This story follows the life of Princess Maiena, the second and youngest child of King Thaddeus-- the strong, wise, and uncompromisingly orthodox ruler of Reidonia which is a kingdom set in the modern age with customs, laws and traditions that seem t...
I slumped down on the cold tiled floor, catching my breath and completely exhausted. There was a layer of sweat on my skin and all the stray hair that hadn't been pulled up with my high bun were pasted on my nape and forehead. Adrenaline burned through my veins and I was elated. A vampire could suck my blood and get all the extra energy from it. Nothing could beat the rush that rock music and painting gave me.
I removed my headphones to relieve my ears of the blaring music and looked at my work of art.
Art? Pfft! I wouldn't call what I do "Art". Random paint splashes on a blank canvas could not be called Art. It was more like a summary of my frustrations. It was what I do whenever I was stressed which explains why most of the colors I used in the paintings surrounding me were predominantly red.
There was nothing in the room but canvases, paints, easels, brushes and myself. There were no chairs or tables, just bare white (uhm, well, paint-splattered white) tiled floors and rough stone walls. It was one of the many secret chambers in the underground maze of tunnels beneath the castle. Anyone who dared venture there would surely be lost with no chance of escape or being discovered alive unless they were already a rotting corpse who would have died of starvation. Believe me, I know. The story of a former gardener that attempted to steal from the castle and escape through the tunnels was a permanent object of my nightmares as a child.
Thankfully, I wasn't just anyone. As a member of the royal family, I was trained to know every nook and cranny of the tunnels and commit them to memory. I knew the whole maze like the back of my hand since I was five. It was meant to be a safe place and an escape route for us in case of an invasion. Only the King, Nikolai, myself and the head of the Falkurina House Marquis Gerardo knew the secret of the tunnels. He was to pass it on to his sons as we would our own children.
Although, I thought neither Gali nor Aidan knew of it yet since neither one of them found me here yet.
I looked at my watch. "Oh my!" It was almost seven in the morning, Cora would be knocking at my door at any minute and the guards would discover I wasn't in my room.
I knew I'd been painting for a few hours but I didn't mean to take that long. I jumped up and hurriedly removed the jumpsuit I wore over my nightgown. I ran to the door, got my robe from the hook and slipped it back on. I turned on the flashlight of my phone and sprinted through the tunnels to the exit closest to my room. The one next to the security room.
From there, I would slip through the secret passageway within the walls of the study that bridged the West wing and the East wing to the Queen's room. My room was connected to my mother's through a door which they thoughtfully placed there so she could look after me when I was little. It wasn't royal protocol but she insisted to personally nurse her children and be our primary caregiver until we were old enough for school. I guess that's where I got my stubbornness from.
Alright. Back on mission before I get too emotional again.
I peeked through the secret door which to others would appear to be part of the wood-tiled wall. The hallway seemed empty. Aidan should still be inside the security room. All I had to do was sneak out, run to the study and hope he wasn't watching a particular monitor.
I stepped out and carefully closed the wall.
"Where are you sneaking off to now, Princess?" Aidan's voice asked and I should've screamed at the top of my lungs if it wasn't for his hand that he quickly used to cover my mouth with. His voice sounded different, it was low and gentle, almost playful.
My heart raced in my chest as my muffled screams settled in my throat and I became suddenly aware of the hardness of his body pressed flush against my back and his warm breath on the crook of my neck.
"Where'd you get that wound?" His voice was stern again as his hand moved from my mouth to my arm and he spun me around to face him.
Such insolence!
I felt heat on my cheeks. Although I wasn't sure if it was due to anger towards his behavior or my embarrassment for the way I felt about our proximity.
What did I feel exactly? Ugh!
***
A/N:
Hang tight. The next chapter will be up soon.
Here's our prompt in this one. I was able to successfully use four requirements. Yey!
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