Chapter 3

Violet was kneeling on the floor in a room, lowering her head, trying to avoid Lucian's gaze who was sitting on the sofa in front of her. Her heart worked in a fast and broken rhythm she could feel against her ribs. She was so scared she felt like a lamb to be slaughtered.

Lucian couldn't take his eyes off her, her beauty bewitched him. His heart beat uncontrollably every time he saw her. He wanted her so badly, he couldn’t help himself.

Lucian clenched his palms as he snapped at himself that he must not fall for the daughter of the man who killed his father. He had to hate her so he could torture her.

“This uniform suits her very well.” The two soldiers who were standing behind Violet had mocking smiles on their faces upon hearing what Lucian said.

“My prince. I think it would suit her even better if she wore nothing,” one soldier said with a mischievous look.

Violet quickly raised her face to look at Lucian. Fear gripped her even tighter when she saw the devilish smile on his handsome face.

The smile on Lucian's face disappeared, and his cold eyes turned to concern as he looked at her swollen cheek. His heart wanted to ask what had happened to her, but his mind forbade him from doing that. He sighed inside as he was angry with himself. He kept telling himself he must never show her any mercy.

Lucian moved his gaze to his soldiers. “Have you two ever tasted a princess before?” he asked, even though his heart didn't want to say those words.

His soldiers smiled with lust filling their eyes. “Never, my prince,” one of them said.

Lucian looked into Violet's eyes with his cold eyes. “This is your lucky day. You can do whatever you want to her,” he said in a deep voice.

“No! Please, I beg you... Please...” Violet pleaded with Lucian. Her body was trembling, she was breathing in fright.

“What are you two waiting for?! Do it now!” Lucian said to his soldiers, raising his voice.

“Yes, my prince.” They both then grabbed Violet's arms while smiling devilishly at her. “No! Please let me go!” she said, struggling.

Her heart almost stopped beating due to fear as they laid her down on the floor and roughly took off her uniform. She kept struggling, but it was no use. She was still in their clutches.

No man had ever touched her beautiful body before except her father. Their dirty hands that crawling on her smooth skin made her feel sick and disgusted.

“I don’t think you need this anymore,” one soldier said with a lustful breath as he moved his hands to take off her bra.

“No! Please stop!” Violet pleaded as she struggled. She was so scared and humiliated that it made her cry.

“Let go of her!” Lucian said before the soldier took off her bra.

“Yes, my prince.” The soldiers then released Violet from their grip and stood up from the floor, holding back their lust.

Violet immediately grabbed her uniform that was on the floor and put it on to her trembling body. Tears kept flowing from her eyes as her heart crying sadly.

Lucian stood up from the sofa and walked over to her. The closer he drew to her, the harder it became to think straight. His heart grieved seeing her in tears made him forget his hatred of her.

Lucian crouched in front of her with his eyes fixed on hers. “Stop crying. I hate to see you cry,” he said in a deep voice. She tried hard to do as he said. It was clear on her face that she was so afraid of him.

Seeing her, who was like a frightened little rabbit in front of a beast, made him want to hug her in his arms. Now he realized that he couldn't hate her, he couldn't torture her, he could only fall for her.

The soldiers looked at each other as they wondered what was in their prince's mind, then they looked back at him. “My prince, don't give her your mercy. She deserves to be punished for her father's evil deeds,” said one of them.

Lucian faked a smile at them. “You don't have to tell me that. I will never forgive her and her father.” He looked back into Violet's eyes. “I already told her I'll make her live like in hell.”

Violet could hear her rapid heartbeat in her ears as tears dripped from her unblinking eyes. The soldiers smiled with satisfaction at seeing the fear and helplessness on her face. They all didn't know that Lucian had lied to them. Lucian's heart was now crying, seeing her cry.

“Get her out of here now!” Lucian said as he stood up from the floor.

“Yes, my prince.” The soldiers then grabbed Violet's arm roughly, making her stand up, and took her out of the room back to the room where the maids were.

A middle-aged man wearing a black suit then walked into the room and stood in front of Lucian, who was sitting on the sofa while closing his eyes with his hand on his forehead.

The man’s name is Albert Buford. He has short black hair and black eyes. He looks neat, friendly, and kind. Albert had served Lucian since Lucian was a baby. He loved Lucian as much as his own son.

Lucian could fool anyone, but not Albert. Albert knew that Lucian was sad right now, and he also knew what made him sad.

“Young master, it is time for dinner,” said Albert.

“I'm not hungry. You can eat first,” Lucian said as he kept his eyes closed.

Albert sighed inside in worry. Lucian had made him lose his appetite. “Young master, did they take her back to the maids' room?” Albert asked to get Lucian's attention.

Lucian opened his eyes, looking into Albert's eyes. “Why are you asking that?” he asked curiously.

“I met them at the door before they brought her into this room. I saw her left cheek was swollen. When I asked them what happened to her, they said the maid slapped her. They all hated her because they knew she was the princess of the kingdom of Merrill.” Albert furrowed his brows, pretending to think. “I'm afraid they will kill her before you satisfied with taking revenge on her.”

“Get her out of there now! Let her sleep in the attic upstairs,” Lucian said in a panic.

“Yes, young master.” Albert bowed politely and turned around, walking out of the room with a smile on his face.

********

Violet was sitting on the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. She couldn't sleep even though it was already the middle of the night. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with her cold hands as she kept telling herself that she had to stay strong no matter what happened to her. She had to live so that Lucian wouldn't kill her mother.

She held her stomach as it growled again. She was so hungry she had eaten nothing since she set foot in this palace. “I have to eat or I die here.” She then braced herself to get up from the bed and walked out of the attic to the kitchen downstairs.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the kitchen, as no one was there. She immediately took the corn that was on the kitchen table and ate it in a hurry.

Her heart suddenly raced with the fear that wrapped around her body when someone turned on the light in the room. She turned around as she coughing from choking, and she saw Lucian standing by the door staring at her.

She kept hard to stop coughing, but she couldn't. All she had in mind now was that she would die from choking, or she would die at Lucian's hands.

Lucian walked over to the table and poured some water into a glass, and gave it to her. “Drink this,” he said into her eyes.

She immediately took the glass from his hand and drank it. She breathed freely, as she was no longer choking. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw him smiling softly at her, which made her heart skip a beat, but this time not from fear but from something she had never felt before.

Lucian shifted his gaze to the corn in her hand, then he looked back into her eyes curiously. “Why are you eating this?”

Not a single word came out of her mouth. She was too afraid to speak. Suddenly, her stomach growled again, and that was the answer to his question.

Lucian’s face turned into a worried expression. “Don't eat this. Wait in your room. I'll have someone bring you some food,” he said in a soft voice, then he turned around and walked out of the room.

Violet couldn't believe what was happening as she asked herself why Lucian was being so kind, gentle to her and it made her heart beat happily.