After nearly ten centuries, a long forgotten Pureblood Princess awakens from her slumber; the secrets and millenniums of deception surrounding the beloved Kuran prince come forth.

Chapter Three | The Awakening

Aurora

She awoke with a start, a strangled cry erupted from her throat as her lungs begged desperately for air; the painful memories resurfacing. Aurora's wide eyes regard her surroundings in fear, the large bed complimented with vanilla sheets and the matching color covering had to have been the most softest fabric her body had ever came in contact with. Rays of hazy sunlight shined in through the glass doors, their white curtains pushed back to make way. The walls were a deep ocean blue, paintings of frowning people graced their exterior. Her hands trail all over her neck, the feeling of choking had left her completely, only the remnants of a sickly sweet taste entering her mouth.

Aurora was no longer dressed in tattered rags, but a beige silk, ankle length night gown, her long sleeves decorated with lace. Apprehensively, she swung her legs over from the bed and onto the cold marble floor, the feeling made her shiver.

"Oh." The gasps rolled off from her tongue as she felt a small twitch in her finger, one in particular. Her slender finger adorned the sparkling emerald jewel. Tiny waves of indescribable pleasure pass through like a light breeze, leaving her speechless, her mind dwindling into another place.

She could hear his voice.

"Where is she?."

Her hands, from what she could perceive as instinct, wrapping tightly around herself as she tried to conjure up an image to the voice in her head, but was interrupted when her keen ears picked up the sound of the door unlocking. She looked toward the sound, watching the sleek mahogany door slowly open, stepping in was a tall, blond man. He closed the door behind him, bowing before lowing down to his knees.

Aurora addressed him sharply, "Where am I?."

The man rose, blue eyes smoldering, "My summer home, Lady Aurora, we've been waiting for you."

A bile grew in her throat as she inwardly shook, refusing to show the man before her any signs of weakness, "How long have been asleep, Mr. - ?"

A soft laugh escaped his lips. "Asato Ichijo, M'lady, and to answer your question, you've been in deep resting for nearly ten centuries."

It had taken all her will not to lose her breath as death had seemed to wash over her again, she stood stiffly, not sure what to do. However, the man must have seen through the crack facade and she hated it. He bowed once again, "If you will, please follow me, you have an audience." With a furrowed brow, she followed the man suited in black that disappeared behind the door.

As she left the room herself, she found him waiting patiently by the stairs, the brown handles shined down to perfection. The flooring had changed to a darker color and she looked over the stairwell, Aurora's eyes examine the clearing below her, the only light helping her was the gleaming chandelier above them, a single table that held a vase filled with roses was what she could see. ichijo's arm was outstretched, his white gloved hand open for her to take.

Aurora accepts it, letting his fingers curl around her hand lightly as he guided her down the steps, with one hand, she slowly lifted her gown, making it easier for her to move in the tight fitting. They proceed along the perfectly carved steps, he had offered to fetch a pair of shoes, but she had swiftly declined. Once they reached the final step, Aurora caught an even better view of the home, down the seemingly endless hall, there were rooms lined up and at the end there was a single one, all their handles decorated with gold.

Once he had brought her to the lonely door at the end of the hall, she had stopped to ask him what her audience needed her for.

"You see, Lady Aurora, we treat every Pureblood we come across with the up most respect, and you, the most exquisite of your kind, being trapped within the confines of your coffin, we only try and do everything we can to help you." The door was now open, inside was a dinning table, covered by a white sheet and more importantly, the large group of people sitting on the elegant cushioned chairs. Aurora regarded them with tight scrutiny as they all stood, hands over their abdomens as they bowed. Each and one of them dressed finely, which to her seemed only fitting for an evening dinner dance. Ichijo leads her forwards and the anxiety in her chest only grows, their eyes peering with wonder and curiosity.

The chair at the end of the table was already pulled up, waiting patiently for her to sit, she eventually removes her hands from him, placing herself down. Specks of every color regarded her, silence washed over them as she turned towards Ichijo, which of who had just finished adjusting her chair before speaking.

"As I have called upon all of you, Pureblood and Aristocrat alike; we're here to pay our respects to one of our progenitors, without her, where would we be?." The blond picks up a single, faintly colored red filled glass between his thumb and index finger, the others lined across followed suit raising theirs together.

Aurora examines them all, quietly skimming through their features and pearly white smiles as they took a sip of the foreign liquid, as they all indulged, she sat there quietly until the silence had was noticed.

"I'm sure you quite famished, why not try whats in your glass?." Ichijo had long since disappeared to his own respective chair on the other side of the table, staring at her through bushed brows as he twirled the stemware of his, elbow resting upon the table. Inspecting the shining and decorated crystal, she gave it a single prod, gently tipping it before it came back to place, from what she could tell, it was blood, but, something about it was different.

"What is this, exactly?."

"Ah, yes; blood tablets, blood, but not quite, a policy for a certain treaty."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, "Treaty?." He nodded, "We, the senate, along with the Hunter's association plan on peace, so we had concurred a treaty of sorts."

It didn't sit well with her, mainly because is was the same Association that had led her down this path of misery, but what really stuck a chord was how he mentioned of a senate, something of which she had asked him about it, however before he could open his mouth to speak, a petite blue-eyed blonde intercepted, her words purred each syllable like silk from her tongue.

"You see, princess;" Aurora didn't intend to spend time on whether or not the girl spoke with sarcasm, so, she continues to listen, "Three thousand years ago, the last Kuran King had annulled the monarch, turning it towards a group of Aristocrat families that named themselves 'The Senate'." Her nose was hung high as she spoke and Ichijo quickly commends her, "Thank you," he turns towards Aurora, gesturing towards the other tall woman, "This is Lady Sara, a member of the pureblood family, Shirabuki."

She remembers the name, just like the others and nodded, "Descendants of Shigeo Shirabuki." She couldn't help but go over what she had just learned, however a slight tingle from her ring finger snapped her from her thoughts and down to the shimmering jewel, licking her lips, she closed her eyes, once again, she could not conjure up an image, however, she could hear a voice.

"Yuki, are you alright?."

She could hear him again, but could not listen further as she felt a sudden jab at her finger and looked up, a hunger quelling deep within her and she picked up the cup, staring above the rippling waters of red as she drunk deep, shutting her eyes tightly as the new and peculiar taste, however she could feel as it passed through her system, and she still felt nothing but starvation.

"How does it taste?."

"Horrid."

"I suppose it takes some getting used to."