CHAPTER SEVEN
1700 Words
I stared at the necklace with my mom's name written – engraved on it. I wasn't that surprised, actually. I've known the story of my mom and the King. Of course, there must be a point in their love story that the king gave her a necklace as a symbol of their love of whatever it is they have that resulted in me being born in this hellhole.
But why is my mom's name covered? The Queen even made the people believe it was a gift given to her by the King. Either, the King gave them both the same necklace but the Queen lost hers and took my mothers or, the King gave this first to my mom and decided the Queen should have it and gave it to her.
"So, what do you plan to do with that?" I looked at Ares. It's only us now in this room. Pierce will be sleeping in Natasha's apartment and Laurent, maybe he's got his own room too. I don't know if Ares going to be sleeping next to me or does he has another room where he can sleep at. Both are fine with me. I spent most of my nights sleeping on the streets with Aizen. But then I remembered how I swooned the very first time I saw him and wondered will I be going to be alright to be sleeping next to this man. I shook away the memory.
"I'm still going to sell it." I handed the necklace to him.
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure," I said.
He nodded and took the necklace before he put it inside his coat's pockets. "What will you do with the money anyway? You become my wife, I'll be giving you money every month. Think of it as your salary and financial support for your well-being. I can't guarantee you protection from the Queen. We'll have to hide you until we find a way on how to get you out of this mess."
I shrugged. "Well, if you decide to abandon me in the middle of our agreement, at least I have money for myself. I don't want to fully rely on you."
I heard him scoffed. "What makes you think I'd abandon you?"
"Well, maybe you'll find a girl who you really like and decides to marry her instead, I don't know." I shrugged.
He played his tongue inside his mouth as his stormy gray eyes stared at me. That stare again that seems to penetrate deep within my soul.
"I am a man of my word, Rainia. I will marry you and never leave you. You're the only one perfect for this job. And I am the only shot you got to escape this mess you're in." He leaned back on his chair and crossed his legs. "We're like puzzle pieces that fit perfectly." He crossed his fingers to show his point.
I cleared my throat to distract myself from his eyes.
"I have no problem with your analogy but that sounded so romantic I want to cry."
That was meant to be a sarcastic remark but he only shrugged and looked at me. "So, are you in?"
"With that very romantic speech, who am I to say no?" I grinned and he gave me a small smile before he stood up and walked to the table and pulled out a book. He went back to his chair and opened it. Is he seriously going to read that right now?
I cleared my throat. "So, we're really doing it? To produce an heir?"
"Of course," he said.
I almost choked with how he casually answered that question.
"I mean, if you're going to just choose any woman to be the mother of your kids, why not choose someone...you know...with a nice set of genes, I guess?"
His eyes are still on his book. "Why? What's wrong with your genes? I had Laurent take a sample of your blood and saliva so my brother could examine it. I need to check your overall health. We'll get the result after a few days."
My jaw dropped. "You did what?"
"You heard me."
"Without my permission?"
"You were unconscious. How am I supposed to ask for your permission?"
This is very unbelievable. "Tell me, Your Highness, what else have you checked about me which I am not aware of?"
His eyes darted from the book to me. "You want me to answer that?" Then his eyes traveled to my body. "I can give you your vital stats right now but I don't want to hurt your feelings."
I gasped in disbelief. "Excuse me? Hurt my feelings – and what are you trying to say?"
I know I am not blessed with a huge amount of estrogen to develop some parts of my body but what the hell? What does he want? Someone with very exaggerated sizes? And why am I actually getting offended?
"I'm saying your vital stats are not my type."
"And there he said it, ladies and gentlemen." I rolled my eyes.
"But it's enough so I see no problem with it," he said as he flipped another page of the book.
And with that another casual remark, I instantly felt my face getting red. How in the world does he do that without even getting an ember of embarrassment in his body?
I cleared my throat. "I'm going to sleep. Where are you sleeping?"
He looked at me then to the bed. "That bed is big enough."
So he really is going to sleep here with me. I didn't respond and just closed my eyes while he just silently sat there, reading his book. I didn't notice when he turned off the light and laid down beside me. All I remember was how soft the bed was and how it put me to sleep.
* * *
I woke up one morning with the sound of two people talking. I opened my eyes and the elegant ceiling greeted me. Somehow, I got used to seeing the posh details in this room. I have been here for seven days now and I am surprised at how my wound got healed pretty fast. Laurent comes here every day to change my bandages and apply some ointments and whatever that was to my wound, which surprisingly is very effective in relieving the pain, and now, the bullet wounds are healing faster than it should.
I roamed my eyes and I could see Natasha and Pierce talking.
"Oh, you're awake." Natasha looked at me. "Ares left early since there's something he needs to do in Oregon. He'll be back later tonight."
She eyed my state. "How're your wounds?"
I moved my arm. Surprised that it doesn't hurt a lot anymore. "Much better." I grinned at her.
"Good. Because we're going out." She muttered and gave me a brown paper bag. She eyed Pierce who was also looking at her.
"Natasha, it's dangerous to get her out. If Ares knows about this—“
"I'll tell Ares I am sick inside this room and that I have an assassin as my companion. I wouldn't dare escape." I cut him short.
Pierce blinked then shrugged afterward. "Tell Ares you and Natasha sneaked out and that I have nothing to do with this, okay? And be sure to be back here before he comes back."
Natasha and I both grinned.
"Be thankful Laurent isn't here. I swear that guy is as uptight as Ares."
We both nodded and then I scuttled to the bathroom but before I could even close the door, I heard Natasha say, "Thank you, baby." And she kissed Pierce full on the lips. I smiled at the sight.
I looked at what's inside the bag and was thankful it was a long yellow dress. A floral one. Perfect to cover my bandaged wounds. I smiled at it. I have never worn a dress in my entire life. I was a thief. I wear clothes to help me blend it with darkness. I've never worn something so bright…so cheerful and so…inconvenient.
I bit my lip as I beheld myself in the mirror. It feels very light. Very comfortable. And very pretty.
"Rain, are you okay there?" I heard Natasha knock on the bathroom.
"Yeah, just a minute," I shouted back as I continued to admire my reflection. A smile tugged on my lips as I did a full turn. I covered my mouth to stop myself from chuckling. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath as I run a hand down the length of the dress.
I opened the bathroom door and Natasha beamed at me. "Perfect!" She held my hand and let me sit in the mirror.
"I'm not really good at styling hair but I'm good with classic braids and a braid would be perfect for you right now." She said and she did her work on my hair.
"Let's roam around Carnes for a bit. I've been here for a year and I haven't really visited some places here."
I smiled at her in the mirror. "Well, you chose the right tour guide,"
She chuckled. "The weather's perfect outside. You won't look suspicious if you wear a mask and a hat. But just in case…" she jerked her to the side where I can see a gun beside her bag.
"I won't hesitate to shoot anyone who dares to hurt you."
I chuckled and then looked at her reflection. "I never got to formally thank you for saving me that day from the Royal Guards." I know she was in there. Though it was Pierce who did all the shooting.
She waved a hand. "Not a problem."
"But won't that be troublesome for you? I mean, a Prince from another kingdom shot the Royal Guards and now, protecting a criminal like me. Isn't this too risky for all of you?"
"Ares chose you despite the troubles he knows he will undergo. There must be a reason for that. But with your concerns about trouble, Pierce has men to do the dirty job for him. What he did days a week ago was merely a fraction of how deep he can go underground. The Royal Guards now is in pursuit of those people who shot them but can't get any info on that. Pierce, Laurent, and I are safe from their grasps."
I can only gape at what she said. How easy everything is for them. And I think I made the right choice to agree to Ares' proposal.
* * *
- Writer
