He's an emperor. She's but a servant. He's a werewolf, She's but an...elf? Stephen Calipher, the King of Lycans, has ruled over the supernatural kingdom, Lyall, for decades, without a mate to call his own. Aurora Evel has a slightly unique feature, unfortunately, those features brought trouble to her doorstep. However, where there's a damsel in distress, there's a chance for a hero. But when she finds herself in the arms of the Alpha King Stephen, will her unique features be a blessing or a curse?
Chapter 1 Different
Aurora
A swift whoosh cut through the air as an arrow flew, hitting right in the bullseye of the multicolored round palate on the floor of the training ground.
The palate, a rather sorry excuse for an archery board, used to be just a moldy wood I had bruised my hands trying to carve into a circle. But it came out looking like a deformed hexagon shape. Whenever I took a look at this beat-up board, I was reminded of myself. Structurally unclear and pathetic looking.
In this realm, everyone had similar looks, similar eyes, ears, and mouths. I was considered different. I was a freak and an oddity. According to the creatures of this realm or humans as they call themselves, my features were similar to those of an elf, but not of an elf. Whatever I was, I certainly wasn't human to them.
With a flicker of irritation, I released another arrow, watching as it unsurprisingly landed right on the bullseye again, next to the one I had shot at first. Before I could release a third, a booming voice disrupted me. "Aurora!"
"Fuck," I cursed under my breath. I didn't have to see the source to know where it had come from.
"Aurora!!" the voice yelled again, even louder this time. It was Madame Stella, the head servant of the palace. With a swift move, I ducked out of sight and into the bushes, using the night's darkness to conceal my movements.
Let me introduce myself. I am Aurora and a palace servant. As a lowly servant in the Palace of Tasnim, my duty was strictly attending to chores and the royals, not practicing my archery skills like I was a soldier. If I get caught, I could be facing possible whip lashes and imprisonment in the dungeon. This is the reason I can only practice under the cover of the night, using that poor excuse for an archery board.
Hiding my bow and arrow beneath a pile of grass next to a boulder, I ran into the palace using the old wooden back door that led to the servant's quarters.
"You halfwitted child, where have you been?! The king returns tonight, and his chambers remain unattended. Are you single-handedly seeking death?!" Madame Stella's voice pierced the air and echoed through the hallway. For someone so short, she sure uses her voice to make up for the height difference.
I hung my head low to conceal my eye roll and the scowl on my face. But that was not a good idea, because the moment I lowered my head, Madame Stella used the proximity to land a slap on my right cheek. The pain that seared across my cheeks betrays how little and chubby her hands are. It would undoubtedly swell my cheeks by tomorrow morning.
Clenching my fists, I attempted to suppress my anger. If my past actions were anything to learn from, then acting upon my emotions wouldn't do me any good. My only options were to restrain myself and keep my head hung low.
Servants started to gather around us, relishing the little show that was going on. They always did. I was a spectacle at least once a day since I always got in trouble, and they would never miss a chance to watch me in pain and laugh about it later.
"No dinner for you tonight and no food for the entirety of tomorrow, either," Madame Stella spat, her tone severe. "Insubordinate, wench! Get to the king's bedroom and clean up before he returns! Go. Now!"
"Yes, madame," I replied like they had disciplined us to do.
"What's the use of her long ears if she can't listen to basic instructions?" One of the female servants snickered, her dry lips pulling back in a sneer.
"Oh, stop it." The other one said, picking at the dirt in her nails, "Her ears aren't even that long. I mean, if it was long enough, we would at least consider her an elf monster. But since it isn't pointy enough, we are forced to tolerate her as a human."
"What a farce. How did she get hired again?" a male servant scoffed.
Gritting my teeth, I trudged to the king's bedroom, while resisting the urge to bite back at them. What was the use? It wouldn't make much difference anyway. My feet dragged across the polished marble tiles on the floor with pure exhaustion and lanquidity.
How befitting, I look down at the tiles; black marble tiles...the same color as these people's hearts. I rounded the corner of the golden pillars leading to the royal chambers.
Elf monster, huh?
What would they know about elves when most of the citizens here haven't even seen one, let alone any other supernatural?
Oh! And how did I get hired? Let me see. Because of my looks... was it? Wait, no, I think it was because I had covered my ears with my hair, and so passed the servant's inspection. When they realized my abnormalities, it was already late. They had hired me. Since they were understaffed, they decided to keep me because I wouldn't run into royals anyway.
'Abnormalities' huh?
This was the human realm. It was called the Kingdom of Tasnim. And as the name suggests, it means paradise but its far from that. Unknown to the citizens of this realm, darkness lurked within the kingdom starting right here at the palace's satin hat, and I was about to face a terror worse than that.
Other books by Queenie May
More