Runaway Princess

CHAPTER 32

Quick A/N: Tomorrow I'll be back at school and I'm not sure what's going to be the schedule for uploading the next chapters. But I've already made a few more in advance and I'll only need to publish them. I'll try my best to update as much as I can. Thank you.

"F-FATHER.." I looked at Isla as she called me. "I-I love Demian... P-please let me m-marry him..." she begged and then closed her eyes and stopped talking.

Memories flashed back in my mind. Of how my father also beat me up when he found out that I fell in love with her mother who was a poor farmer from Hudson at that time. I was supposed to marry the princess of France but I met her. Every time he would beat me up I would always tell him how much I love Eadlyn and I would always beg him to let me marry her before I lose consciousness.

I dropped the cane on the ground and walked to Isla and picked her up. I placed her on the bed and called a maid to treat her wounded body. I stayed outside my room and looked out of the window.

My father died of a heart attack. On the very day of my wedding with the princess of France I said no in front of everybody which gave him a heart attack. After he died my mother gave me blessing to marry Eadlyn. I was so delighted when I found out that we were going to have a baby.

I promised myself that I won't end up like my father. I was so worried and anxious at that time that I would end up like him, neglecting my child and only being close to her at the beginning and then drifting apart from her as she grows up. I cried the very first moment I held Isla in my arms, she was just so beautiful and precious. I was the one who named her. I took care of her and always watched her closely. I wouldn't even let a single fly get near to her.

But I failed. I was only good at fulfilling my promise at first but as years went by I slowly changed and eventually because like my dad. I started paying less attention to her and hurting her feelings with my words and hurting her physically. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I can't bring myself to say sorry and apologize to her. I have too much pride in me.

I only wanted Isla to marry Jaxxon because I know he would take good care of her and make her feel how much she's important, unlike what I did. I knew he would treat her better than I did. I didn't expect that she would fall in love with someone, I don't even let her go out of the palace and roam around the city. But she eventually fell in love, and with the man who was one of the people who murdered Eadlyn.

What was his name again? Demian?

I've never heard a name like that. But it sounds good to the ears, no wonder Isla was attracted to him. Isla got some of her characteristics from me, like the way how she looks when she gets irritated or mad. I also have a thing for unique names, and that was one of the things she inherited from me. I remember her thinking of unique names to call the horse she owns when she was seven. Sometimes if she hears a unique name from the TV she gets interested in that person.

If she only fell in love with a different man, maybe I'll let her marry him. But why does it have to be that man? And besides, he hurt her, right? Was that all just for show? I thought they were hurting her, but why is she saying that she loves him?

"Your majesty," I turned around and saw the maid that I called. She bowed down in front of me. "I've already treated the princess' wounds."

"You may go," I said. She nodded and walked away.

I went back inside and opened the glass door to the balcony. I grabbed one of the chairs in front of the small, round table where me and Eadlyn used to spend out mornings sipping tea after breakfast. I brought the chair inside and placed it beside the bed. I sat down on it and looked at Isla as she peacefully slept on the bed.

As I stared at her face everything came back to me. All the times I didn't heed her when she needed me. All the times I spent working away in my study when she asked me to join her watch a movie or do horseback riding. All the times I was a failure as her father.

I brought my hand to her face and tucked the strands of hair in her face behind her ear. She moved her head and turned away from me.

I love her so much. Believe me, I do. She's the only one I have left in my life. I know that I sound like a liar because I just beat her up. But I just got so angry at her because I felt like she betrayed me, she knows that up until now I'm still not over her mother's death and yet she fell in love with the man who was one of the people that killed her. I feel like as if she turned her back on me and chose those rebels over me.

But when she told me earlier that she loves that man... I could see the sincerity in her eyes as she pleaded at me to let her marry him. The concern and worry in her eyes as she held Demian close to her. Those were the same things I had for Eadlyn when I was her age, fighting for the both of us.

I want to make her happy. Eversince our relationship with each other as a father and a daughter fell apart that's all I wanted to do, make her happy and give her everything she wants at least before I die. But I don't think it'll be easy for me to do that. She wants to marry the man I want to crush into tiny pieces and have my vengeance on. I promised to Eadlyn that I'll finish each and every one of them and I have no intentions of breaking that promise.

I stood up and left. I went back into the dungeon and walked inside Demian's cell. I saw him on the very back, slouching on the floor and leaning his back against the wall. He looked at me as I stepped inside and closed the door.

"You hurt her again, didn't you?" He asked and I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's none of your business," I spat at him. He smirked and pushed himself up and sat properly.

"How could you do that to her? She's your own daughter... And yet you're still hurting her..." He squinted his eyes at me and gave me a criticizing look.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What kind of witchcraft did you do to her to make her like that?"

He shook his head, maintaining eye contact. "I'm no wizard. I didn't trick her or anything, all I did is tell her that I love her and soon after she said she feels the same way," he said.

"Liar. You're only playing with her feelings so she would chose you over me and then you would use her to your advantage," I retorted at him.

"Believe what you want to believe in. She helped us escape from this place and came with us because she was so afraid of you after you hurt her for the first time. She was the one who even came up with the idea to film that video in order to deceive you and make you think that we're hurting her. And the more you hurt her, the more she's drifting away from you," he said. "So stop blaming me for all of this and blame yourself instead. If only you treated her better then maybe she won't revolt against you."

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and made him stand up. I swung my fist at him and punched him in the face. "You bastard!"

He leaned on the wall and wiped the blood oozing out from his lips. "Guilty?" he said and gave me a devious smile.

I punched him again on the stomach. He groaned and crouched down, clutching his chest.

"Why won't you fight back, huh?" I challenged him. "Are you a coward?"

He shook his head and looked at me. "If you weren't Isla's father then I'll probably fight back."

"Why, do you really love her?" I questioned him.

"If I don't love her I should've killed her a long time ago," he answered. He leaned his head on the wall, still clutching his stomach. "She's my everything. I love her more than you can ever imagine. So don't hurt her again, just hurt me instead."