12 The Dark Storm

The soldier crashed into the window with a loud bang. The echo reverberated through the room while the glass shattered in the close vicinity.

"Ghaa-" the soldier groaned, his appearance making the faint-hearted maids scream. One of them fainted, her body crashing on the floor earning more screams form everyone present. Soon chaos engulfed the room. The guards unleashed their swords, pouring their power in them or yelling spells. The maids, madly ran in all directions wherever they could hide, while Vanessa and Mielda were pulling Selda with them.

"You are giving us no choice!" the commander gnashed his teeth preparing for the worst. He heard that the Duke's son, Raphael was coming, the reason why the Empress increased Selda's security. But he did not expect this. At least not for it to happen this soon. The Dark Storm…that's how people that had the unfortunate luck to meet him, called him. Like his nickname, he who carried the power of Storm, caused turmoil wherever he went. He was very proud and short-tempered. He had stronger powers than his father, Duke Kurt Azcan, and his father often lost control of him, letting him do it his own way.

"He is still a child." That is what the duke will always say to those that criticised his behaviour. No wonder that he ended up growing this way, like a wild psychopath.

Gathering all his courage the commander ordered the guards to calm him down.

"How?" asked a soldier, rhetorically. There was no way to calm him.

"I don't care how you do it. Just do something!" screamed the commander and grabbed the sword even tighter afraid it might fall, leaving him with no defence. The soldiers quivered but had no choice but to follow the commander's order and get in formation. Circling Raphael, they made sure that no gap no matter how small it was, was left. In the middle of it all, stood Raphael, looking amused. He didn't say anything, disregarded the soldiers but kept his eyes on the maid. To be more exact he was looking in Anna's direction, but because she was too small, the towering soldiers obscured his view of her.

"Enough!" Anna yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone froze at the princess command, but no one dared to take the young boy lightly, so their attention was still focused on him.

"Sir Azcan if you do not stop right now, I will call your father!" Anna managed somehow to collect her courage and look him directly in his eyes. Her eyes could kill. The guards lowered their swords and were left bemused. The princess has somehow managed to calm the young man with only just a sentence, making them praise her courage.

"Oh? My father?" he became curious. She dared to talk for the first time, and it did not disappoint him. Heck! She even dared to threaten him using his father. He looked at her, a mysterious light glistened in his grey eyes. His smile deepened, making Anna feel that something was going array.

And so it was, with a wave of his hand, Raphael pushed all the soldiers away and made his way towards Anna. The young man dusted his black overcoat and leisurely strolled towards the princess. By then, the soldiers crashed into walls, on the floor or out the window. Their groans echoed in the hall.

"So what?" said Raphael tilting his head. A strand of his light greyish hair covered his right eye, hiding his eager expression.

"What?" was he seriously this childish? Anna could not believe he was a normal person.

"What if my father doesn't care?" probed Raphael. He placed his pale and slender finger underneath her chin and lifted it. Anna became visibly annoyed when her personal space had been invaded by this mental case. She took hold of his wrist and dug her nails into term, making him flinch in surprise.

"I will make sure he cares about it! I will make sure that my father knows about this." Anna whispered so only Raphael heard. Taken aback, the boy retracted his hand forcefully, scratching himself in the process. He laughed awkwardly, trying not to show his fear. He backed away a couple of steps and looked for his servant. He came from his hiding place and presented the present he brought.

"I apologise for my behaviour earlier…I tend to lose control sometimes." Raphael excused himself. The explanation did not impress Anna, but because she was the more mature one, she had to accept this.

"What is going on?" Aura entered the hall. Hearing the commotion from inside, her best friend, Derick and herself came running thinking her sister must have caused a scene again. Carmen saw this as an opportunity to take revenge for her the earlier embarrassment, while Derick looked worriedly for Anna. When he located her, he also realised a very unwelcomed guest sat next to her. Hasty, Derick came between them, blocking Anna's view.

"I should have realised is you." Derick said. Disgusted he looked around the room, seeing the extent of the devastation. The guards, helped by some maids, were trying to get up. Some of them had scratches or bruises, but the most unfortunate ones, were stabbed by either pieces of shattered glass or they stood on the floor motionless. He returned his gaze on the young boy in front of him.

Anna realised that they had similar heights, even if Derick was one year younger than Raphael. Their gazes clashed, neither of them backing down.

"Haha!" Raphael erupted in a laugh.

"Ralph! You arrived!" Aura ran towards him and hugged him. She did not even check on her sister, not bothered to see if she was all right. Raphael stopped laughing as soon as she hugged his arm but did not say anything more. Aura smiled sweetly, tugging on his overcoat.

"What did my sister say? I hope she did not upset you."

"No! nothing of sorts…me and the princess had a little talk. That's all." Aura's smile froze. A dangerous air swallowed Anna. Looking up, she saw her sister glaring back at her.

'Gulp' she was planning something again, Anna was sure of it. She took shelter by hiding behind Derick. Vanessa put her slender arm on Anna in a protective manner, squeezing it lightly.

"Why don't we go to the garden, since everyone has already arrived." Proposed Aura. Lifting her dress with one hand while still hugging Raphael's arm with the other one, she led the guest outside as if she was the celebrated person. Anna stood at the back of the group, still processing what happened minutes ago. Next to her, Derick kept her slow pace. He called her name a couple of times, but seeing that she was not answering, he grabbed her wrist. Anna winched for a second and looked at his hand. Forgetting that she was this frail, Derick applied too much strength and caused her slim wrist to bruise slightly.

"I'm sorry, princess! You were not answering…I thought you-"

"It's fine!" Anna could not concentrate on what he was saying. She was too preoccupied with other thoughts.

"Don't concern yourself with Raphael." Derick tried to comfort her.

Anna gave him a bittersweet smile but did not say anything. She knew Raphael was a nuisance, even worst than Selda, but she did not think he would be this wild. His character reminded her of Alessia…except tuning it up a hundred times more. This did not bother Anna much because she was planning on ignoring him. Besides this party, she had no intention of interacting with any of the noble's children. There was no need for her to do so if she was going to run away before her 18th birthday. Derick was her only concern. He was way to attentive to her needs, which did not let Anna think clearly. Aura was another concern of hers. Her sister was annoyed earlier after she was brushed away by Derick, but now she seemed to forget all of that.

Anna glanced in front of her at the pair. Raphael was talking about something in an energetic manner, moving his free hand up and about. On his right, Aura smiled and occasionally laughed at his comments. They seemed to enjoy each other company, and the servants around them smiled, happily following the pair. Carmen, who sat on Aura's right, was quiet. Unusual behaviour coming from her, but she also seemed uncomfortable.

"Sir Reed-"

"You can address me as Derick. I don't like formalities. It makes me feel old…" Derick interrupted Anna. He laughed slightly while saying it.

"Sir Derick…" Anna had no intention of becoming intimate with him. It was too dangerous.

"Don't you think Raphael and my sister are too close?"

"Ahem…Your Highness. Yes indeed. But they are most likely going to be engaged sooner or later so no one ever dares to criticise."

Anna's eyes widened and took a sharp intake of air. They were engaged. That explains everything.

"Yes…" Anna was recovering from the shock, even after they sat at the table.

~

"I really like your dress Princess." said a girl with purple hair.

"Thank you! It's the newest design my tailor created." Aura replied flustered.

"It's delicate."

"Yes it's lovely." said another girl.

"Anything your Highness wears will look perfect." The few girls attending the party sang praises. Aura who enjoyed flattery the most, blushed and fanned herself with the fan. Glancing at Raphael expectedly, she turned a deaf ear to their praises. The duke's son disappointed her because he sat at the table and played with a fork. He was obviously not listening to their conversation, but his gaze sometimes fell on her sister Selda. Anna closed her fan with a bang earning the attention of everyone.

Selda, who before was lost in thought, jolted back and looked at her sister surprised. Derick, on the other hand, had to deal with the two girls sat next to him, that were talking nonstop.

"Oh my! My fan broke…" Aura smiled and excused her behaviour. Everyone soon returned to their conversations, forgetting that the celebrated person was left all alone, with no one to talk to.

"When will this end…I am so bored!" Alessia who sat next to Anna was stabbing her fruit tart with a fork. The cook who probably spent hours preparing it, decorating it in an artistic pattern and placing exotic fruits inside would cry seeing the cruel scene. On her left, Anna stared dreamily at the basket of fruits before her.

'I deserved a holiday not this!' her mind wondered about how she would have spent a sunny day like this on a beach. She could almost hear the deep blue waves crashing on the shore, wetting the tips of her fingers, while a refreshing breeze brushed past her. The sun would bathe her in its rays, warming her on a late afternoon. A charming and gentle smile plastered on Anna's face attracted Raphael and Derick's attention.

Aura who realised that Raphael's attention was not on her, stopped talking and furiously looked at Carmen. Taking the cue, Carmen smiled maliciously and asked Anna:

"Princes, I heard that you got lots of presents today. Which one do you like the most?"

Anna woke up from her dream and stared at Carmen. Asking the question this way meant that Anna had to choose a favourite, leading to some people feeling offended. She knew that Carmen was a sly fox, but she now knew to what extent. She licked her dry lips to give herself some more time to ponder the response.

"I have not opened all the gifts."

"Oh! You mean you did not think some people's gift were worthy of your attention?"

"No! I am sure I would find a place for each and everyone's presents." Anna replied with a steady voice. Inside she was fuming at Carmen's interrogative questions, but she had to hide this under her soft smile.

"So then why didn't you open all of them?" Carmen continued to press Anna. People around them slowly turned their heads and observed Anna's reactions. Both duke's sons stopped what they were doing and looked at her but with different attitudes. Raphael was amused curious about how she is going to get out of Carmen trap's, but Derick was worried about her. He was about to intervene, but Anna beat him to that.

"I would have if not for the events from earlier." Carmen's face stiffened and paled significantly. Some girls, seeing this reaction lifted their eyebrows. They did not expect Anna to turn the tables in her favour, but now that she did, they were curious to know why. Eyes fell on Carmen, and she became flustered, her face red as a tomato. Avoiding their gazes, Carmen lightly coughed and looked at Aura with desperate eyes.

"What event might this be?" a girl whose name Anna could not remember asked smiling.

Aura had to now take care of the situation so her friend would not be embarrassed here. She looked left and right, trying to blame someone for it when her gaze landed on Raphael.

"Of course, she is talking about Ralphs entrance." People did not seem to believe this to be true and were sceptically studying them. Some of them, however, the gullible ones, were contempt with this answer since it came from the Princess herself.

"Oh? I didn't know that my appearance was considered a circus entrance."

"T-that is not what I meant! I…I-"

"What, princess?" Raphael enjoyed picking on Aura the most.

"It's…Aamm" Aura was struggling to express herself. With teary eyes, she faced the boy. Servants around them felt pity for Aura but could not intervene. Alessia turned her back and giggled. Anna raised her eyes and watched Aura lose her composure slowly, savouring the moment. Smiling she diverted her gaze and met Derick's eyes. His green eyes were unreadable, but his jaw was clenched, and his hands were tapping on a napkin. He then cheerfully smiled at her, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Princess! I heard that you got a unique gift form the Emperor." Carmen shifted the conversation back on track. Aura slowly calmed herself down and planted her eyes on the floor.

"Yes…Yes, I did!" Anna did not like talking with Carmen anymore.

"What is it princess?" it was the same girl who earlier asked about the 'event'. Anna thought she was way too noisy for her own good, and people like her were insufferable.

"My father gifted me a garden. Although I did not have time to check it out." Anna drank a sip of the cold orange juice.

"Why don't you show it to us?" Anna almost chocked hearing this. The last thing she wanted to do now was to show a bunch of kids her new garden, she knew nothing of it. She knew it was situated in the west wing since that is where her chambers were, but she had no idea what the garden was composed of.

"Yes, that is a good idea!" another boy said. He was bored sitting down and he would take any opportunity to play around with the other noble's boys. Everyone became excited and talked louder than before. Anna had no other option but to walk to her garden.