"I'm going over to the Kains, do you guys want to come with?" Florence yelled out closing her bakery.
"Yes, I want to play with Grover!" Lillian said.
The three walked over to the Kains' pharmacy after business hours. Florence knocked on the doors and Lena opened it.
"Florence! Come one in!" Lena welcomed them warmly.
"Good afternoon Auntie!" The twins greeted entering the house.
"I brought some food over for the family," Florence gave her a basket. After the Kains rescued her and helped her give birth safely, Florence became close to the family. She vowed to repay them when the time allowed her to.
"Wow, I got food from the famous bakery for free? Give me it!" Lena laughed munching on a meat bun. "Lillian, Lawrence if you guys are looking for Grover he's in the backyard in the green house!"
"Thank you Auntie!" Lillian said then dragging her brother to the green house.
"So what brings you here Florence?" Lena asked.
"Do vampires have shape-shifting abilities?" Florence started.
"No, vampires don't but demons do. Why do you ask?" Lena's brows raised in confusion.
"Because the twins shape-shifted just this afternoon. Apparently, they had this ability for over a year and haven't told me about it" Florence rubbed her temples.
"So... does that mean the man who you had the one-night-stand with is a demon?" Lena's eyes widened in realization.
Over the pass six years, Lena have become more of a sister to Florence. Because Florence trusts her, she told Lena everything. About her being the exiled Princess to the man who slept with her... even about the best friend whom she failed to protect. Now that Florence asked Lena, she realized that the man is more likely to be a demon, but who was he to be roaming in the Blume Kingdom?
Blume Kingdom is a vampire dominated kingdom, of course there are demons in here, but the numbers are very minimal. When vampires see demons over here they believed they are spies from the demon's kingdom.
The Calascione Kingdom is the demon dominated kingdom, East from where she curently lived. It's no secret there are tensions between these two mighty kingdoms. Being creatures with powers, many fought to see who can dominate who. It's been peaceful for the past hundred years, however many folks believe it will end soon and war will envelope instead. Humans don't have their own kingdom being that they are the most oppressed in this world because they do not possess abilities.
In this world, it's the survival of the fittest. If you are born a human, you should pray you'll be able to live until your seventies let alone nineties.
Florence was a Princess back then, how could a demon infiltrate the palace? Who was this person?
She felt bad for her twins because they don't have a father figure in their life. Old man Harold have helped her out in that aspect as he played a part of an old hearty grandfather. This is another reason why Florence owed the Kains so much. They were like family to her even though they were strangers who meet by coincidence.
"Tell the twins to never let that ability come across any vampires Florence. They'll get killed if a vampire finds them to be demons" Lena warned seriously.
"I know" Florence knew how grave this was. She can't do much as an ordinary vampire, but as a mother she's willing to risk her life for her children.
"Since I'm here, can I buy some of the rosemary herbs?" Florence asked.
"Get yourself a basket full of them, they're in the green house" Lena said.
Walking up to the large green house in the back, Florence saw her twins helping Grover plant. "Don't kill the plants now! The Kains take good care of those plants, I can't afford to pay them if you guys ruin it with your clumsy hands!"
"Mother! I have done this many times with brother Grover so don't worry" Lillian watered the plants while Lawrence moved one of the plant.
"Miss Florence! Do you need any herbs today?" Grover said walking over. The once small boy grew taller than her after six years, going into his puberty.
"Rosemary please!" Florence replied.
"Miss Florence, are you going to the blood moon festival next weekend?" Grover asked as he handed her a small basket of rosemary.
"If I go I'll have to close down the bakery," she thought about losing profits for the day.
The blood moon festival took place during the time when the blood shone red in color. Legends says if one were to stand outside and celebrate with joy, good luck will enable inside them. Some even say the light of the blood moon gives them power. Regardless it was a night to celebrate and party away their worries, even if it's just for a night.
"Mother, can we go? Usually around that time there's this clerk that sell literature books for a cheap price," Lawrence spoke up. The twins have been going to school for some lessons as Florence could provide for them with her income. But textbooks and parchments were expensive, sometimes the twins need to borrow books to read from. So Lawrence wanted to see if the clerks have any books for sale.
It was unusual for Lawrence to ask for something so Florence agreed to go to the blood moon festival.
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The week passed by fast as the day of the festival finally came. Town's folks was disappointed to see their favorite bakery closed for the day, but they cheered themselves up for the fun night coming up.
Florence and the twins spent the day cleaning up the store and checking their inventories. Raking the leaves in the front of her store, Florence watched the sun setting in its golden hue then being replaced by the fair moon that has yet to turn red.
The blood moon festival happens every five years, only God knows how terrified she was when she first saw the red moon five years ago. Florence thought the world was ending until Lena told her it was a normal occurrence.
"It's windy at night so get your jackets!" Florence reminded the twins. "Also where is the festival taking place?"
"It's by Blue Lake mother, it's not far from here." Lawrence replied as he took his allowance and putting the coins into a pouch. Then the three set sail to the blessed festival.