She Belongs To The Devil

"Ary, you are also going to join us for lunch?" Adeline asked her daughter when she saw her standing with Kenneth.

Kenneth turned around and bowed to the Queen and the Prince Consort.

"No, actually I was going to see Ny and Ray," Ariel smiled at her mother and tiptoed away from Kenneth.

Theodore stopped Ariel and asked, "Why don't you join us? It's not like the twins are going anywhere. And besides, it sounded like you and the Crown Prince were having some conversation."

"No, I–"

"Yes, we were," Kenneth faced Theodore and said while giving a polite nod. "I was inviting Princess Ariel and her cousins to our Kingdom. My parents would love to meet some other people who are special like me. And I thought Joyce would also love to meet them."

Theodore and Adeline instantly liked the idea.

However, Ariel was frowning at Kenneth for saying his parents and Joyce would love to meet her. Find your next read at empire

Theodore looked at his daughter and asked, "Why don't you consider Crown Prince's invitation, Ary?"

"But Dad, what about…" Ariel fidgeted with her hands while looking far in the distance.

Theodore lightly tapped on Ariel's cheek and said, "I can pre-inform your grandmother about your trip. She will look out for you."

Ariel wasn't convinced.

"Why don't we go inside first? We can talk about this after having our lunch." Theodore entered the dining room and settled down on a chair.

Adeline followed her husband. And Kenneth smiled politely at Ariel and gestured for her to enter first. He was afraid that she would just run away even when her father asked her to come in.

Ariel reluctantly went and sat by her father's side.

The maids served a heavy lunch for everyone. The dishes included lamb chops, honey roasted potatoes and carrots, buttery peas, fried sweet potatoes, and garlic bread.

Kenneth glanced at the maids and politely asked, "No garlic bread for me, please. I'm not quite fond of garlic."

After the dishes were served, Theodore cut the lamb chop into bite-sized pieces and exchanged his plate with Ariel's.

"Thanks, Dad," Ariel happily began to dig in.

Kenneth smiled as he witnessed that sweet exchange between Theodore and Ariel. And he thought to himself, "Ah! Is this why she didn't want to sit at the same table with me? She looks like a pampered child when she is with her parents."

Adeline glanced at Kenneth and curiously asked him, "Prince Kenneth, is garlic your personal dislike, or does it has something to do with your…?"

"With me being a hybrid?"

"Yes. You always seem to avoid it. So I am asking to make sure that we don't accidentally cause you any harm."

"Your Majesty is very observative." Kenneth smiled and answered, "I think it's my vampire side. I heard that garlic is deadly poisonous to the pure vampires. It isn't that deadly to me but I do get an upset stomach."

"Ah! I see. I will make sure to notify the chef so that they won't use it when they serve you," Adeline gave a polite smile and munched on her food.

When the others were busy talking or cutting their food, Ariel had already gobbled up everything on her plate.

She wanted to silently slip out of the dining room before her father could further pressurize her.

However, when her chair made the quietest creak, Theodore spoke to her, "Since Prince Kenneth was generous enough to extend an invitation to you, I think it would be impolite to decline it, Ariel."

Ariel rested her back down on the chair and tried her best not to give a death glare to Kenneth.

Adeline also agreed with her husband. "It will be a great opportunity for you to explore the Kingdoms across the oceans. And your visit would also strengthen our diplomatic ties with both Romania and Brenalia."

Theodore swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Ariel. "Since your mom and I are too busy, we haven't been able to personally visit those Kingdoms yet. If you go there as our representative then that would be very helpful for us as well as Wyverndale."

Kenneth also added fuel to the fire, "Yes, since you are the Princess of this large Kingdom, your visit would mean a great deal to us small Kingdoms. But I promise not to pack your schedule with boring meetings. I will try to make it as informal as possible."

Theodore glanced at the closed door for a second. He then glanced back at his awfully quiet daughter and said, "And think about how happy your cousins would be. They also haven't had the chance to go overseas. You will have a great time with everyone."

"Ughhhhh!" Ariel grunted and half-heartedly agreed. "Alright, alright! I will go. I can't stay cooped up here forever now, can I?"

Theodore and Adeline glanced at each other and smiled. They hadn't thought that Ariel would actually agree to them. But they were glad she did.

Kenneth had the biggest smile among them all. He gave a nod to Ariel and said, "Thank you, for finally giving me the chance to repay Wyverndale's hospitality. I will show you our Kingdom's hospitality this time."

Ariel abruptly got up from her chair and walked towards the door. She turned her head and asked Kenneth, "When are we leaving then? I need to ask Osanna to pack my belongings. And I need to inform my cousins."

"Um… tomorrow morning?" Kenneth glanced at Theodore and Adeline as if to ask their permission.

"That sounds great," Adeline gave a nod.

"Kenneth, come to the forest in half an hour. I need to have some words with you," Ariel mumbled and walked out of the door.

Kenneth gave an awkward smile to Ariel's parents and glared down at his plate. He could guess why Ariel wanted to meet him in the forest of all places.

Ariel slowly headed towards her cousin's quarter, unaware that someone was eavesdropping on the conversation that took place inside the dining room.

Damien had arrived there when the maids were serving the lunch to the Royals. He wanted to burst inside the dining room and meet his long-lost friend. But then his feet stopped when he heard a man's voice which he didn't recognize.

After listening to the conversation, he understood that whatever Maple said was true after all. He learned that that man was a hybrid, and he guessed that he could be in love with Ariel.

"Else, why would he insist on taking Ariel to show his Kingdom? He wants to win her over," Damien concluded.

And he felt even more insecure when Theodore and Adeline were also insisting on sending Ariel to his Kingdom. "They like him, don't they?"

When Damien heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door, he hurriedly hid with the invisibility spell. He even pinched his nose and mouth to prevent himself from making the slightest sound.

However, his heart hammered in his chest and made a disturbing noise when he heard Ariel inviting that man to the forest. And he thought to himself, "Why would she do that? And why aren't her parents saying anything?"

He got cold sweats when a dreadful thought crossed his mind. "What if... what if she has already fallen for him? And what if their marriage has already been fixed?"

His eyes widened when he saw a lady with silver and dark hair gracefully walking out of the room.

"Ariel…"