ROMANCE DAWN

5

English is not my first language. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe!
insta: lwss.444

I sit up straight on the bed. I pull the sheets over my body to hide my bare chest as I stare at the man across the room who is also standing naked in front of a huge window. The sun highlights his inhuman musculature. He runs his hand through his blond hair, looking out of the window at the island he controls.

"You're awake?" He asks without looking at me.

— Yes.

— Come here." He orders in his deep voice.

I let go of the pink silk sheet and get out of bed, smelling like him. I walk towards him and hold him at my side. The royal palace is high up, overlooking DressRosa, allowing Doflamingo to keep an eye on the inhabitants of DressRosa. This island is rightfully his. 10 years ago, he planned a coup d'état to take back what was rightfully his, this luxurious island formerly ruled by his family.

He strokes my back with his hand. I shiver. Doflamingo is big, very big. In every sense of the word. He's over 3 metres tall.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?

— Yes." I nod, not really knowing what I'm supposed to be looking at.

He turns to me and grabs my chin so that I look up at him.

"I've missed you.

— Take that off." I raise my wrist in the air to show him the iron bracelet around it.

"You know I can't.

— After all these years, I can't be trusted?" I spit as I push his hand away.

Doflamingo smiles, "You know it, you can only trust yourself.

— And where would I go? With this behind my back.

— You know that I'm the only one who wants you." He whispers to me. "I'm the only one who can accept you as you are."

Because you did this to me. Who marked my body and has been using it for years.

"The kid in the straw hat wanted to recruit me." I confess, looking out the window again at the view. "He's an honest boy who does what he thinks is right.

— Hasn't seen your back, he doesn't know everything you've done, does he?" He laughs. "An honest boy like that wouldn't want a scumbag like you." I clench my fists. "That's why you have to stay with me. Only a scumbag like me could accept a scumbag like you. Don't you like your life here? With me?"

I unclench my fists and let my arms fall to my sides.

"I like my life here."

And I mean that sincerely. He gives me everything I need in exchange for my obedience and loyalty. I can't remain ungrateful. Even if he is the one who kidnapped the Celestial Dragons' children. He saved my life by offering me to serve him instead of rotting with the other child slaves.

"That boy in the straw hat couldn't protect you like I can. He doesn't even have a bounty. If you're no longer with me, you'd have no protection. The navy would cut your head off, don't forget everything you stole from them, how many of their soldiers you killed.

— Under your command.

— Without me you're nothing. Keep that in mind. I make you exist."

He laughed again before leaning over to place a kiss on the top of my head and heading off to the bathroom.
The kid may not be as strong as he is, but the feeling I had in his arms was very real. If I could have spent eternity there, I would have.

I bow my head and pick up the blond man's shirt to put it over my shoulders. I look at myself in the big mirror opposite the bed, blue spots dotting my body. Doflamingo is a violent man, under any circumstances. I close the shirt before leaving the room. I pull it up a little so I don't step on it and head for the palace balcony.

"Tea?" A butler asks.

I nod. « And the newspaper. » I move to one of the tables on the balcony.

The breeze gently caresses my face. I shiver as I look out over the city. I can see children laughing and playing in a park, a bustling market and families loving each other as they stroll through the streets. I've never experienced anything like it. I don't remember my father's face very well, or anything about him. Sometimes I think it's because I was young and forgot over time. On the other hand, I remember my mother perfectly, her hair as crimson as her eyes. She was beautiful. She didn't like living in Mary Geoise, she hated it. She often spoke to me about the continent where she was born, saying that she loved to run across the endless plains. She ran and ran and never got tired, as if her legs were made to never stop. The fact that she had married a celestial dragon had not turned her into a monster without feelings, as they are.

The butler puts a cup of tea in front of me and the newspaper, then stands behind me.

"Ask if you need anything."

I nod and grab the newspaper. I turn the first page and discover a wanted poster. My eyes light up. The head of the boy in the straw hat is printed in my hands. His bounty is 30,000,000 Berrys. I smile. I read the rest of the article.

"If you see any other articles about this kid." I turn to the butler, showing him the bounty. "Bring them to me.

— Yes Miss."

I finish my tea in front of the view of the island before me.

"What are you going to do today, Miss?

I shrug. "I don't know. What do you suggest I do?

— The master has appointments today. You'll be on your own. You can swim in the pool or play golf. New books arrived at the beginning of the week and have been put in the library. You can also go to the games room. »

I rest my elbow on my mate and let my cheek rest in the palm of my hand. I've been doing all these things every day for almost two weeks. It's tiring. Here, I have no one to talk to. There used to be Corazon. Doflamingo's brother. He kept me company. He was clumsy and sorely lacking in attention. He was so much fun to be with. There was also this boy, Law. I used to sneak out and join them. But when Doflamingo found out that his brother had betrayed him, he killed him.

That was about ten years ago. It was snowing that night and Doflamingo shot his brother as hard as he could. I stood by Doflamingo without moving. I did nothing to stop him. I was weak and scared. And as Doflamingo's crew left Corazon's lifeless body on the ground, I sat next to him and cried and cried.

He used the last of his strength to stroke my cheek.

"Take care of yourself and Law. Promise me." I nodded without stopping. "One day you'll be free. I promise you, you're only children. You have the right to be free. Run away. Explore the world, it's yours. Don't let anyone decide what you should do. You're strong.

— No. That's not true, I'm not." I reply, my voice trembling.

He nods. "Yes, believe me, you are. I have faith in you. Fight for what's right."

Since that night I've never seen Law again. I don't know if he's dead. I don't know if he's alive. That night I lost my only two friends. He promised me I'd be free but when I think back I'd have given my freedom for their lives. It's selfish, but when he died I thought for sure that I would have preferred all three of us to be deprived of our freedom, as long as we were all three, everything was fine.

Now I tell myself that I'm free in a way. Not the way Corazon wanted for me, but I'm free all the same. And that traitors deserve to be eliminated. Corazon knew what awaited him if he was discovered. I won't risk making the same mistake. I'll be loyal to Doflamingo for the rest of my life. If I try to escape, the navy will kill me unless Doflamingo does it first. And if I meet a slave trader, I'll be sold. I've got no way out.