Crown in The Mist (ENGLISH)

CHAPTER NINE

The room was dark as the windows were covered with thick curtains but I could see Ares clearly on his chair. I couldn't help but feel nervous and I don't know why. I feel like my mom has busted me for something bad I did. Though I really did something bad today. 

"You got here early," I merely said and removed my coat and hung it on the rack. I tried not to sound frightened.  Why is he back early? Pierce said he'll be back at night and it's only 3 o'clock in the afternoon! 

"Figured I should be back early. Only to be greeted by an empty room." He looked at me. I shifted on my feet. I understand now. It's not only because he is the eldest son that he was the Crown Prince. He commands power. He is born to lead. I gulped as his stare has become penetrating. He looked indifferent but his eyes tell me otherwise. His look says I'd regret it if I don't answer his next questions honestly. 

He stood up and walked towards my direction. Slow, calculated steps. He towered over me and inserted his hands on his pockets. I was about to reach for the lights when he gripped my arm and pushed me to the wall. I winced when my head bumped the wall. 

"Didn't I tell you clearly to stay in here?" His voice was calm, composed, but it contained enough venom that I wanted to curl on the other side of the room. But then, he doesn't have the right over me. I am not his subject and I follow to no one. So with all the remaining courage and my strength, I pulled my hand away and stared him down. But he didn't back down. 

"We're not yet married, Prince. You do not have the right to control me. Even if we indeed end up marrying each other, I have to make it clear that I don't want to submit to you or anything like that. You only need me so your father can give you your throne and give you your offspring. And I only need you so I can escape this hellhole. Other than that, we have no business with each other's lives," I said sternly and I was actually surprised by how those words came out with enough bite. But I think I pulled a string when his face even became grimmer. 

"Oh, I have no business with your life all right but do you understand how you risked our plan just by going out today?" 

I gulped as I remembered what happened today. Somebody was following us. But we managed to lose them. Maybe I should tell him? Will he kill me if I said that? I groaned inwardly. Is he always this uptight? 

"Somebody was following us today."  

I heard him sighed as he inserted his hands back to his pocket. 

"But...but we lost them or whoever it was." 

Ares sauntered to the window, his back facing me. I couldn't move from where I was standing. Is he mad? I know going out was a stupid idea but I felt like I'm rotting in here. I won't die from my wounds. I would've died because of boredom. And it's not like Natasha always comes here. And Laurent only comes here every other day to clean my bandages. Pierce only comes here if Natasha tells him to. But I still admit my action today was stupid. 

"Where did you go?" he asked, his back still facing me. 

"Just around the city and then Natasha sensed someone was following us and so we went to the tavern I used to live and I...I took the money I hid in there." 

He slowly turned to my direction and I seriously gulped at how dark his face was I think he'll devour me alive. "Money?" he asked.

"Yes, the money I've been saving. I took it and I have it now." 

"Where did you hide it?" He sauntered close and I took a step back. 

"In..in a shelf inside the tavern. Not in my room," I stammered. 

He closed his eyes firmly. "Rain," he said calmly, "Do you think the Royal Guards or whoever those chasing you would be stupid enough not to search the whole place? Do you think they only searched your room? Give me the bag." 

Confused, I gave him the plastic bag. He poured the contents and a tiny chip fell on the floor and rolled to my feet. It was black and circular and at the center of it is a blinking red light. Ares looked at it. 

"Just as I thought." He then looked at me and at the chip I am holding. "They searched the whole area but purposely left this money because they're certain you'd come back for them. And you did. Now they know where you are. Where we are." 

"f**k," I muttered as I dropped the chip. 

"Indeed. Pack light, we're going to Oregon." 

He then fished his phone in his pocket and tapped something in there. I picked up the money on the floor and Ares' brows furrowed at me. I didn't mind him. This is my money and I wouldn' just leave it here. I don't have any clothes in this room save for the ones I'm wearing now. So my only luggage was the money, and the Lazuli diamond. 

He peeked outside the window then to his watch. "Let's go," he said before he wore a mask, a pair of sunglasses, and a cap. I wore my coat back and pulled the scarf higher to my face. 

Thankfully, we...I didn't have a lot of things in the room. And Ares only slept here for a night and I don't know where he's been staying when he's here so he doesn't have anything in here either. At least, they won't know it's Ares who's been helping me. 

He grabbed my hand and we ran. We were about to turn when someone stepped in our way. It was someone wearing all black, masked, and is now pointing a gun towards me. But before I could even blink, Ares was fast and shot the man in front of us. The sharp sound of the silencer was all I could hear and the soft thud of the man's body. I looked at Ares, now holding a gun. I didn't notice him take it out. I looked at him. I couldn't see the look on his face when he shot that man. And I couldn't help but wonder if he's used to this kind of thing. 

"Have they found us?" I asked, breathless. 

"Obviously," he said as he looked at his watch again.

I looked at the dead body behind us. He wasn't wearing the uniform of a Royal Guard. 

"Is he dead?" 

"Just unconscious," he said sharply and we turned to climb another set of stairs. 

"He wasn't wearing a Royal Guard's uniform." 

"Because that wasn't a Royal Guard. That was a bounty hunter." 

A bounty hunter. So I'm really a criminal now, huh? And the Queen even bothered to hire a bounty hunter just to kill me? Touching. I wonder how many she hired and I figured I don't want to find out. I didn't know and don't want to know how many people are in pursuit of me now. And I can't help thinking why would Ares go through all these troubles of protecting me. Sure, he needed me to get the throne. But isn't choosing someone with clean records much more convenient? 

I was pulled from my thoughts when Ares stopped and opened the door that leads to the rooftop. And the moment we opened the door, a brutal whip of wind whipped us when a helicopter hovered just a few meters above. 

Natasha peeked her head. She was wearing a mask, and so was Pierce. "Come on!" she shouted and tossed the rope ladder. Ares pushed me towards it and I almost stumbled when I grasped the rope as it swayed with the copter's movement. He stayed by the door to watch it and when I am halfway through the rope, he started to climb. 

There were no words needed as Natasha c****d her gun, positioned herself, and aimed her gun to the door. And as if on cue, the door flew open and three men clad in all black was there, aiming their guns at us. Pierce moved the helicopter to avoid the bullets causing us to get swayed with the rope too. I yelped when I almost let go of the rope. 

The moment the copter settled and Natasha had a good aim, she shot two of them and  Ares shot the other one. Natasha reached for my hand and I immediately took it. She then hauled me up, with Ares following closely behind. 

I looked at the three men below as we gradually went up and up. This time, I was certain they really shot them dead judging from the pooling blood around their bodies.  But I didn't dare ask the questions. Not when I looked at Ares as he removed his mask and closed his eyes firmly. He dropped his gun. The bounty hunters might have had a clue of who they are and they have no choice but to kill them. They are now also considered criminals to Carnes, or at least, the Queen. I wonder how long are they going to keep themselves anonymous. I wonder how long are they going to keep this up.

The whole ride, I was silent. And my companions were silent too. Even Natasha. I can't help but feel guilty about going out earlier. If I hadn't gone out, I wouldn't have thought of getting that money. I cursed inwardly. 

But choosing me ... surely he already anticipated all this trouble--- Later. I will ask questions later. I turned to the window and focused on the mountains below. In a few hours, I will be in Oregon. 

* * *

It was very unlikely ... very different from what I had imagined. I suppose this is better, though. I don't have to deal with other people as I stay here. 

"You stay here until the mess goes down. The Queen has hired bounty hunters to hunt you. There's no such law in Carnes to kill an illegitimate child. She is practically trying to kill an innocent citizen."

The moment the last sentence left his mouth, he realized the stupidity of it. "Not exactly innocent but the diamond you stole was yours anyway so I guess that negates that," he said.

But my focus was on the house. It was small, not the type with many rooms. It's not something posh. Rather, it was ... ordinary. Like you wouldn't expect the Crown Prince would live here if he wanted to relax. There's a TV in the living room and a comfortable sofa. Several books are piled on the corner on a floating shelf. Below it is a small table also piled with books. There was also a small kitchen and a fridge. There's a narrow hallway on the left side of the living room, leading to bedroom doors and maybe the bathroom too.

There's a veranda outside with a small table and three chairs painted in white. And a hammock on the opposite side. The veranda was enclosed with wooden banisters and there were several pots of plants hanging on top. There were no other houses outside. At the back of the house is a forest and in front is the magnificent view of a lake. A perfect house in the woods. 

Seeing the magnificent view and the cozy interior of the house, made me understand why he said he comes here to relax. It was peaceful. The only sound I could hear was the sound of birds chirping in the distance and the gentle whoosh of wind, rustling the leaves.

"Your disappearance won't be made in public. The Queen won't also make the shooting earlier public. They will be hunting you in secret. It's certain that the Queen will hire more bounty hunters so for now, stay here." He looked at his watch and was about to walk the door when I held his arm. He stopped on his tracks and looked at my hand on his arm where I was holding and then his gaze went to my face. He gave me a questioning look. I immediately let go of his arm, cursing myself. 

"I ... I'll be alone in here?" I asked.

He roamed his eyes around the house and looked at me before he said, "Yes. Do you want me to ask Laurent to stay here with you? Or maybe Natasha?"

I shook my head. Then met his stormy gaze. I gulped. "Earlier today ... I apologize. I shouldn't ..." I bit my lip and took a deep breath. "I know it wasn't right. I shouldn't have gone out. All of this happened because of me and I am very sorry. For the troubles I caused."

He was silent for a moment while I was looking on the floor. Then I felt his hands on my shoulder causing me to lift my gaze up to his eyes.

"I know the consequence of choosing you to do all of this. If you're going to worry about something, worry about yourself. What happened earlier ... it was bound to happen anyway. I wasn't just expecting it to happen very soon. And I've already prepared everything. Trust me when I say this, Rain: you are going to get out of this mess." I stared into his eyes and there's something there just makes me hypnotized. "Do you trust me?"

I never trusted anyone with my life. Never tried doing so. People—if they're going to choose between their lives and the life of others, they'd choose theirs. And that is also what I'd do. Because I know, at the end of the day, all you have is yourself. Not other people. So I trusted no one but myself. And the last person I considered a friend, a brother, betrayed me. It should be hard to trust anyone after that but Ares...he says it with so much conviction that I just wanted to believe it. To just rely on him and let him do what he needs to do.

So I looked at him in the eye and said, "Yes. I trust you."

A small smile tugged on his lips and he clapped my shoulder gently. 

"Good," he chuckled softly and walked out the door.

* * *