𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄 | ✎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟖

I wasn't surprised to see Alex missing from my side in the morning. Ever since this fling of ours started, I've gotten used to him sneaking out at night. I never worked up the courage to ask him to stay, and I'm not planning on doing that anytime soon.

Half of the day has passed already, giving me time to think about our conversation last night. He said we should stop this thing we have going on, but I have no clue whether he meant it or not.

Maybe he was just feeling emotional?

But no matter how much I try to convince myself that he doesn't mean it, I know the look Alex gives me when he's being serious. It's that same look from last night, and it's the face he's made in the past. He really means it.

We haven't talked about the conversation since last night, let alone talk much at all. He's been walking by my side for the past few hours, following me wherever I go—which has been almost every room in the palace at this point.

Once we reach a private area, though, I've had enough. I need to talk to him—to just be able to hear his voice once more. And I need to make sure that I don't lose him for good, especially not over Marco.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to prepare myself for what's to come. This moment has been weighing on my mind since I woke up this morning, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to confront it head-on. But I know that I have to. I can't let this eat away at me forever.

"Alex," I blurt out, spinning around to face him with a frown etched on my face. "We should talk about our conversation from last night."

He shifts beside me, and a silence stretches awkwardly between us as he stops in his tracks and looks down at the ground. My heart is beating rapidly, eager for him to respond—to say anything at all.

"You," Alex begins, "and me." He pauses, swallowing hard and gesturing in between the two of us. "Us," he corrects himself. "We can't keep doing this. I mean, it was going to end eventually, right?"

I never knew what it meant when people told me that words cut them to their core until now. Angry tears threaten to spill out of my eyes, but I force myself to take a deep breath and not get emotional.

"Alex." I barely manage to croak out his name, my voice trembling with emotion. "Why?" My voice echoes hollowly around the room, the question hanging in the air between us like a physical presence.

The determination in Alex's eyes is clear; he seems so sure about this decision. But why now? Why does he want to end this? We've been through so much together; how can he just throw it all away?

But then his hard expression softens, and a pained look crosses his face, as if it's only now that he realizes the gravity of his choice. "It's for your own good—and mine. I can't keep putting you in danger, not if I actually..." He trails off, as if he almost let something slip that he didn't want to admit.

After a moment, he continues. "Never mind. The point is, we have to stop now before it's too late."

Those words. Too late. The impact they have on me is more than I'd like to admit. I can feel my heart shattering into a million pieces, and I don't know why. I don't know why his words affect me so deeply, but I can't deny that it's because I might actually love him.

After all, how couldn't I when he has a power over me that I can't seem to understand?

I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without him, but I know that it's not something that I can force him into. He's right about one thing—I can't keep putting myself at risk like this. But the fact that he's willing to do this for us makes my heart ache with guilt. His reasoning is clear, but it still hurts.

A thousand emotions threaten to overwhelm me, each one fighting to be heard. But I try to keep a level head and do what I can to change his mind. "Don't say that."

The bodyguard looks down at me, meeting my gaze. An unreadable expression falls upon his face, and it almost appears as though he's going to say something, but then he decides to keep his mouth shut for a moment longer than usual.

After a few moments go by, he takes a deep breath and then starts speaking. "Look, Princess." His voice is quiet, barely loud enough for me to hear. "I want this, but with Marco knowing everything, he could use it to blackmail us. I'm not risking your life for pleasure."

The mention of Marco's name makes my blood boil, but I can't let Alex see that. I take a deep breath, hoping it will help me calm down.

"I get it," I respond to him, crossing my arms over my chest in frustration. "And I appreciate that you're looking out for my safety—but Alex," my voice grows louder, "we have to find a way to deal with Marco ourselves. I'm not letting him control or ruin our lives."

Alex takes another deep breath, his jaw tightening as he tries to find the right thing to say. When he speaks again, he sounds a lot more serious than usual.

"Princess," he starts, meeting my eyes and placing his hands on my shoulders. "Marco is ruthless. He could do a lot more than just blackmail us. As insane as it is, he's capable of murdering you."

With a sigh, he looks away and takes his hands off my shoulders, leaving a cold feeling to replace the once warm and comforting touch of his. I pause myself to take his words to heart. He's right—Marco is capable of doing anything for power. But I'm capable of doing anything for my freedom.

I'm done being a puppet on strings controlled by greedy men.

Clenching my jaw, I step forward persistently and force him to look me in the eye with my hand tilting his head down again. "So then we murder him first," I propose, deadly serious.

The bodyguard backs away slightly, clearly startled by my blunt response, but I grab ahold of his arm and don't let go, keeping it held firmly in my grip. I can feel his muscles tense up as he tries to pull back, but I don't relent.

"You're not serious," he sputters, his eyebrows knitting in surprise. He shakes his head, looking down at his shoes as he snatches his arm back and turns away from me.

I take another quick step forward and grasp his forelimb, pulling it down from the crossed position he put it in so that he has no choice but to face me.

When he makes eye contact with me, I give him an earnest look. "Yes, I am. We have to get rid of him before he gets rid of us," I state firmly. "I'm not going through another life-threatening situation with that man. I refuse."

The bodyguard's eyes widen slightly as if in shock at my seriousness, his lips parting slightly as a look of surprise crosses his face. Despite having a similar conversation with him before, this time feels different, like he isn't willing to go through with it.

But just as I lose all hope, a gentle flicker of comprehension crosses his eyes, and a slight shift in his expression suggests a subtle understanding of what I want done. His mouth curves into a small, cruel smile, an almost imperceptible but nonetheless striking indication that he acknowledges the situation at hand.

Just like that, I feel the knot in my stomach loosen, and I release his arm, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. When the tension dissipates from my body, it's as if all of my worries and burdens are suddenly lifted, and I'm free to enjoy the moment.

I've finally won him over.

"Listen," he says, his tone much softer than usual. "As much as I want to kill that bastard, it's too risky right now." My eyes light up at the given possibility, and Alex stops momentarily to observe the smile forming on my face. "But we can find something—anything—to use against him."

I nod, eager to contribute to the new plan. I don't care what it is as long as he's gone for good by the time we're done. "Where do we start?" I question, feeling a bit more hopeful now that we have a chance at taking him down.

"Well, that's where it gets tricky," Alex responds, his head tilting slightly to the left. His brow is slightly furrowed, and he looks deep in thought.

My curiosity spikes, and I can't resist getting him to elaborate on his idea. "What do you mean by that?" I prompt.

He stays silent for a second longer, deep in thought. The longer he takes to speak, though, the faster my heart races in anticipation of his words.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he talks. "Marco's never been caught with anything illegal," Alex explains, "so we're going to have to catch him red-handed. Any documents your father has on him would be helpful."

My mood brightens after hearing his plan. It's a perfect way to take Marco down, and I know exactly where to find my father's secret files for blackmail and corruption.

In his study.

"And I know where I can get those files," I announce, trying to sound optimistic. I'm sure it'll work out perfectly because I'm going to do anything to get Prince Marco out of the picture.

The corners of Alex's mouth turn into a faint smile, and I can tell he's proud of me. I can't help but be proud too. We finally have a solid scheme to get rid of that nasty excuse of a prince, and now it's being put into motion.

I spin around, heading to the study, but suddenly, Alex's hand grasps mine—gentle yet firm. My breath hitches as his other arm snakes its way around my body, pulling me against his chest.

"I thought you said we couldn't do this anymore," I murmur, one eyebrow lifting in mild confusion.

There's an undercurrent of emotions flooding through me, and I can't deny the desire that's threatening to consume me. Alex manages to make me feel things that, normally, no other man could possibly accomplish.

"One last kiss wouldn't hurt," he argues, his voice a rich and vibrant whisper against my skin that sends shivers down my spine. "Besides, it's hard to resist you. Your beautiful mind never ceases to amaze me."

The world seems to freeze in that moment, and everything else fades into the background. All I can see, all I can feel, and all I can think about is him. His eyes, his touch, his words.

I open my mouth to reply, but he leans in quickly and cuts me off, sealing our lips together in a passionate kiss. Everything feels right now. I forget about the world around us—about our differences and our troubles.

For the first time in days, my body is in a state of relief. This might be the last kiss Alex and I share for a while, but I know we'll find our way back to each other once the prince is no longer a problem.

Marco will be gone soon. And we will be free.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・

authors note: i hate this chapter SO MUCH it was a filler chapter but I HATE FILLER CHAPTERS SO MUCH i hate everything rn i'm having the worst writers block of my life KILL ME.