At the same time Princess Vivian was being lead into a different dressing room by her personal maid, Sigrid.
"Welcome back your highness." Sigrid says as she bows respectfully. "How was the parade and the fights?"
Vivian takes off her veil, revealing her tired expression to Sigrid.
"The parade was boring and the fights were so-so. I'm just ready to get this birthday over with."
"Come on your highness, it's your birthday. You only get so many of them."
"That's true but the amount of importance that my mother and father put into it is really starting to annoy me. It feels like an obligation more than anything else. I didn't want all those nobles tagging along with my family, all I wanted was to go watch the fights as a family."
Sigrid nods slowly.
"While I could pretend to understand that would come off as mockery rather than sympathy."
Vivian sighs and rests her head on the table.
"I know Sigrid. We need to get ready for the party so let's get this over with already."
"Right away my lady."
Princess Vivian sits up straight and looks at herself in the mirror. Her hair is washed and brushed delicately to perfection, her face is given a light amount of makeup since it's tradition for the female members of the royal family to wear veils while out in public. After letting the maids apply her make-up, she puts on a white dress that has been prepared for her. Once she finishes putting on her outfit, the maids begin to pin her hair into a bun. The princess lets out a satisfied sigh when the maid finishes.
"You look perfect my lady."
"Thanks Sigrid, now can we leave already?"
"The guests are still arriving so your entrance won't be for at least another hour or so."
"Is that so? Well, no point waiting around here let's go check up on Laura?"
"Laura? Who's that?"
"The demon girl, her name is Laura."
"Ah, yes I heard about her. My lady I am curious as to why you purchased a demon of all things."
Vivian thinks for a second.
"I guess it was just a whim of mine."
"Pardon me but you bought a demon on a whim?"
"Let's just leave it at that for now."
"Very well my lady."
The two of them proceed down the halls towards Laura's dressing room. When they arrive they find Laura still in a simple outfit staring intently at all the dresses.
"Miss Laura please pick one to wear already." The maid assisting Laura is pleading with her to pick a dress to wear already since the party is starting soon.
Laura's breathing is heavy and her eyes are bloodshot.
"They're all so expensive and fancy. Picking one is really hard..."
Her voice trails off into silence as her mind starts wandering.
"Please pick one of the dresses to wear already. Come on, I'm begging you!"
Laura shakes her head and turns her attention back to the dresses once again. As if hypnotized by them she continues to stare at them.
"Lady Laura! Please choose a dress to wear already!"
Princess Vivian and Sigrid stare at this little comedy act, amused.
"Laura."
When Princess Vivian calls out to her Laura turns around with wide open eyes, finally coming out of her trance. Her maid, finally aware of Princess Vivian's presence bows respectfully.
"Terribly sorry your highness she's having trouble choosing."
Laura however does not bow and looks rather annoyed.
"What is it?"
Laura's maid and Sigrid are both shocked by Laura's curt attitude towards Vivian. However Vivian just smiles behind her veil. Vivian walks over to the racks of dresses, pulls one off and hands it to Laura. A simple black party dress that looks to be her size.
"How long have you been staring at all these dresses?"
"I wasn't counting."
Vivian smiles at her. "Well now that you have one to wear please allow the maids to put it on you. The party is about to start so you'll need to be there."
"Why do I even need to be there?"
"Everyone at this party knows I purchased a demon and they're all excited to catch a glimpse of you."
Laura hangs her head. "As I thought I'm just some decoration to parade around to the nobles like some rare animal. Fine then."
Laura then hands the dress to the maid who proceeds to dress her up. Once she gets dressed, Laura gives her new outfit a once over. It's a simple black dress that provides a perfect contrast to her blue and red heterochromatic eyes.
"It looks wonderful Miss Laura."
Once the maids finish dressing her, they turn their attention to Princess Vivian.
"It does look nice, since a lot of people will be looking at you, you need to stand out and not in a bad way."
Laura sighs at that statement. "Fine let's just get this over with. You'd better not be expecting me to know any kind of proper manners though."
Vivian chuckles. "Of course not."
With that Vivian and Sigrid leave. After the two leave the maids let out a sigh of relief.
"Why are you talking to Princess Vivian like that Miss Laura? If she gets mad at you then you might get punished."
"I don't even want to be here in the first place, why should I show deference to her when I don't even care?"
"B-but Miss Laura she's the princess of the kingdom you should-"
"The only reason I'm here is because she bought me against my will, as far as I'm concerned I hate her and her family too."
"But Miss Laura, you can't say that!"
"Why not? What do I care about these people anyway?"
The maids look at each other in dismay.
"Miss Laura, just please be on your best behavior."
As the guests start to flood into the party venue Laura remains silent. She doesn't move from where she's standing. Many important looking people are here to celebrate Princess Vivian's birthday but a good number are also curious to see the demon she purchased. Despite Laura having been a relatively well known commodity from the colosseum a lot of people want to see her in person. As such Laura finds herself a constant source of gossip and curiosity amongst the crowd. Standing in a corner trying to be as invisible as possible Laura thinks to herself.
"This is humiliating. It's like I'm some godforsaken zoo animal."
While the guests do look at Laura and talk about her none try to approach her. They all seem to be wary of her because she's a demon. After sighing for the umpteenth time that night all the lights in the venue go out and a spotlight is cast upon a set of doors at the top of a staircase.
"Everyone, please turn your attention to the guests of honor for tonight."
All the chatter in the venue ceases and all the people who were staring at Laura turn to the stairs. Slowly and deliberately Princess Vivian and the rest of her family are introduced. King Thomas Dawn, Queen Marie Dawn, Princess Elena Dawn and Prince Victor Dawn all escort Princess Vivian, the guest of honor down the stairs to join the party. Every one of the guest clap and say their happy birthday wishes to Vivian. Laura just stands there, unmoving and uncaring.
"And now we will have our first dance of the evening."
Vivian's first dance is with her father as the king leads his daughter onto the dance floor. All the attendees watch them dance as they slowly sway back and forth. When the song ends the king returns to Vivian and the crowd claps.
For Vivian's second dance a young man comes forward and takes her hand. He then leads her to the center of the room where everyone watches him spin her around. Her hair flutters along with her as he spins her around in a superb performance, almost like it was practiced.
With Vivian's second dance completed every one of the guests is now free to dance. With the party in full swing now many of the guests take the opportunity to dance with their partners. While the entire event has gone on for hours, Laura is still standing in the same spot. She's ignored every single person in attendance and no one even approaches her.
She sees Princess Vivian going around mingling with many of the guests and enjoying herself. The other members of the royal family are also doing the same.
"I'm completely out of my element here." She mumbles to herself. "Hm?"
Looking up she notices a person staring intently at her. It's the man Princess Vivian danced with after she danced with her father. As she stares back at him, the man starts walking towards her.
"Excuse me miss but I couldn't help noticing that you're standing alone in a corner. Would you mind if I asked you to dance?"
The man is tall with brown hair that reaches down to his shoulders. He's wearing what seems to be a very expensive white suit.
This is the guy who danced with Princess Vivian so he must be important.
"I will respectfully decline your offer."
The man looks taken aback for a second but recovers quickly.
"Ah I see, might I ask why?"
"I apologize but I've never danced in my life so I'd rather not embarrass you in front of everyone here."
Laura comes up with a respectful excuse in order to not antagonize the man.
"I see, so that's why."
Laura nods.
"Why are you over here all by yourself?"
"Well, I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. If you could please leave me alone I'd appreciate it."
He smiles.
"Of course, I'll be going now."
After nodding his head the man turns around and walks away. Feeling confused, Laura goes back to people watching.
GRRROWL
Laura's stomach growls. She hasn't eaten anything since before the fights today. Looking at her empty stomach she wonders whether or not she should eat. Sure she's hungry but getting food would involve moving from her spot and getting it herself. She really doesn't want to join the party any more than she has too but her stomach continues to growl.
"Ugh, what should I do? Eat or stay here?"
The food looks delicious but is she even allowed to have any? She's essentially just a decoration for this party. Would the other guests yell at her if she tried to get some food? She doesn't know.
"What am I even doing here?"
It's been three hours since the party started but Laura still hasn't moved an inch. She's tired, hungry and sick of it already.
"U-um, excuse me?"
A voice calls out to her. Turning to her side she sees a girl in a sky blue dress wearing a veil, holding a plate of food. It's Princess Elena.
"Um, Laura you must be hungry right? I brought you a plate of food."
Laura blinks in disbelief that a princess would bring her food. From what she knows Elena isn't even 10 years old yet, yet she's bringing her food?
"Thank you your highness Elena."
The food on the plate is just a few sandwiches but it's more than enough for Laura. After grabbing the sandwich she begins eating.
"Wow these are really good! Thank you so much!"
Elena beams at Laura.
"You're welcome, I hope you enjoy."
Elena scampers off leaving Laura alone again. She continues to stand there for the remainder of the party.
After all the guests had left Laura finally moves from her spot in the corner. She walks to where Vivian and the other members of the royal family are seeing off their guests.
"Ah Laura, how long did you stay there for?"
Vivian says looking at Laura.
"The whole party, a decoration can't move now can it?"
Vivian chuckles at what she assumes is a joke.
"Anyway we're going to have Sigrid show you to your room so please go get some rest."
Sigrid bows.
"Please follow me Miss Laura. Your room will be right next to Princess Vivian's."
"Wait what?"
"Your room will be right next to Princess Vivian's."
Laura cocks her head to the side.
"What's the matter Laura?" Vivian asks.
"I was expecting to be put into the servants quarters or something."
"Nonsense, you're my precious little demon. Of course you'd have a room close to mine."
"Precious little demon?"
Laura is confused.
Sigrid grabs her arm and tries to pull her out of the room but Laura stays rooted to the spot, unmoving.
"Stubborn little demon is more like it."
At the same time Princess Vivian was being lead into a different dressing room by her personal maid, Sigrid.
"Welcome back your highness." Sigrid says as she bows respectfully. "How was the parade and the fights?"
Vivian takes off her veil, revealing her tired expression to Sigrid.
"The parade was boring and the fights were so-so. I'm just ready to get this birthday over with."
"Come on your highness, it's your birthday. You only get so many of them."
"That's true but the amount of importance that my mother and father put into it is really starting to annoy me. It feels like an obligation more than anything else. I didn't want all those nobles tagging along with my family, all I wanted was to go watch the fights as a family."
Sigrid nods slowly.
"While I could pretend to understand that would come off as mockery rather than sympathy."
Vivian sighs and rests her head on the table.
"I know Sigrid. We need to get ready for the party so let's get this over with already."
"Right away my lady."
Princess Vivian sits up straight and looks at herself in the mirror. Her hair is washed and brushed delicately to perfection, her face is given a light amount of makeup since it's tradition for the female members of the royal family to wear veils while out in public. After letting the maids apply her make-up, she puts on a white dress that has been prepared for her. Once she finishes putting on her outfit, the maids begin to pin her hair into a bun. The princess lets out a satisfied sigh when the maid finishes.
"You look perfect my lady."
"Thanks Sigrid, now can we leave already?"
"The guests are still arriving so your entrance won't be for at least another hour or so."
"Is that so? Well, no point waiting around here let's go check up on Laura?"
"Laura? Who's that?"
"The demon girl, her name is Laura."
"Ah, yes I heard about her. My lady I am curious as to why you purchased a demon of all things."
Vivian thinks for a second.
"I guess it was just a whim of mine."
"Pardon me but you bought a demon on a whim?"
"Let's just leave it at that for now."
"Very well my lady."
The two of them proceed down the halls towards Laura's dressing room. When they arrive they find Laura still in a simple outfit staring intently at all the dresses.
"Miss Laura please pick one to wear already." The maid assisting Laura is pleading with her to pick a dress to wear already since the party is starting soon.
Laura's breathing is heavy and her eyes are bloodshot.
"They're all so expensive and fancy. Picking one is really hard..."
Her voice trails off into silence as her mind starts wandering.
"Please pick one of the dresses to wear already. Come on, I'm begging you!"
Laura shakes her head and turns her attention back to the dresses once again. As if hypnotized by them she continues to stare at them.
"Lady Laura! Please choose a dress to wear already!"
Princess Vivian and Sigrid stare at this little comedy act, amused.
"Laura."
When Princess Vivian calls out to her Laura turns around with wide open eyes, finally coming out of her trance. Her maid, finally aware of Princess Vivian's presence bows respectfully.
"Terribly sorry your highness she's having trouble choosing."
Laura however does not bow and looks rather annoyed.
"What is it?"
Laura's maid and Sigrid are both shocked by Laura's curt attitude towards Vivian. However Vivian just smiles behind her veil. Vivian walks over to the racks of dresses, pulls one off and hands it to Laura. A simple black party dress that looks to be her size.
"How long have you been staring at all these dresses?"
"I wasn't counting."
Vivian smiles at her. "Well now that you have one to wear please allow the maids to put it on you. The party is about to start so you'll need to be there."
"Why do I even need to be there?"
"Everyone at this party knows I purchased a demon and they're all excited to catch a glimpse of you."
Laura hangs her head. "As I thought I'm just some decoration to parade around to the nobles like some rare animal. Fine then."
Laura then hands the dress to the maid who proceeds to dress her up. Once she gets dressed, Laura gives her new outfit a once over. It's a simple black dress that provides a perfect contrast to her blue and red heterochromatic eyes.
"It looks wonderful Miss Laura."
Once the maids finish dressing her, they turn their attention to Princess Vivian.
"It does look nice, since a lot of people will be looking at you, you need to stand out and not in a bad way."
Laura sighs at that statement. "Fine let's just get this over with. You'd better not be expecting me to know any kind of proper manners though."
Vivian chuckles. "Of course not."
With that Vivian and Sigrid leave. After the two leave the maids let out a sigh of relief.
"Why are you talking to Princess Vivian like that Miss Laura? If she gets mad at you then you might get punished."
"I don't even want to be here in the first place, why should I show deference to her when I don't even care?"
"B-but Miss Laura she's the princess of the kingdom you should-"
"The only reason I'm here is because she bought me against my will, as far as I'm concerned I hate her and her family too."
"But Miss Laura, you can't say that!"
"Why not? What do I care about these people anyway?"
The maids look at each other in dismay.
"Miss Laura, just please be on your best behavior."
As the guests start to flood into the party venue Laura remains silent. She doesn't move from where she's standing. Many important looking people are here to celebrate Princess Vivian's birthday but a good number are also curious to see the demon she purchased. Despite Laura having been a relatively well known commodity from the colosseum a lot of people want to see her in person. As such Laura finds herself a constant source of gossip and curiosity amongst the crowd. Standing in a corner trying to be as invisible as possible Laura thinks to herself.
"This is humiliating. It's like I'm some godforsaken zoo animal."
While the guests do look at Laura and talk about her none try to approach her. They all seem to be wary of her because she's a demon. After sighing for the umpteenth time that night all the lights in the venue go out and a spotlight is cast upon a set of doors at the top of a staircase.
"Everyone, please turn your attention to the guests of honor for tonight."
All the chatter in the venue ceases and all the people who were staring at Laura turn to the stairs. Slowly and deliberately Princess Vivian and the rest of her family are introduced. King Thomas Dawn, Queen Marie Dawn, Princess Elena Dawn and Prince Victor Dawn all escort Princess Vivian, the guest of honor down the stairs to join the party. Every one of the guest clap and say their happy birthday wishes to Vivian. Laura just stands there, unmoving and uncaring.
"And now we will have our first dance of the evening."
Vivian's first dance is with her father as the king leads his daughter onto the dance floor. All the attendees watch them dance as they slowly sway back and forth. When the song ends the king returns to Vivian and the crowd claps.
For Vivian's second dance a young man comes forward and takes her hand. He then leads her to the center of the room where everyone watches him spin her around. Her hair flutters along with her as he spins her around in a superb performance, almost like it was practiced.
With Vivian's second dance completed every one of the guests is now free to dance. With the party in full swing now many of the guests take the opportunity to dance with their partners. While the entire event has gone on for hours, Laura is still standing in the same spot. She's ignored every single person in attendance and no one even approaches her.
She sees Princess Vivian going around mingling with many of the guests and enjoying herself. The other members of the royal family are also doing the same.
"I'm completely out of my element here." She mumbles to herself. "Hm?"
Looking up she notices a person staring intently at her. It's the man Princess Vivian danced with after she danced with her father. As she stares back at him, the man starts walking towards her.
"Excuse me miss but I couldn't help noticing that you're standing alone in a corner. Would you mind if I asked you to dance?"
The man is tall with brown hair that reaches down to his shoulders. He's wearing what seems to be a very expensive white suit.
This is the guy who danced with Princess Vivian so he must be important.
"I will respectfully decline your offer."
The man looks taken aback for a second but recovers quickly.
"Ah I see, might I ask why?"
"I apologize but I've never danced in my life so I'd rather not embarrass you in front of everyone here."
Laura comes up with a respectful excuse in order to not antagonize the man.
"I see, so that's why."
Laura nods.
"Why are you over here all by yourself?"
"Well, I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. If you could please leave me alone I'd appreciate it."
He smiles.
"Of course, I'll be going now."
After nodding his head the man turns around and walks away. Feeling confused, Laura goes back to people watching.
GRRROWL
Laura's stomach growls. She hasn't eaten anything since before the fights today. Looking at her empty stomach she wonders whether or not she should eat. Sure she's hungry but getting food would involve moving from her spot and getting it herself. She really doesn't want to join the party any more than she has too but her stomach continues to growl.
"Ugh, what should I do? Eat or stay here?"
The food looks delicious but is she even allowed to have any? She's essentially just a decoration for this party. Would the other guests yell at her if she tried to get some food? She doesn't know.
"What am I even doing here?"
It's been three hours since the party started but Laura still hasn't moved an inch. She's tired, hungry and sick of it already.
"U-um, excuse me?"
A voice calls out to her. Turning to her side she sees a girl in a sky blue dress wearing a veil, holding a plate of food. It's Princess Elena.
"Um, Laura you must be hungry right? I brought you a plate of food."
Laura blinks in disbelief that a princess would bring her food. From what she knows Elena isn't even 10 years old yet, yet she's bringing her food?
"Thank you your highness Elena."
The food on the plate is just a few sandwiches but it's more than enough for Laura. After grabbing the sandwich she begins eating.
"Wow these are really good! Thank you so much!"
Elena beams at Laura.
"You're welcome, I hope you enjoy."
Elena scampers off leaving Laura alone again. She continues to stand there for the remainder of the party.
After all the guests had left Laura finally moves from her spot in the corner. She walks to where Vivian and the other members of the royal family are seeing off their guests.
"Ah Laura, how long did you stay there for?"
Vivian says looking at Laura.
"The whole party, a decoration can't move now can it?"
Vivian chuckles at what she assumes is a joke.
"Anyway we're going to have Sigrid show you to your room so please go get some rest."
Sigrid bows.
"Please follow me Miss Laura. Your room will be right next to Princess Vivian's."
"Wait what?"
"Your room will be right next to Princess Vivian's."
Laura cocks her head to the side.
"What's the matter Laura?" Vivian asks.
"I was expecting to be put into the servants quarters or something."
"Nonsense, you're my precious little demon. Of course you'd have a room close to mine."
"Precious little demon?"
Laura is confused.
Sigrid grabs her arm and tries to pull her out of the room but Laura stays rooted to the spot, unmoving.
"Stubborn little demon is more like it."
