The Bewitched Soul - Chapter 12 The Dance

As the public meeting got over, everyone rushed back to their homes for the Christmas Eve.

“We aren’t late. We are on time.” Corbette breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s get going.”

The ladies followed him to the castle.

The beautifully carved wooden door was opened wide. They went through the door and were escorted to the main hall. The chandeliers had been hung in pride of place in the magnificent hallway. The giant ancient paintings hang on the walls. The ceiling almost covered with huge chandeliers shone brightly against the lights. The white tiled floor spread vastly reminding of how huge the hall was. In the middle of the giant hall, a Christmas tree stood tall, brightly illuminated by the big traditional lights and its exquisite ornaments sparkling from the glow of the lights.

The whole hall was filled with vampires of all classes and humans. The vampires chose to stay with their community. The humans were low ranked creatures for them. For vampires, humans were weak and vulnerable. On the other side, humans too preferred to stay with their people and not to become prey for vampires. A piece of soft, gentle music could be heard in the background. The surrounding was quite peaceful and merry.

The crowd grew silent when they saw a beautiful young girl in her teens enter the hall. All eyes were fixed on her. Margaret felt uncomfortable. She could hear whispers coming from them.

“Hello, Mr.Mathew!” a man in his late thirties wished Corbette, his eyes scanned Margaret from the top to bottom.
for visiting.

“Hello, Mr.Davidson.” both shook hands.

“Who’s the pretty lady with you? She must be new.”

“Oh. She’s my daughter.” Corbette’s tightened the grip on her hand.

“Your daughter? Well… we haven’t seen her before” he smirked.

“Umm… no, it’s her first time attending a party. I think we should meet others. Merry Christmas to you and your family” Corbette forcefully smiled and left.

“Do not wander around. If you want to go somewhere, let me know. Okay?” Corbette whispered into Margaret’s ears.

“Okay.” she nodded and obediently followed him.

Meanwhile, Liliana and Caroline were busy socializing with other high-class vampires. It was an opportunity for them to build relations with the high classes.

“Hello, John!” Corbette wished a man in a black suit.

“Oh hello, Corbette! Nice to meet you.” both hugged each other.

“Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry I was busy with some urgent work. You know the council is working hard to find the culprit.” Corbette frowned.

‘Culprit?’ Margaret thought to herself.

“I know. They need to solve this case as soon as possible. Oh well… who is she?” John spoke as his eyes fell on the beautiful girl standing beside Corbette.

“My daughter. Margaret” he introduced her to John.

“Good evening, sir.” she bowed.

“Good evening, pretty lady. Nice to meet you”

“Thank you.” she looked down as she tried to avoid eye contact.

Looking at her,

“Is this her first party?”, John’s eyes met Corbette’s.

“Yes.” he smiled.

They both discussed about the council and the recent cases. They both laughed at each other’s jokes. Looking at her father smiling, a gentle smile appeared on Margaret’s face.

“Mr.Mathew.” Lord Alexander called him from behind.

Turning around, Corbette saw Lord Alexander in a royal blue tuxedo. His exquisite facial features had no match. His black hair combed perfectly. He emitted a royal aura.

“Good evening Lord Alexander. Merry Christmas.” Corbette bowed.

“Merry Christmas.”

Alexander looked at the girl standing right beside Corbette. Her eyes were cast downwards. He didn’t see her before.

“She’s my daughter Margaret. Margaret, Lord Alexander.” Corbette’s eyes instructed her to wish the Lord.

“Good evening, Lord Alexander. I’m Margaret Mathew.” she bowed as her heart raced fast.

“Good evening.” Alex smiled gently at her.

Seeing him smile… Margaret immediately cast her eyes down. His eyes were addictive.

“This is the first time she’s attending a party.” Corbette could sense the Lord’s curiosity.

“I see. I hope you all enjoy today’s party.” Alex stole a glance of her and left.

Margaret looked at the distancing figure and felt empty.

It was the first time she met the Lord… but his departure made her feel empty.

She pushed aside her thoughts and feelings and concentrated on what her father was speaking.

Meanwhile, Alexander stood at a corner. His eyes fixed on the Margaret. he noticed each and every move of hers.

‘Is it you?’ he thought.

His clenching heart felt like it crumbled inside his body.

Meanwhile, Margaret tried to carefully listen to what her father was talking about. The more she tried to concentrate, the more her mind got deviated. Her heart raced fast. She could no longer hold.

She glanced at the Lord. To her surprise, Alexander stared at her. His eyes were void of emotions. He stared at her eyes locked on the magnets… not intending to break the visual contact. His face showed no expressions. Whereas, Margaret felt like being hypnotized by the beautiful pair of eyes. After their eyes met for a while, she broke it off.

She shook her head and looked around her. Once again, their eyes met. The Lord had no intentions to direct his eyes somewhere else. Immediately breaking off the contact, she turned around and stood near her father.

“What is it?” Corbette saw Margaret fidgeting.

Margaret was lost in her own thoughts, she interlaced her fingers and twitched.

“Margaret” he shook her.

“Yes?” she looked at him… her voice low, tone uncertain.

“Are you okay?”

“Ye-yes I’m fine.” she gave a tepid smile.

“Is it? You seem nervous.” his face pensive and worried.

“No… I’m alright,” she assured him with a wide smile.

“Okay then.” he gently patted her head.

“When are we leaving father?”

“Soon. Okay, you stay here. I’ll be right back.” he smiled and turned around to leave.

Margaret stood there like a mannequin. Standing in between the huge hall, she could clearly notice the gazes on her. She stood still… her eyes cast down, not wanting to make a contact.

Feeling thirsty, she slowly walked towards the drinks counter.

“Can I get a glass of water?” her throat felt dry.

“Here you go.” the man smiled… scanning her from top to bottom.

“Thank you sir.” she gulped down… the water traced its way inside her mouth. She savored it.

Taking a deep breath… closing her eyes, she heard a piece of soft music playing in the background.

Turning around, she saw couples dancing together to the beat…holding each other’s hand and staring at each other lovingly.

A gentle smile appeared on her magnificent face.

“Good evening again.”

She came back to her senses. To her left, she saw Lord Alexander smiling at her gently.

“Good evening Lord Alexander.” she bowed and didn’t even dare to look into his eyes.

“Can I ask you for a dance?” his hand asking for hers.

She gawked. Her cute shocked expression drew a chuckle from him.

“I do not know… I’ve never danced before, Lord Alexander.” all her facial muscles twitched in sync.

“Give me your hand.”

She hesitated for a moment before placing her small palm on his. His giant palms secured her’s, perfectly.

He took her to the center of the hall and pulled her by her waist. He placed his hand on her back, her hand on his shoulder, and their free hands finally met. Dancing to the soft music playing in the background,

“Follow me… I take a step forward, you take a step backward.” he took a step forward and she followed his instructions. He swirled her elegantly, making her body tune with the slow music. They danced to the music, their feet in perfect sync to the rhythm. The warmth between them grew more powerful by each passing second. As the song progressed she felt relaxed, and a small smile to form on her lips. Margaret stared at his eyes, the deep shade of eyes that could suck one’s soul into it, stared at her too. They danced elegantly… their gaze remained locked. A strange feeling rose in Margaret’s heart. He was perfect. She tried to ignore the gazes from others. Her face flushed bright pink. She looked away nervously, but she couldn’t hide the red glow that came over her face.

Seeing the adorable expression on her face, Alexander’s heart felt warm. He wanted to capture this beauty and keep her all to himself.

The song came to an end. His hand still placed on her back, her hand still on his shoulder. Their eyes stared deeply at each other.

“Who are you?” words slipped out of his mouth.

“Margaret Mathew.” her butterfly eyelashes fluttered.

Hearing the answer, he chuckled. This wasn’t the answer he was expecting. His could sense something deep in the answer. But this was not the right time to get deep into this matter.

“How old are you?”

“I turned nineteen this month.” she gave a meaningful stare.

‘Nineteen?’ he was taken aback…

His arms tightened the grip on her waist.

She twinged. Knowing that he had hurt her, he released her.

Taking her small hand in his… he placed a soft kiss on it.

“Meet you soon, Margaret.” with this he left.

Margaret froze on the spot. Everything happened all of a sudden. She could hear the whispers of people admiring how loving they both looked.

Liliana and Caroline’s glare shot daggers at her. Caroline had been watching them throughout the dance… her nails dug deep into her palms for a long time that left impressions on it.

Meanwhile, standing in a corner… Corbette smiled.