Chapter 3 Intertwined Fate

My eyes widened half in shock and panic as his gracefully long fingers approached my face. His aura, presence, and everything about him told me that we were worlds apart, and I was shocked and intimidated by 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 removed entirely 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, and I started coughing.

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

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

However...

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

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

Oh, no. What did I say?

Although those words represented my honest thoughts and feelings, I knew now wasn't the time to say that. Suddenly, my body was trembling in fear. All signs of bravado I had previously had in me wholly 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?

The man's blue eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he smiled a smile that reached his eyes. Although I couldn't see his face because of the black mask he was wearing, 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 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 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 backward. Suddenly, I felt a prickling pain in my arm and realized that the man had injected something into my arm. My mind felt hazy when the needle left my arm, 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 her emotions flooded his mind and heart, and he couldn't control or 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 traveling with him. The prince sighed loudly as he pulled out some pills, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed them. He closed his eyes, and her intense gaze stared back at him again. 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, gazing at his brother over the teacup rim. He hated how his brother stared at him intensely as he tried to convey his message. After sipping the tea, he placed the teacup back down before letting out a long sigh. He was tired, and the last thing he needed was to attend a black-market auction to buy things 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 to keep up appearances," Prince Darius said casually as he tried to convince his brother.

"I'm honestly not bothered. Why can't they send someone else to 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 something that he's into. We should 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'd 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...