by Elle Grace
I had so many questions and worries. Some feelings too. I could not shake any of them. I worried about my silly crush that had begun towards James. I shook my head. Worried that I only liked him because he was a nice, good looking prince and nothing really more. Was I that shallow? I asked myself. I stopped berating myself for a moment a crush was nothing serious. I needed to stop being so hard on myself. I was allowed to appreciate a handsome man. As long as that was all I was doing. The date early had clearly shown he was interested in something more. He had all the right answers but what Tristan had told me in the first day or so about his fiancé weighed on my mind.
On the other hand, I had known Colt for a little under a week and although it seemed like I had already been at the Inperium for weeks, I was getting a little bit out of my depth with him. Especially after the shower and falling asleep next to him. The Inperium made time seem peculiar. Still there was a familiarity that I liked when I was near him. There was so much being unsaid between us and the way he had begun to look at me made me feel something deep down inside. He had a way of making me feel like the most important person in a room and when often it was really the opposite. A gut reaction that made me want to see more of him. I sighed at myself. I was terrible when I had a crush on someone. I would get a little bit obsessed and over analyse every interaction. I realised I was doing it again.
There was a knock at the door. It was one of the assistants coming to get me. My dress had included a note from William telling me to wait to be collected as I was to be introduced at the ball with him since I was new, and the Board were curious about me.
I took a deep breath and braced myself. I checked the mirror one more time. Concerned that something was not quite right. I chalked it down to anxiety. Even though I knew very little of the organisation and the Director I knew enough to know that the Ball was going to be all pomp and circumstance like everything else seemed to be and I was not looking forward to it.
The assistant led me out of the dormitory and into the main building. She stopped me outside of a set of double doors on the main landing.
I waited at the top of the stairs like I had been told to for what seemed like an eternity. She said that I had to wait for William to come and instruct me. I felt stupid standing around waiting, it was like I had been stood up to the prom. Panic grew inside me that it was all going to be another one of Lance’s ‘pranks’.
Eventually William came swanning along, wearing the most over the top military uniform along with a tall hat that even included feathers. He looked like the flamboyant extra tall cousin of Napoleon.
“Are we ready Miss Hart?” He asked as I just stood staring at the dead bird on his head. It was bizarre.
“Sure.” I said unconvincingly. I was really unsure as to what was going on. The double doors in front of me swung open with purpose. A fanfare played below us, and I rolled my eyes. I could not believe I was being made to do this.
At the bottom of the stairs were many people. They all stood and watched us. Some smiled fake smiles. Other looked shocked. A large man we passed on the stairs announced who we were. I looked into the crowd of people and saw Prince James smiling at me. He stood near to Colt. Colt looked unimpressed and Caitlyn, who clutched his arm, had a distasteful look on her face. Colt was clearly her date for the night. I cannot say I was not disappointed, because I was. Had he asked her and had he done it before our night together, I pondered. I looked at Doe who was trying her best not to laugh at me. I could not blame her; it all must have looked ridiculous and I was not hiding the discomfort from my face well. As we got to the bottom step William let me go and he glided off to mix and mingle with people far more important than I.
“That dress is stunning Vi.” Doe rushed up to me beaming from ear to ear. The black cocktail dress she wore was plain but incredibly classy. Colt came over towards us dressed in a very stylish three-piece suit. He looked devilishly handsome. Caitlyn did not join him. I was thankful.
“You look… nice.” Was all he could muster as he reached us. Doe looked at him and shook her head at his awkwardness. Not daring to say anything as he was still a superior. He did not see her, luckily.
“Thanks.” I blushed a little bit. I hated it. I was not a blushing kind of girl. “I didn’t think you were suit kind of guy.” I joked.
“Oh, there is a lot more to me than you know, Viola Hart.” He winked and I prayed that I was the only one who had seen it. From the look Doe gave me, I was not. She stifled a chuckle. A whining voice cut through the surrounding noise and light stuffy music.
I was suddenly aware that Caitlyn was next to me. She wore a canary yellow dress all frills and expense, no elegance. Her slender figure looked good with her blond hair cascading curled down one shoulder, but I saw through it to her ugly soul.
“We should all be being announced. We are all celebrating our success. The human recruits worked so hard this year and without us guiding them, well let’s just say this place would go to pot.” She seethed. “This is ridiculous. I will tell my uncle; he is on the Board. Lance should be the walking down as an honoured guest not that silly cow. His recruits scored some of the best scores we have ever seen. She comes here like this special little orphan, but her parents were basically traitors. Honestly, we would be better off if she had been killed in her trial. Red probably means that she wasn’t wanted, not even dead.” She finished and everyone around her laughed. I felt terrible, refusing tears threatened to sting at my eyes. I am stronger than this, I told myself. The words about my parents being traitors seemed to echo in my ears.
“Shut the fuck up Caitlyn, you may have a pretty exterior but inside you are the ugliest person I have ever met.” I snapped, instantly regretting it. Until that point, she had not realised I was near enough to hear her. My sadness had quickly turned to anger and then to regret at my outburst.
“You will pay for talking to me like that!” Caitlyn retorted back and I walked off shaking my head. Away from the toxicity. Defying her.
“Come here Viola. I would like you to formally meet the Board.” William beckoned me over as he caught me wandering to absolutely nowhere, suddenly unable to find my friends and Colt, I obliged, finishing off my third or fourth glass of champagne, praying not to stumble in my heels as I walked over. “Everyone this is Miss Viola Hart, formerly known as Viola Lane.” He introduced me and went around saying the long winded and old sounding pompous names of about twenty people who looked to be in their seventies and eighties. I honestly do not think I could remember the names even if I tried.
“A word please William.” A pot-bellied man said after the introductions were done and he and William walked away for a moment. Leaving me with his sour faced wife. As soon as they were out of ear shot. A waiter came by and offered me another glass of champagne which I took gratefully, sipping at it, one of the people that William had introduced me to, placed her thin hand on my shoulder and turned me to look at her.
“You may have the Board believing in you, but my thoughts match Director Dubois when it comes to lineage. I thought your parents were a pair of good for nothings and I imagine the rotten apple does not fall far from the rotten tree.” She whispered low but aggressively. Her grey hair neatly smoothed into a bob. Her dress was loose and floral but seemed to be made of a thick velvet. Expensive yet tacky jewellery appeared to cover every available surface. She was quick to anger and even quicker to express her opinion, but only once her husband was out of earshot.
“Such kind words.” I said sarcastically. Rolling my eyes. I was sick of people judging me on two people I could not remember and did not know or judging me because I had not followed their sacred tradition of attending some weird army boot camp they ran. It was getting on my last nerve. “I did not know my real parents but based on the people here and the attitudes of people like you, I think I would have liked them.” I said it purely to rile her up.
“You do not deserve to be here. I watched your trial and sure, it looked fine, but it was not worthy of
the Inperium. That’s why you did not really pass.” She spat at me.
“But I did, it just went red.” I replied confused.
“No one knows what red really means, we have never seen it before in our lifetimes. William is just trying to please the Board. I know for certain a ‘Lane’ does not deserve a place at the Inperium. Not after what your parents did. Filthy half breeds, the lot of you.” She continued, trying to keep her voice low and her tone dignified. She must have had many years of experience being a bitch, I thought.
“What did they do?” I asked, needing to know more. She did not answer though. Merely smiling at her approaching husband. He had returned too quickly as I am sure she would not have minced her words in telling me the apparent misdeeds of my parents.
“We will be keeping an eye on you.” She half threatened as her husband and William fully returned. A raised eyebrow passed around the three of them, unspoken dialogue. What an old bag, I thought to myself. William continued to be a gracious host to them as I stepped slowly away and towards the doors. I had finally had enough.
26
Viola
8.30pm 10th September 2025
I had just managed to reach the doors when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was turned around.
“Where are you going, Hart?” Colt looked down at me. He looked very good in a suit I admitted to myself. I almost had to catch my breath as memories from the shower flooded back to me.
“I’m tired. I did not get a full night’s sleep last night.” I jested.
“I see.” He looked down at my dress. “I can barely look at you. It is driving me mad. We need to talk about last night.” He whispered in my ear quickly and quietly. He was waiting for me to suggest that we escape together, I could feel it, but we could not. I could not.
“Colt we can’t…” I began.
“I know, not here.” He sighed. Looking towards the dorm building across the campus.
“I think I’m going to go to bed.” I smiled weakly trying to gently brush him off.
“I guess you don’t like parties.” He jeered.
“I like parties just fine, but this isn’t a party!” I laughed quietly.
“Agreed.” He smiled. He leant in even closer to me. “That dress looks stunning on you.” He whispered. His face were barely inches from mine. “I wish I could describe how good you look, but words would fail to do it justice.”
“Thanks.” I pulled away a little awkwardly just so I was not tempted. Hoping no one was looking at us. It did not work. “You scrub up well yourself.” I smiled. “I like this colour on you.” I said touching the lapel of his grey blazer carefully. This pulled him a little closer, our bodies were pretty much touching. His lips inches from mine. I began to pray that no one was watching us.
“I want to kiss you.” He said honestly. I could almost feel his stubbled face grazing mine. I never gave in to my urges. He was a hard man to resist. I pushed him backwards away from me.
“Colt you have to stop.” I murmured.
“Tell me why I should. I want you Vi.” He whispered.
“I think you have had too much to drink.” I was not amused. I could smell the whiskey on his breath. I had to clear the tension between us. Even though I had never really cared about the opinion of others, I felt like I had enough being said about me at the Inperium without adding the consequences of our blossoming relationship to the ever growing list of names and slurs that seemed to be amounting. Even though it was my right and my body, and I should have been able to do what I wanted with it. It still would not have stopped people from talking about me and saying things that were not needed to be said. Not to mention the pure danger of being caught and punished. The organisation was definitely serious about punishing us for fraternization. The impending sense of doom that hung in the air over a possible relationship with Colt put me off. I was barely surviving at the Inperium without having to worry about being punished for mixing blood with a human. It was all too much.
“Look Colt, you seem like a good man and you are probably the best-looking guy I have ever met but I cannot do this.” I levelled with him. “No matter how much I want to.” I was honest. It would have been easy for me to kiss him, to be with him, but it was the wrong thing to do. I had to stand by myself.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to say anything more.” He stepped backwards, further away from me, disappointed. A little too disappointed. There was more to be said though. I had spent a night lying next to him and it had changed our relationship I could see that. I decided it was not the time nor place to get into it but there was a discussion that needed to be had and decisions that needed to be made about us. If there even was an ‘us’.
“You have to understand. The last few days have been so intense, and I need to work out who I am here before I add a relationship into that mix and drag somebody else into my feelings.” I reeled off. “Not to mention how dangerous it is. You are a human after all.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He mumbled.
“It is a bad thing if we get caught.” I replied.
“Viola, I completely understand. I can wait.” He said gently smiling and he walked away. I wondered what he was waiting for. For me, or for a change in circumstances.
27
Viola
9pm 10th September 2025
I made my way straight to the open bar and grabbed a bottle of white wine quickly before anybody noticed after my conversation with Colt. I walked out into the garden and around the corner away from the ballroom. I needed to get away.
“Thirsty?” A voice said behind me. I had been followed. I should have checked that. I sighed heavily. I felt like I was always being followed at the Inperium. I must have missed that particular module when I missed the rest of the training.
“Maybe.” I answered looking up at James who was grinning at me. I kept walking, a bottle of wine in one hand and my shoes in the other.
“Where are you off to?” He asked frowning at me and following me the whole time.
“Stop frowning at me!” I demanded swaying a little. “Always frowning at me.” I mumbled a little inaudibly. I began to feel a little tipsy. All the champagne I had drunk was kicking in.
“Maybe I find you puzzling” He retorted.
“I need to be alone.” I sighed.
“I think you need a friend.” He replied.
We stepped through the gardens carefully, so we were not caught by the few members of staff who had begun to start packing away things from the Ball. We reached a bench surrounded with wall of flowers and sat down. Hidden, I really did like all the little hiding spots in the garden. I opened the screw top wine, and took a good swig from the bottle. I offered him the bottle and he took a small sip.
“You baffle me.” He spoke honestly as I took another drink. Oh good, its awkward conversation number two, I thought. “You came here knowing nothing and have just accepted so much. People here have been dreadful to you. I mean we have had a few months getting to know each other and this organisation.”
“I’m barely surviving.” I mumbled.
“That isn’t true, and you know it.” He smiled. “It’s just unfair how people have treated you and the things that they say.”
“What have you heard about?” I asked wondering just how much people knew about my first few days. They were certainly not anything to write home about. Nothing good anyway.
“Caitlyn was saying a lot of things, but I take everything she says with a grain of salt. I can see a lot of the things happening to you too. The way William parades you and berates you. The way Lance talks about the vile things he would do to you if he was in charge and the same situations came up. Colt moans about how you don’t have the training to be here.”
I gulped down some more wine. I seemed to have a lot of enemies. More than I was even aware of it seemed. All I needed were rumours that Tristan thought I was a prick and it would be a full house.
“It’s not my choice to be here. Not re
ally. I hate the fact they make out we are some weird creature.” I looked down at myself realising they really had made me think of myself as some kind of monster. “It is interesting though, I do feel different here, special even. Maybe that the attraction of the place. Out there I was a single drop in one ocean of thousands compared to here, it is a hell of a difference.” I sipped more wine. He just stared at me with his golden eyes for a while. “I’m not sure I have ever really known my place in the world.”
“That’s an interesting take on the situation.” He said after a short pause.
“What about you? A prince, I bet you had a crazy amazing life in your kingdom, and you are here.” I pushed for some answers. It was really the first time I felt brave enough to really push the subject.
“Well, I had very little choice if I am honest. I did not want to be here. Until you arrived and I met you, that changed my mind.” He laughed, and I punched his arm.
“You’re pretty evasive.” I smiled.
“So, you and Colt?” He asked. “You seem to be getting on better…” Knowing he must have seen us in the doorway.
“Damn!” I drank more wine. “You won’t answer my questions, but you have some big ones of your own.” He was trying to push everything back into my court, but I needed to get to the bottom of who he really was.
“I just want to know what is going on there. What my competition is like, you know. You guys seem very close.” He laughed and took the wine bottle to drink. I thought back to the date from earlier. It had been nice, but I just felt like James was pretty unavailable. It was all soon to be talking about playing games.
“Colt is a friend, I think. Maybe. I barely know him really; I just know he is a good guy. What makes you think you are even playing the game? Asking about the competition seems pretty cocky to me” I said seriously. “You are totally betrothed to a princess in your kingdom, from what I hear.” He looked at me surprised. “Yes, I get the rumour mill daily whispers too. It comes in ‘Prince James Edition’ too.” I added. It came flooding out. He looked offended. I had said it far to bluntly.
