Royal Invitation

A lady walked towards the gate of their house to get the missive sent today by the village's messenger as it was a talk all over the town that some families would be receiving a missive from the palace. Curious and excited of what it was all about, the eldest daughter of Davis family, Claire, hurried out after seeing the messenger.

Claire looked at the royal seal in the envelope and her eyes glimmered in anticipation. Without telling her mother first, she immediately opened it to read what was written. She froze and her lips parted. For a few seconds, she remained standing there, until she went back to her senses and finally ran back inside.

"Mama, you have to see this!" Claire yelled as she ran towards her mother, Esme, who was having a tea.

From the kitchen, the younger Miss Davis heard her sister's shout and went out to see what was going on. Lucy's eyes fell to the paper Katherine was holding.

"What is it, Claire?" asked Lucy.

"We got an invitation from the palace!" Claire chirped. "Heard me, Mama? We are invited to the royal ball in the palace and there's a big chance we will see the King!"

"Really?" A smile appeared on Lucy's lips. Although she never dreamt of seeing the King, the idea of getting out of the village for a while and attending a ball for the first time piqued her interest. After all, it wasn't everyday they would get to experience it.

"Is that true, Claire?" Esme asked.

"Yes, Mama! Here." Claire gave the letter to her mother. "The ball will happen in a couple of nights. I can't wait!"

Lucy was glad but not as delighted as her sister was. Regardless, she was happy for the privilege their family received. The King had been generous to invite the village people, which made her question if the rumors were really true that the King was a ruthless man who had killed the whole royal family before he ascended the throne.

It was also known by everyone that the King of Sawford was not a normal human but a shapeshifter, an alpha. It was decades ago when it was accepted that there weren't only humans residing in the world, but also shapeshifters who could usually shift into their wolf forms. They were stronger, and some had special gifts. And considering the power they held, most of them lived above humans, and it was evident how the kings of the kingdoms were mostly shifters.

Thinking about how powerful the king was, Lucy thought that there was no doubt he could kill people. But could someone really kill his own family just for the throne? She doubted if there was a person as cold-blooded as that.

That afternoon the Davis Family received the invitation, Claire and Lucy went to the tailor of the village to rent some dresses because they could not afford to buy one, and if they would be delayed no dresses would be left for them to rent as they heard many families in the village received invitations.

"I really can't wait to attend the ball, Lucy! Imagine having a chance to mingle with those people from high society. For sure, a lot of gentlemen will be present!" Claire giggled at her own bubble while they were looking for suitable dresses for themselves that were not too expensive.

"That is for sure," Lucy said and smiled at her sister. They were only the two of them and she was aware of Claire's big dreams. She wanted to find a man not from the village, but a man with a position in the high society who could make her live in a mansion and have all the expensive dresses that she wanted. Lucy supported her ambitions. She believed her sister deserved the best.

"You also received an invitation, Miss Lucy?" asked Mr. Bentley who suddenly appeared at the sight of the sisters. He was the son of the village's magistrate who liked Lucy, someone decent when it came to family background, but Lucy never returned the interest and often brushed him off.

"Yes, Mr. Bentley," Lucy curtly said.

On the other hand, Claire raised an eyebrow at the man. She always wondered why Mr. Bentley didn't show interest in her but in her younger sister. It was obvious to everyone that she was a better choice between them. She was more attractive because she had sharp features, knew how to carry herself and handle men, while Lucy was often quiet, only wore dull clothes, and knew nothing how to entice men. In their village, it wasn't a secret that many men liked Claire, but as ambitious as she was, she never turned her head to any of them.

And now that the opportunity she was waiting for finally came, Claire knew that she made the right decision in ignoring all her suitors in that cheap village. With her beauty, she believed she could marry a man with power, preferably a duke or a minister. She heard the King was still young and single, but she knew he was too far from her reach. She was only excited to meet him because she was curious how he looked. Though if she would be lucky enough, there was no reason to refuse such a blessing.

"I hope I can dance with you on that night, Miss Lucy. I'm sure you would look beautiful in whatever you wear," came the usual flowery words from Mr. Bentley that made Lucy blush in embarrassment. Aside from being arrogant and rude to others, this was why Lucy never liked Mr. Bentley despite his pleasant looks. He was often shameless, saying and doing things in public which made her uncomfortable.

After Mr. Bentley excused himself, Lucy let out a sigh of relief.

"You know what, Lucy, why don't you just marry Mr. Bentley? For a village girl, you are quite lucky to have the magistrate's son as your suitor. He's handsome but not up to my standards, but I think he is suitable for you. Not that rich but still has money. He can support your family without you having to work."

Claire smiled at her sister with a hint of wickedness in her eyes. She didn't know why Lucy was being picky when she didn't have a lot of suitors like her. Or maybe she also wanted a husband from the town? Claire wanted to roll her eyes. How ambitious she was for a woman with average looks.

"I don't like him. He's often rude to others," answered Lucy.

Claire just dismissed the topic. Finding a dress for the ball was more important than other people's love life. Who knew after the ball she would finally marry the man of her dreams. She would finally get a chance to leave their old cheap house and live in a mansion with a lot of servants at her disposal. She couldn't wait to live like a princess once she married a nobleman.

"I will get this," said Claire, holding a beautiful royal blue dress.

"That will cost you five silver coins, Miss Claire," the tailor informed, knowing that the Davis sisters didn't come from a well-off family and might not afford it.

"It's okay. I have money. I will get it," Claire said with a big smile. She then grabbed another dress that looked dull and plain. "And this is for my sister. I'm sure this doesn't cost much."

"Yes, that only costs two silver coins," said the tailor.

Lucy didn't object to the dress Claire picked for her. She only wanted to see what a ball looked like. No need to have an expensive dress.

"Come on, let's find one for Mama," Claire said, very glad of the dress she picked for herself.