The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

1- FROM A GOLDEN SWAN TO A WHITE GOOSE

I wish I were dead.

Death would be better as it was painless and quick.

Sadly, I wasn't.

The only satisfying compensation to console myself with was that I almost did. I almost died. Still, I was alive. Breathing but not kicking. I was barely hanging onto life here in this dirty, damp, and dark place. I merely had enough strength to draw breath. Not to mention the cold that almost froze my entire body. But again, I was breathing. Unlike my parents and younger siblings, whose bodies must have gone cold six feet under the ground at the royal cemetery.

"Mother. Father. Elric. Ermo." I sobbed every time I murmured their names. The memory of that night haunted me. It followed me whether my eyes were open or closed. It refused to go away. Their last moments were cruel beyond words, making it hard to forget about them. There was also the ugly truth about their deaths that nobody knew.

No one. Except me.

What made it even more remorseful was that I was the one who caused their horrible deaths. Everything was entirely my fault.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I've never meant for any of this to happen." The sob turned into a cry before losing control of becoming a wail. I broke down like a three-year-old, caring not about the guards outside hearing the miserable sounds of a crown princess. Not that they gave a damn, anyway. After all, I was no longer royalty in their eyes. I was just a mere prisoner in this disgusting dungeon.

I didn't know how long I had been crying. But when there were no tears left to spill, a chuckle escaped my lips. "Haha." My emotion switched swiftly like a flip of a coin. One second, I was crying, and the next, I was laughing despite my tear-stained face. "Funny how the tables have turned," I snickered, amused at how my luxurious and perfect life turned into this in just the blink of an eye.

Hold on. This wasn't even the right expression. I didn't even blink my eyes, yet everything changed so fast I could barely believe it.

"Haha." I listened to my voice echoing throughout the entire room. But it was short-lived because a groan replaced it. It seemed I finally exhausted my muscles, waking the pain from its slumber—the very pain that made me remember I had a busted lip and a swollen cheek. I also recalled further why and how I had gotten this injury.

Though I wish I didn't. This memory only brought tears back to my eyes again. It hurt. So bad. It hurts ten times more than the injury itself. The pain of a broken heart is not a thing to be taken lightly.

I was betrayed. I was cheated. I was defeated.

Tears fell from my eyes as I dwelled on that moment. As usual, they didn't trickle down my cheeks onto my lips because I was laying on my side. It made me curious whether they still tasted salty as any tears did, or they had turned bitter like my emotions. I didn't know because I was too exhausted to move my body. I let those tears seep into the ground beneath my face after taking their time sliding down my nose bridge. My right cheek wasn't injured, but I felt the pain. It had been in contact with the cold floor for too long.

I found this entire thing hilarious. How one cheek was on fire while another was ice cold. They were both parts of my face, yet they weren't the same.

Just like him. The person who broke my trust. He was the same boy I once fell in love with. But at the same time, he was not. Especially not right now. I thought I knew him. I thought I understood him. But I was wrong. What I knew back then was the angel mask he wore. Now that he took it off, he was nothing but a devil in disguise. Or perhaps a definition of the calamity in my life.

"Damn you. I shouldn't have loved you back then. I shouldn't have given you my heart. And I shouldn't have let you step into my kingdom." The thought of him woke up another emotion within me.

Rage.

I gritted my teeth, picturing the last facial expression he gave me. It was the same arrogant smirk that I had once found sexy. I used to fall deeper in love with those pair of protruding brown eyes on his rectangular face whenever he stared into mine and whispered; I love you before leaning down to cover his full lips over mine. I used to enjoy running my hand and tapping my fingers on his broad back. I used to go weak in the knees whenever I slid my hand up to cup the back of his head, ran my hand through his soft, dark brown hair, and pulled him close for a deeper kiss.

I used to love everything about him.

But not anymore.

I detested everything about that man.

I wanted to slap the ground and release the anger crawling through every inch of me. But I was too weak to do so. Well, I wasn't surprised since I refused to touch even a droplet of water or a bite of food for days. I was weaker than a fledgling now.

"I hate you, Iorwerth Frost." I closed my eyes and gathered all the strength I had left to shout at the top of my lungs. If I couldn't move my body, the very least I could do was move my lips.

"It has been a while since I heard my full name coming from your lips. It sounds so new to my ears. Still, I like it better when you call me 'Iory.' It sounds intimate and sweeter. Don't you think so, my dear fiancé?" A deep voice reverberated from the door. Then, I heard a key and chain unlocking, followed by footsteps not long after.

I sucked in a breath at the familiar voice I used to find soothing, like a summer breeze. Yet, at this moment, I wanted nothing more than to block this sound from polluting my eardrums.

"My dear Lae, are you ignoring me again? Come on. I have given you three days already. Aren't you done sulking yet?"

I slowly opened my eyes to find the entire room was no longer pitch-black. That was how I could spot a pair of white boots peeking from under long white clothes that were approaching where I was laying.

How dare he wear that color? Rage filled up inside me once again. He didn't deserve to wear this. White was the color for mourning. Who is he to show condolences to my family when he's the one who took their lives?

If I had enough strength, I would leap and tear those clothes out of him. Sadly, I knew that wouldn't happen. I could barely lift my head to look at his face. I could only see up to his knees.

"I've always heard people say that women could have a change of heart. I guess it is true whether or not you are royalty." He continued to speak, even though I ignored him. Just like his lips, his feet also proceeded to where I was, bringing his voice louder and clear to my ears. "But don't you think it is too fast, my dear Lae? You were head over heels with me for two years, yet you declared your hatred in just days? That's not how betrothed people do." He knelt on one knee, revealing beige pants under the hem of a long, white outer shirt.

I couldn't see the full view of him, but I already knew what he was dressed in. It was our Zariya's mourning attire: a beige shirt and pants and a white outer shirt. The outer shirt had long sleeves that reached the waist, while the hems dropped to the ankles.

"You are one to talk. You have no right to speak to me," I said, wanting to fill my voice with hatred. I wished he knew how much I loathed him. But it came out in barely more than a whisper.

"What did you say? I can't hear you."

I cleared my throat and gathered up the strength in me before saying, "You are no longer my fiancé! You aren't even worth being called a human! I'll' have nothing to do with you anymore!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," He clicked his tongue. "Even in this state, you still have so much energy within you. Quite mysterious for a petite body like you. Not to mention your mouth is still as arrogant as before. How did you manage it?"

"My hatred for you keeps me alive. I refuse to die before I kill you with my own hands." I glared at him, even though I couldn't see past his knee and the hand he placed on top of it.

"That is good. At least we share a common goal here. I also need you to stay alive. But I am curious. If you don't want to die, why do you refuse to eat? Not even a droplet of water? It's been three days. You know, a human body can't hold on any longer if you keep this up. You will die. So, do you care to enlighten me? What is with this stubbornness?"

Not that I was interested in giving him an explanation. Still, before I could even part my lips, he cut me off. "Oh, I think I know. You were afraid that the food was poisoned, weren't you? So, I guessed it was also my fault. I should have made myself clear before. My bad."

It isn't even close, I thought to myself. That isn't the reason I didn't eat. Whatever. That isn't the main concern here. I have more important things to ask him right now.

The last time we met, I was too enraged to talk, so instead of finishing our conversation in a civilized manner, he slapped me hard and knocked me out. This time, I was committed to getting all the answers to my questions. I needed to remain calm.

"Why did you kill my brothers?" I already knew why he killed my parents. But I couldn't understand why he was so heartless to murder innocent children so cruelly. I could still picture the blazing fire and hear the twins' piercing cry as the flames consumed them inside that tower.

"Back to the series of why again?"

"Answer me!"

"Ooh. Scary."

"They were barely ten years old. What threats could they possess?"

"For old time's sake, I'll answer your question." He cleared his throat. "I'm not the type of guy who enjoys befriending risks. You know this. Why would I keep them only to fear they could come back to kill me? Do you think they would let me off if they found out I was the one who killed their parents? Not that I planned for the truth to be exposed. Still, it was better safe than sorry."

"Then why don't you kill me? You knew I would come for your life."

"You think I don't want to?" He returned my question with another of his own. "I'm' dying to take away a clingy woman like you out of my life. Still, I have other uses for you." He leaned down and whispered in my ears. "But trust me. You are going to wish you were dead with your beloved parents and the twins."

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©️StellaKMary | The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard