Episode 7

--Valentino POV--

Speechless.

Never in my 24 years of life have I been speechless.

But this girl did it so effortlessly and with one look. One look. Me. The prince who won every single argument in his life, the prince that always had something to say- was speechless.

And I thought I had seen the prettiest women of them all. I had never been so wrong.

She came up to my shoulders but was still taller than many women whom I had previously met. With hair, the lightest shade of brown tumbling down to her thighs, she had a figure that women craved for, most went as far as to wearing corsets.

Her skin was tanned and her face was well structured with long eyelashes, a button nose and plump pink lips that had me holding back a groan when she ran her tongue over it but her eyes- her eyes were wide with curiosity and the brightest shade of amazonian green that I had ever seen, not just curiosity; innocence.

Unlike most naive and timid women, she had an aura of confidence around her which seemed to slightly falter when she caught sight of me.

All women were special in their own way but this woman... this woman had something about her that intrigued me and it wasn't just the fact that she had no memory before the age of 10 and was raised by a man not more than 5 years older than me on a deserted island.

It wasn't that there had been an Eagle sat on her shoulder, digging its sharp claws into her shoulder and she didn't seem to mind and it wasn't that she was so friendly with my father that she called him by his name (something even my mother had never dared to do before she died) while everyone else in the Kingdom feared him.

I didn't know what it was.

I didn't have a single clue.

But I didn't want to look away from her.

She was scruffy. Dressed in rags and showing so much skin that she would've been considered a prostitute if aunt Lydia had seen her.

So I made her change into something more ladylike. Regretting it instantly because she had clearly proven to me that it didn't matter what she dressed in, she would be beautiful whatever the outcome.

To make the situation worse, she had given me a smile after walking onto the main deck. I suddenly craved it, that smile of hers. I wanted to see more of it, specifically ones that were only directed towards me.

Noticing that I was done with my tea, one of the men came hurrying towards me and quickly tidied up the table.

"Your highness," The guard respectfully bowed his head but I didn't bother replying. Unlike father who loved the attention, I despised it. The power would eventually get to your head and once it did then there was no going back.

I feared that I would become like him in the future.

I wanted to be a King far from the kind of King he was. I didn't want to see my hands covered in the blood of innocents and I didn't want to ignore it and continue living a lavish lifestyle.

I despised people like him.

To people who meet him for the first time, they think he's a nice man but little do they know that the hands they shake are covered with the blood of innocent people.

No matter what he did, Alpheus St. Andres Octavius would always look like a bloodthirsty, hungry animal that craved the death of people. A man who felt no remorse for the lives he had mercilessly taken.

And since no one would seek justice for the fallen and he would never feel guilty for his sins, I shall live my life with the stains of his mistakes, carrying the guilt for him.

For that man was my father and as a son, it is my duty to carry out the duties my father wishes for me, no matter how much he disgusts me. That duty is to work hard to become the next King of Lysandra and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

It didn't matter that I didn't want to be King. It didn't matter. The tainted crown of the feared country of Lysandra will land on my head and I shall carry the guilt of his mistakes with me till the day I die.

"Land Ahoi!"

One of the sailors shouted from his post and before I knew it, Alexa was running towards the railing, leaning over it that I was surprised she hadn't fallen over.

I stood back, simply staring at her. She was talking to an eagle, pointing out the small things that were visible from this distance as if it would understand but what would I know? This girl grew up on an island surrounded by wild animals, it wouldn't be surprising if they understood her.

At that realisation, unknowingly I felt a smile creep onto my face.

The man who had been cleaning the deck saw my face and tripped over his feet, almost falling into the bucket of water and I scoffed at that, the smile vanishing as quickly as it had come.

Walking over to the young woman, I stood beside her, staring down at all the citizens of this country as they went along, doing whatever it was that they were doing.

"Welcome to Lazarus, the capital city of Lysandra," I half-heartedly introduced.

This was a beautiful country. It was sunny throughout the year but there was occasional rain pours every now and then. The temperature was never too high nor too low, even in the winter. The people of this country were happy and you would never see a homeless person on the streets.

This wasn't done thanks to my father. It was all because of my grandfather who had passed away earlier than anyone wanted. My grandfather was the one that made this country amazing and powerful.

My father was just a man that played King and I was worried that if he continued to rule the way he was then this country would no longer be powerful. It would die and go down in history as a horrible country.

Then there was this strange woman who had grown up on an island with no memory of her beginnings. She was beautiful, strong-willed yet innocent, smart (as father had told me) and could understand animals.

She didn't belong here.

The palace would tarnish her innocence. It would destroy that smile of hers.

Women would mock her in a jealous rage, men will lust for her. I won't be able to do anything to stop it while father would most likely just laugh along with the drama.

Why did I have to bring her with me?

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