Not A Fairy Tale

Chapter Three: Golden Child

Yui's heart hung in her throat as she was jostled by the crowds. Since everyone was blissfully unaware of Yui's high status, they did not pay a morsel of attention to the short blond teen. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that Keito was slowly following her and expertly weaving his way through the crowd. Overwhelmed by the churning masses, Yui headed toward the sides of the ballroom. Her shaky hands twisted together as she took a calming breath, still panicking from the encounter with the Vampire King. A soft chuckle caught her attention, causing her to turn around and settle her eyes on a blond-haired man that lay on one of the many velvet couches. Though his state of dress was formal, his posture gave no sort of indication that he was aware he was in a ball.

"Are you just going to gawk at me?" he asked, his eyes opening slightly to reveal icy blue eyes. "I know that I am a very attractive man, but I do not think that you should salivate over my appearance."

"I-I was doing no such thing," Yui replied, a light blush dusting her cheeks when he let out a chuckle.

"If you are going to continue to stare at me, you should pay me."

"Would you rather I leave you to your devices?"

"You can do whatever you like. However, I am quite sure that you are intrigued by me and will stay nonetheless." His lips pulled into a knowing smile as Yui averted her eyes away from his perceptive stare. "Ah, it seems like my suspicions were correct."

"A gentleman would not say that to a lady," Yui softly replied, keeping her eyes trained on the ornate wallpaper of the room.

"Well, you see... I am nothing close to a gentleman. Now, are you going to be amusing?"

"What do you mean by that?" Yui turned to look at him, tilting her head in utter confusion.

"There's no point in staying here if you only wish to stand there and look pretty."

"I'm standing here and talking to you, aren't I? Is that not entertaining to you?"

"Not really. The idea that someone as clueless as you could carry an intelligent conversation was interesting. However, the shock has faded away."

"I could leave, you know? I don't have to listen to your hateful words any longer," Yui exclaimed, offense flashing across her face as the man chuckled lowly.

"Go ahead, then..."

With that, Yui raised her foot before freezing, turning back around to peer at the young man's amused smile. He waved his hand in encouragement as he laid his head back against the velvet sofa.

"I'm waiting..." he mumbled, chuckling as pink spread across Yui's face. "Oh, look. You're blushing."

"You infuriate me!"

"The feeling is mutual."

A short silence passed over them before Yui finally asked, "Are you just going to lay there for the entire night?"

"Are you asking me to dance with you?" Before Yui could answer, he stood from the sofa and held out his gloved hand in a flourishing, graceful movement. "Very well. You don't need to beg me."

"I wasn't-" Yui's words died in her mouth when his hand closed around her dainty wrist, pulling her into the crowd of people. "Shouldn't I know your name before I dance with you?"

"Ah, is that a custom in the human realm?" he responded, beginning to dance with the flustered blond.

His words caused her legs to lock up in fright, the blood draining from her face. Was he a...vampire? No, she couldn't possibly be dancing with one-

There's no point in being scared of vampires. I am supposed to marry one, Yui tried to tell herself.

However, Yui's fear did not fade away as the man continued to dance with her, her body being molded by him.

"Are you okay? I can practically smell the fear that you are exuding," the man queried, his words snapping Yui back to reality.

"Oh, I am quite alright. I think that you misspoke. You must be referring to our kingdom and not the human world," Yui quickly answered, a bashful smile coating her face.

"No, I am not from the human world." A self-indulgent smile began to form on his lips as he enjoyed the barely-hidden terror that crossed the young woman's face once again. "Oh my... Does that mean that you hold some prejudiced views against the supernatural world?"

"N-no, I do not. I have heard of some cases of-"

"Does that not go against your belief system? Forgive me if I get this wrong as I am not of any faith, but aren't you supposed to love everyone? Are you truly doing that, Yui?" His eyes flicked down to the cross pendant that hung around her neck.

"How do you know who I am?!" the princess exclaimed, her mouth dropping open.

A dark chuckle passed over his lips as he said, "Oh, all of the Sons know who you are. We might not know at the very start, but it is very obvious. Now, I hope that you remember the name 'Shuu'. At the very end of the night, you will most certainly be screaming it out."

"What are you alluding to?" Yui steeled herself as she pushed herself out of his arms, surprised that he did not fight back in any sort of way. "I will not allow for myself to be disrespected in this way. I hope that you have a very good day, Mr. Shuu. However, I assure you that I will not be saying your name-"

With that, the blond girl turned on her heel and marched out of the crowds of people. Sadly, she did not look at where she was walking and ended up crashing into a much taller man, one that would surely mess with her in a similar fashion...