Thorns of Ambition
1941 Words
Bianca
Thorns of Ambition
His fingers curled angrily around my neck, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe. My vision blurred, and fear gripped me as I struggled for air. Suddenly, the door to the study flung open, and a guard rushed in.
“My Prince, the—” he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the scene before him. This was not the demeanor expected of the prince. “My Prince!”
Despite the guard’s attempts to pull him away, the prince tightened his grip on my neck, his eyes filled with pure hatred. The guard moved closer, trying to restrain him, but his indifference to his efforts only heightened their concern.
“Listen to me, Bianca...” His voice was laced with pure hatred. The guards, sensing the urgency, tried to hold the prince back, probably hoping to bring him back to his kind and loving self, but the indifference in his actions sent fear coursing through their faces.
“I don’t want you around me. Not as a mate or even as a friend. So whatever this is, stop it before I unleash the monster in me and give you a taste of how brutal I can be.”
“Please…” I managed to croak, struggling for breath. “Please.”
“My prince, you’re killing the lady,” the guard begged, holding tightly to the prince’s clothes. No one dared to touch the prince in that state.
“Argh!” the prince groaned, finally releasing me from his hold. “Thank your lucky stars, Bianca. Thank your lucky stars.”
“My prince...” The guard pushed himself forward, begging him to calm down while I coughed repeatedly, trying to regain my breath. “I think I will go get the doctor.”
“No...” I breathed, almost in a whisper. “I’m fine.” I quickly shuffled my bags and rushed out of his office, his eyes glaring hatefully at me.
“Heavens.” I blurted, rubbing my hands over my hurting neck. The prince’s hatred for me was so raw and deep. I didn’t understand why he hated me so much, because there was no other woman in his heart. His aversion baffled me.
I winced, shuddering at the thought that if I ended up as his wife, my life would be in constant pain. I wanted a marriage full of love, someone who would cherish me without doubt or second thoughts. This was not what I wanted—not the forced feelings my mother was pushing into me.
As the door leading out of the palace was opened for me by the guards, I gasped as my brother walked right in front of me. For many reasons, I wanted to hide from him, but his eyes held mine, making it impossible to run.
He walked past me, his eyes looking elsewhere, causing a painful twitch in my heart. I bowed slightly and tried to move on, grateful that I didn’t have to see the disappointment on his face. But a step outside the palace, his voice stopped me abruptly. I turned to see him glaring angrily at my neck as he approached. I jerked backward, almost falling, but he held my wrist to prevent me from hitting the ground.
“Your neck...” he growled, his face a mix of fright and pain. The protectiveness in his eyes returned, and I badly wanted to bury myself in that warmth. My feelings toward my brother were growing stronger by the day. “What happened to your neck?”
“Oh, this is nothing...” I replied, trying to get free from his firm hold. He couldn’t know that the prince did this to me; it would break their relationship.
“This looks like nothing, Bianca.” He hissed, gripping my wrist firmly, making it hard to break free. His eyes darkened suddenly, making my heart do a steady thud. “Did the prince do that to you?”
Heavens, no! I laughed skeptically. “Why do you think the prince would do this to me, brother? I am his wife-to-be. Why would he want to choke me to death by gripping my neck?”
“Then who did this? Tell me, Bianca.” Bianca. My brother kept calling me by my name, which is an indication that he was still very angry.
“Mmm―”
“Mother didn’t do that, I’m sure," he voiced again, interrupting me. Why he was so defensive of her now baffles me. “You left the house before me, and I can swear your neck isn’t all bruised and red. So who did this?”
I blinked, wondering which lie to fabricate now that he was aware our mother wasn’t responsible.
“No one did," I lied. I avoided looking at his face while saying that. I had never lied to him before, but these past few days, I kept telling one lie after another, finding it hard to stop.
“No one, right?”
“Brother, please...” I fumed, waving my hands around my neck. I felt choked and angry, wanting him to go and leave me be.
“Young Master Daniel,” a guard called, making him turn. “The prince seeks your presence now.”
My heart was beating steadily as I silently prayed that he wouldn’t tell my brother about what had transpired between us. Not telling him would only make my brother think I was desperate to be the queen.
He stared blankly at the guard, then sighed. “After you.” The guard bowed and excused himself. Daniel turned back to me, his eyes distant and void of emotion.
“I have to go now, Bianca. We will talk about this when I return.”
“Brother...” It hurt that my name rolled out of his lips with no emotion. Tears stung my eyes, and I knew I had to leave too.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he released his hold on my wrist. He turned and walked away into the palace while I stood rooted to the spot, watching him gracefully take a step at a time. I turned to leave too, knowing he was gradually slipping away from me.
“Sister...” His voice stopped me in my tracks. Joy coursed through me at the familiar emotions of Daniel.
“Brother,” I responded, my eyes filled with tears of joy. His face furrowed at my teary expression, but I smiled, urging him to speak his mind.
“Do you have anything to say to me? Anything at all that you think I must know?"
“Must...” I muttered, guilt overwhelming me. He nodded, his eyes diligently seeking answers.
“No.” I forced a sweet smile. “Nothing, brother.”
“Fine,” he blurted. “I will see you at home.” He turned and disappeared into the building.
I sighed again, a long, devastating sigh. I wanted to go anywhere, anywhere quiet and safe. My home now felt like a living prison to me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as soon as my eyes fell on the guard. It looked like he was waiting for someone. “Tell me.”
“My lady, your mother asks to see you,” he retorted.
“No. Not yet. I am going somewhere peaceful. Go back.”
“I can’t, my lady,” he snorted fearfully, staring at me. I snapped my eyes open at his words, too tired to be angry.
“Why not?” I breathed, keeping my tears at bay.
“Your mother instructed that I bring you home immediately after you were done with the prince.”
I scoffed, my eyes widening in shock. “Is that so?” The tears gushed out of my eyes freely. “She now watches my every step.”
Heavens. My eyes blurred from the tears. I felt so suffocated. My mother was preventing my every sign of freedom. I couldn’t even go anywhere around the kingdom for fresh air.
“I’m sorry, my lady,” he began. “She will have my head if I disobey her orders. She has a way of finding things out.”
“It’s fine, Jerome,” I voiced amidst my depressed state. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, my lady,” he replied. “Thank you.”
We arrived at the villa in a few minutes. My heart felt heavy as I walked into the house. I opened the door to see my mother laughing loudly with my father.
“My baby,” Dad called as I strode into the house. I immediately covered my neck with the scarf I always carried with me. Dad was very vigilant, and I knew he would notice.
“Dad.” I smiled at him and turned to Mother. “Mother, can I talk to you privately? The prince sends a message to you.”
She turned her smiling face to me and nodded. I was shocked at her obedience; she always acted nice whenever Dad was around.
We excused Dad and went to my room. As soon as she shut the door behind her, I removed the scarf so she could see my bruised neck. The indifference in her eyes made my heart break into pieces. She didn’t care.
“Mother?” I called angrily.
“What, Bianca?” she asked, walking closer to me. “The prince did that?”
“Yes,” I replied hurriedly. “Prince Finn doesn’t fancy me, Mother. I’m tired of pushing myself on him. He almost killed me today. The hatred is evident, and I’m not ready to trade my future for bitterness and—”
“You will marry the prince, and that’s it, Bianca,” she said, her demeaning presence haunting me further. “That throne is ours to keep, and you won’t defy me.”
“Mom, look at this...” I uttered, pointing at my neck. “Prince Finn did this to me, and you’re not bothered. I almost died in his hands.”
“Well, he can’t kill you,” she shrugged, causing a blank stare from me. Why was I surprised? Mom had always been a monster. “When you become the queen, you will give him a dose of what he’s doing to you now.”
“No more words, Bianca,” she growled, heading towards the door. “I don’t want to hear more of this, or you will risk losing your beloved brother, and mate.”
“Mother.”
She cut me off, squeezing my arms. “Listen to me, darling, or else…”
“Or else what, mother?” I yelled, trembling. My body shook with anger.
She stared at me blankly before letting out a horrible laugh. “We both had a deal, love. To spare your dear brother’s life, you must marry the prince. No matter what he did to you, you must become his queen.”
I couldn’t control myself as tears streamed from my eyes. She squeezed even harder before finally letting go. “Don’t make me hurt him. Be obedient. You will be the queen soon.”
Her hand reached for the doorknob to leave the room when I called out.
“The mate ball is in a few days, Mother,” I said behind her. She stopped abruptly and glared at me, a smirk playing at the side of her lips.
“Until then, my darling,” Mother stated, now grinning widely. “Until then.”
- Writer
