Destructive Enchantment

Prologue

"Does the red or the yellow look better?" Eliza barges in my room, holding two long, beautiful dresses.

"Which one will stand out more to the hot princes?" She poses, holding both dresses to her neck.

"I think red suits your skin tone," I beam at her.

"You're right. It's much more bold, too." She tosses both dresses on my bed before sighing dramatically and falling back onto the comforter.

Resting back on her hands, Eliza glances at me curiously. "What will you be wearing? It's your first ball in the Empire, you must put on a grand show!"

I laugh at her enthusiasm. Back home, we never had balls, as our kingdom was secluded in the middle of nowhere, thus there was no need to host such lavish, noble parties. Instead, we held an annual festival and the whole town was invited to participate, so it was much more casual.

"How about this one?" I question, holding up my dress. In comparison to Eliza's grand, red gown adorned with golden swirls and the finest rubies, my dress was much more simple. An ankle-length, white dress with a sweetheart neckline and short, puffy sleeves, I certainly did not want to stand out, especially given that I was a newcomer.

"I'll wear this over top," I state, pointing to the plain, thin coat.

"It suits you very well," Eliza hums. "But, you don't want to wear a long-sleeve gown? Won't you be cold?" she questions.

I look at her curiously. "That's what the coat is for. What is the weather in the Empire? Is it not like it is here?"

"Oh, heavens, no! It's almost always snowing in the Empire. Quite dreary and depressing if you ask me. If you thought Therasis was cold, you are in for a real shock when we get there," she dabbles.

I furrow my eyebrows at that. Eliza walks into my closet and pulls out a fluffy, white coat. "This is more like it."

It was beautiful, and quite frankly, reminds me of the bunnies that used to visit in the gardens back home. Although home was much, much warmer as we were further south, thus coats were simply unnecessary.

I hum. It was discreet enough to where I won't stand out. Being the center of attention was never my forte, and I want to blend into the walls as much as possible. "I'll wear that one over top then." I throw the thin coat back into the closet.

———

"You two be safe and have a fun time at the ball. Eliza, I expect you to behave yourself," King Therasis scolds his daughter.

"Yeah, yeah, father," she waves him off before stepping into the carriage.

The King pulls me aside. "(Y/n), please make sure she doesn't create trouble."

He hesitates. "And, if you are willing, open yourself up and make new friends. I know the past year has been hard, being in a foreign place and such, but I do want you to enjoy yourself." He gives me a fatherly smile.

I smile and bow at him. "I will."

That's right. It's already been almost a year since the day that changed my life, since my whole world turned upside down, forever. Everything I had known, stripped away from me, like light from a dying star.

Nevertheless, time continues moving, and I cannot wallow in sorrow, forever. I must stay optimistic and build my life from here-on-out, no matter what obstacles life throws at me.

"Aren't you excited?" Eliza questions me excitedly. The carriage begins to move.

I snap out of my thoughts at her voice and grin. "Of course. Maybe I will finally make some friends tonight."

Eliza huffs. "You have me, and I am basically worth a thousand friends."

I giggle at the seriousness in her words. Eliza Therasis, King and Queen Therasis' only daughter. She was the first, and if I'm being honest, only friend I made since that dreadful night. Had it not been for her, I would've felt so alone, but alas, I was truly grateful that King Therasis had a daughter around the same age as me. It made getting acclimated to a new environment much more tolerable.

"Of course, Eliza. But, the more the merrier, right?"

If I'm being honest, I was scared shitless. Being in a new Kingdom was already scary enough, let alone going to the Empire.

The Grand Ball, hosted every year by the Emperor of Kruos, was an event to strengthen connections between nobles. I've only ever heard stories of the Empire, and now, I've been given the luxury of actually attending an event there.

To put it in perspective: a nation, if large enough, becomes a Kingdom. When Kingdoms go to war with each other, the victorious side grows bigger. The reason why the Kruos Empire became so powerful is because the Emperor was able to conquer and merge so many neighboring nations, eventually gaining the title of an Empire.

So yeah, I'm scared shitless. The last thing I want to do is piss off an angry emperor and manage to cause a war. Call it PTSD, but I refuse to relive what I lived months ago.

"You're thinking about it, again." Eliza's voice snaps me back to reality.

"Caught me red-handed," I state back lamely.

She sighs. "We are going to have fun, (y/n). Nothing will happen."

I couldn't help but feel doubt bubbling in my stomach at that. I try to ease my nerves. 'Nothing will happen. Just don't draw any attention or make a fool of yourself.'

"Yeah, you know how I am anyways. I'll probably be eating the whole time." I joke.

Eliza laughs. "You should try and find a nice duke or even a prince! There is so much eye-candy out there," she ogles dreamily.

"Gross," I gag. The last thing on my mind is attracting a noble male, though, the odds were against me considering the majority of the attendees were young nobles shipped off by their parents to the ball in hopes that they will bring home a potential unity between two nations.

"Just try not to catch the eye of the emperor. I heard his heart is colder than the snow that falls upon the earth," she shudders.

Great. He sounds like a bundle of joy to be around. Just kidding, more like my main source of anxiety for the night.

"What does he look like again?" I question, wanting to make sure I steer clear of him for the night.

"He's a real looker, I must admit. For someone who is made of ice, he sure is hotter than the sun." Eliza gushes. "Though, I've only seen him from a distance. He's one of those 'look, don't touch' type of things," she rambles.

"Thanks, Eliza, that was very helpful," I deadpan.

"I don't kid! You'll know it when you see it. He stands out like a sore thumb, in the best way possible!" She cries out.

"So...my main goal is to avoid handsome men?" I scrunch my nose at that.

"Oh, hush. That's not what I meant, at all. You should try to find a handsome suitor. You are much too pretty for one of those goblin-looking men out there," she gags.

I bring my hand to my mouth to stifle my mouth from the giggles. "Eliza! Don't say that!"

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to put myself out there a little bit. After all, there will be so many people there. A foreign, nobody from a failed Kingdom like me, surely won't attract the eyes of the Emperor.

Right?

———

A/N: Wow! I'm alive! Welcome to my new story! I've finally decided to start writing again after having so many ideas that I just needed to write them down. This will be very rough around the edges and unedited, so please bear with me! I haven't written in so long, I am trying to get back into the hang of things!