#toybt

Chris

Jean

Kevin

Kai

Wyatt

It was well known that the young prince was an avid reader; a representative was regularly sent to buy books for him. It was a hobby his parents instilled in him from a young age, so it wasn't unusual to see several palace workers moving boxes full of books intended for both the prince and the king and queen. They also maintained the royal library and the public library, where citizens borrowed books for research or leisure.

I was one of the managers of a small bookstore in town. My boss was busy finding antique books for his personal collection, and as his second-in-command, it fell to me to send the workers to pack the books the guests might like and take them to the palace. As a representative of Athena's Shop, I had to dress elegantly, just like the rest of the guests. The staff had to dress formally, but comfortably, and to distinguish themselves from the other employees, they had to wear the colors that represented their shop.

Each of us would have a stand with a sign bearing our business name. The staff would be arranging the books and attending to any interested guests. While I was checking that all the books had arrived at the palace intact, I could hear people murmuring about trivial things, but something caught my attention. Apparently, the butlers and maids were handing out masks because there was going to be a masked ball. I never understood the fascination wealthy people had with masked balls.

One of the servants handed me a mask without another word and went off to distribute masks to the rest of the guests. At the very top of the room, near the stairs, stood the king and queen, dressed in their finest attire, smiling at the guests and waving as if they were in a beauty pageant. I couldn't see Prince Andrew anywhere. Perhaps he would arrive later; he wasn't exactly known for being an extrovert or extravagant person, so it wouldn't be surprising if he avoided his parents and was hanging around the palace instead of attending his own birthday party.

Honestly, I don't judge him. I would have done the same. I'm not a big fan of parties, much less balls, but this was a golden opportunity to do business with high society, so it would have been presumptuous of me to pass up such a business opportunity. I know my boss wouldn't have minded if I had declined, but more money and clients never hurt anyone.

The day I received the invitation to the royal birthday party, I had the idea to bring merchandise from the most popular books of the moment, including Percy Jackson, to attract people's attention and, if I was lucky, the prince's as well. Prince Andrew had never appeared at any public event. The last we heard of him was when he was a teenager and had dyed his hair black as a sign of rebellion, but apparently it only lasted a few years before he went back to his natural color.

The only things I knew about him were that he had red hair, that he wasn't extroverted, that he valued his privacy, that he liked to read, especially the Percy Jackson books, and that he had a cat named Chipoki, which didn't tell me much since it would be impossible to spot him among so many people with that kind of information. He had never appeared in public, and I hadn't even seen a picture or a portrait of him. Now it was even harder to see him because everyone present was wearing masks at the request of the King and Queen.

I decide not to dwell on it and focus on making sure everything runs smoothly at my stand, helping my staff, and attending to the customers. I head to the fantasy section and place the bookmarks that correspond to each volume. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an elegant man with a gold and red mask that matches his hair color. He seems to be looking at the list I put on the table so people could see what books we have available at the stand.

I go over to him to lend a hand with his search and, while I'm at it, find out who he is.

"Hello, I saw you looking at the list of available books. Are you looking for something specific, or are you just browsing?"

The mysterious man, seeing that I'm speaking to him, raises his head, and I can see his light blue eyes. His hair, even though styled with what I assume is some kind of gel, is still wavy, like the movement of ocean water.

I'd never seen this person before, at least not that I could remember. I must have been staring at something longer than I should have because I saw him make a face, uncomfortable with the attention I was giving him. I apologized and tried not to look him in the eyes again, afraid I'd get lost staring. The downside of being easily distracted is that it's not advisable in my line of work, since concentration is paramount.

"I was looking at the bookstalls here, looking for something that caught my eye to read, and I couldn't help but notice you have merchandise for some current books besides Percy Jackson. Do you still have any Percy Jackson left?" I was happy to see that my idea of ​​bringing in art and book-related merchandise had attracted someone to my stall, so I nodded happily and grabbed one of the unopened Percy Jackson boxes. There are plush toys of the characters from the saga, candles, Camp Half-Blood shirts, stickers, keychains, fan art from artists I've collaborated with, bracelets, bookmarks, magnets, and even a replica of Percy Jackson's sword, etc.

From what I can see, what she liked most was the sword, some of the fan art, and the candles. She also bought a few other things. She also picked up a fantasy book or two. Once she finished shopping, I decided to personally pack everything she'd chosen and chat a bit about books. From her tone and smile, I gathered she enjoyed the conversation. Before I could ask if she needed help with the shopping, she called some servants to take her purchases to another location.

As I watched them carry the bags away, a kind of bell rang, signaling that it was time for the dancing. The servants ushered us toward the dance floor. Apparently, the king and queen had requested that all the guests dance and enjoy the music. Since we were the only ones without a dance partner, we decided to dance together. It was a slow dance, so it would be less likely that I'd accidentally step on each other's toes.

The place smelled sweet because of the two-tiered cheesecake for the birthday boy—some people really do have luck. After twirling around while we danced, the music stopped. I went discreetly, or at least tried to, to the table where the snacks and sweets were. I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I'd been working since noon to get everything ready for the event, and my appetite had been ruined by nerves. But now that I didn't have to worry about anything work-related, the hunger I should have had hours ago from not eating hit me all at once.

When I pass by the bookstore I can already see paper garlands of skeletons hanging in front of the display in front of the store's glass, I decide to enter and the first thing I see is Chipoki wearing a count's cape, I suppose imitating Dracula since the cats already have fangs, it makes her costume look adorable. I caress her little head while people move from one side to the other buying books like Frankenstein, dark romance, scary books, etc. Everyone is dressed as witches, skeletons, vampires, the grim reaper, characters like killers from scary movies like Jason or Screamer, etc. I guess compared to them I look very casual with my bat coat, my pants and my black boots, it's not like I was going to participate in any competition of who has the best costume.

I try to stand on tiptoe trying to see if I could see that reddish hair that I knew so well, I just hope that he hasn't dyed it because it would complicate my search. It seems that I don't have to look any further because I notice a pair of warm hands on the sides of my shoulders so I turn my head and see Andrew dressed as Jack Skellington, I may not be the biggest fan of that character but the truth is that Andrew didn't look bad at all dressed in a suit.

"What is a little bat like you doing fluttering around the bookstore?" he says while smiling at me.

-I was looking for a certain red-haired owner to ask him some questions about whether he had received any interesting books but I think I found something better - I say while smiling at him - what is a handsome gentleman like you doing hanging around here, I didn't know that the king of Halloween liked to be socializing among humans?

He seems to find my comment funny because I see him smile and let out a little snort, he holds my hand and gives it a little kiss.

-As the King of Halloween, I have to help everyone who needs my help, including lovely bats such as yourself.

I simply smiled at him. Ever since I met Andrew, I've always found him to be a very interesting, kind, and attractive man. Perhaps it was because we had many tastes in common, but I felt drawn to him from the first day I met him. He doesn't know I'm a vampire since I didn't see it as very important, and besides, I've never been tempted to bite him. So, to explain my fangs, for example, I told him they were simply one of those body modifications people get. Fortunately, there were establishments that sold drinks for vampires—a kind of juice to quench our thirst for blood—so we could blend in with humans.