The Devil's Temptation!

Chapter 3: Creatures Of The Night

The door to Annalise bedroom was bursted open at the break of dawn, a charming lady stood at the entrance with two to three maidens following her trail. She worriedly stared at Anna who was busy wrapping the wound on her knees with a bandage.

The girl had stopped after sighting the beautiful princess of Euphrasia in her chamber’s and tried to get up to her feet.

“No don’t, it’s not necessary.” The princess hurriedly stopped her with the sound of her voice before hurrying to her side at the dressing table.

“Forgive me princess,” Anna guiltily lowered her head, “because of my injury I couldn’t give you a proper greeting, also I couldn’t make your usual morning tea due to this, I hope...”

“Anna...” The princess softly interjected while placing a hand on Anna’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, the guards already informed me about what happened last night so I came to check on you.” She explained her sudden visit which brought a smile to Anna’s face.

Her whole body was sore due to the fall and each time the princess touched her, she forced herself not to wince from the pain, it had been horrifying and torturing since the stairs happened to be a pretty long one.

.....

Whoever it was that pushed her down the stairs really had the intention of killing her, if it wasn’t for a body guard who came to her aid on time, she doubts she’d still be sitting here right now.

“Thank you for being so generous princess.”

“Is it something serious? Were you badly hurt?” She asked while studying the knee which Anna was almost done wrapping with a bandage, she wasn’t even done and it was already starting to soak with her blood.

“It’s nothing serious princess, it will heal with time.”

“You should have the physician look into your wound silly girl, this is even more serious than I had expected, what if it’s dislocated and you end up having a fractured knee?” She thoughtfully inquired, “let the physician take a look, then you can explain to me how all of this happened and who caused it.” Calista kept insisting and seeing she had no other choice here, Anna could only nod her head in agreement, earning a smile from the princess herself.

“Good, I’ll send a maid to get the physician, you should stay here and.....” her eyes indubitably diverted to the silver meteor mark on Anna’s forehead, causing her to pause on her words.

She stole a quick glance at her maids who remained at the door, whispering to themselves with a look of disdain and she already knew why, which really didn’t appeal to her at all.

“You three.” She called, startling them and gaining their attention immediately as they bowed their heads.

“Go, get the royal physician so he can attend to Anna’s wounds.” She ordered, they nodded immediately and left the doorstep, relieving Calista that they were out of sight before she retracted her gaze to Annalise.

“You aren’t putting on your headband?” She asked, gaining Anna’s attention as she seemed to have blacked out a bit.

“Hmm??”

“Your headband.” Calista pointed at her forehead, implying that her meteor mark was visible. Anna touched her forehead and could feel the meteor birthmark herself. It always broke her heart each time she’s reminded of it.

“I... I got lost in treating myself that I..... I’ll put it on now.”

She opened her drawer and brought out a beautiful headband, wearing it above her head so the crystal would cover the meteor mark.

Calista finally smiled again after seeing the mark was hidden, “you do understand why I brought this idea in the first place right? At least no one will bad-mouth you now that its hidden.”

Anna could sense the genuineness in her tone which made her nod in agreement, she understood perfectly cause she equally heard the maids whispering about her birthmark, she knew exactly what the princess had done and she felt grateful for sending them away. Even she herself derives joy when she sees it’s hidden.

The mark has been nothing but a curse to her existence, she’d rather fool herself with this headband than stare at that mark on her forehead.

The pain she had to pass through all because of that mark made her hate it with every fiber inside of her, yet she couldn’t get rid of it, despite knowing she has very little time to live.

“Good, don’t move from here, a maid will bring the physician to you, okay?”

Anna could only nod her head gratefully and watched as the beautiful princess exited her room.

She owes a lot to that princess, she still remembered the first day she showed up at Euphrasia palace, she had survived the crash and was brought to the palace when no one outside the kingdom was willing to accept her, blaming her for the deaths of the people who died in the ship.

“She’s different!” They said.

“She isn’t one of us!” They said.

“If she didn’t kill them, how come she was the only one who survived?” They said.

“I can’t accept a girl who bears such unknown mark, what if my family dies too?” They said.

She was avoided like a plague at such a tender age, she had no one, her father died a long time ago and she was lucky enough to have come from a family like his cause the King of Euphrasia felt he owed it to her father who used to be a powerful warrior of this kingdom.

Sir Mateo Hunter, he was the bravest and strongest warrior of the Euphrasia clan, also known to be the king’s right-hand man. The human races had a fatal war with what they called ‘the creatures of the night’ and they had killed her father during the last battle, she wasn’t even born by then but her mother told her stories about his heroic act and how he saved everyone from those beasts.

However, there had been rumors spreading across the village that the beast who killed her father wasn’t actually dead but sealed.

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