PELAGIC - Ace x Reader x Law

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Captive

I was pretty sure every bit of oxygen left my body with my sigh as I laid upon the windowsill, hand raised so I could stare at the engagement ring Doflamingo had presented me with three nights before. 

It was surprisingly delicate for having come from such an extravagant man. A thin, pink gold band with three stones. Two small white diamonds along with a larger pink diamond in the centre. Still, it felt so heavy upon my finger. 

"You should have seen the Young Master trying to pick one for you. Honestly, it was adorable." I glanced across the hall to Dellinger, who had sauntered into view from goodness knows where. "The amount of berries he spent? You're making me jealous." 

Grimacing at the thought of the cost, I dropped my hand, swinging my legs over and hopping down from the sill.
"He could have tied a piece of cotton around my finger and I would've been fine with it. He knows I hate expensive things…" It wasn't that I was complaining. It really was gorgeous, but unnecessary. 

Falling into step with me, Dellinger's pumps clicked much louder than my heeled boots, echoing in the halls. 
"You know how he is. Only the best for his little princess. Oop, sorry, I mean Queen." He snickered, bumping my shoulder in a playful manner. "So, what's the plan for today? By the looks of you, you're gonna try and sneak out again, right?" 

As much as I didn't like Dellinger's personality very much, he was still a dear friend of mine, and we knew each other well. It wasn't surprising that he could tell that just by looking at what I was wearing. Usually, I wore dresses around the palace, just to please my now fiancé, but today I was wearing tights and a white poet shirt, much too large for me and belted in the middle. My usual attire for a sneaky frolic around town. 

"Just want to go for a walk, is all. Don't you go saying anything. You know I always come back." I threatened him half-heartedly with a single finger and the younger boy raised his hands in mock defence. 
"Hey, I don't care. You do you." 

We continued walking in silence for a while until, exiting from one of the meeting rooms of the palace, Doflamingo appeared, alongside Diamante, Trebol, Vergo and Pica, his top executives, and I barely had time to pause before I was spotted. 

Well, there's no way I'm getting out of here now… 

Opening his arms, Doflamingo smiled, though I could see the veins in his forehead twitch ever so slightly. 
"There's my girl! Where are you off to on such a fine morning, hmm?" That was his way of interrogating me, without seeming harsh. 

Trebol approached me in a manner much quicker than his appearance would suggest, his snot-laden face pushing right up into my personal space. 
"Oh! Oh! Looks like you're about to try and sneak away again, Queeny!" He pointed out, voice a few decibels higher than I liked. 

"Treb, you're too close…" I muttered, leaning back so far that I almost fell over. He just followed. 
"But? Buuuuuut?" He pressed, and I could see my reflection in the borble of snot dangling from his nose. Rolling my eyes, I reached out to pat him on the cheek, avoiding any area that looked too sticky. 
"But I like it…" 

I really don't… 

"You won't be going anywhere." Doflamingo walked up from behind Trebol, nudging him out of the way and taking his place. Deflating, I almost took it lying down, but with how things had been the past few days, I needed to get out. 
"Why the hell not? You can't always keep me cooped up in this place, Doffy. I'm gonna go stir-crazy without time to myself." 

The members of the family around us all exchanged a certain look. They all knew it wasn't wise to speak out against their captain and king, but surprisingly, Doflamingo didn't get visibly agitated.