First Dance

Four men from different clans kneeled before the king of Etholia. They were the candidates for the princess' mate and whoever wins her heart would rule beside her.

"Your Majesty, I am Prince Aiden from the Kingdom of Terramir. It's an honor to be in your presence." Aiden said.

"Prince Aiden, is it true that your twin brother submitted your name for the selection?" One of the elders asked.

Aiden looked at King Lucius then glanced at Natalia and back to the king.

"It is true. But it is my decision to be here and continue with the final selection. I've been a loyal friend of the princess for years now, but I had confessed my feelings to her two years ago." Aiden answered.

The King sudden laughed, surprising everyone.

"I always knew you are in love with my daughter. Let's see how you will move her heart as a man."

"Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself, Your Majesty." Aiden answered.

"Let's hear the next candidate." The king said.

"I am Prince Kai from the kingdom of Devontae. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, King Lucius."

The King smiled. "Same here, Prince Kai. I heard a lot of your successful battles and I'm impressed. Don't get me wrong, for a demon, you are extraordinary."

Demons were known to be murderous creatures. They consumed human blood, soul, and flesh to survive. But the demons from Devontae were different. They do not need to feed on the mortals to live.

Prince Kai became the protector of its territory and had won many battles not only with other creatures, but also demons themselves.

"It's an honor to be acknowledged by the mighty King of Etholia. Thank you, Your Majesty." Kai answered.

The next who introduced himself was Xander.

"We meet again, Your Majesty. Prince Alexander of the Astoria Kingdom at your service."

The King nodded and looked so pleased to see the Vampire Prince again.

"Prince Xander, now that you and Natalia were old enough, you will no longer tease her like old times."

Xander chuckled. "You don't have to worry, Your Majesty. I promise to protect the princess and Etholia with my life."

Last to introduce himself was Alpha Lucas of the Night Crawlers Pack.

"Alpha Lucas of the Night Crawlers Pack, General of the southern army, Your Majesty."

"Lucas! I was very happy to see your name on the list. You are one of my loyal subjects and I know Etholia is in good hands because of my generals. This is my chance to thank you for your service." King Lucius exclaimed.

Alpha Lucas put his closed fist to his heart and bowed to his king. "It is an honor to serve and protect our kingdom, Your Majesty."

"Now, rise all of you and face the people of Etholia." The king ordered.

The four great lords of different clans turned to face the guests for the official introduction.

"My beloved subjects! Look at the faces of this great men who are willing to protect the future of Etholia. One of them would rule beside your queen. I am asking you to treat them with respect and consider them as part of the royal family. I, King Lucius, proclaim that the official selection for Princess Natalia's mate starts now."

The guests clapped and were happy with the announcement. They were all excited and some already had their eyes on someone they like as their next king.

"It officially starts. You can do this, little sister." Nilenia whispered.

Natalia sighed. "I really hope I could make a decision in a few months."

They were still chatting when Prince Kai approached them.

"Princess Natalia, I just want to ask you for your first dance." He said.

She looked at Nilenia as if asking her if she would agree. Nilenia bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"I mean if you are engaged in a very important conversation with Princess Nilenia, then I will wait."

She frowned. She felt like the Demon Prince was nervous and for some reason, she thought it was cute to see him like that.

She smiled at him and nodded. "It's fine. It'll be an honor to dance with you, Prince Kai."

The prince's face lit up and she could see that he was delighted to hear her words.

He reached out his hand so she reached back and then they walked toward the center of the hall. They bowed to each other and when the slow music started, the prince brushed his hands to her waist and held her one hand.

It wasn't the first time she danced with someone, but she felt a sudden warmth from the prince's arms.

"I was really excited to meet you, Princess," Kai whispered.

She smiled. "I'm sorry I have mixed feelings about all this. I wanted to rule without a man, but I think the elders—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt. But I believe a woman can rule a kingdom without a man, so don't apologize. My sister is the current ruler of the Underworld and she's doing well."

She felt relieved. She thought that the candidates also see her as nothing but just a woman and that she was not worthy of the throne.

"I can introduce you to my sister someday so you could get some advice from her."

"Why was she chosen, and not you?" She asked curiosity piqued.

"She's a direct descendant of the Demon God and a full-blooded demon, while I was just a halfling."

She frowned. "A halfling?"

"My father is the Demon King who was exiled here in Telluria. And my mother is from the Dragon Clan."

She was surprised. She didn't know that the Demon Prince was a half-breed. Maybe that was one of the reasons the demons of Devondae didn't need mortals to live.

"What about the others?" She asked.

"We're all half-breeds. And you are correct. We do not feed on humans because we are not full-blooded demons. We're still immortal, but unlike demons, we do not have monsters inside us. We can't shape-shift."