Chapter 3 Intertwined Fate

My eyes widened half in shock and in panic as his gracefully long fingers approached my face. His aura, his presence, and everything about him told me that we were worlds apart and I was dumbstruck and intimidated at his presence and how close he was to me. When his fingers almost touched my face, I flinched back and closed my eyes reflexively.

Suddenly, I felt the sensation of the tape on my mouth being gently pulled until it was completely removed from my lips. My eyes opened at the same time that my mouth gasped for air. I must have breathed in too fast at the relief of having my mouth freed once again that I started coughing.

"Your name...?" the prince inquired once more.

I was scared but I found myself staring up easily into his mesmerizing blue eyes. It could have been my imagination, or the light, or my hopefulness playing tricks on me, but for a moment, I was sure that his eyes were gentle and kind.

However...

"People should never be bought and sold! Slavery is wrong!" I spat.

That was the first thing that I wanted to tell this man who had just spent so much money to purchase me wasn't my name. People are not mere objects. We can't simply be bought and sold like this!

Oh, no. What did I just say?

Although those words represented my honest thoughts and feelings, I knew that now wasn't the time to say that. Suddenly, my body was trembling in fear. All signs of bravado that I had previously had in me completely evaporated and all that was left was a scared young woman who was now all alone.

Did I anger him? Will he hit me or torture me?

For a moment, the man's blue eyes widened in surprise before he smiled a smile that reached his eyes. Although I couldn't see his face because of the black mask that he had on, I could sense that he was smiling at me or at the words that I had just voiced.

"You're right. People should never be bought and sold..." he whispered softly into my ear as if his words were for my ears only.

It was my turn to be shocked by his words. The man chuckled softly close to my ear before he stood up proud and tall. His tall and large frame loomed over me before he turned to leave.

"Prince Leonard, it's time to return to the palace. His majesty is waiting for you..." a man spoke as he approached the prince.

Is this man really a prince?

Leonard. Prince Leonard.

So, his name is Leonard...

"Ahh! No..." I cried out at the pain tearing through my arm.

Glancing back, I could see a man pulling my arms backwards. Suddenly, I felt a prickling pain in my arm and realized that the man had injected something into my arm. By the time that the needle left my arm, my mind already felt hazy, and my head felt light. Then everything went dark around me as if someone had switched off all the lights.

...

Prince Leonard sat in his usual sand-colored leather seat in his private jet with a glass of red wine in one hand as he tried his best to get the image of the girl's eyes out of his head. When he opened his eyes, he could see the intense emotions mixed in her eyes. He could feel them all as if her feelings were his own. Her fear, her anger, her frustration, and her desperation. All of her emotions flooded into his mind and his heart, and he couldn't control them of block them out. His head started to throb but when he closed his eyes, he could still see her eyes staring back at him.

He winced as if in pain before he felt thankful that no one was travelling with him. The prince sighed loudly as he pulled out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth and swallowed them down. He closed his eyes and once again and her intense gaze stared back at him. His mouth curved into a smile before he started laughing darkly to himself.

"Are you coming to get me, or will I end up breaking you first...?" he muttered to himself between his bouts of laughter.

...

**A few days before**

Prince Leonard sat on a large leather sofa as he gazed at his brother over the rim of his teacup. He hated the way his brother was staring at him intensely as he tried to get his message across. After sipping the tea, he placed the teacup back down before letting out a long sigh. He was tired and the last thing that he needed was to attend a black-market auction to buy things that he didn't want or need. All of that effort for the sake of maintaining appearances...

"How many times do I have to tell you this, Leo? Leaders of nations and the rich show up to network, make connections, and show off their wealth and power. It's normal for the first prince of our kingdom to turn up. Just do it for the sake of keeping up appearances," Prince Darius said casually as he tried to convince his brother.

"I'm honestly not bothered. Why can't they just send someone else in my place? What about you? Why can't you go instead?" Leonard quickly suggested.

"You're the first prince and please don't forget that I went in your place the last time because you insisted that you were 'sick'," Darius reminded his brother as his brows drew together.

"What about Florian? He's a prince too and he didn't go last time. This thing is definitely something that he's into. We should just send Florian..." Leonard said without backing down.

As far as he was concerned, he didn't care who went as long as it didn't have to be him. With the strange dreams that he's been having keeping him from getting enough shut-eye at night, he was too troubled, and sleep deprived to bother flying off to some black market auction.

--To be continued...