Fragile Desires (18+) (GxG)

Sixty-Eight | Sheltered Royal

I had always been protected from the very moment I drew my first breath.

It was a cage of palace walls and watchful eyes that surrounded me.

Guards replaced scraped knees, and ladies-in-waiting banished any need for self-reliance.

The "real world" was a distant echo, a story whispered through gossip and eavesdropping.

Then one night, Antonio and I finally slipped past the guards and into the exhilarating chaos beyond the palace gates.

Freedom tasted like stolen laughter and cobblestones beneath our feet.

It ignited a desire for experiences truly mine, memories etched by my own hand.

It made me want more things I could keep purely for myself.

And Renata seemed to become grouped in with those things—suddenly wanting her all to myself.

Away from the palace and away from the duties.

She's mine and I am hers.

And that's all I could possibly ever need.

- Azzy

♛Chapter Sixty-Eight: Sheltered Royal♛

"It sounds relatively simple," I determined, cutting off another bite of the grilled chicken that the chef made.

Antonio hummed, "Too simple," he determined, glancing over to me as he sat lower down at the kitchen island with Elijah by his side.

Renata and I's meeting ended a little under an hour ago, and the plan seemed to be set in stone.

I would show up at Fortress and pretend to be terribly upset and overwhelmed with the entire situation—especially with Elle's involvement.

The goal is to have her dismiss her security away, which I'll request as an excuse for being intimidated or scared.

It felt like a solid plan, and our teams of security will be waiting just in case this all goes sideways.

Which Antonio and Renata have both seemed to voice their opinion on as we've sat here over dinner.

The dining level was one I hadn't seen yet—it was made up of numerous dining rooms with archways lining the halls that gave a glimpse into the rooms filled with unfamiliar people.

And despite all of the dining room options, we seemed to gravitate towards the large chef's kitchen at the end of the hallway, sitting at the kitchen island together.

Renata lazily raised her brows at Antonio, "Yes, I still have to go through the details to make sure we have precautions in place," she told him, suddenly looking to me, "I need to get you trained in self-defense."

I blinked a few times, glancing behind me at Antonio and Elijah, "Me?" I asked, assuming she had been addressing someone else.

Renata's lips tilted up slightly, "Yes, you," she mocked my words back so me, sliding her arm around my waist and pressing a soft kiss to my temple, "Always, you."