IL Ferno Series 1: Damien Dalerrios

[Prologue]

"I'm home!" I shouted as I opened the door to the house, but I was only met by silence.

"Where are they?" I asked myself. Even the maids were nowhere to be found.

I gasped when a thought came to my mind. I covered my mouth and weakly sat on the marble floor.

"W-why did they do this to me?" Tears started to fall, but I stopped my dramatic act when someone slapped the back of my head.

"What the heck!" I angrily turned around and saw my male cousin looking at me, shaking his head.

"They're in the garden! You're being silly again." He said, so I rolled my eyes at him. I thought they went to Jollibee and left me behind, hmph!

"Just go change, we're about to eat."

"Fine." I stood up from the floor and went upstairs to my room.

It took me a while to reach my room because it was so far. My room was at the very end of the hallway. The house was big, and over 20 people lived here, and each of my cousins had their own room.

I put my bag on the bed and went to my big closet to get some clothes. After that, I went to the bathroom and took a shower.

After I got ready, I grabbed my phone and went downstairs. As expected, I was out of breath again. I stopped for a while before continuing to walk towards the garden.

I immediately saw them seated at a long table. I approached them and greeted them.

"Hello, family!" They looked at me and waved. I sat down between my mom and my brother.

"You're early today, honey. Don't you have classes?" My mom asked.

"No, it's half-day every Friday. You still don't remember that, even after 2nd semester?" I pouted. She slapped my shoulder lightly, making me wince. Her hand was heavy.

"I'm just beautiful, honey, but I'm getting old." She winked.

"You still got it, Ma." I said jokingly. My eyes shifted to my brother who was sitting beside me.

"Why?" I asked him in a teasing tone. She rolled her eyes.

"I need your help later."

"What is it now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's about math, Ate." She rolled her eyes again and took a bite of her food. My younger sister is only in grade 4, but she acts so mature. I wonder where he gets that from.

"Fine, but you have to give me your chocolate." I said, and he glared at me. He's so stingy.

"Okay, enough of that. Just eat your food," Lola said. She was sitting at the head of the table with Grandpa beside her.

When I looked at Grandpa, I felt like a lion that lost its tail. He was glaring at me. I better eat before the lion king gets mad.

We finished eating but we didn't leave the table. The maids were just replacing the plates and serving us some sweet snacks. I smiled when I saw my favorite dessert, ice cream! And not just one, but three scoops with my favorite flavors: mango, strawberry, and vanilla.

They already knew I loved ice cream, so they didn't ask me what I wanted.

"Pst! Mady!" I looked up and saw my cousin, Alesendra. She was motioning for me.

"What?" I whispered, knowing she would understand.

"Can you come with me later? I'm going to Sara's birthday party." She asked.

"Tonight?" I nodded. It was Saturday, so it was okay. I nodded again.

"Ma'am Mady?"

I stopped eating when a maid approached me. Everyone's attention was now on us.

"Yes?" I asked, confused.

"There's a delivery for you."

"Huh? I didn't order anything."

"But your name is on the receiver, ma'am."

I sighed and nodded. I excused myself and followed the maid. When we reached the living room, there was a man sitting on the couch, looking like a king. He was wearing a helmet and all black. I couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" I asked rudely, but he didn't say anything. He just took a box from the couch and handed it to me. I didn't take it and just stared at the box.

What if it's a bomb? But it looked too big to be a bomb.

"There's an envelope inside, just read it." He said in a cold tone. I was surprised by his rudeness. How dare he enter my house and act like he owns the place?

"Esa, take it and open it." I told my maid, still staring at the tall man. I felt a shiver down my spine. His eyes felt like they were piercing through me even though I couldn't see them.

"Ma'am, there's a blue ball gown and a blue mask inside. The mask has a crown design, and there's a gold-sealed blue envelope underneath." The maid said, showing me the contents of the box.

I looked back at the tall man, but he was gone!

"Where did he go?" I asked the maids, but they didn't see him either.

"I don't know, ma'am. He must have left." I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

I took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a card that said "Queen" and a piece of paper.

To: Madeline Genevieve Hermedilla A Queen

We're inviting you to the masquerade ball this June 16th at Chernyye Karty hotel. This ball will take place at exactly 9pm in the evening. We'll look forward to your arrival soon.

From: Chernyye Karty Hotel

What the heck! Chernyye Karty Hotel!!