Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 33
âWhite rosesâ
Xavier POV
âPro tip : try to act like a Lady, Shortcake.â
âPro tip : I am a lady, Sir Ăsshole.â
I didnât even bother with a comeback. My mind went blank as I saw the wrought iron gates.
They were gilded to look like a Phoenixâs wings, cast in the Royal Familyâs crest. It wouldâve looked nice â
But then two huge marble statues of âartisticallyâ robed half naked women stood to either side of the arch.
The guy who designed this probably went, âDude, I just saw a Roman style threesome when I was high on LSD.
Letâs just put that on a huge Ă€ss iron gate with a bunch of feathers.
Because thatâs tasteful as fĂŒck.â
When Kiera invited me to stay at our auntâs house, Iâd refused because a) the house matched the monstrosity that was the gate.
And b?
Victoria was already making weird faces at the CCTV mirror outside.
But as resolute as Iâd been to not come here, our little motel got shut down last night because there was a murder downstairs.
And while we didnât have anything to do with it, the guardians werenât exactly going to give us a gold sticker and a pat on the back.
I was down to my last pound. I was used to being on the streets, but I sure as hell wasnât letting Victoria follow me there.
Rolling down the window, I let the cameras see me.
The penniless Prince and his starving tiger cub.
Power couple right here, folks.
âSo,â Victoria propped her arms behind her head, as we headed down the dark driveway. â You havenât actually asked me out yet.â
I looked at her.
âEager much? Because we could skip that whole deal and do it in the car right here, Shortcake.â
She smacked me. âWhat part of being a gentleman do you not get?â
âOh, Iâll be gentle.â I shrugged. âBut thatâs not what you really want now, is it, baby?â
I didnât even have to look to know that she was blushing.
âI want you to shut up.â
âI want you in black lace.â I said, looking up in mock prayer. âBut alas, we live in a cruel universe where youâre wearing jeans.â
âWhatâs wrong with my jeans?â She fumed.
âTheyâre not on the floor.â
She hit me with a rolled up newspaper. I probably deserved that one.
âI donât even care anymore.â She muttered. âAsk me, donât ask me, you can go fĂŒck yourself, you riled up h—y son of a bĂźtch.â
I pulled the brake so suddenly, Victoria gasped. We were under the cover of trees in a stolen car, a long winding road ahead, alone for all intents and purposes.
âWhat are you doing?â Victoria asked, quietly.
If memory served me right, there was a garden here a short distance away. I needed a little time, so I played with my blade absently.
âYou want to kill me now?â Victoria said, putting her hands up in annoyance. âAfter blowing up monuments, stealing for you, running to another country, you want to kill me because I encouraged fapping?â
I couldnât help it. I laughed, putting the knife away.
âWhy in Godâs name would I kill you?â
âFor starters, I almost killed your friend, I insult you at every given opportunity, I give you a constant headache, youâll get bored with me -â
I looked her in the eyes, rolling down my window. She fell silent looking at my expression.
âThereâs a good chance I may never get bored with you, Victoria.â I said. âAnd honestly? That frightens the crap out of me.â
âWell, thereâs another reason why youâd want to kill me.â She suggested. âIâm far too interesting for the world.â
I ruffled her hair, smiling. Right on cue, a single fresh cut white rose floated through the window. Victoria looked at me, then at the rose wide eyed when it rested on her lap.
Magic was a big pain in the Àss, but it had its moments.
âI said no flowers.â She held it carefully, avoiding the thorns. The rose had gold veins, a rare variety that Iâd only ever seen here.
Victoria watched it glow in the moonlight with wonder. âWell, thanks for not listening to me.â
I smiled.
âSo Lady Victoria,â I watched her carefully. âWill you have dinner with me tomorrow evening?â
She smiled. âUnfortunately yes, Sir Biscuit.â
We drove down the road to the front door. Somewhere along the way, Victoriaâs hand covered mine over the gear shift.
It was a small thing, but Iâd always noticed how her hands werenât all too soft. Probably because sheâd handled rough metal most of her life.
It was all I could do to take her hand and kiss her fingertips.
She looked at me. âWhat was that for?â
I shrugged. âYou have nice hands.â
She didnât say anything, but she let me hold her hand again as we walked to the door.
Which I came to understand was Victoriaâs way of saying thank you.
A frail old lady opened the massive oak door, her small body covered in a russet gown that looked way too heavy for her fragile body â
Grand Dutchess Terencia Riccardi twisted my ear, after recovering from the initial shock.
âIâve waited for you for ages, dear boy.â She said, tears in her eyes. âKiera told me, but I didnât believe her. Oh, we didnât know if you were dead all these years. And your clothes! Madre Mia, you look like you havenât showered in years -â
There was a soft laugh beside me.
âAnd who is this, young lady?â The Dutchess turned her attention to Victoria. âWhere did you find this one? I really hope youâll marry one of these days, son. Yes, this one should do nicely â she has wide childbearing hips.â
Leave it my aunt to bring up bridal prospects in less than ten sentences.
No wonder Kiera got along with her so well.
Victoria shifted uncomfortably. It was my turn to laugh, as I put my arm around her.
âThatâs a compliment.â I whispered to her, as the Dutchess ushered us inside.
âI donât think they teach your kind the right definition.â She muttered, shocked by the sheer grandness of the mansion. âHow do you know her, anyway?â
Yeah, meet my momâs sister. Sheâs a stickler for punctuality, loves cats and also happens to be second-in-line for the Throne after Danny.
No big deal.
âMy maids will show you to your rooms.â She said briskly. âWe need to talk, boy. Twelve long years it has been.â
âYes, we should, madre .â I kissed her on the cheek. She looked at me affectionately. âI hope Iâll get to taste your cooking soon.â
âI hope you changed your mind coming back here.â Her eyes were sad. âYour father is not well.â
I pursed my lips. I knew this was coming.
âWeâll talk about this over dinner.â I said, diplomatically. âVictoria needs to rest.â
She gave me a cryptic look, which was gone a moment later.
âYes, of course. Be on your way.â She smiled. âWe have all the time in the world after all.â
A butler showed us to our rooms. Much to my relief, they werenât too over the top.
Well, if you didnât count the twin chandeliers, the TV the size of a wall, the mini golf course and the marble and glass on everything else.
Lady Gaga wouldâve fit right in.
I left Victoria in her room, letting her settle. I was walking down the hallway to my room, when I almost bumped into a woman in a black silk gown.
âIâm terribly sorry.â Her voice was so perfectly beautiful, all I wanted to do was listen to her.
I smiled, getting on one knee.
âIâm to apologise, High Priestess.â I said, not looking at her face until she gave me the permission to rise.
A high priestess was the chosen vessel of an Archangel when they came to this planet. They were usually women, revered beyond the king himself, and almost worshipped by some.
This girl was probably the most powerful being on this side of the planet.
Just a coincidence that my sister happened to be banging her.
âYou must be Xavier.â Anna said, smiling. âKiera has told me a lot about you.â
âIâm sure she has.â I muttered.
She laughed. âOnly good things, Your Highness.â
âPlease donât call me that.â I said, looking at Victoriaâs door.
Anna looked at me curiously.
âYou didnât tell her.â
I shrugged. âShe doesnât need to know.â
âWill you take a walk with me?â Anna asked. âThereâs something Iâd like to show you.â
I nodded, so she led me down the hallway, past my room.
âSo how are things going with my sister?â I asked, trying to be conversational.
âOh, theyâre well. Kiera is a beautiful person with a kind soul. I tell her but she rarely believes me.â Anna smiled, meeting my eyes. âI do believe I should be honest with the woman I love.â
And I knew she wasnât just talking about Kiera anymore.
âHere we are.â
Anna showed me a glass cabinet. Inside was a life size replica of the Royal crown, gold inlaid with diamonds, the family crest engraved at the very centre.
I swallowed. âJewellery is not really my thing, Priestess.â
Anna touched the glass. âThen do it for your people. We need a good King, Xavier.â
âDaniel is -â
âA lost child.â She said, her amethyst eyes serious. âPlease donât let him pay for your mistakes.â
I took a deep breath.
âIâll think about it.â
âAt least, do it for her .â Anna said softly. âBe brave enough to show her your demons.â
In that moment, my reflection in the glass lined up with the crown, so it was over my head.
In that moment, all I could see was the torn clothing I wore, the sweat and dirt on my skin and how much that offended the beauty of the gold beyond the glass.
I turned away.
âI shouldnât.â I said, firmly. âShe hasnât done anything wrong to deserve that.â
Anna put a hand on my shoulder, her eyes otherworldly as they looked into my very soul.
âSheâs shown you the stars in your darkness, Xevi. Thatâs the gravest sin of all. To steal anotherâs heart.â
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