••• Prince •••
"Promise me, Prince... You will protect Valencia's daughter at all cost."
Dad pleaded in his dying moments and I was utterly infuriated at the fact he still cared for her daughter. Yeah, I agree she was our ideal... but..
"What is she to us that I take responsibility of her?!" I shouted.
Hugging his bloodied form closer, trying to control my tears as the anguish spread around, the place was turned into a bloodbath and amid this, I lost my father too.
"Just promise me.. We.. Are.. In Valencia's debt... please... keep her safe.. from everyone.. from Aces... they will kill her... protect her... From this life. Protect her how Young Master Nathaniel would..."
He coughed up blood, taking his last moments. After struggling, tears still streamed down my face as I slammed my hand on the ground.
"FUCK!" I cursed, lowering my head, shredding tears, crying silently at my Father's death, refusing to let go of his body.
"We have retrieved the last Alroy, Young Lord. We have to leave, they are chasing us!"
My most trusted man, Garry shouted, rushing to my side while holding a three years old baby who was crying and gaining our enemies' attention.
Sniffing and wiping my tears, I nodded and stood up, "Take the body! And take the emergency exit, if necessary, throw the body to use as a distraction but all of you must come alive!" I ordered, getting up with a heavy heart.
I was seventeen, I had dreams, a life ahead of me but it was all stolen from me. Taking the position of the leader of Poison Ivy, one the most dangerous mafia families, also the pillars- one step under an Ace which were basically like Kings.
Giving my first heartless order, discarding my own father's body and throwing it away, to use it as distraction.
I couldn't bury my Father's body.
Who does that?!
"What about Nathaniel and Persephone? Are they safe? Uncle?" I asked hastily.
"Walsh was with them, I only got her from her Mother's dead body. Other are probably dead too." He informed me.
"What a cruel end..." I whispered.
My vision was still blurred with tears but reloading the gun, I moved back with a heavy heart and crushed dreams at the age of seventeen and ran with everyone.
"They are here!" A guy shouted, I stopped and moved back, knowing my targets never missed I managed to save him.
"Young Lord!" Garry tried to cover me but I shouted.
"Throw the body!"
Hesitant at first but they complied and we managed to run away from there. That was the day it all started, just to protect a fucking three year old baby, we lost our leader.
"Did you have her?" I asked breathless, having no strength left in me, after we came out.
Garry nodded and showed me her innocent face, unaware what chaos took place only by her existence.
"Killing her would be so easy. Let her die with her whole lineage." I muttered, glaring at her, crying by the gunshot and gore.
"She is just three, Young Lord. Shh, shh, baby don't cry." Garry gasped. Scoffing, I brought my hand to touch her but stopped because I had blood on my hands.
"Shh, don't cry. Everything's okay now. You're safe, you know it nothing can harm you when I am here." I whispered unintentionally.
"You're her guard after all." Garry added.
And I couldn't bring myself to touch her with those hands. I played with her, I couldn't touch her with them.
"What's her name?" I asked, turning my head away, sounding uninterested. Of course I knew what it was.
"You know it. Cinzel Alroy." He replied, making a confused face.
"Exactly. She is no longer Cinzel Alroy. If anyone comes to know she is Valencia's daughter they will kill her. I didn't save her just to get her killed." I sighed, wiping the blood from my forehead, going back after facing a bloodbath.
"Then...?"
"I don't care. Give her to Alice and Jay, they were dying for a child. They will take care of her but she must not come to the surface."
"I see." He nodded as we all left.
"Young Lord." Garry called me.
I hummed, closing my eyes to fall into darkness and bear the weight of the affliction fallen on my sky. My chest was clenching, how was I going to face my family and tell them Dad died.
"What were Sir's final words?" He asked, making a 'tsk' sound of annoyance. I glanced at the core of my devastation. The. Goddamned. Baby and snarled.
"To protect her even if it costs me my life."
••••••
Coming back from the nineteen years old memory, a deep sigh escaped my lips.
Taking a long inhale from my cigarette to empty my mind and let the abyss consume me or else, what could root in isolation?
A cluster of brutality, my life was written not with ink but with blood. There was truly no other way for me to soothe this gravely diseased mind.
'Cinzel Collins. How ignorant that woman was of her own self.' I thought furiously.
Just thinking about it aroused unexplainable wrath in me, the urge to show her hell and break strings of hopes. It was hard to believe Valencia has such a pathetic daughter.
The more I looked at her, the more it irked me.
"What the hell was that?!"
Garry, who was now in his fifties stormed in the lounge burning after coming to know about my little stunt.
I sighed and looked at him, "What?"
"You married the last Alroy?! Are you out of your mind, Young Lord?!" he shouted, rebuking me.
"She is 'not' the last Alroy." I corrected him.
"Exactly. If Nathaniel came to know you married his sister, we are going to be in great trouble. Plague Doctor will eradicate all of us." He snarled, irritating me.
Of course, I made through planning before taking such a drastic step. Visibly obstructed but things are supposedly done to move in favor.
"He doesn't even know she is alive." I scoffed, leaning back.
"Besides, What else was I supposed to do? I found her again." I replied casually, finishing my cigarette and pouring myself some whiskey to ease my mind.
"You are supposed to protect her and you pushed her into more trouble." He said angrily, closing his arms at his chest and tapping his foot, testing my patience while I finished my drink in one go and poured more.
"Relax. No one knows her true identity." I told him, indulging in my whiskey.
"What if she went to the cops?!" He continued to burst his anger on me as I tried my best to be at serene.
Garry had brought me up, I have great respect for him but that doesn't mean he is allowed to question my judgment..
"Relax, I left Jamie after her and instructed him if she dares to do it, drag her back here." I explained, taking a sip.
He hated how my voice came out icy but that's who I am. A Monster.
"Besides, I have her ID card and necessary stuff. She wouldn't dare unless she is simply dumb."
I laughed a little emptily to myself as he narrowed his eyes at me in disbelief for breaking extremes.
"Was marriage necessary? Why did you marry her?" he asked, calming down a little and coming closer.
"I have no intentions of being a protector from shadows! I am done protecting her from afar!" I hissed, slamming my glass on the table.
"You have done nothing for her." He reminded me seriously.
That's why.
"I was supposed to protect her, not babysit her." I reasoned, growling.
"She is half of your age, Young Lord! You're 36, she is 22. Fourteen years!" He argued.
"Besides, what explanation are you going to give everyone? To Sky?" He asked, hitting where it hurts the most. I scoffed, looking away, not bothering to reply.
"Everyone has gathered at the Silvester Palace and you have concealed yourself with your young wife in this farmhouse."
He continued to scold me but I closed my eyes, pretending I was not listening.
"Young Lord! Are you listening?!"
"Shut up, I am not young."
My tone came out slurry, feeling tipsy after constant shots. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol.
"Go to your room, you are drunk." He sighed, coming closer and helping me to stand.
"I am fine. I don't need support." I argued, removing my hand from him and was about to walk away but Maria came.
"Sir, she is awake."
"I know what she must be thinking, Not again." I chuckled and turned to Garry.
"I must go and greet my wife." My tone came out slurry, wanting to see her reaction to find herself locked again.
"Hell No. You brought her here?!"
I only smirked and was about to leave but he stopped me, "You are not going anywhere in this condition." He said sternly, taking me to my room.
"You know what Garry..." I began to say, when he helped me to sit.
"I fucking hate her!" I scowled, slamming my hand on the bed.
"What's so special about her?! She is just a stupid girl. She is not worthy of being my wife." I muttered.
"You know it." He replied nonchalantly, helping me lay down and leaving me alone in the room as before I knew it, I passed out.
The next day I woke up when bright sunlight fell on my face, waking me from my solace-inducing slumber, pissing me off at the person who left them open..
I woke up and decided to take a long shower and got ready. I walked down and saw Garry waiting already for me.
"Oh you came here directly, I thought you were going to greet your young bride first." He taunted with a smile but I rolled my eyes and ordered Maria.
"Make sure she eats well, if she refuses just threaten her a little by my name-" Garry cut me off by hearing it.
"What do you mean by threatening by your name? What have you done to her?!"
I swear he was the only person who had the audacity to cut me off and yell at me, if it was someone else, he'd be dead by now.
"Nothing." I muttered.
"No. Before leaving, we are going to meet her first." he said.
"I don't have time." I said, annoyed.
"No. You are coming with me, Young Lord." He said, grabbing my wrist and taking me along.
I didn't want him to see the years he offered in my nurturing on how to respect women wasting over the foundation of fright.
"Garry." I yanked my hand away from him, glaring at him.
"Stop." I ordered.
"Meaning you must have done something." He said in disappointment.
"We are leaving. Now. And make sure this won't happen again." I warned him about his action of grabbing my wrist, moving away.
He looked down, closing his arms at the back, "I apologize, Young Lord." I hummed, setting my collar and cuff links.
"No one knows about this marriage and make sure to seal these lips, understood?" I warned him.
"Yes, Sir." After giving him instructions, I left for work without arguing about her anymore.
Seemingly, I was working as a businessman for real estate as a facade but on my dirty side, on the darker side, I was a cruel Mafia leader who doesn't compromise when it comes to work.
Take a life, even if the person is closest to your heart- I have done it.
Sometimes it was hard keeping both but I have managed it.
After the monotonous day at work, I returned back to the farmhouse, probably preparing for a long cursing towards my lack of responsibility at family matters.
I went to my room, took off my coat, tie and accessories. I rolled my white shirt's sleeves roughly, ruffling my hairs to make them messy and opened the first two buttons of my shirt.
Before I could go to the bathroom to freshen up a knock appeared on the door.
"What?" I asked, using my phone.
"Sir, Madam is causing an uproar about going home." I almost forgot her.
Sighing, I put my phone down and walked out, "Did she have dinner?" I asked, going to her room.
"No, Sir. She refused to have both lunch and dinner even after trying." Does she truly think doing this would help her?
What a wimpy mouse could do anyways other than begging for mercy or scream for help.
She. Is. A. Stain.
Opening the door with a loud thud sound, I entered her room furiously, stealing her breaths and capturing it in my domain, hissing furiously at her.
"What the hell is your problem?!"