In the valley guarded by snow-coated greens and high, misty mountains lies the Whites’ family house.
We visit only during Christmas, though celebrating it isn’t a thing.
We enjoy the holidays in our style nonetheless—like binge-watching rom-coms or stacking containers of Christmas cookies in the refrigerator or… I don’t know. But one wouldn’t find a trace of festive decorations, even hear a commentary about it in the mansion.
For as long as I can remember, this is our first time coming together for a celebration. And there are two halls prepared for it too.
I heave a sigh of exhaustion as I stand before the mirror in the servants’ quarters.
My eyes are dull and nearly closing under tired lids. And I can still feel shock rolling in my belly at the fact that the mysterious heir to White group is my man.
Gazing at the bonnet guarding my hair, I’m more about discarding this wretched apron of woe for something proper—one that looks even a tiny bit pleasing to the eyes.
A while back when Hunter arrived, he hadn’t noticed me. Of course, he wouldn’t. He doesn’t even know I’m here, talk more of being a servant.
Maybe that’s a good thing. I’m not prepared to have his attention and too ashamed to stand in his presence in this manner.
But I soon find I’m conflicted.
I want him to set his gaze on me. Those green eyes that invite a provocative aura as if calling to Aphrodite herself fit more on my form.
Damn... I want to see him run his eyes over me, and how I’d love to hear his thoughts when he’s imagining me bare.
“Fuck it,” I mumble while untying the apron, tossing it over my head before removing the bonnet altogether, letting a cascade of autumn-orange waves fall down my back.
As I hurry to the bathroom, I leave the rest of my garment in my trail.
The water’s hot, effusing steam, but I can barely feel its harshness. What tingles my skin is the thought of Hunter carrying himself with raw elegance and composure. Him walking on that wooden floorboard like the fucking world’s melting under his feet.
And his body proportion’s just fine. Perfect for my small frame. He could be my couch on a normal day. Or not, since I’ll be too busy riding him even faster than I would on a racehorse.
The videos of him I’ve seen don’t do justice to how he looks. Man’s drop-dead handsome, I mean. Hot too, like an inferno dwells in his fingertips awaiting to be unleashed.
He could be Hephaestus’s reincarnation set to torch the world to ash merely by his demeanor. And as the image of his smile and stare linger in my head, my fingers crawl south.
I can’t control their movement. My brain cells aren’t doing that much. Hell, they aren’t doing shit!
The farthest I can go is teasing my clitoris. Hunter said he’d teach me these things, but didn’t. He claims he’s more of a physical person and would love it when I’m right in front of him as he watches my lips part the way they are now.
He wants to hear me moan as I currently am, the sound bouncing off the walls, chin thrust up and eyes closed.
My other hand fondles my breasts as I release restrained gasps, my veins pumping blood like crazy. But turns out it’s no longer just blood. There are now tingles; coursing through me, rendering me breathless—high. High with pleasure.
My fingers are moving faster, which causes an itchy sensation in my hand. But I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Damn, I want the man. I’ve waited for so long too. But he feels so close, yet far to reach.
“Fucking hell,” I moan out, breathing.
I can’t tell where I’m reaching—if it’s orgasm or just a point I can’t come down from. Plus, I don’t know what an orgasm feels like. A man has never touched me. I haven’t myself either.
Now it feels like a force jerks my hands from my body; one desperate move bound to let Hunter finish what he started.
He promised to be the first to ‘break’ me. And I want him to, so bad I can’t think straight. He might as well fucking live by his damn word!
Turning off the shower, I face the sink, placing my hands on the edge to hold my weight. That doesn’t stop me from shivering though—I don’t know if it’s nervousness or my sexual wants because I’m certain it isn't the cold.
This sick feeling dwelling in my gut makes me want to throw up. And for a moment, my head seems to play a joke on me when my view begins to spin.
The unease is soon ignored as I clothe myself in a khaki cargo skirt, which I wear with a dark woolen jacket over a brown long-sleeve top that clings around my form and, better yet, emphasizes my bell-shaped breasts. Perfect so far.
The clothes are among the things I had while I was a boss that the White family didn’t take from me even though they made sure I never put them on.
Today, however, I’ll give no frigging shit about them, show off my curves and overlook the fact that others mistake it for being overweight. It’s their fucking cup of tea after all.
I dash out of the servants’ quarters to make haste up the stairs barefoot, my strands bouncing against my back and arms as I push through crowded hallways until I arrive at Saturn’s room.
The girl is at lunch, which means perfect timing to steal her goodies.
I massage oil onto my scalp and gather the mane into a messy bun updo. Then I work a little on my face by hiding the eyebags, making my siren eyes look less tired.
As I do so, I hear continuous car honks and crowd cheers outside. Normally, I would ignore it. I hate crowds more than anything. But my nerves make me look through the window facing the mansion’s main entrance.
Dark marks of footprints and tire tracks contrast with the snow that’s the environment. And even though the fall isn’t heavy, the parked cars still have speckles of flakes on them.
Watching the chaos outside triggers my nervousness even more. I can’t help but heed the lingering thought that this adrenaline pumping through my veins will wear off once I stand before Hunter. And that isn’t very good. Not at all.
I’ll tell ya why.
~
The hall looks bright and palatial. There are steel banquet chairs arranged around each round table.
So many things would’ve caught my attention. But the star of my gaze stands six feet four tall on the podium.
I’m only now finding that the man could easily press my average self to the floor with his big hands. And his face… Gods! It’s more and more frustrating how my vagina keeps throbbing. Any moment now even my ovaries could explode.
Do you want that now, Hunter? Maybe not. But who’d know? He’s busy having his damn fucking speech.
A round of applause reverberates through the hall when he steps down. Everyone rises to their feet; some approach him for a handshake before a group of people escort him out of the hall.
He’s heading to the dining hall, and my eyes still stick on him.
He doesn’t see me. Yet, I’m praying he catches the scent—the smell of my arousal. With that, my mind begins a race for the game plan.
I can’t decide between joining the maids to serve the meals or just sitting this one out and playing cool until Hunter notices me.
The second option may be the best, but I’m losing patience. I don’t know how long I can wait. And I badly want to speak with Hunter.
There’s much to say to him, nothing to do with the fact that he hid his true identity from me. I’ll not fault him for that. I hid mine too after all. Also, I know the kind of pressure that comes with being a White.
Going with the first option will expose the truth I’ve hidden from Hunter since the start of our relationship. But it makes no difference whichever way he finds out because as long as we’re together, he’s bound to know who I am.
I join a chain of servants heading to serve the main dish, meanwhile devising ways to grab Hunter’s attention without making my presence known to the others.
I’m taking in the surroundings from a distance. Dad Griffin and Hunter are sitting at each head of the table. Thankfully, my man’s on the nearest side, so I don’t have to move around the table to serve.
Saturn, however, is at Hunter’s right side, with Morton across her.
The latter’s not paying much attention to what’s around him. One could likely record that he’s dead, and it’s just his corpse hunched over that side of the table where the food is scarce.
As the line moves further and I’m nearing the table, a thought springs to mind—I’ve fucking fallen for someone who’d have been my brother; the person we were all eager to meet ever since we heard of him long ago.
No one will blame me though, unless they haven’t met Hunter.
He’s the sweetest and softest at heart. Yet, on the outside, he looks brutal. And the shaded, intricate art on his neck and the back of his hands aren’t doing much to contradict that either.
Hunter doesn’t seem to notice any of the servants approaching the table. I have to draw his attention somehow—maybe create commotion; like sliding a table knife to the floor next to him or dropping the tray of sushi rolls I’m carrying—without causing any damn commotion.
The two mentioned moves are cliché and will attract Saturn's unwanted attention, which I don’t want to happen. Even the Miss herself wouldn’t want her attention. She’d probably loathe herself more than I do.
When it’s my turn to serve, as I set the tray down, I catch sight of the petite vase near Hunter’s plate.
Surely, anyone who has their food moved from their front would want to see who did the deed, which is why I nudge his plate with the vase in the guise of a slip.
But my hand doesn’t go far before another grabs my wrist. It’s cold and drives a shudder through me, my lips parting when it squeezes my wrist softly.
My eyes flicker to where I connect with the man who now gazes at my leather bracelet—a gift; the first of several random ones Hunter sent me.
My heart pulses, threatening to pop from my chest, while my mind becomes a chaotic mess of joy and nervousness—kicking, screaming, bawling, throwing things excitedly.
I can only think of one thing: Hunter noticed me finally.
He bloody fucking did!
The hallway echoes the footfalls of stomping darkness.But as the mute walls give way to the caress of a slow and brooding piano motif, the huge, two-way door at the hallway’s end brings us the pleasantries of a room screaming sanity and proper celebrations.A descent of steps in front of me leads to the dance floor, where pillars are still but bodies swing. With the roof high and unending, the floors are as slippery as the devil’s tongue, absolutely unfit for a person to walk on.Except these aren’t people. No, they’re not. They look paradisiacal. Vibrant despite the hall’s caliginous state.As the ladies trip the light fantastic to a hypnotic rhythm, their bowl dresses swirl around their feet, their long and colorful strands like air behind them. The smiles capturing their countenances tell the tales of their light minds, charming the gents who look graceful in patterned tailcoats over black pants.Their light tones unite to battle the funereal aura of the hall, somehow nearly kil
Not a familiar name, that one. I’ve heard nothing of it until now.Maybe he didn’t make it to the history books. It could be about the empire; history must have registered the empire instead.But I must find a way of asking about it without compromising myself. That way, I can also note this woman’s level of intelligence.“Um…” I clear my throat, shuffling to the stool I once sat on and placing my hands on it to drop my weight. “My ‘experiments’ have eaten most of my time, and I’m probably too exhausted to recall a lot of… things.” Wait. Do I sound medieval enough? “Did I... have any plans for today?” Does she understand? She’s looking at me with her lips slightly parted, and I think it’s disbelief, especially since her hands have stopped working.“Queva,” she says, then rests against the counter. “Finish the Battle of Cutting Seas, conquering Queva. Then... celebrate... with the emperor. Your experiment’s progress has not fared well of late, and you needed to ease your mind. Seeing
HEIDI.The rich, warm scent of soil, of fresh rain on earth, reminds me of how it feels to be alive.It looks to me like I’ve been thrown into a random fiction series—dark fantasy, to be precise. Should I say it’s the underworld? Nah. The underworld wouldn’t look this good. Heaven wouldn’t be this bad(?) either. Between? Maybe. But I can’t recall whether Philosophers mentioned a place between the two.Regardless of what this is, it’s a surety that I’m dead. Its near ruin of greys and ashes, mists and moisture, stones and bristled grounds, only makes me thank my shoes—and a soul that had formed a sole to tread on melting metal.I find I’m standing in a lone and narrow medieval street that looks like a painting, flanked by dark, imposing brick buildings. Their pointed roofs give me chills, especially as they look as if they could pierce the looming, twilight grey sky until it releases the clouds upon my very head.Speaking of the sky, I don’t know if I should tag it sunless or moonless.
“Another blood oath? I resisted the first,” I say as I look at the Umbra Crown who is suddenly bearing an excited demeanor.“Ah, ah. This one is different.” He rubs his index and thumb fingers like a chef warming up for his next delicacy, disappearing and appearing in the fog while scurrying around pillars. He suddenly stops close to me, sniffing near my neck. “It is like… an awakening. Hah!”Then he vanishes again.When he comes back, it’s with a ring this time, one the size of his head. Its property is unknown, but it shimmers with lights that seem alive, looking like a colorful snake slithers inside it.The object could break if it falls; that is how fragile it looks. The Realm’s Future, they call it. It is also the only thing with color in the Labyrinth, aside from the Umbra Crown’s golden eyes that are now peering at my face pores.“No,” I mutter when he tries to crown me with the ring. I know what it does to people. It deceives. “Do not manipulate me with that thing again.”“O
HUNTER.There is a forlorn whistle; a tune sounding like a call for help, only, it’s not that.It is a bird―Tapi’s Fury. A creature of the dark, built like the nightingale, with a song as loud as the latter’s. It’s never found in the human world or the Realm. Tapi’s Furys are known to exist only in the Labyrinth of Shadows―a dreaded dwelling created by the legendary sorcerer, Tapi, to shield Kings of the Realm from the talons of Firnes.It has endless pillars—of roughly stacked stones—spread out in rows through the Labyrinth, all leaving four paces between each other.The pillars’ tops reach the sky where they disappear in black clouds of rumbling mess, while their bases are rocks shaped like vines, stretching out as roots on the dry, rough ground.One distinctive feature of the Labyrinth is its colorless nature.Diverse smell is not a leisure either.One could wear whatever scent they liked. As strong as it may be, it all ends in a blast of roasted earth breathing in the wake of a b
My car’s parked across the road with me in the driver’s seat. White’s main company building overlooks us, the road partition and the crowd serving as my only blockade to it.I should ride into the building’s garage. It’s safer now, after all, as the police are now limiting the severity of violence and have placed barriers so the crowd won’t obstruct people getting in and out of the building.But I’m still feeling like a tightrope walker; afraid of so many things at once that I can’t begin to point them out.And yet what’s more disturbing is the wailing throng. Their famished appearances, coupled with the fact that most have slept here for days because they can’t return home and be reminded of their deceased loved one is enough to drive even the cold-hearted to sympathy. Hunter excluded.While watching the hectic scene, I notice an odd person cut through the crowd into the building. I only saw their backside. Yet, regardless of them being fast, I caught that the person was a male.He wo