The Don's Unexpected Princess.

Birthmarks.

I could smell the aroma of dense , freshly baked scones with a hint of vanilla . See the golden syrup — like a thick , amber fountain — fall atop of the luscious clotted cream . I lifted the scone in my hand , the golden syrup trickling onto my fingers and down the back of my palm . I could almost taste it now . It got closer to my lips as my hands brought it to my mouth in an agonizingly slow pace .

But that is when I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders , holding me back from enjoying this deliciousness . " Wake up ! You' ve over slept . " I groaned in frustration at that voice . I knew exactly who it was . Lifting my face from the pillow, my eyes finally opened to see Maggie standing in front of my single bed . " Wait . Is that — " her light eyes focused on the side of my lip that was resting against the pillow during my sleep .

My eyes widened slightly . “ What ? Please don' t tell me it's a bug , Mag ! I will scream . ” The sleep had completely disappeared by now .

She laughed while I was still in my eratic state . " Drool . You are drooling . " Maggie said seeming very amused at that . I wiped the side of my mouth with the sleeve of my night gown . “ My god , even for a princess you're quite unusual . ” She said in a hushed tone before she laughed .

Maggie and I have been friends since finishing school and then she moved back to her family after the course was done . She was the one that helped me escape and made the necessary arrangements for me with Owen . Maggie and Owen were first cousins which is why he was happy to help after Maggie explained the situation to him . She wasn' t a part of this establishment but she did dropped by every now and then to , either , have breakfast with me like today , or to check in on me for a little bit .

I sat up in bed before pushing back the covers and kicking my legs over the side before properly standing up . “ I am utterly famished . What does breakfast look like today ? " That scone from my dream would haunt my stomach until I actually got something to eat .

Maggie made a sound like she was trying to recall . " I saw some freshly baked croissants brought in and I think there' s scrambled eggs and omelettes being made on request . There' s fruits , as always . ” My stomach growled at the sound of that .

A few minutes was all I needed to cover up my birthmark and I was good to go . Maggie walked around the room and paced back and forward as she waited for me . It didn't take too long to cover it up. After doing it for so long , I was really used to it by now .

Maggie shifted across the room which had got my fleeting attention . “ It seems like the bad blood between the Domartels and your family is still going on and rising , as a matter of fact .They are still quite livid by the loss of their father . My parents spoke of nothing else besides that for the past two days . ” Maggie said seriously , filling me in on the royal news that I needed to know as she usually did when there was any news to of note .

I let out a heavy breath , disappointed but not surprised at my father' s actions . “ And they have every right to be . My family should not have assassinated their father especially not in the Black Village . That is their territory which only makes it more disrespectful . ” All my life , I have only heard about the atrocities committed by the Domartels but I have never met them before . Regardless of their crimes and how inhumane they were , what happened was an injustice to the Domartels .

I sighed before dropping my sponge that helped to spread the product to cover up the birthmark . “ The Domartels are not going to let it go that easily . They are definitely going to seek for the injustice be righted . An eye for eye , as they say . ” Maggie nodded in agreement , she , too , being aware of their affluence . Althought it would never be as much as that of a royal family , it was certainly close .

Maggie' s family , The Morrettis , were also a highly affluent family . They made up the upper class and elite and were just there with the Domartels in superiority . They were like celebrities , if you will .

I turned to her now , pursing my lips . “The Domartels are, without a doubt, planning their revenge as we speak . We both know that they have never been the kind to let things slip by or deter them from doing whatever they have set their minds too . Even if it be against royalty . ” Maggie was right and whoever assumed that the Domartels were just going to brush this of , without seeking balance , was outright naive or just plain stupid . It was only a matter of time before they struck . I was simply relieved that I was no longer in the middle of that .

It had always been the same thing on a loop . The King , Rupert Atonal II , always did as he pleased without giving a care for justice and equality . I' m sure you can imagine how much scorn and danger that brought upon to , not only the King, but to the entire royal family .

I did try to speak to my father , to make him see reason and sense but he would always dismiss my words as that of a child and paid me no further heed . It was because of his stubbornness that we faced a tremendous amount of retaliation with the last , of which I was present for , being two weeks prior to my escape . It was draining living everyday in complete fear and worry over the possibility that people were planning an attack on our lives . Being from such a powerful background did bring it's dangers and I knew that that was not the life I wanted to live .

As the late afternoon sky' s rolled in replacing the once bright blue with this now darkness , it was almost show time again . All the girls went through their usual routines . Hair , make - up , outfits or lack thereof and deciding how we all would be switching things up tonight . That means adding a new element into the mix so the audience remained captivated .

Let' s take Miranda , for example, she would add in an extra move or hold a different pose to display her body in a new , slightly tweaked light . Leah would add a whole step to her segment and maybe switch up on some ties or add a frilly garter .

I would add a sword to my act which involved balancing it on either my hip or chest and sometimes across my head . It was challenging to learn at first but once the balance was found and the moves were done carefully , but still keeping up with the pace of the music , it all becomes very routine .

Abby craned her head . " Did you happen to see if that Walter guy is present ? " Abbey asked when Owen walked into the room to see how we were doing . " He is rather generous even though we would only ever talk . If he is here than I will make eyes at him when I'm up there . " She explained boldy and we all giggled at her enthusiasm .

" With those legs , I doubt that he would even be looking up to notice your eyes . " Leah said loudly , eliciting a loud roar of friendly laughter from all of us including Owen .

Owen pouted his lips in exaggeration . " Well , Abbey , I did happen to spot him as he was entering the front longue . So , good luck with that . " Owen said to her once we all had settled down from our laughter . " I think you ladies will be pleased to know — all besides Abbey who wants the generous Walter — " Owen teased at her lightly before continuing . “ that there will be three new wealthy men joining us tonight which means more options and prospects for you girls . ” The room echoed with excited giggles and whispers from the ladies before Owen left us until it was show time .

I was inspecting my right arm as discreetly as I could manage to make sure that the mark was well hidden . " I' m curious , Rose . " I turned in my seat set in front of the lighted mirror to see Jole standing behind me . While majority of the girls were easy going , Jole was the only slightly snooty one here . " How is it that you don't have to offer that after fun ? You just get up there but never invited to a private room later . " She was mocking me. It was clear in her voice and the way her lips tightened at the corner .

Jole got here three years after me but she still felt like she held more entitlement than I did . " As far as I am aware , Jole , you don' t have to offer the after services as well . Everyone here has a choice and I use mine how I see fit . " I explained as calmly as I could to her but she raised a brow sharply at me .

Jole straightened before checking herself in my mirror as if I was not just sitting right in front of it . " Of course that's it and not that you lack the effect on the male attention . " She said under her breath before slowly walking away . I let out a sigh of relief . Joles words had no affect on me mainly because I knew better and , secondly , I preferred to avoid conflict as much as I could . The more I stayed away from the attention , the safer it would be .

I had pushed my performance for last tonight. I felt that it would be better because , by then , majority of the audience would have picked one of the ladies before me leaving me with those last few who were either here for just the show to invigorate them or , who just didn't care too much to request the after stuff . It sounded like the perfect plan to me .

So , I sat back and peaked through the small window to the left of the costume room . The glass was tinted on the outside giving me the freedom to watch while providing the protection of concealing me .

It was fascinating to watch even after six years as the men would raise their hands or caps towards Owen as they watched the girls do their thing . There were , on occasion , more than one man who would express interest in one lady but the rule went that the first person to signal their interest would be given the pick which did sound like a fair guide to me .

Abbey went on before me and it seemed like she had managed to secure who she wanted from looking at that gleeful smile of hers . It wasn' t long after that she had returned back to the room indicating that it was my turn .

I made sure my birthmark was concealed properly before sauntering slowly onto the stage swaying my hips intentionally . The room fell silent save for a few whistles but those were soon covered by the sound of the music .

It was the same thing as always with dance . Feel the rhythm and sway with it and when ft there was a distinct change in the tune , I would either drop my chest or jut my hips out to match it . I locked eyes with a few of the men. Some where regulars , just here for a drink but there were some fairly new faces as well .

There was a man to my left with sandy coloured hair and broad shoulders . When my eyes met his deep blue ones, his darkened under the shallow light of the seating appearing more the colour of the deep ocean . It was time for me to turn and move to the other side of the stage so the gentlemen could have a fair view . Owen was at the back and I could see him in full view near the entrance of the hallway .

I brushed back a smirk as I watched him wave his hand in dismissal at the men who sought me out tonight . Although I did not participate in those activities , there was a certain level of glee that bubbles within me at being desired by many but unattainable .

The men settled down but watches as I went on with my routine but three large figures emerging from the hallway entrance near Owen caught my attention .

This was really odd . I was the last performance for tonight and no one ever showed up here this late . Maybe they were passerbys in need of drink .

However, that assumption did not last long because by the look on Owen' s face , I could tell that something was not okay . His eyes darted to me ever so quickly before focusing on the largest of the three men who stood in the middle .

I couldn 't get a full view of their appearance and I didn' t have much time to inspect any further because the blaring sound of a gunshot was heard and Owen tumbled to the ground .

Chaos erupted as another gunshot was fired and all the men scurried out to find their nearest escape . I heard the ladies screaming at the back at witnessing Owens limp body on the floor. In an array of panic , they , too , began to run out and away from the horrid scene .

I was completely frozen and couldn' t move but willed myself to snap out of my initial shock and I turned to escape . The back door through the dressing room was my best chance of a quiet escape . Quickly , I turned to save myself but , in my haste , I bumped into a solid figure that felt like a wall .