Cristina_5911

The little duchess' life seems to be perfect, especially after her wedding with the most desired bachelor in the kingdom, the one who drove out all the monster from the Black Wood. Despite her father's initial protests, Iris is able to marry the love of her life and feels that the rest of her life will only be bliss. But not everything is what is seems at her new home and little by little secrets revail themselves, making Iris understand the reasons behind her father's protests.
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Her wedding night found Iris more nervous than she thought. The maids bathed her and changed her into a nightgown which was semi transparent, the silhouette of her body being evident throughout the thin material. After the maids left she laid down on her bed, but only for a second. Her nerves didn’t let her lay there, she couldn’t even sit on it as she knew what was to come. Or at least she thought she knew as she, like all noble girls, was taught about the duty of a wife in the bedroom. But she didn’t know about the tingling in her stomach and the heat coming from inside her from those lessons. No, those were the feelings her now husband showed her with only a kiss. That thought made her touch her lips with her finger. She blushed when she remembered the kiss, the one that started all of this.
It happened only a month ago, on a dark night with no stars in the sky and the moon hiding behind the dark clouds, promising a heavy rain. But not a single drop fell yet and the castle's garden was lit by small torches which trew trembling shadows on the ground. She could remember his hands touching her arched back and caressing it while his other hand touched her cheek before sliding behind her head, entangled in her beautifully done hair. He looked passionately into her eyes, his green eyes making her forget about anything else. The smell that came from him drew her closer until their lips touched and she closed her eyes, letting herself drown in that blissful feeling, in those hard arms. He made her forget everything outside their embrace.
They forgot where they were and the reason they were there. They forgot about the ballroom full of chatting people, full of music and dance. It was only them at that moment, in the garden.
“You son of a bitch!” a cry woke them and they separated from each other. “You will pay for this!”. The man that was screaming at them approached and before Iris realized what was happening, he punched her partner hard.

Drinking under the moon

The creatures continued to approach cautiously, their movements deliberate and calculated. Their eyes locked onto each man in the circle around Iris and her maid, assessing their potential threat. The air was heavy with tension, filled with the growls that emanated from the menacing creatures. They exchanged glances, as if communicating silently, strategizing their next move.

"Please, my lady," Sir Marco's loud voice could be heard above the intensifying growling, pleading for her to leave. "Please go now!"

Iris was paralyzed by shock. It was her first encounter with such monstrous beings. In Argidava, her father's land, and particularly at Castle Tomis where she had spent most of her life, there had been no trace of these creatures. They were believed to have been eradicated long ago. She had always assumed that the same held true in Buri, especially after her husband's efforts to drive them out of the Dark Wood.

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