Dagger To The Heart {Princess x Yandere Boys}

Chapter 16: Demoralize

Dante pov:

When I finally finished descending the dark, winding staircase, a tall, scrawny kid rushed out of the darkness to greet me. His skin was so pale, he looked just like a ghost. His pupils were dilated from the darkness, so large that his eye color was no longer visible. Ashy white hair fell onto his shoulders, uneven and jagged. I shook his hand, leaving faint bruises on his fingers.

"Welcome, your highness. Here to see the prisoner, I presume?"

I nodded, and the kid fumbled for the key. He was wearing a footmen's uniform under his leather armor. Part of a pattern was torn off his shirt, but it looked like a lord's or lady's seal. His entire uniform was covered in holes and dirt, only held together by the sharp armor.

"Ah, here it is." He said revealing a dark copper key. He grabbed a lantern off the rail of the staircase and started leading me into the dark hall.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Petar, your highness."

"Got a last name?"

"Revoked."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen years."

"Why are you down here?"

"I failed my brother and the Society."

The air was colder as we walked farther underground. Black marble filled the walls and floor. I chuckled. "So they sent you down here, to the dark."

He didn't respond, and our footsteps echoed as we approached the end of the hall. Petar unlocked the large iron door and escorted me inside. He hung the lantern on a dark chain in the center of the low ceiling, illuminating the room.

Everything was built from black marble. Thick bars divided the room, keeping the free and imprisoned separate. A young man was curled up in a corner, hiding from the harsh light.

It was him.

The one Y/N refused to leave behind.

He looked significantly dirtier than at our first meeting. Covered in debris, blood, and tears. His curly hair was tangled and greasy. His clothes had a few rips and tears, revealing his ribs tightly pressed against the skin. Besides the obvious changes, he looked mostly the same.

That's what I thought until I saw his eyes.

His eyes darted around the room in a deranged frenzy. He blinked in a rapid sequence, attempting to adjust to the glow of the lantern. He held a glassy, unfeeling stare. As if the dead had come back to life.

He was muttering incoherently under his raspy breath. His shoulders rose and fell vigorously.

"Alexandre, this is King Dante of Forelsket. He might not be your precious Y/N, but from what I've been told, he is soon to be married to her."

Dam*it Petar. That was not meant to be revealed at this time. My cells started considering a counterplan. I only needed a little information; I could kill him after. F*ck. Part of my pact was to bring him back alive. "My daughter's request, not mine." Dolent's voice echoed through my head. Petar began to speak, but was silenced by my hand. My head was racing. "Think, Dante, be rational. First, Alexandre needs to come back alive. Second, I need to ensure that he won't reveal my involvement. Finally, keep him the f*ck away from Y/N.

A moment of clarity passed through my mind. I remembered my father, my mother, and Salvino. I can make this work.

"Petar, I wish to have some privacy with Alexandre."

He left the room, the heavy iron door slamming behind him.

Alexandre ran and grabbed at the bars, his eyes stabbed into mine, never losing focus.

"Why the? Y/N? You?"

"Alexe, yes? Isn't that what she calls you?"

His grip tightened on the bars, his knuckles turning white. "Who the f*ck do you think you are? You don't deserve her." I slowed my breath to control the anger boiling inside as he continued. "You wonder why I say that? You're a traitor, Dante. You're using both the Society and the throne for your own gain. You don't care about y/n."

"You little sh*t!" I rushed over and landed a punch between the bars. He grinned back, ignoring the blood streaming out of his nose. "Shut the f*ck up and listen closely, because I refuse to repeat myself."

He glared but didn't speak. I leaned closer and lowered my voice. "I have every intention of ending this Society and supporting Epibreren. I'm leading a combined force of Forelsket and Epibreren soldiers within the week. The Society will fall because of my leadership and the inner information revealed to me today. I'm not a Dragon member, and I don't care whether you believe me or not. I'm willing to free you, under certain conditions."

This intrigued him, with small amounts of color pouring into his eyes. "Continue."

"I need you to understand, Alexe, that I see you as a threat. I could kill you at this moment, but Y/N demands your safe return. You may not understand, but I love Y/n more than anything, even life itself. I need to protect her from people like you. People that plague her innocent mind, strip her purity, bruise her soul, manipulate her against me, take advantage of her good nature, mistreat her, and so on and so forth."

"You bast*rd! You don't love her; you love the idea of controlling her."

"I wasn't finished!" I spat. "You don't realize that I have complete influence over your fate. You can either rot and die here. Alone in the dark. Or accept an exile far away from Epibreren. The choice is yours."

"What do you mean by exile?"

"The kingdom of Forelsket is very expansive, and I'd be happy to secure you somewhere nice. Somewhere far away from Y/N and me."

Alexandre's pov:

Bast*red. Traitor. Snake. Devil.

Y/N, how could you accept him?

A life without you again would be worse than death.

Knowing you are with him.

Courted and delivered to H*ll, far away from me.

NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo.

I refuse to let that happen.

I know his game, and I'll play too.

"Dante, I accept."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

I hope everyone has a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night! :)