The golden necklace with the silver pendant hung around the child's neck as she laid on the bed.

The heatwave during the afternoons was high enough to make people feel faint and uncomfortable.

However, the child inside this room was fast asleep and displayed no signs of discomfort or displeasure due to the heat.

The silver pendant resting on her chest was in contact with her skin which was working its magic while she took her afternoon siesta.

The sleeping child had no consciousness of her surroundings as her mind was lost in the realm of dreams at this very moment.

___

The sounds of galloping horses and the rattling of the carriage made her uncomfortable but she held it in.

A young lady around the age of fifteen was seen seated by the window with a huge man right next to her.

"Are you excited, Vonna?" The man's soothing voice reached her ears as she nodded her head almost immediately.

How could she not be excited?

It would be her sixteenth birthday soon and she would be introduced into the society as a 'Young Lady', denouncing the former title of 'Miss' which she had been called until now.

In preparation for this coming-of-age ceremony which would be held once summer came to an end, the father and daughter duo were headed in a certain direction.

The tradition of this Kingdom was, no matter when the child turned sixteen, her coming-of-age ceremony would be held at the Royal Palace on the last weekend of summer that year.

On that day, every girl turning sixteen would be assembled in one place, and in the presence of the King, they would have their first dance with their escort and be henceforth called a Lady in society.

Yvonne's birthday would be here in a month but the coming-of-age ceremony would be held at the end of summer which would be a month after her actual birthday.

Her excitement for this day was immense and she wished to look her best and had pestered her father to find her the best seamstress in the Kingdom.

While she was well-known in society as the playmate of the Royal Princess, she could not celebrate her special day with them as they were a year older than her.

Therefore, last year, she had attended the ceremony with her best friends, Princess Felicia and now, Lady Glennise to support them from the sidelines on their special day.

This year, they promised to do the same to her as it would be her special day.

However, thinking of the event she attended last year, Yvonne had a frown on her face as the special day of her best friends had turned sour due to the presence of one person.

'I do not wish to wreck my good mood by thinking about her.' The young miss harrumphed, disgust apparent in her expression when she recalled a certain young lady who had also celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony with her best friends.

Right now, she was on her way to a different fief where the best seamstress her father had found resided and hence could not waste her time by thinking about people who were insignificant to her.

Her mother was back at their fief while her Brother was looking after their estate in the Capital.

Her brother had already become the Earl but the matters concerning their businesses were still being handled by her father so it was not a big deal for her dependable father to find the best seamstress for her.

The relationship between the siblings was worse than before but she was still the apple of her parent's eyes.

Thinking of her elder brother, Yvonne frowned as she twiddled her thumbs.

'Even he scolded me because of that woman.' She bit her lip while recalling a bad memory from recent times.

"We should be there in a few hours, Vonna, so bear with it until then." Her father's concerned voice reached her ear, dragging her out of her reverie.

The man who now appeared to have aged a little gazed at her furrowed brows and assumed that the journey was too long and tedious for her fragile body.

While he was not wrong about this, the young girl who would soon turn a lady had been bothered by other thoughts.

However, she did not correct his misunderstanding and nodded at him.

"I will be alright, Papa." She mewled while flashing him a bright smile that melted the old father's heart.

Rubbing her head, he chuckled at her cute appearance and sighed but Yvonne only tilted her head, wondering if he too was tired.

But Rutherford shook his head as he was sad that his daughter would soon become a Young Lady and in no time would have proposals arriving at their doorstep, asking for her hand in marriage.

Not wishing to even think about the idea of handing over his daughter to someone else, Rutherford only smiled but did not voice out his thoughts.

Yvonne shrugged when she saw his reluctance to answer her and turned her head towards the window, enjoying the scenery outside.

The seamstress they were going to meet stayed in a villa far away from any town or village.

She was a star designer once upon a time but gave up everything to stay away from the politics prevalent in the Capital and chose to live in recluse.

Her father had found her whereabouts with much difficulty when she insisted on using that lady's creativity to get the most eye-catching gown for her big day.

While most things did not interest her, she loved to dress and look pretty as she too was a young girl whose heart lay in these matters.

Her father was indulgent and did not hesitate to prepare everything in accordance to her liking as the wealth he had accumulated throughout his life should be used to make his family happy.

While gazing outside the window with only happy thoughts in her mind, Yvonne's eyes widened in shock when she caught sight of something.

Lush green fields were seen around them as the carriage was currently passing through the countryside.

However, the view of the greenery had not attracted her attention but the creature that stood at the center of the field a large distance away from their carriage.

As though it had felt someone's gaze on it, the creature turned its head and two pairs of eyes clashed against each other.

Yvonne's amethyst eyes trembled in fear when they came in contact with those bloody crimson eyes of the huge creature.

Noticing her pale countenance and her shivering body, the father glanced in the same direction that she was focusing on and frowned at what he saw.

Covering his daughter's eyes, he turned her body towards him and the young girl did not resist as she clung to her father's arm where she felt safe once again.

The man and the creature maintained eye contact before the creature was the first to look away.

Rutherford's hand on her eyes relaxed, allowing her to glimpse in the same direction out of curiosity once again.

Unfortunately, the beast she had seen earlier was nowhere to be found, causing her to feel a strange sense of loss which she could not comprehend.

She had felt both fear and a strange sense of attraction earlier when their eyes and met briefly.

A strong desire to get closer and an innate vigilance to stay away engulfed her mind.

Two conflicting emotions was what she had felt at that moment and the overwhelming emotion most certainly was the vigilance and fear.

However, she did not have to think too much as her father had shielded her from looking at the creature.

Not to mention that the sensation risen in her heart was fleeting and Yvonne was soon distracted by her father who began inquiring about the kind of dress she would prefer to wear on her big day.

While his daughter spoke in an animated manner, gesturing with her hands, expressing numerous exciting emotions with her eyes, the father continued to nod.

He appeared to be paying attention to her but his eyes kept flitting in a different direction at constant intervals.

Yvonne, who was busy in her explanations, had failed to notice her father's distraction and how his eyes landed on the same spot where the creature was seen.

However, the little girl who was watching this dream had gotten a good view of this discrepancy and the trick he had played to divert the young lady's attention from the sight she had seen.

___

As Yvonne's eyes opened after her long afternoon siesta, she laid in the same position while staring at the ceiling.

The ceiling was white as usual but the walls around her were painted in a soft peach hue which she had come to like now.

However, more than appreciation for the new paint her room now had, courtesy of the Old Butler looking after this estate, her mind was currently focusing on the dream that she had just seen.

The figure of the creature she had seen was still lingering in her mind.

She had also felt the fear emanating from the young girl in her dream.

Her father's vigilant eyes on the beast were evident to her but she did not feel the same way.

After all, the creature she had seen in her dream was someone she was close to in reality.

'Demon…' She mumbled the name that she had given to the very same creature she had seen in that fleeting dream.