The Crimson Cup
Yazar
Decide Your Destiny
Okur
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đGALentine's DAYđđ„DECIDE YOUR DESTINYđ„200 years before the events of The Lost Princess...Ophelia lives in Fayvein, a town on the outskirts of the vampire realm. She works at a 24 hour bookshop run by her family. However, the shop is at risk of closing down. Ophelia soon discovers that she alone holds the key to saving the bookshop and her family. Help Ophelia make decisions as she embarks on this life-changing journey. Will she compete for the Kingâs heart in the Crimson Cup or will she find another way to save her family?
Chapter 1
OPHELIA
The sign on our door declares, Business failure. Palace repossession imminent.
It was hammered into place under the cover of darkness. We didnât see it at first, no one bothered to tell us, but itâs a final decree from the Vampire Royal Palace.
Weâre insignificant to the palace. There it is, in blood-red ink, our doom.
Soon, theyâll replace our familyâs bookshop with a military outpost. Hundreds of books will disappear, replaced by men in uniform.
Our libraryâs books arenât ordinary. When you open them, the pages glow warmly, pulling the reader into their world.
The first time it happened, I was scared. It was like plunging into the light. Suddenly, I was in the midst of a savage battle, bodies crashing into each other in a gruesome dance.
I floated through the scene like a specter, untouched by the horrors around me. My mind roamed, while my body lay unconscious, nestled safely between bookshelves.
By now, Iâve read every book in our shop. With nothing else to occupy me, I consume a book a day, exploring its world instead of the one beyond my door.
Today, Iâm in a meadow. Lying on my back, I brush my fingers through the tall grass. The blades chime as I stir them.
A flurry of pixies zooms past, and I watch a silver unicorn prance around before it vanishes into the trees.
Suddenly, I spot a shadow. Itâs a manâs silhouette, lurking just beyond the light. It seems like heâs observing me.
âOphelia,â a distant voice calls, sounding as if Iâm underwater.
Ignoring the voice, I rise and approach the figure, trying to get a clearer view. But as I advance, he retreats into the forestâs darkness, out of sight.
âOphelia,â the same voice repeats, now with a stern tone.
I sigh, pulling myself out of the book. âWhat?â I grumble, rubbing my eyes.
âOphelia,ââmy mother, Lucinda, looms over meââlost in another fantasy world?â
âTheyâre called books.â I stand and peck her cheek.
My father, Dante, is packing boxes behind her. âYou know, the real world isnât so bad.â
âMaybe the real world would be better if youâd let me leave town,â I retort sarcastically.
âNow, now,â my father chides, âyou know the forests near the border are too dangerous.â
âAre they?â I challenge. âBecause as far as I know, no one has ever seen anything dangerous out there, let alone been killed.â
âYes,â my mother begins, âbut there are tales thatââ
âBut thatâs all they are, motherâŠ, tales.â I sigh, frustrated by their stubbornness.
An unknown evil is supposedly brewing just beyond the borders.
And while all we hear are whispers, inconsistent rumors, many have been scared away, too frightened to venture to the kingdomâs outskirts.
It seems that all the realms, once living in harmony, have grown suspicious of each other.
Each blames the other for this evil shadow cast across the land. Although no one has encountered it themselves, they somehow still believe in it.
Gone are the days of peaceful coexistence. I canât remember a time before this isolation.
I feel it more than most because Iâm in a unique position.
Iâm human. As a baby, I was adopted by a vampire family.
This detail doesnât help my case to explore the lands outside our town, Fayvein.
Most humans in the vampire world are familiars. They dedicate their lives to serving their vampire masters.
My parents worry about me. They donât want me discovered and forced into servitude.
Fayvein is my sanctuary. Nestled in a forest, Fayvein looks like it tumbled from a fairytale into reality.
The vampires in Fayvein know about my âcondition,â as they call it. Itâs our secret.
Theyâve known me since childhood and have sworn to protect me. But the same canât be said for those outside Fayvein.
I think of the sign on our shop door again. The thought of my sanctuary being tainted by a military outpost turns my stomach.
Itâs clear the shared fear of what lies beyond the kingdomâs borders has infected the royal palace.
Or maybe they just donât care for culture and art, preferring death and destruction.
There are stories, from long ago, of travelers passing through, sharing books from their realmsâtales of unknown civilizations and creatures from far away.
Stories about the Werewolf Kingdom, the Fae Kingdom, the Witch Kingdom, and even the Human Kingdom are still told to children.
But itâs been so long, theyâve become myths.
As I look around the shop, brimming with books but devoid of life, I know those days are gone. These days, weâre lucky to get one customer a month.
Suddenly, the doorbell jingles.
Startled, I quickly smooth my dress. I hadnât realized my parents had left the room and I was alone. I can hear them in the basement, sorting through our archives.
âHow can I help you?â
I almost gasp when I see a hooded figure. His face is mostly hidden, his hood revealing only icy blue-gray eyes and a hint of a playful smile.
He holds a piece of parchment.
âCould you post this on the bulletin board outside?â he asks, not bothering to introduce himself.
He hands me the paper carefully.
The sign shimmers gold.
The Crimson Cup.
The Royal Palace invites all maidens from the realm to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If you choose to participate, you may have the chance to win the vampire kingâs heart.
The event will take place on February 14 of this year at the Royal Palace.
This tournament isnât for the faint of heart.
The Royal Palaceâs familiar crimson emblem is stamped at the bottom of the page. Itâs the same emblem thatâs on the closure notice outside.
I notice the date right away: Valentineâs Day. I guess the kingâs a romantic at heart.
Not much is known about King Atticus.
But his lack of an heir is a hot topic. He doesnât have a queen, so he doesnât have an heir. Everyoneâs wondering when thatâll change. I guess the answer isâŠsoon.
The kingâs probably tired of his councilâs constant nagging. But his claim to the throne is shaky unless he listens to them.
Whatâs a king without a queen?
When I look up again, the hooded man is gone. But another man is standing there.
I recognize him from town: Roanoke Briar.
Moonlight filters through the stained-glass window, casting a red glow on his skin.
Lord Briar is a rich local nobleman. Heâs known for being distant, spending most of his time with a small group of standoffish, sarcastic vampires.
They all think theyâre better than everyone else and hardly ever mingle with the townsfolk.
Iâve seen him around town a few times, his jet-black hair always slicked back, his dark green eyes judging everyone. But weâve never spoken.
âCan I see?â he asks.
âWant me to show you around?â I offer.
âDo you have a favorite section?â
âThe historical fiction section.â I point him to the back of the shop.
âAh, the good old days, when everyone was friends,â he says.
I catch a hint of sarcasm. He wanders off, pacing the aisle, running his fingers over the book spines.
âOphelia, we need you downstairs. Your father and I areâŠâ My mom stops when she sees Iâm not alone. Her eyes widen.
Itâs been a while since weâve had a visitor.
Wait till she finds out weâve had two visitors today. Iâd almost forgotten about the strange man with the blue eyes.
Seeing my mom, Roanoke comes back over.
âI can save thisâŠââhe looks around the shelves, like heâs trying to figure out what kind of place heâs in. I think I see a flicker of disgust in his eyesââplace,â he finishes.
Then his eyes land on me. âBut in return,â he says, turning to my mom, âI want to marry your daughter.â
My heart drops as soon as he says it. My throat tightens and I canât speak.
âI,â I start, âIâŠâ
âSheâll consider your generous offer, Lord Briar,â my mom says, bowing her head.
He nods, giving me one last look before he leaves.
âMom, Iâm not marrying him,â I whisper when heâs gone.
âWhy not?â
âAre you two arguing again?â my dad asks, interrupting us.
âNo,â I say, âMom just wants to marry me off to Lord Briar to save the shop.â
âHeâs not bad looking,â my dad says.
âThen you marry him,â I retort.
âOh, weâre just kidding,â my mom says, hugging me. âWeâll figure something else out.â She sighs.
I can hear the sadness in her voice. I know we donât have many other options. My parents have even started packing up the shop.
I donât want to marry Roanoke. Iâm only turning twenty-one tomorrow, and heâs thirtyâŠor rather, heâs been thirty for over a hundred and fifty years.
But I need to save the bookshop. I need to save my family.
âYour dad and I are going hunting. Can you lock up by yourself?â
âNo,â I say, winking at her.
My parents stopped drinking human blood when they adopted me, which I think is sweet, but there are others in town who still like it.
As I lock up the bookshop, I think about my options.
I could marry Roanoke and move to Briar Manor. Iâve heard itâs a nice place, grand and comfortable, and most importantly, close enough for me to visit my family often.
And with Roanokeâs money and influence at the palace, the bookshop would be saved.
It seems like the perfect solution.
Then I see the piece of parchment pinned to our bulletin board.
The Crimson Cup
Iâd completely forgotten about the competition.
If I could just get a moment with the king, I could convince him to change his mind about the shop, I know it.
I have a decision to makeâŠ
DECIDE YOUR DESTINYâŠ
Should Ophelia marry Roanoke and move to Briar Manor? Or should she go to the Royal Palace to compete in The Crimson Cup for a chance to win the kingâs heart?
Skip to the next chapter to vote.
Chapters are released weekly on Fridays!
