CHAPTER ONE

A soft sigh escaped Olivia's lips as she placed the document in her study table, she's been reading for an hour, but no matter how hard she tries to focus, her mind keeps darting towards her older brother Claude--the Crown Prince of Estel.

Since their childhood, she had so little memories of him, Olivia doesn't know why but she can't even remember how he looked when he was young, even her sister Lynda, the youngest.

To Olivia, they feel more like a stranger than a family. All she's certain is, her family is nothing like they portray outside the castle's wall. Her father His Majesty--lifeless, the Queen appears to be normal among the royals.

Her sister Lynda behaved graceless all the time, it seems to Olivia that she lacks the knowledge to absorb the etiquette classes she'd been taking since her younger years and one might say that she was born a commoner if it were not to the crown in her head. His majesty the Crown Prince, Claude is utterly cold and violent towards everyone, he hated associating.

Olivia's brows furrowed as she tapped her well trimmed fingernails on the table, 'so why did he suddenly stop Lynda from slapping her earlier?' He used to just sit and watch at the corner of the room and leave, looking as though he wasted his precious time over something frivolous.

Olivia recalled the moment she accidentally poured hot tea on Lynda's beautiful dress during their meal earlier. She wasn't getting enough sleep due to the headaches she's been getting lately. Lynda, though she's younger than her, showed no respect even after Olivia apologized and offered to buy her a new dress.

But instead she started spouting venoms towards her sister and raised her hand to slap her, bracing herself, Olivia closed her eyes and bowed slightly, this has happened many times and even though they are at the presence of their father--the King and the Queen, Lynda showed no conduct. Even her father couldn't do anything to reprimand her sister from hitting her. He who looked drained from life.

Before Lynda's hand reaches her skin, Claude grabs her sister's arm, gazing at her with pure dislike and loathing, from the way she's looking at Lynda's face, he must have been squeezing hard, painting distress all over the girl's lovely face. Her face turned bright red in embarrassment and pain.

Not only her, but everyone's eyes in the dining room shook from the sight--Claude standing up for her. He dragged Lynda out of the dining room without a word and a bit of concern despite Lynda's difficulty in walking in heels and a long heavy dress and shutting the door with a loud bang.

Olivia snapped back to reality upon hearing a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in" getting up on her seat, she approached her step mother, lovingly smiling at her.

"Your majesty, what brings you here unannounced?"

Although she's not related to her by blood, she felt no demur to the lady. "I have to apologize on behalf of your sister Lynda, how are you?"

Olivia sighs and smiled at her thoughtfulness, "I'm fine your Majesty, thank you for your concern." She asks for her maids to serve them tea as they talk for a while.

Her Father married Serina--the current Queen not even a year after her birth mother died, it was still unknown how her mother passed away, but the five year old Olivia remembered how lively and amazingly gentle her mother was until this day, everyone claims she inherited her mother's features the most.

From her dark shiny hair that flowed down to her waist, silky pinkish complexion, to her alluring deep ocean blue eyes, an eye color that rarely exists even royals themselves from all over the continent cannot achieve. The very reason why most ladies in her kingdom envied her silently.

Olivia possesses the beauty anyone would die for. Thus, men in many kingdoms fled to Estel, making numbers of negotiations an excuse, seizing the opportunity to see the "Rare beauty" of Estel. There are also courageous men to propose marriage but Olivia turns each one of them down politely as she pays no special attention to such matters.

Serina, who took the position of the Queen, is the only daughter of the grand Duke from a far away kingdom, it is not a secret to everyone, even for commoners that she and the King met during the King's visit to pledge alliance to other kingdoms, he was awestruck to Serina's beauty the moment he laid his eyes on her. With her long and curly blonde hair, a pair of amethyst orbs that shines rather brightly akin to a precious jewel, that the King was compelled to impose a marriage proposal right away.

Unlike everyone's impression of every step mother to be evil, Serina has been very gentle and kind to her, she considered her the only ally amongst the royals in the castle, even her father turned rather aloof after her birth mother died fifteen years ago, it's not like she'd been close to him anyway.

Serina reached for her hand resting at the table gently pressing her, "You must have been tired reviewing documents all day, I have to take my leave, rest now child." After the Queen left, Olivia slumped her body in her bed, her dark ravishing hair flowing abundantly in the bed.

It sure is a tough day, reading and reviewing reports plus documents never failed to tire her. And then there's Lynda summing up her agitation, not to mention the sudden change in Claude's treatment. 'What did I miss?' she wondered.

It really is bothering her, come to think of it, this is not the first time she noticed the change in behavior of his Highness the crown Prince. His eyes are gentler and curious, what makes it even more odd is, those pair of ruby eyes are only for her. He remained cold and thoughtless to others, even to the Queen and the King.

"Princess, your bath is ready" one of her maids approached her bowing. Olivia pushed her body to rise and proceeded to her warm soothing bath, and thankfully, it did eliminate the fatigue and stress in her body. After settling in her nightgown, Olivia laid in her bed and quickly fell asleep.

~~~

*Craaaaaash* "Aaahhh!! that btch!" Lynda throws everything in her sight, without minding how much of a fortune she's demolishing.

"Behave yourself" the Queen's voice was firm. She had blamed herself for not properly educating the child.

Although Lynda is her own blood and flesh, she had treated Olivia the daughter of the former queen, and Claude the son of His Majesty the King to a noble woman with an unknown background, equally.

Lynda whipped her head to her mother's direction, looking awefully inflame. "Mother! It is Olivia's fault! Why are you--"

"Lynda." Serina once called for her attention, this time her eyes are darkening, lips pressed together as if to avoid throwing daggers into her daughter with her words.

"I want you to act like a lady, a noble like yourself should, and apologize to your sister, personally."

At her words, Lynda laughed mockingly, her bright red eyes just like the King's eye color glowed in sarcasm. It took some time before she calmed down and finally drew a breath and lifted her lips to fake a smile, "Of course, mother." her taunting gaze betrayed her sweet melodic voice.

Knowing the meaning behind those words, Serina can only sigh and decide to leave the child be. Throwing one final glance at Lynda, she turns to leave with a bothered heart.

~~~

Olivia woke up to the feeling of someone watching her sleep. Looking up her window, it was still dark, probably midnight.

'The moon shines rather brightly tonight'.

The silence is deafening almost unbearable, this isn't the first time she woke up in the middle of the night, only this time not from a severe headache, but Olivia senses something strange this particular night.

She closes her eyes to sleep and breathes heavily to release the tension building up in her lungs. Slowly drifting to sleep....

But was startled when she felt large hands covered her mouth abruptly with a cloth emitting a strange smell that almost covered half of her face. Her eyes flew open and met her perpetrator's dull eyes, convinced to carry out their quest, without hesitation.

She felt another pair of thin hands bind her limbs to submission. She panicked and tried to fight back but to no avail. Inhaling the medicine in the cloth, she felt numb all over her body, her lids starting to feel heavy.

"Sleep tight, Princess." She sensed the malice in the owner's voice, making Olivia shiver in fear and anxiety, a tear escaped her eye before everything turned black.

~~~

"It's time to wake her up, Luis"

"Y-you bought the p-potion with you right?"

"Go look for it in the bag and stop dilly dallying you fool!....d*mn it, we won't get paid at this rate. The time is almost over...."

Olivia heard faint murmurs in her sleep, she forced her eyes open and darkness welcomed her, realizing her limbs are tied and her mouth stuff with cloth, she panicked and screamed internally.

Not being able to move a single muscle, she felt her back numbing from the coldness of the floor.

'How did they manage to sneak into my bedroom? and manage to get away with it?....'

Noticing her frail body moved, the man got up from his seat, plastered a wide sickening grin.

"Oy....looks like our Princess is awake" Now that her eyes adjusted to the dark, Olivia saw the glint of mischief in her offender's eyes.

She muffled a scream and tears attempted to flow in her beautiful ocean blue eyes as the other man closed their distance and grabbed her arm forcing her to sit. Her eyes landed at the boy looking at them with remorse, as soon as he made eye contact with the Princess, he averted his gaze on the floor.

"Now now...do us a favor and behave Princess, we'll make this quick and painless as possible." Grinning widely, he grabbed the cloth in her mouth and threw it.

As soon as her mouth was released she screamed help but was soon covered by the man's hand. Olivia started to cry and wiggle out of the man's grasp.

"D*mn it! Give me the potion! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Ahhh f*ck!" Olivia bit his hand causing it to bleed.

She was soon struck by a heavy man's hand in her left cheek making her yelp in pain. The boy gasp in surprise.

"We're to-told not to cause damage to the Pr-Princess....it will cost us our h-heads if--"

"Damn it Luis! what the h*ll are you spacing out for?! where's the potion?!" the boy named Luis frantically moved his body at the man's harsh order and handed him the potion.

"Why...why are you doing this?" Olivia's voice was quiet, inflicted by the stinging pain in her left cheek.

"Who gave you orders to kidnap the Princess of Estel? if you confess right this instant I will spare you from your doom."

"Shut up!" Clutching his injured hand hard. The man grabbed her jaw, pinching her nose, leaving her gasping for air desperately using her mouth, he forcibly poured the potion down her throat, not a single drop wasted.

*cough cough cough*

Olivia struggled to calm her nerves and breathing, throwing a glance at the men before her, she wasn't sure herself but a flash of guilt passed through Luis' eyes. Hope blossomed within her. She somehow felt like he was her only chance to escape now.

"Hah! come now boy, we must hurry and leave!"

*Baaaaaaaang!*

But before they could even move a muscle a sudden force made the man fly across the space. Leaving him unconcious on the cold concrete.

Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of a cast-iron frame before her. Although he's wearing a heavy dark robe, it is easy to tell the massive build of the man in front of her.

Olivia's heart raced as the man's gaze shifted to her, his powerful dark emerald eyes inspecting every detail of her body, for some reason, Olivia felt a strong magnetic force to look back despite the clear danger dripping from the man.

Her body felt vulnerable in his intimate stare and somehow... she started to feel hot...

"Please...s-spare me" Luis pleaded as he started to burst into tears. The boy knelt down and bowed his head, his shoulders shaking.

"Kalim." The man spoke in a deep baritone voice, suddenly a man wearing the same hood, with the same gigantic frame appeared, understanding what needed to be done.

Olivia felt her body rise to the ground and instantly gasp as she felt the heat inside her body accelerate the moment she made contact with the man's skin.

"No....don't hurt the boy." she managed to say.

Olivia knew that Luis was dragged to do something awful in exchange for fortune.

She may not know what their ulterior motive is but as a Princess of this land, she vowed to provide proper judgement without taking advantage of her title.

But the man said nothing instead he threw a quick glance at his companion.

Envelope in his muscular arm, she tried to force open her mouth despite her throat drying rapidly and the abnormal heat spreading althroughout her body.

"W-wait...where are you taking me?..." she started to pant heavily and panic, Olivia grasp the hem of the man's hood tightly than intended, revealing his face. Her entire body shook as she realized the man's identity.

'Oh no...'

"Matra..." she muttered unknowingly and gained a dangerously sexy smirk from the man, he grab the hood from the man named Kalim, and wrap it in her tiny body rather carefully in contrast to his hulk-like figure and started walking as if she weight nothing and covered his face with his hood once again in one swift movement.

'He's rather beautiful for a Matra' she thought. 'Very' at that.

Much to her surprise, she felt no fear against the man holding her, despite the fact that Matra are considered as barbaric and savage in nature.

They were detested on most continents, who saw them as barbarians or beasts. This is due to the fact that their species was said to have inherited the blood of beasts, making them cruel and savages by nature. They are dangerous beings who are impulsive, indulgent, and instinctual, sharing a common color of their hair--dark brown and green eyes.

However, there was one thing that humanity resented about them, their physical strength and undeniably beauty. Whatever dreadfulness lurked beneath their skin couldn't take away their divinely gifted beauty.

But this particular man, he had eyes different from his race. It's like a pair of gems sparkling under the moonlight, sure they are of the same color, but to her, his' appeared to be special. Olivia can't take her eyes off him, mesmerized by his beauty.

As if memorizing his features, she started roaming her gaze to his alluring fierce emerald eyes his strong jaw down to his pointy strong nose, his thick plump red lips....

'Those lips'....she swallowed hard and felt her core throb at the sudden image of her kissing him.....and that startled her.

"Careful lady, you don't want to wake up the beast in me." the man groaned deeply, feeling her intense curiousity in his face. His grip tightening.

Olivia felt his chest vibrated upon speaking, her hair standing up at the weight of his tone, she couldn't help but press her legs together and let out a soft moan.

''S-something's wrong with me...I feel hot all over...I-I want to...." grasping his robe tighter, she leaned her head to his chest and pants heavily. Feeling hotter and impatient every second but looking impossibly adorable and inviting in the eyes of a Matra.

He sped up his pace and gritted his teeth trying to control his beast, attempting to break its leash and will most likely succeed any moment from now if he were not being careful, but soon reprimanded himself for such thoughts knowing that the lady drank aphrodisiac potion.

'F*ck me' He growled inwardly. This has never happened before, his self control never once waver no matter how alluring the lady appears to be before his eyes.

"We have arrived." He announced almost agonizing at the moment, he stared down at her, boring his deep emerald eyes in hers, passion and desire dancing in them.

Olivia forced her face to look up and scan their soroundings, despite the intensity of his stare, she gasp and trembled in pleasure as she realized they stopped at a lover's inn.