the Balors that came in earlier.

"Taran, it's lovely seeing you here," Masha was the first to speak.

"H- Hi Masha, It's lovely seeing you too. I didn't know you were engaged," Taran said, looking at Masha from head to toe, unable to get enough of what he was seeing.

"Well, Ira just proposed a few days ago," Masha said, holding on to Ira's arm.

"And you are also going to be a father soon," Masha said.

"Oh yes, we are going to be parents soon," Gloria said this time.

"I just know this baby is going to be a blessing in our lives, just like his father was in mine," Gloria said with a hint of malice in her voice.

She felt Masha purposely came to greet her husband. After all, there were other guests around. 'Why's she flaunting those dead oranges at my husband?' She thought.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Masha spoke again.

"Well, Ira and I will be married soon, so who knows, maybe one day we'll be as lucky as you two," Masha said.

"Hmm. Although I doubt that, but I still wish you the best Lady Masha," Gloria said.

"Honey, please let's sit; my legs are killing me," Gloria turned to Taran, who led her away. Everyone stared at them for a while, and different whispers began to flow all around.

'Didn't they use to date,' someone said.

'They did, but it seems something happened, and they separated,' another said.

'Obviously, it seems there's still some lingering feelings there. Did you see how Lord Taran was staring at Lady Masha?'

'Lady Gloria is right to be cautious of her.'

'I heard the child she's carrying is not his....'

The gossip went on and on till another notable family arrived.