"Sir… your captive has fallen asleep. And your pet… um… she seems to have maybe almost slightly
The nervous guard spoke, trying to avoid conflict with their prince, who was already irritated from the confrontation he had with his father a few days ago. Impatient, he finally walked into the cell and took in the shocking situation before him.
What was he supposed to make of this?
"Shen… what the fuck happened here? Didn't I tell you to watch her? Today was your nightly shift, and you couldn't bother to stop by and make sure that the creature wasn't doing anything inappropriate? And the worst part is she killed my pet."
"You mean the one that looked like a rat, sir? How can you call that a pet? It looked more like a—"
"SILENCE!!!
The nerve of this guard. I should take his head for offending me. That was my most beloved pet, the one my uncle gave to me before he passed away. It was the only memory I had of him, and I swore that if anything ever happened to it, I would punish anyone who harmed Jesabela.
I turned to face the young guard and spoke in a low, commanding voice, baring my fangs for him to see. He already knew I was in a foul mood, even worse than this morning. My father keeps pressuring me to get engaged to that spoiled brat of a princess, Bacari. We've known each other since childhood. Our families forced us to be together every single day. She always followed me, praised me, and worshipped me. But as I grew older, into my teenage years, I became tired of it.
Now it's almost time for me to claim the throne. I want to make my own decisions for myself. But my father keeps pestering me, saying it's for the better of our kingdom. Power and money are all he cares about, and it seems that will never change. I don't care. I stopped caring ever since the only person in my life truly left me.
He was taken away by those damn humans. Those shitty animals took my uncle away from me, dammit!! The only person who... fuck!!!
I remember it as if it happened yesterday. Some human spy infiltrated my uncle's home. They wanted to seize all his money, his power, his so-called wisdom, and the magic scrolls he often kept. They were considered the most powerful in the entire kingdom, known worldwide. Sadly, humans' greed knows no bounds, so of course they tried to take it for themselves. It was all or nothing for them, and they took it out on my poor uncle.
He was a good man. Kind-hearted. He would forgive those who hurt or betrayed him. He was the only one who truly saw me for who I was. He never pressured me into joining the throne. That's why I aspired to become just like him, a great prince of the Valarkiyke Kingdom.
Anyone who disobeys will be severely punished.
I closed my fist as I began to yell at the guard.
"You only had one task, and that was to watch over the human spy. That's all I asked you to do. And where were you? Out killing your own people? Look, you've heard the stories. It's no surprise I can read minds. I can invade your thoughts. So it's no surprise that I know the secrets you try to keep from me. Honestly, this is the most interesting story I've heard all day. It's been a long time since I've had some fun. So I'll let you live under one condition... you fight me. If you can land a single hit on me, even a scratch, you can walk away free. But if you fail to do so within three minutes… I can't say what will happen to you."
"Y-Yes, sir!!! Please go easy on me! I had no other choice but to be a spy. The humans held my family captive and said if I didn't comply with their demands, they would slaughter my entire family. Please have mercy on me. I didn't mean to betray you. I honestly didn't."
"Well, you should have thought about that before committing such actions of atrocity. I would have gladly helped you find a way to save your family. I'm not the cold-hearted prince everyone thinks I am. I only play that role because of how my father perceives me."
"Sir… what was that?"
"Nothing. Pretend you heard nothing."
I growled in frustration as I grabbed the guard by the collar of his neck and slammed him against the wall before spitting in his face and throwing him to the side. I was already in a bad mood and needed to blow off some steam. Fighting was the only way I knew how. Drawing blood was the only way I knew how to release my anger.
I didn't give the guard a chance to get back on his feet. I started punching him, kicking him, and even grabbing nearby objects and beating him relentlessly. I might have broken my own rule of fairness, but I couldn't help it. I hate betrayal more than anything. I despise it from the bottom of my heart. I know what I'm doing is wrong
unfair, but I'm the prince. I can do whatever I want.
And so I did.
I continued beating him, torturing him, until sunset. Finally, I stopped. I wiped the sweat off my face and set the metal rod aside before taking off my jacket and flinging it on the floor.
I sat down beside the sleeping girl I had captured yesterday.
I wonder if she's truly a spy… or just a clueless person caught in the rift between kingdoms. "I wonder where you came from," I said in the calmest tone I've spoken in years, reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Curiosity got the best of me. My touch lingered on her skin before slowly pulling away.
That touch ignited a fire inside me that no one has made me feel in years.
Well… I suppose I should try to relax. I still have to deal with this spy tomorrow.
So I rested my head on the girl's lap, closed my eyes, and fell asleep dreaming of a future that wasn't full of darkness and betrayal.