Ingrid spent half an hour in her room before she headed to the ball.

"All these unfamiliar faces and events, those cold attitudes and the only familiar one is rude and distasteful... I could have shoved this down." She thought when she saw the ripped place on her father's cloak, that she caused on her way back when she tripped.

She soaked the blue coat with her tears.

"I will sew it later, I will fix it without any mark on it." She repeated it in herself.

Her eyes were swollen until she washed her face with cold water.

"It's fine, it will disappear till I get there."

As she got closer and closer to the ballroom she heard a very nice waltz.

The ballroom was a huge, longish "mirror-room", with several chandeliers hanging and mirrors on the fancy golden wall. The floor was white polished marble, so refined, that you could see perfect reflection on it.

It was a whole separated building extended into the flower garden with it's own kitchen and "resting" rooms. It had one main and 6 side entrance. The 6 glass door leaded to the garden.

Ingrid arrived from the main entrance direction, where the building connected to the main building.

She hesitated in front of the entrance for a few minutes. Children were chatting in the hall and run away when they saw her. They run to the dark garden to play.

-Lupin, stay on the main path! Only where are torches!-Said a lady, who has just went out to the hall. She bowed her head and rushed with tiny steps away. She looked nauseous.

Ingrid breathed in and out slowly while she watched the mass through the door glass.

Surprisingly, she caught with her eyes Karakan in a group of young people.

The king was also in a group, but the group seemed disturbed and fearful.

Sul was walking around greeting everybody and chatting a little and sometimes drinking from his own bottle of "wine".

Ingrid recognized a golden chair, that looked like a throne at the end of the room, and the two boy twin stood there.

Suddenly she felt a cold breeze then a porcelain touched her hand. Ingrid snapped up her hand and turned around.

It was the girl twin. She looked up with her sad, empty eyes.

-Your hand is yummy.-She said with her titmouse voice.

-Ohmm, thank you?-Said the little prince in confusion and stood aside.

-Girl, I'm hungry. -She said again. She was disturbingly rigid, like a sculpture in between her speech.

-I'm a boy...-Said the little prince shyly.- There are lots of foods in the ballroom. -Ingrid pointed with her finger, but the little twin didn't even winked. She stepped closer and Ingrid stepped back one.

The little dead-eye girl was scary somehow.

-Mimóza. -Said suddenly a man from the door, and it was Sul.- I told you not to wander off from your brothers.

-I'm hungry.-She said and pointed at me with her finger without holding up her arm. The Sul grabbed her hand and forcefully bent it down. The girl clenched her lips painfully and turned to the king.

-Go and drink this with your brother and don't move from your place!-Said the king almost fretfully and pushed his bottle to the girls lap. The girl grabbed the big, green bottle and walked into the ballroom. -Snow, you should join us too, I would feel myself bad if you would stay out of the fun part of the party!-He smiled and Ingrid could only watch his teeth.

He held the door and waited for the little prince to enter the loud room.

Ingrid rested one of her hand on her sword as she passed the king, and tried to walk right away to Karakan, but as she stepped in, the king grabbed her shoulders and bent down to her ears. Ingrid heard him sniffing.

-Hmm...You have a nice aroma. What is it...?- He asked, and Karakan's talk jumped into Ingrid's mind.

-Ohmm...? Maybe...-Started Ingrid and blushed right away. His lips were just centimeters away. -It's...rose?- She said quietly.

-Rose would it be?-He whispered more closely, and the little prince could almost feel his lips. Her vision went blur so she tried to step one further, but she couldn't move at all. He held the girl like a vulture it's prey.

-White rose...-Heard Ingrid herself bleated.

-White rose? -He said as he rose up. -I like your humor kid! -He laughed and hit the kid's back as he passed her. He disappeared in the crowd in a second.

"I wished Karakan would have saved me."

Ingrid looked around again and saw Karakan standing without any movements and staring at her while some dandy was talking to him. Soon he turned back to the conversation and he didn't look into my direction anymore.

Ingrid walked to the closest corner. She picked out the tiny glass of smelly fragrance to apply more drops on her neck and onto her wrists too. A nearby couple went away spiteful.

Ingrid looked at Karakan again. He was gently smiling at one of the young lady.

As Ingrid grabbed a plate of poultry she noticed Sigfrid and Katica at the other side sitting by a table.

The little prince felt somewhat reassured.

She went there and asked for permission to sit.

-You look so well today Snow, this dress fits you well! -Said Kati as Ingrid sat down. She was drank already as she couldn't stop laughing and speaking loudly. Sigfrid wasn't that drunk yet, but his face was also red.

A man next to Kati touched Kati's hand and smiled under his mustache. He was saying something in the old onghrinian language and Kati laughed while she pulled out her hand slowly and looked at Sigfrid. Sigfrid was politely smiling and nodding then drinking.

-I will go and ask a princess to dance.- Said Sigfrid bitterly smiling, and Kati stood up suddenly.- No, no, you stay here, and enjoy the company, you won't be able to do this for long anyway...

He said and walked proudly to an other table. He really asked a lady  out who had fuller breasts then Kati for a dance. He grabbed her waist and pulled to the dance floor.

Kati sat down disappointed and furiously rubbing her forehead.

Although Ingrid disliked Sigfrid most of the time, she could understand his jealousy, his feelings of being an outsider. Ingrid couldn't help but feel the tenseness in the air. They started to talk in onghrinian again. It didn't take too much time, and the mustache guy's hand was on Kati's hand again.

-I will grab an other plate.- Said the little prince as she stood up.

They were sank in their conversation, so they didn't even notice the kid.

Ingrid walked along the tables to taste everything nice.

She was about to poke her golden fork into a roasted apple, when she saw a hand showing a small paper with a message.

-"Don't look up, act naturally."

Ingrid pushed gently away the hand (just so she could touch the hand) and continued to pick the apple.

-How is the party?-She asked monotonously.

-I saw you with the king... Everything's okay?

-So far...

-Wait till I finish here, don't go up to your room on your own...-Ingrid was sighing and looked at him furiously. -Don't look...

She looked back to the table and started to eat standing.
"What on earth should I do until then? Eat?"

-Who are the twins?-She asked.

-They...-He started but stopped and walked away. Ingrid looked after him with widened eyes.
"What the...?"

-Girl!-She heard suddenly and shivered. Ingrid looked to her side. It was the empty eyed girl and behind her stood the boy twins. -Walk with me.- She said in a dull monotone.

Ingrid pushed as much food as much she could in her mouth then left the plate at the table.

She was following her munching.

-You two stay here!-She said as they got to one of the glass door to the garden.

The boys didn't say anything just stood there without any movements nor respond.

The girl grabbed Ingrid's forefinger and pulled her out. When they got to the first big bush, she started to run. Ingrid run after her (since she couldn't pull out her finger somehow), but stopped when she turned right to the dark.

-Where do you want me to go? I am not going farther then this. -Said Ingrid.

-Are you a coward? Don't be so timid!-Said Mimóza and showed an unexpected expression. She smiled grotesquely.

-Call me as you wish, but I don't care, I am not going further.- Repeated the little prince and tried to shake her fist off unsuccessfully.

-You dress like a boy, but a girl, but not speak like girl, you are not like me either! -She smiled devilishly.

-Let me go.-Said the northern sturdily.

Mimóza started to laugh and grabbed the prince's wrist with her other hand.

Her hand was too small to wrap Ingrid's arm, but she clenched it so hard that the little prince immediately shouted out loud, hit the little one on the head with her free hand with all her might.

It was no use, she clenched further and Ingrid started to cry from pain and fell onto knees.

Suddenly she pierced her tiny needle teeth into Ingrid's arm and started to suck out her blood. Immediately after her first sip she looked up to the stars and her expression changed into sadness.

-Let me go.- Said the northern prince shakily. She stared at Ingrid expressionless, then she smiled broadly and started to drink her blood more aggressively.

Ingrid felt weaker and weaker by every breath.

"What should I do? Should I try to stop the time and push her eyes out? But if she's not letting me go she will know my secret...maybe she already knows it."

"I have the sword...where is my sword? Oh no, where did I left? The dagger!"

Ingrid breathed in and slowed down the time until it almost stopped. It was hard not to breathe.

Everything happened so fast...

Ingrid pulled out her dagger from her boots, while Mimóza's head turned up slowly. After that, Inrid stabbed her face with all her might.
The time went on, and Mimóza grabbed the dagger with Ingrid's hand on it immediately. The little demon pulled out the knife from her eye and took it out from the prince's hand. Her eye started to heal in right away.

She throw the dagger away and continued sucking Ingrid's blood.

The little prince was cursing her weakness, her infantile body, and her dunce decisions.

Mimóza stopped and groaned quietly. Ingrid's blood bubbled out from her mouth as she lifted her face up.

Ingrid saw a big hand choking the little demon's neck from behind.

The little devil let the little prince's broken arm away.

The Mimóza was lifted slightly into the air. She tried to tear off the hand, but it seemed way too strong for her. Her face turned into a grotesque mask, with hundreds of wrinkles, her mouth widened and her eyes turned into red.

The big hands separated the silently screaming head from it's neck.

Ingrid was so shocked she couldn't move, couldn't even look away from it.

The little demon's body shook and started to shrink and dry out until it looked like a dried meat at the end of winter.

The hands pulled the body and the head into the shadow. It felt like hours passed until the silhouette arrived back. As he stepped out to the light Ingrid saw that it was Karakan.

His eyes were shining yellow, and his mouth was opened. He crouched to Ingrid and the little prince was lost in his eyes.

Karakan gently lifted Ingrid's broken arm to see it.

-Stupid Ingrid -He sighed and licked her bloody arm. He breathed in and looked up to the stars, just like the little girl, Mimóza did. -You caused trouble again...

-Thank you for saving me.- Whispered Ingrid slowly, still shocked.

-Oh you WILL thank me.- He said as he was slowly inhaling the smell of her blood.- Hmmm. I take you to a safe place...

-Karakan... Karakan! Where are you?-Said a dandy in the near.

-I will be right back.-Said the black prince and stood up.

Ingrid peeked through the bushes.

The young man came out from a labyrinth, so Ingrid could see how he hugged the southern prince and left a kiss on his lips. Karakan endured it like it's nothing, and even fondled the dunce face.

Ingrid has never seen that movement from him before. It was gentle and warm.

At that moment she realized, that her feelings are hopelessly one-sided.