Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

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"Now entering, Lord Indarel din Varris. Lord of the City of Varris and proud supporter of the true queen, Ayalla din Aedrider."

Indarel stepped into the ballroom to the fanfare of his guests. A gentle wave of polite applause greeted him and he answered them with a wide, charming smile. Among the crowd there were a number of illustrious beauties. Some of the noble families within the city had made sure to bring their most beautiful, unmarried daughters in the hopes that they would be chose. Many of them were women who he had partaken in before, but they were out of the running for tonight's grand event.

Indarel's goal was to find a beauty he had yet to sample, though he would not forget about the others. Besides himself, the only other living member of the Varris family was his shameful 'brother', Kestis. It was up to Indarel to ensure the bloodline flourished after all.

As he was thinking about his 'destiny', a sudden jolt shot through his body. Twirling through the center of the ballroom was a beautiful woman whose every step pulled another set of eyes toward her. Her long, white hair flowed down her back as she gracefully stepped in time with the gentle music. Her pale skin contrasting the deep, crimson dress that hugged her figure. As for the finishing touch to her ephemeral beauty, her ice-blue eyes glimmered in the magical light of the chandelier overhead.

Every move she made was a combination of seductive and refined. It seemed as though the gods themselves carved her visage from the finest marbles before bringing her to life with their very own hands. Never in his life had Indarel witnessed such a creature. He was almost certain that she had never once graced his home in the past, making him question who among his inner circle committed the unforgivable sin of hiding such a person from him.

At the end of the song, the ballroom was once again brought to an applause. The woman curtsied at her dance partner whose face was nearly the same shade as the woman's dress. The man who had joined with her stepped way from the dancefloor with a stumble as though he were in a trance. Indarel could not blame him for acting in such a way. Were he a lesser man, he too might have been just as bewitched.

The woman locked eyes with him for a moment before giving a small, kind smile and a small curtsy. She then reached for a glass of champagne being carried by one of the many servers patrolling the room. A painful sensation tugged at Indarel's chest as the woman removed her gaze from him. Something inside him threatened to snap. Whoever she was, he had to make her his. There was no doubt that whoever brought her here intended to trap Indarel into a relationship.

However, given her appearance, Indarel would not only call them on their game, but jump happily into the cage. Anything was worth it for her. With a deep breath and a momentary pause to settle the wild beating of his heart, Indarel returned his charming smile to his face and approached the woman in question.

A sea of nobles parted as they witnessed the man on a mission to approach her. It seemed that the other guests had already come to a conclusion regarding who it as that was most likely to receive the gracious favor from the Varris family vaults. Though there was a vague impression of hope in some of the girls' eyes, none truly thought they had a chance against the mysterious newcomer.

The lord of the city finally closed on his approach gently clearing his throat to announce his presence. The woman turned around slowly, giving him a more than imaginative view of the front of her body. Her dress left even less to the imagination up close than it did from a distance.

"Hello, my lady." Indarel said with a smile and a slight bow. "From which family do I owe my thanks for inviting you to this paltry party?"

The woman laughed lightly, like the peal of a bell. "My lord, you do me too much honor in addressing me as a lady. As for the party, I find it quite extravagant, I would never proclaim such a beautiful event in such an amazing estate to be anything less than grand. You honor both me and my family for allowing us to partake in your hospitality." Her charms only continued to grow as her long eyelashes fluttered close while she curtsied to him once more. "I am Everia din Cortis, fourth daughter of Sir Kesharin din Cortis. I apologize on my father's behalf for his absence this evening."

Indarel struggled to keep his sanity from the gentle voice that escaped the woman's full lips. He had not known the Cortis family very well. They were long-time residents of the city, being at least two centuries established within their walls. However, they were a minor noble family that focused on small-time trade in agriculture. As such, they were not able to afford attending too many large events amongst the rest of the noble class.

"Are you saying that your father allowed you to venture through our city during an active rebellion alone? My fair lady, such an atrocity shall not stand!"

Everia laughed once more, lightly covering her mouth. "My lord please, I was not left defenseless. My dear brother escorted me. We were also guarded by my pet, so fret not for my safety kind sir."

"Your pet?" Indarel gently directed to the dance floor, intent on having a dance of his own with Lady Cortis. She smiled and grabbed his outstretched hand, joining with him. The music began to transition into a slow number meant for more intimate displays. A simple nod from Indarel indicated his pleasure to the maestro leading the band for switching up the music on their behalf.

"Yes, my lord. Before the loss of Seteste my father picked me up a gift in the form of a beastman. A rather capable warrior meant for guarding our caravans. Though, we soon found it better for it to guard myself instead."

Indarel felt a scowl form on his face. "Lady Cortis, I apologize but I must say I am disappointed that your family chooses to house something so impure. After all a beastman is nothing more than…"

"An animal?" Everia interrupted with a smile. "My good sir, I do believe I referred to it as a pet. Would you consider it impure to own a horse, a dog, or a bird? No, I imagine not Lord Varris. If a beastman is nothing more than an animal, then by what ruling should I not keep one as a pet? I promise to take good care of it, my lord. Might I please keep it?"

A new, colder smile spread across Indarel's lips before being followed by a cruel laugh. "You have it in the right, Lady Cortis. As a pet, why not. I do hope it is collared appropriately my dear."