The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 146: Paint The Town Red

Chapter 146: Paint The Town Red

A knock disrupted her out of her thoughts, snapping her back to reality as she quickly opened it to meet Malika, her amber eyes twin orbs of windows to obliviousness and a lingering emptiness of the memories she and Zamiel had once shared.

She wondered if Zamiel hadn’t noticed it since he didn’t talk about it when she called for him, but then she reasoned that if he did, he wouldn’t actually call her out for it. It was Zamiel, the stoic bastard.

"Your Highness, you called for me?" Malika said warily as she stole a peek into the room.

"Don’t worry, come in. He’s not here." Rama spoke as she pulled the hesitant girl in.

"Oh." She mumbled out as she came in to meet the empty room.

"Are you alright? You’ve been looking gloomy, everytime I and the maids prepared you, but I didn’t want to say anything because of the maids." Malika pointed out.

"I’m fine, just bored. Anyways, lets go to the Crimson Moon Carnival together." Rama suggested with twinkling eyes, quickly evading the topic. Her gaze flashed through the eerie door in the room before stopping back on her face.

"Oh, the Crimson Moon Carnival. I heard of it from the other servants, it would be fun, why not?" Malika chirped excitedly with a smile reaching her eyes. Her smile made Rama smile subconsciously, her presence always seemed to brighten up the vicinity around her.

"Good, it holds immediately the sun goes down, lets get prepared, there’s only a few hours left." Rama said and Malika nodded.

"I think I’m good like this, there’s no need to get changed."

"Oh no, it’s a carnival held among the public, so we have to blend in to relish the night, we should both change into ordinary clothes." Rama implied, she suddenly remembered the tour with Draco, she still had the peasant clothes he had transformed her luxurious gown into, stacked in her wardrobe.

Good thing it came in handy.

"Alright then, I’ll look for two commoner dresses for us." Malika said.

"I have one already, I’ll just ring a maid for another one." Rama said and Malika nodded.

She rang a maid for the dress which Malika easily wore, while she clad herself in the peasant dress, her hand running over it reminiscingly, making a small smile paint her face.

Losing her intricately styled hair, she brushed it and tied it in a simply ponytail. Staring back at Malika who was ready, she said "Let’s go."

"Wait! We don’t even know our way around the Kingdom and also, is it safe to leave you walking around without any protection? No guards? Wouldn’t the king be angered?" Malika queried cautiously.

"It’s fine, Draco already showed me around and lord Zamiel said it was fine for me to go, so if Draco would be mad at anyone, it would be Zamiel, fret not." Rama explained and the girl nodded, still wary.

They exited the castle and Rama looked up to see the skies had gone eerily dark with the sun disappeared from sight, although the moon was still yet to graze their sights.

She went to the stable and picked the black horse he had used on the tour. She rubbed on it’s mane dotingly and it nudged her slightly with it’s muzzle as if conforming to her touch.

She mounted on the horse and supported Malika with a hand to climb the horse and sit behind her. Pulling on the reins, the horse galloped smoothly through the forest paths beneath the looming darkness of the sky towards the town square where the Carnival was being held.

The path to the townsquare was still very familiar in her mind, so she easily directed the horse through twists and turns in the forest path. As they galloped through the paths, the clouds suddenly changed.

The sky hung heavy with dark greyish clouds, as if painted by the masterful strokes of a brooding artist. The clouds seemed to bleed into a shade of dark red hue, casting an ominous and enchanting shadow over the land below it.

It was a sight that whispered of secrets and mysteries, as if the very heavens conspired to paint the town red. And there, like a watchful sentinel in a celestial gallery, the blood-red moon peeked out from behind the swirling clouds, casting its eerie crimson glow upon the land, a haunting yet magnificent gaze for all to catch sight of.

The girls gasped at the uncanny change and bewitching picture as the night unveiled its most enchanting spectacle, the full blood-red moon, an eerie orb that seemed plucked from the deepest caverns of enchantment.

It hung in the inky canvas of the night sky like a forbidden fruit, its crimson glow casting a haunting radiance that bathed the realm in a sinister embrace. The land below felt the moon’s watchful eye, as if the very heavens conspired to weave dark sorceries and unveil long-buried secrets.

It was a celestial jewel, a beacon of both dread and fascination, where legends and ancient prophecies stirred, and the spirits of the past reached out to touch the world in eerie, otherworldly splendor.

’The tales were true after all’ she thought inwardly.

The girls could only gape at amazement while the horse galloped steadily towards the townsquare, they could hear the business of the town from a mile away, the sound of haunting notes floating with the wind played from the square.

They finally arrived at the square, she fastened the horse’s reins to a tree, hiding it inside the woods. They moved hand in hand into the townsquare, everything had drastically changed from the way she had remembered it at the tour that night.

The town square transformed into a mesmerizing scene as the Blood Moon Carnival came to life. Here, humans and low-ranking vampires cohabited in a delicate dance of coexistence. The ancient cobblestone streets were adorned with crimson banners, and eerie crimson lanterns hung from lampposts, casting an otherworldly glow over the festivities.

Peasant humans, dressed in a blend of rustic and ethereal attire, mingled with their vampiric counterparts.

It was a night where all inhibitions were abandoned, and laughter and enchantment intermingled in the chilly air. Vendors lined the square, offering exotic crimson delicacies and elixirs, while carnival games with dark, mysterious prizes drew daring participants.

As they both walked amidst the crowd, Malika’s eyes dilated in awe as she drank in the enthralling sight, wonder masking her countenance as she caught sights of humans and vampires mingling in harmony, as if the feud between them was only an illusion.

Amidst the revelry, Rama caught sight of high-ranking vampires, draped in regal, blood-red robes, observing the carnival from their balconies, a subtle but commanding presence. Their timeless elegance added an aura of mystique to the night, as they watched the crimson moon with a sense of reverence.

As the blood-red moon ascended in the sky, a hushed awe descended upon the carnival. Its eerie radiance cast a spell over the entire kingdom, and the assembled crowd felt the allure of the supernatural coursing through their veins.

And then, the carnival abruptly started, everyone busy with varieties of things. While some played dark games for ominous prices, some purchased items from vendors selling mystical items.

They relished in the acrobatic exhibitions displayed by both humans and vampire acrobats. Rama’s eyes dropped on the food vendors, their stalls draped in ornate velvet curtains.

Pulling Malika toward the food stall, she was about to bring out her money, but the vendor stated that everything was free on the crimson moon carnival.

The vendor gave them each a crimson cupcake with strawberry toppings and black berries buried beneath them. The moment she took a bite, the juicy exotic taste sufficed her mouth made her moan in marvel.

And then, the vendor gave them another, the girls giggling amidst bites of the delicacies. They ate sinfully sweet candied apples, their red sugar glaze glistening like fresh blood, and deep scarlet cherries, plump and ripe, waiting to be savored and then the vendor gave the unsatisfied girls a blood sausage each, with its rich, robust flavor, enticed adventurous palates, while roasted beefs, glazed with a dark, mysterious sauce, promised a taste of the supernatural and it did deliver as promised.

After filling their stomachs, they bid the nice vampire vendor goodbye and he returned it heartily, promising to feed the girls for free if ever they visited again.

With eyes wide in excitement and eagerness, they went to vendors selling mystique items. They both only took Eternal roses since they were not acquainted with the rest items. It was an enchanted rose that was said to never wither, symbolizing undying love and beauty. Also their crimson petals could be turned into elixirs and used for various effects.

The vendors offered them other things, but they only had two hands, so they bid the vendor goodbye and went over to watch people play dark games for prizes. It was as risky as it was thrilling with a hint of danger, and a blend of skill and chance.

For a split moment, she forgot about Draco as she relished in the magical night, where she encountered the mystique of the paranormal and the beauty within.