Leone's POV:
The party was a very exclusive one. Many wanted to get in and yet only a few close families from the elite, business conglomeration and a few exceptional people were invited.
The event was held in the Royal Palace's spacious back garden, a perfect back drop for my long lost sister's return to Illyria.
In fact, she and Sarina are the center of attention tonight.
I sipped my wine flute and tapped my feet impatiently as Sarina guided my half-sister through the party, politely introducing her and with Cat beside both of them; their debut into the elite society of Illyria is all but guaranteed.
A while ago when the girls were getting dressed, I had a brief meeting with Luis and my father. We all agreed that we would just introduce Sey as Sarina's cousin to avoid spooking the girl before she gets used to the lifestyle here.
Everything seems to be falling into place and thanks to Cat and Sarima's gentle guidance, My half-sister seems to be relaxing and was behaving like a born princess.
"She studied manners and etiquette with Ms. Sarina before. I am surprised she remembered everything I taught her after just a few basic lessons." Luis answered me as if he knew what I was about to ask.
My friend was looking very dapper in a the usual black and white tuxedo, his dark red hair slicked back neatly giving his handsome face a clean look and it frames his apple green eyes. His gaze seems to follow Sey with an unreadable gaze.
"Is she still angry at you?" I asked him and he stared at her a bit more before facing me.
"We made amends but she seems to be avoiding me now. Your sister has trust issues and it may take some time for her to start trusting me again." he answered me. " Ah, Excuse me Leone but my father seems to have need of me."
I nodded as my friend joined his father who was surrounded by a few of his law firm partners.
I can tell there was something he was not telling me about my sister but I don't sense any ill intent so I brushed it off and saw that Sarina left Sey to Cat and was making her way to me.
The sight of her all dolled up never ceases to amaze and arouse. She is petite but the navy blue halter gown and silver heels emphasizes her plump breasts and her curvy legs. She does not wear heavy makeup like most of my previous paramours. In fact, she only wore a "glassy" make up look and a striking dark blue eyeliner and a subtle silver highlighter.
She's very beautiful.
"Sey is doing very well. Thank you for hosting a small party for her because she was freaking out when we were dressing up." she took a deep breath the moment she reached me. I motioned a waitress carrying a tray of white wine glasses and grabbed on for my lover.
She took it with a soft murmur of thanks and drank deeply.
I took that opportunity to step closer to her and to my amusement, she noticed my proximity and a light blush suddenly colored her cheeks which made me smile as I lifted a hand to brush a small lock of curly hair from her face.
"Behave." she whispered to me and that made me grin as she finished her wine.
"I won't do anything inappropriate love, but after the party... Hmmm" I purred. "I can do a lot of indecent things when we get to bed."
She looked around if anyone heard me before she shook her head at me and smiled.
"Just be on your best behavior and I'll let you have your way with me after." she said softly, the way she tilted her head was so seductive and I felt myself harden a bit.
Just one word and I am reduced to this state. Damn.
"Uhm.. Maybe I can help you out if we can find an empty room?" she made a discreet glance down before using her gown to subtly cover me.
That small gesture of shielding me made me smile even more at her as I calmed myself down.
"I'll have my fill of you later. Thanks for doing that duchess; you are very thoughtful." I held her hand and kissed it.
I know that everyone has their eyes on us. Although I plan to announce the engagement at the end of the party, I want them all to know that this match is something I wanted.
No one can slight her this way. I won't allow it.
She seemed to be a bit embarrassed but seems like she was resigned to it. I can see that she has come a long way since she never really liked public displays of attention.
She tolerates it just for me.
"I am fine now. Go and mingle. I will find you once I am done speaking to father."
"Okay, I have not seen His Highness anywhere since the party started."
"The king normally does not attend parties like these but he surveys it from a hidden location. I am on my way to him as he has been rather excited to meet Sey." I whispered to her and she nodded.
"Okay. Be careful." she said as she stroked my jaw and left. The lingering heat of the touch on my face was still warm as I left two Mirage agents and entered the Palace.
I found my father at the second ballroom floor dressed in his finest suit, the medals gleaming on the right side and a purple sash hanging on one arm. His silvery blonde hair was styled and he had a last minute shave which made him a few years younger.
His amber gaze was glued to the window overlooking the garden party, his eyes was on Sey.
"Father." I bowed to him.
"She seems to be enjoying herself, but according to the servants, she still refuses to acknowledge her status as a princess." came his impatient tone.
"Put yourself in her shoes. Her mother never told her anything about you and when she was alone; we were not there for her." I reasoned with him. "Give her time, she only agreed to visit this place because Sarina is here for her."
The mention of my lover made him sighed out loud. His eyes were full of longing to see his long lost daughter but he tamped on that impatience until he was back to his old self.
He had wanted to thank her for her help for without her, the whereabouts of father's lover would still be a mystery.
"I will reinstate all the wealth Henry has and bequeath it to Sarina; The media was told that I confiscated it when I exiled him but in truth; he asked me to freeze 3/4 of his wealth and to give it to his heir one day." he smiled wanely as he saw Sarina talking with Cat. "I think it is time I put this into effect."
"Sarina will be at lost at the added wealth but Luis will be able to help her out." I patted his shoulder.
"Boy, I want to get a closer look at her. Please help me son. I know I promised that I will not see her unless she wishes it but...."
I looked out the window. The sun is slowly setting and the lights are being lit, drowning the maze and hedges in the shadows.
An idea formed in my head and I phoned Charles, who came with three Mirage agents with the right "abilities" for camouflaging the king from the public.
"Cousin, make sure he is not seen by my sister. I can trust you on this right?"
The usually playful look was not present in his face, his serious look was very different from his usual laid back attitude as he nodded and escorted my father through the door leaving me alone.
Time seems to have passed slowly before I got a call from Charles confirming that the king is viewing Sey at a distance safely behind a tall hedge.
My cousin promised to stay with him until father is satisfied. I placed my phone in my pocket and went back to the party.
I looked for Cat, who looked very statuesque and pretty in her emerald green dress and was currently talking to Sey but I did not see my girl anywhere.
"Hey there lover boy." my sister teased me when she noticed me.
"Hello ladies." I hid my worry beneath a practiced smile and subtly scanned the small crowd when I saw Memphis, father's pet Illyrian Curl as it watched me with a frantic flick his black tail, his piercing eyes was oddly intense as he stared at me from behind a few bushes, a few feet away from the crowd.
Trouble.....Hurry.....
The voice was inhuman but I knew it was the cat as a sudden chill crawled up my spine when the huge cat left my sight.
"Leone? Are you listening? Cat says she saw Sarina go back inside the Palace because she needed the bathroom." Sey's voice made me focus
my gaze back to her.
"Thank you Sey, I'll go look for her then." I said as I made my way to the Palace and asked the nearby servants where Sarina went.
One maid noticed the duchess walking towards the left wing toilet but someone was lurking behind her, she described the guest as about my height and built, a fact that made me uneasy.
I hastily nodded to convey my thanks and went to the left hallway and found the nearest toilet but I heard her surprised gasp and sounds of struggles.
I slammed at the door and found it locked. Urgently, I gave the door a swift heavy kick and it opened, the lock flying of it's joints as I saw my lover crouched near my cousin.
I expected her to be frightened but what I saw made my common sense fly out the door for the very first time..
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Sarina's POV:
The party was full of Illyrians only.
When Leone left to see to his father, a few people came to me and thankfully I was calm and poised as I mingled with them about certain safe topics.
Most of the people here seems polite and friendly, most even knew me and were excited to talk to me. But most of all, they all saw the small signet ring on my hand and their amicable smiles became adoring ones.
It was odd, most would treat me warily because I am a foreigner who won the heart of their prince and yet they seemed....happy for me.
It was a relief since this means no one objects to me being with Leone.
I can see that Sey seems to be warming up to Cat faster than she ever did with Leone so that was a relief since the blonde princess was the kindest woman I have ever met.
I mingled a bit more with some dignitaries from several provinces, a duke and his twin grandsons and a cute little girl with a baroness title before I went back to Sey who was more relaxed now.
"Cat, thanks for helping me ease my cousin into Illyrian society." I held the princess' hand who flipped her hair airily and shrugged.
"Not a problem darling, Seymone is lovely and a quick study may even be better than you after a few days of lessons with me."
"Well I did graduate at the top of my class." My cousin boasted while copying the graceful movements of Cat, making us laugh.
"I gotta go to the lil ladies washroom. Where is the nearest one?" I asked Cat.
"Left wing. First door to your right. You can't miss it."
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Someone was following me.
I noticed it the moment I left the party and went inside the Palace.
But whenever I turn around, there was no one in the hallway as I went to the left wing and was soon washing my hands in the bathroom and reapplying my lip tint.
A sudden chill went up my spine when I heard the bathroom door close and a click made me whirl around.
"We meet again."
I was right, someone was following me.
It was Kassim. I saw him at the party mingling with the guests and a few ladies who demanded his attention not just because of his handsomeness but also because he wore a suit and an Arabic headdress made of white cloth with a knotted like cord holding it upon his head.
I tried my best to avoid being alone with him; even refused his invitations for a talk near one of the garden gazebo and even a dance.
He looked different from the smiling gentleman dressed in a suit I met in Coron. The probing way he looked at me now was unnerving and it felt me feel sick.
"It is not proper for you to be here." I backed away from him warily. "Unlock the door now."
But he just smiled and continued to stare at me slowly until I felt like I was being stripped naked.
"I have had models, expensive prostitutes and even heiresses as lovers and yet I don't understand why my cousin is so enamored by you." his voice had a hypnotic quality to it and before I knew it, something hit me hard and I gripped the bathroom's marble counter in shock. "Come here."
He...possesses a gift too. It was not like my fiance's power but it was similar.
But what is it?
Damn, this must be why Leone wanted me to stay away from him, Shit! Now it is too late!
"I said.... COME TO ME." His voice's pitch vibrated within me to do his bidding but somehow I resisted the pressure but it was taking all my will power to resist him.
His handsome face frowned as impatience made him walk towards me and I suddenly found myself pressed against him.
"Let go of me!" I pushed at him but it was like pushing a wall so I fidgeted and tried to knee him where it hurts.
"Feisty one aren't you." he grunted as he held me tightly so my skirts were trapped against his legs .
"Let go!" I screamed straight at his face but his gaze darkened in frustration as he grabbed my jaw and looked at my eyes.
"Why is it not affecting you? No woman has ever lasted this long under the influence my power." his fingers dug into my jawbone, making me wince in pain at his strength. "Leone fancies himself in love with you? You are not even fair of face or body. However... Maybe if I have a taste, I'll know why."
"S-stop it h-hurts." I tried to draw back but his grip was firm.
Somehow as if I was a plague, Kassim suddenly pulled away from me as his violet eyes widened.
I gasped for air but not before I saw something in front me, snarling at the Danatian Prince.
It was the King's big cat. Memphis.
And he looked angry, his snarls and bared fangs as well as his crouched position making even me nervous.
Wait. How did he get in here?
"Impossible..... The Royal Cat protecting you? Who... are you." His disbelief was palpable.
Before I can wonder what he meant by that, the big cat lunged at Kassim with his claws flashing through the air.
"Memphis, No!" I cried out but it was too late.
The prince groaned as a bloody gash on his arm made by Memphis' claws made him stagger back as the cat rounded on him, ready to strike again.
"Down boy! Down!" I commanded as the cat looked at me with bared fangs. "Stop Memphis please!"
The cat looked at me for a moment; his fierce visage lessened as he calmed down and backed away into the shadows, to my shock yet again.... The big animal just faded away.
I was brought back to reality when the groans of Kassim made me go to him.
The bastard tried to do something to me and even bruised my jaw but he was bleeding rather profusely, I guess the claws dug deeper than I thought.
"Get away from me. You will stain your pretty dress with my blood." Kassim held his bloodied arm and glared at me.
"That doe not matter! That gash is too deep! I cannot let you bleed till you are weak as a baby!" I argued back at him which left him slack-jawed for a while
I stubbornly knelt down and torn a sectioned hem of my dress and used it to staunch the bleeding before tearing up more of my dress and binding his arm as my nurse's reflex took over.
All the while, feeling Kassim's heated stare at me.
I was so engrossed in making sure he did not lose any blood, it was only a second before I heard the door crash and I saw a wild-eyed Leone looking at both us, his face was flushed as if he was just running.
His expression gave way to shock then fury when he saw my face, disheveled hair and then Kassim's bloody arm.
"Get away from him Rina!" his voice had that same deepness that should be obeyed. It means he was using his gift on me. "Come here."
I stood up but resisted him, which surprised my lover as I pointed at Kassim who was looking at me weirdly now.
"He's hurt. We need to get him to a doctor." I trembled when he stormed over and carried me, princess style.
"He can bled there for all I care. For once, be quiet!" his frightening face made me bite back my tongue but after looking me; he cursed as he yelled for servants, wherein a butler and 2 male servants immediately answered his call.
"Take my cousin to the Palace infirmary and have Mirage agents detain him until I get there." he commanded as they did as they were told.
I looked over his broad shoulder and saw Kassim silently allowed himself to be led to the infirmary as my fiance took me back to his room and kicked the door open viciously.
Contrasting to his furious treatment of the door, he was gentle with me as he placed me on the couch and examined my jaw, making me wince and moan a bit.
"His grip was..." a twinge of pain laced through me now that the effect of Kassim's power has worn off on me. "too hard, I guess..."
"I will kill him." Quiet anger and fire blazed through his amber eyes, making me worry. " I told him...I clearly told him that you are mine and yet he dares touch you."
A maid came in bearing an ice pack and left as Leone took it and placed it around my jaw, I shivered at the cold but struggled to keep myself from shaking off the cold pack but Leone's big hands on my face would not let me.
My swollen face lessened after some time as he switched from the ice pack to a cool towel. Looking at his worried frowning face; I did not speak for some time because I could still remember his angry face and it was frightening.
"Good, your face looks better but the bruises is still apparent." he stroked my jaw and his dark face softened a bit when he noticed my unease inside of me. " You are...scared of me."
The pitfalls of having this unique bond of being able to sense and read each other's emotions at times can be a bit of a an inconvenience, especially if you don't want your other half to find out what you are feeling.
"This is the first time I saw you truly angry. I know you won't hurt me but to yell at me like I am a child is..." I pulled away from his touch. ".....Never mind, I don't want to talk about it right now."
He was silent but made no apology, I felt him stood up and walked away from me.
"Rest, I'll send Cat and Sey to you. I do have a lot of questions but that can wait for later." His words made me look back at him and my heart skipped a beat when I saw his tormented face as he left the room.
I grabbed a pillow and buried my face in it and trembled. My face still hurts a bit but now I have also pushed my lover away as well.
All because of Kassim.
What a huge mess.