SUNLIGHT SEEPED IN through the cracks of the curtains that weren't properly drawn. It spilled over the papers on the desk, coloring them with a slight golden hue.
Charlie was an odd one. He liked working in the dark and claimed that his eyes adjusted better than if he were to work under the bright and hot sun. However, at the same time, he also hadn't even a bit of trouble sparring with Miles under the sweltering heat. How that boy's mind worked was an utter mystery to Alice.
"Are you a vampire?" Alice couldn't help herself but ask, wrinkling her nose.
It had been days since the ball. In the end, nothing eventful happened. Both she and Hartley retreated back into the comforts of their own beds individually at the end of the day, safe, not even a hair out of place. Whoever had attempted to assassinate them both hadn't tried to do anything too funny when met with the eyes of so many guests.
Charlie, who was busy scribbling away at his desk, replied, "Last I checked, I'm still alive, thank you for asking."
Alice scoffed. "Vampires aren't necessarily dead. It depends on where the myth came from."
"Then they don't necessarily fear the sun. It depends on where the myth came from," Charlie quipped back.
"Touché."
Just like any uneventful and ordinary afternoon, Alice quietly sat by Charlie's side, helping him sort through either his homework or the documents that needed to be read. He had started to pick up some of Wyatt's workload, ready to carry the burden of being a son of a marquess.
Watching him diligently doing his task warmed Alice's heart. Charlie had always acted younger than his years. The boys his age from Riverside Creek were always much more of a scumbag, souls that had long lost their youthful innocence. Charlie was, however, untainted, a refreshing sight in comparison. Yet, when working hard and dutifully, he looked just as grown and mature as any man.
A knock that resounded through the air broke the peaceful silence that had enveloped them. In sync, Alice and Charlie both looked up.
"Come in," Charlie beckoned.
The door clicked open softly and in stepped Miles. He had a forlorn look, much more dreadful than his usual stoic expression. Alice's eyes drifted down to the letter that was in his hand. The white envelope looked fairly innocent enough but it still carried a sinister aura with it.
"A letter for Alice," Miles explained. Then, his expression darkened even further. Alice didn't even know that was possible. "It's from the queen."
"The queen?" Charlie echoed. He shot out of his chair, palms flat on the table. The sudden jerk caused the bottle of ink to spill over the parchment and desk. "What does that old witch want?"
Miles frowned a little in disapproval at Charlie's choice of words. However, the knight said nothing more. Instead, he held out the letter for Alice to take, which she received immediately.
"Quick! Quick! Open it!" exclaimed Charlie. Then he turned back to Miles, who was still at the door, and said, "Does my brother know about this?"
"I've informed him, yes," Miles answered. "Should I get him?"
"Probably," replied Charlie. "An extra head will be able to help think of a solution."
Miles nodded once and left, closing the door shut behind him.
Slowly, Alice began to peel open the envelope. Her hands were slightly trembling as she remembered the look in the queen's eyes those two nights at the ball. Both times Alice had met her, she had a feeling that Hartley's mother did not like Alice one bit. Even back at the first ball, when Alice hadn't even been friends with Hartley yet, the queen was merely putting on false pretenses of cordiality.
The paper peeled from the wax with a light pop. Pulling the parchment inside out, Alice began to read.
"Dear Alice," she recited, "It is my honor to invite you to the palace for tea in three days' time. Please dress comfortably and do not worry. It is a private affair. Regards―"
"You can't go!" Charlie cried out, cutting Alice off mid-sentence. "The queen is not a person that you should interact with. It's best to stay away from her, as far as you possibly can."
"I can't refuse a royal invite!" Alice argued. "Won't that just give me a bad name?"
"We don't know who's the one attempting for your life yet," Charlie reminded. "I don't want to say it but both Brother and I have a suspicion that it's―"
"You're really suggesting that I would be a target of royalty?" Alice asked, incredulous. "Do you know how you sound right now, Charlie?"
"It's for your own good," Charlie answered with gritted teeth. "We warned you before, Alice, the people who bleed blue are not to be trusted. That goes especially for the royal family! Now hand me that letter before you decide to do anything funny with it."
"What? No!" Taking a step back, Alice hid the letter behind her back.
From the time Alice had first met Charlie, he had already grown much taller. Before, he was just an inch or two above her but now, the boy easily towered over her and was quickly catching up to his older brother. If she wanted to hide anything from him, it would be to dip down, not to stretch up.
"Be good," Charlie warned, still trying to reach for the parchment in Alice's hands.
"Charlie, stop, you're being ridiculous!" Crouching down, Alice slipped under his arms, dodging him swiftly. "What can she possibly do to me at the palace? And in broad daylight?"
"Oh, I don't know?" Charlie retorted sarcastically. "Poison? Assassination attempt while blaming it on someone else? Pinning treason on you? Enforcing her authority to behead you on the spot?" he listed out.
While those things definitely sent a chill running down Alice's spine, she did not relent. She edged to the fainting couch near the window, prepared to throw the letter down and fetch it later on if she had to.
"She wouldn't."
"Never underestimate a queen, Alice," said Charlie.
With a sudden lunge, Charlie managed to tackle Alice in his arms. The letter went flying to the ground, slowly drifting in the air before it landed on the floor. Both Alice and Charlie fell backward, the back of Alice's knee hitting the fainting couch before she eventually toppled onto the cushion. Panicking, she grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on, which happened to be Charlie's collar.
The two landed on the soft cushions, bouncing slightly from the momentum. When Alice finally peeled open her eyes again, she was met with Charlie's gaze, wide, round, and a bright luminescent gold. From such close proximity, Alice could see every detail on Charlie's face. His smooth skin, his soft violet hair, and even his pupils which were oddly more slit than an average human's, reminding Alice of a cat.
When he noticed that her eyes were on him, those pupils widened from slits into a round, large orb. He stared back at her, his lips slightly parted as he gazed down at her. Slowly, his adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, his eyes trailing down to her lips for a brief second before meeting her eyes again.
The letter laid on the floor, forgotten.
At least, that was until the door opened again and Wyatt stepped in.
"Miles told me that our darling Alice received a― What is going on?"
At his brother's voice, Charlie quickly scrambled up from the fainting couch and Alice finally realized the compromising position they were in.
Charlie had been on top of her, his one elbow supporting his weight while the other gripped the backrest. Their faces were inches apart from one another, chests nearly touching, and lips nearly kissing if one of them had even moved an inch or two closer.
Alice's cheeks flushed red at the memory of having Charlie so close. All this time, she had viewed him as a younger brother that had to be protected. Yet, at that moment, they had gotten so awfully close. She had never realized how beautiful he was. While Wyatt was a frosty elegance, Charlie's face was filled with youthful vigor. They were both equally attractive in their own ways. Alice had just simply never allowed herself the thought of it.
"Excuse me," Charlie briefly uttered before rushing out of the study room. He hadn't even bothered to reach for the letter, shoulders brushing against Wyatt in his haste to dash away.
"What just happened?" Alice asked, dazedly. She turned her attention to Wyatt who was equally as confused as she was.
"I don't know," he replied. "You tell me."