Too Good to be True
by: purpletwilightgoddess
characters: Bella Swan and Edward Cullen
rating: K+

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Summary: Human maids of the Crystal Castle are not allowed to get close to the Vampire Nobles. New maid Bella meets the gorgeous Vampire Prince Edward and falls in love with him but he is engaged-to-be-married to Vampire Princess Tanya. What will Bella give up in order to win Edward's heart?

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(Bella's POV)

Since my mother died, I had to do all the responsibilities she left me. She was a maid at the Crystal Palace, where the Vampire Nobles live. I've been to the castle once, when I had to tell my mother that Father met an accident, but that was a long time ago. Now, I will be back to the castle to do all the things she used to do.

The castle's name identifies itself. Crystal Castle. The walls of the castle are made of pure Crystal. I heard my mother say that even the dungeons sparkle when the sun hits the windows and it is like you're never in the dungeon at all.

I left early and headed to the castle so that I could be briefed. As I approach the castle, I couldn't help but wonder what it is like inside. I'm not worried about the Vampire Nobles. My mother tells me that King Carlisle and Queen Esme are the nicest people she'd ever met. They never have people thrown in the dungeons. They want to live a peaceful life with us humans.

The king and queen has three children, the Vampire Prince Emmett is the eldest and the twins Alice and Edward. I have not seen any of them but I'm sure that they are nice people… er, vampires.

I knocked on the castle doors and a young man with long hair and a nice smile greeted me.

"Hi! You must be Bella?" he asked. I nodded, smiling at him. "I'm Jacob by the way." He held his hand out and I shook it. Whoa, he sure has big hands!

"Nice meeting you Jacob, could you show me the way to the maids' chamber?" I asked, hopefully.

"Sure! Come, follow me." We walked and made left turns and right turns, this castle sure is big.

"And, here we are!" he announced as we stopped in front of a door with intricate designs.

"Thanks, Jake!" he smiled at the nickname. I knocked cautiously on the door. It opened a bit and a girl with black-brown hair and charming dark eyes greeted me.

"What is it?" she asked, a smile played on her lips.

"Hi! I'm Bella Swan. I'm a daughter of Renee."

"Hi! I'm Angela. Come in, I'll show your bed." She took my hands and led me to the corner, a small bed was there. I placed my bag on my bed and sat there.

"This bed is nice." I looked up to her, smiling.

"Thanks! I fixed that one. Lauren was supposed to do it but she went off with Tyler." She crossed her arms.

"Uh, who's Lauren? And that Tyler?" I queried.

"Lauren is the Chief Maid. It means she can have us do the chores assigned to her. And Tyler is a guard."

"Oh." My mouth formed into a small 'O'.

"We should also be careful not to mess around with Jessica. She's got it with the guards, too."

"Is Jacob a guard too?"

"Yes, but he's the nicest, and also Ben." As she said Ben's name, she blushed. Looks like somebody's in love. I smirked inwardly.

The door suddenly burst open. Angela jumped and went by my side as I stood up. A girl who I can't describe but evil suddenly started shouting at us, screaming commands.

"Uh-oh," Angela muttered.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Lauren, that's Lauren." I could only nod.

"And who do you think you are?" her voice seems superior.

"Bella Swan." I said, bowing low. A sign of curtsy I learned from my mother.

"So, you are the Bella Swan? Here are you maid clothes." She said as she dumped my uniform into my hands. My knees bent from the weight.

"And here is the list of your duties." And boy, what a loooong list that is.

Clean the maids' chamber.

Clean Prince Emmett's room.

Clean Prince Edward's room.

Clean Princess Alice's room.

Scrub every statue in the castle.

Mop the floors of the whole castle.

Clean the throne room.

Clean the stables.

Feed the animals.

Clean the bathrooms.

I stared the list. The note made me think. I re-read the list as I walked to Prince Emmett's room, wearing my uniform and my brown hair pulled back in an unruly ponytail. I knocked on the room to check if anyone is in there. When there came no response, I entered the room cautiously. No one is here. I swept the floor, dusted every furniture and arranged everything. The bed is in total chaos, the pillows where all around the bed and the blankets were messy. I got the spoiled sheets and put new ones on. After finishing this room, I went to Princess Alice's room and, whoa! This room sure is girly! There were designer clothes which says on the labels came from Paris. I cleaned the room and as I was to go out, the door opened and a lady with short pixie-like hair and the cutest blue eyes came into view and went inside the room. I was surprised. She was wearing a pink dress that goes above the knee, simple yet elegant.

"Hi!" her voice was melodious. "I'm Alice." She smiled.

I was mesmerized by her beauty. It almost took me a minute to recover to my senses.

"Oh, Princess Alice." I bowed low. She touched my shoulders with her small, delicate hands. They were cold, like ice. As she had hold of my shoulders, she straightened me up.

"I haven't seen you around here. Are you new?" she asked me as she walked over to her bed.

"Yes," I said, my head bowed.

"What's your name?"

"Bella Swan, your highness."

"Please don't call me princess or your highness. Just plain ol' Alice will do."

"Yes, your high… er Alice."

"Great! I know we'll be great friends!"

"Umm, excuse me, your… er, Alice. I still have some chores to do."

"It was nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too." I left the room, letting out a loud sigh.

Ok, one more room to go and I still have lots of cleaning to do. I knocked on Prince Edward's room. No sound. I entered the room and I was amazed. The windows that are made of crystal aren't blocked by curtains. I could certainly see the sun shining from the outside. I saw a fine piece of artwork by the window. It was beautiful. A painting of the sunset, as if it was seen from the forest. The perfect picture of twilight.

I saw from the glass cabinet a bunch of CD's. It must be the Prince's collection. Not far from the CD's is a black grand piano. I approached it to touch it and it felt smooth against my hands. I was busy examining the piano when he came.

(Edward's POV)

I got home from hunting animals. My thirst quenched at last. There has been peace in the kingdom since my father, King Carlisle, took over. A treaty has been made between the humans and us vampires that we shall never again hunt humans. Animals are our substitute.

I brought my horse to its stable. I really could use my horse one day, when I have no more animals to hunt, but I never wanted that day to come. Though, if my horse is gone, I still have my silver Volvo, a car from my father. I entered the castle doors and a new scent registered. It was unlike the other maids' smell. It was unlike that maid Lauren's mop-like smell and that other maid Jessica's feet smell. This one smells like freesia with hints of strawberry. I followed the scent. It was the strongest in my room. Had this been to my room? I opened the door. A girl with brown hair was standing by my piano. Every time the sunray would hit her hair, tinges of red are distinguished. Then, the most beautiful pair of brown eyes met mine.

A smile tugged at the side of my lips as her eyes widened. I tried reading her mind. I…couldn't? Does she have the power to block her mind? I tried meeting my eyes with hers but she was looking down. I approached her, my hand extending to her face. I touched her cheek and the moment our skins met, a spark shot through my body.

I quickly took my hand away. I was surprised when she suddenly bowed before me.

"I'm sorry Your Highness. I was just cleaning. I'll be going now." And she immediately left my room.

"Wait!" I called but she was gone. Even so, her scent lingered in my room. I laid down on my bed and felt her scent consume me. I have never felt so peaceful… so relaxed…

But, why is it that when our skins made contact, a spark shot through my body? I am not certain if she felt the same, but I can't help but think of her. Her eyes, her liquid brown eyes, boring against mine. Oh, those soft lips I've wanted to touch. Her pale skin, almost translucent, felt warm. Her cheeks that blushed every time I touch her, I've wanted to kiss.

For a moment I wondered why she ran away. And then it hit me. She is scared of me.

But then, why do I have to be this way? A vampire?

I closed my eyes, dreaming of her.

(Bella's POV)

He was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my whole life. Oh, his eyes, I cannot describe its exact color but one thing is for sure. It is the best shade of green. More beautiful that the greenest pines. More alluring than a forest's green. His hands, they were cold, yet, gentle against my skin when he touched my cheek. His smile, oh, they made my legs weak. His hair, those bronze locks, tousled in every direction, I felt compelled to wrap my fingers around them. But I had to snap out of my reverie. I ran outside after apologizing to him.

My heart skipped a beat when I realized, I have fallen in love with Edward, the Vampire Prince.