"How long till that mask falls off - Princess?"
What happens when a sheltered Princess is thrown into the outside world to face the trials of life?
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It's been the Jaye Royal Family's long-standing tradition to hide the identity of their childre...
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"So, are you still unwilling to talk?"
In the dimly lit room, Aquilina sat face to face with Amal, the girl who had been arrested during the attack on Javier's life. They had been there for almost an hour.
She had been extremely evasive—confirming Mike's words.
"How old are you again?" Aqui asked feigning ignorance.
"24," was the cold, bored response.
Yet, Aqui wasn't perturbed. That was actually what she wanted.
"I see... so what has it been like, working under Vladimir Smirnoff at such a young age?" Aqui smiled innocently as she finally noted a reaction from her.
Amal was doing her best to hide it—but was failing miserably.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Amal looked flustered.
Whilst going through the files she had picked up from Mike, Aqui noticed an uncanny link.
All the suspects worked in high positions for Vladimir, putting them at close range with him. Their records were also too clean to be true.
Amal, for instance, had been trained in the military years prior. Shifting from that to a high position in the business world seemed too immediate — and suspicious.
And above that, on investigating further, Aqui found a strange 'coincidence'.
Whilst Vladimir had reportedly been in Russia during the last attack on Javier, a jet of his had also been in France.
And Amal had just confirmed her suspicion. Well, one of it at least. She felt it went deeper than that.
"Amal, I'm sure you did this because of, well... your father."
"How—?" Amal's eyes were glassy at that point as she bit her lips to keep from crying.
She had finally cracked.
Going over her files, Aqui had learnt of Amal's father's heart condition. No wonder why she will accept such a deal with Vladimir.
"I can assure you, that he will be kept safe and given the best medical care if you choose to cooperate with us."
———
At Vladimir's Office
Tap. Tap.
"Come in, Claire," Vladimir said looking up briefly as his Secretary walked in.
She was a lady in her mid 30's, dressed officially with thick-rimmed glasses.
"You called for me, Rukovoditel'?"
"Have you contacted those I asked you to contact?"
"Yes, Sir. I have."
"And?" Vladimir sat up straighter, halting his work temporarily.
"They've agreed to meet you at the upcoming international wrestling match at 8 PM next Tuesday."
"Good, you may leave."
As she walked out, Vladimir leaned back in his seat, pleased with himself and an impish smile on his face.
Things will definitely go as planned, he thought to himself.
———
It was almost sunset when Javier finished with the national affairs he had to deal with that day.
He was glad it was finally over so he could return home to Aquilina. He hadn't seen much of her after helping her out in the kitchen the previous night.
Is she tired of me, already?
He had waited for her in their room in the night, but she had only returned when he was about to fall asleep.
She had moved quietly, changing her clothes in the darkness. And afterwards, he had noticed her praying silently before climbing into her side of the bed — far away from him.
Javier had pretended to be asleep whenever she had glanced in his direction.
He sighed, deciding to give her a call when his phone's screen lit up with another call.
The screen displayed the caller's name, Tarquinius.
"Hey, Tarquin," Javier had always seen him as an elder brother, despite his coldness and distance. This was due to his friendship with Francesco.
"Javier..." Tarquin's voice came over the phone.
"How are you?" Javier asked, wondering what the call was about.
Tarquin sighed before replying.
"Do you remember when you asked me if I wanted to talk?"
"Yes..?" Javier was still uncertain about where the conversation was heading.
"Does your offer still stand?"
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How are you all doing, lovelies? Another short chapter.
Kindly let me know your thoughts. Do you think Tarquin's intentions are pure?
