4

My eyes widened in surprise, and I quickly covered her mouth while looking around the place. I sighed in relief when I saw that nobody heard what she said. 

“Don’t scream it to the world!” I whisper-yelled. I removed my hands from her mouth and saw that she was still shocked beyond her wits. 

I sighed and snapped my fingers in front of her face. She shook her head and pointed at me with wide eyes. “You’re a Ricci?” she said in a much softer voice.

“Yes,” I confirmed. 

She slapped her hand over her mouth. I pointed at her accusingly. “You better not tell this to anyone or else. You’re the only one who knows about my real identity in this place, so I’ll know when the information leaks out.”

She raised her hands up in surrender. “Why did you tell it to me when you don’t want anyone finding out then?” she questioned. 

I sighed and massaged the bridge of my nose. “It just slipped out, okay?” I snapped. “I didn’t mean to tell you anything today, but I guess I got carried away by our conversation. Anyways, that’s not what’s important here. You better promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this.”

She obediently nodded her head. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re hot when you’re angry.”

I gave her a nonchalant look, causing her to chuckle. 

“Alright, alright,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise. But, I just have one question,” she sheepishly smiled. 

“What is it?” I raised my eyebrows. 

“Why are you trying to hide your real identity in this place? I’m pretty sure that revealing your family heritage will give you a much easier time surviving. The people here won’t dare touch you if they know that you’re a Ricci.”

I sat down on my bed. “I don’t want any special treatment.”

Daisy clapped her hands slowly as she sat down next to me. “Very admirable,” she complimented. “If I were you, I would have exploited my last name so I could be the boss around this place. I mean, look at that kid,” she pointed to a boastful man who was surrounded by numerous people. 

“He’s been bragging the moment he stepped foot in this place that he’s part of the Marino clan. Have you heard of them?”

I scrunched my nose as I recalled his last name. “I don’t think so. I think I’ve heard their last name from here and there, but it never really made an impression on me.”

“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “They’re a B-class guard clan for all I know, but everyone’s eating him up like a delicious meal. If they find out that there’s an elite guard among us, I don’t know how they’re going to react!”

“Well, that doesn’t have anything to do with me,” I said, lying down on my bed and lightly pushing her away. “Just don’t forget about our agreement—never tell anyone about my real identity.”

***

I entered the gym before 4:00 in the morning, and it was already jam-packed with people as soon as I got there. Daisy was still fast asleep in her bed, and I tried waking her up, but she told me that she’ll soon follow, so I just let her be. 

I ignored the stares of the people and sat down on one of the pull-up frames. I effortlessly hoisted my body up the pull-up frame, counting in my head as I did so. I continued doing the exercise without any interruption until I felt someone squeezing my behind. 

I turned around swiftly and let go of the bar. “What the fuck are you doing?” I cursed at the bald man who was acting like he didn’t just squeeze my ass. 

“Oh hey, princess,” he smiled. “I was just admiring the fine view.”

His friends whistled from the back, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of disbelief. I glared at him with profound hatred, causing him to drop his smile and look at me with raised eyebrows. 

“Woah, what do we have here? Is princess mad? Shouldn’t you be flattered that I’m actually giving you attention?”

“If it’s coming from you, then I don’t want it,” I squeezed through my teeth. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to my set so I can strengthen my skills as a guard. I hope you do, too, since you’re looking more like a maniac at this point,” I said while looking him in the eyes. 

I could see his jaw tick, and it didn’t take a genius to see that he was offended by my statement. I didn't give a fuck, however, so I turned around and left him be. He seemed to have a different plan, though, since he held onto my shoulder and pulled me back. 

“What did you say to me?” he said through clenched teeth. I strongly removed his hand from my shoulder and ignored his presence. We came here to train, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m not going to waste my time on a useless man who can’t distinguish his head from his dick. 

I felt his hand inching closer to my body, so I swiftly turned around and held onto his wrist, mercilessly twisting it beyond the ligament. “One more move, and I’m going to snap your wrist in half,” I spat. 

“Fuck,” he cursed. “You’re fucking insane!” His lackeys started walking in our direction, but I didn’t give a damn. One thing that annoys me the most is when people try to stick their noses in somebody else’s business. 

His lackeys had already gotten to where we were, and I clicked my tongue out of annoyance. I blew the stray piece of hair away from my face and assumed a fighting stance. There were four of them in total, including the bald bastard who was currently clutching his wrist in pain. 

The other apprentices started gathering around us, and I cursed in my mind since I told myself that I’d keep my presence on the low side once I got here. However, that seemed to be an impossible feat with these annoying people surrounding me. 

“I really don’t want to do this,” I muttered under my breath before punching one of the men’s faces. He was quickly knocked down on the ground, causing me to raise my eyebrows in surprise. Thinking that he came here to be a guard, I thought he’d be sturdier than that. I was about to chuckle in amusement, but I saw another fist coming my way. I quickly evaded his attack and swept his lower legs, causing him to fall down on top of his fallen peer. The bald guy tried to tackle me down to the ground, but I acted quickly and kicked his family jewels, causing him to let out a scream of pain before plopping down on the ground. 

The other apprentices looked at the scene in front of them with awe, wondering how a lady was able to knock down three men who were double her size. I smiled in victory, looking at the artwork beneath my feet. However, my smile quickly dropped when a booming voice resounded all over the gym. 

“What the hell is happening here?” a strong and deep voice bellowed. 

Our attention turned to the new intruder, and I couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of breath when I saw what kind of person had entered the room. Being homeschooled my entire life, the only men that I’ve seen in real life are my father, brothers, and the middle-aged mentors I’ve sparred with during my training. The man right in front of me couldn’t be described with human words. He’s wearing a simple white shirt, but it couldn’t take away from his handsomeness. 

He walked closer to us, and I followed his every movement with my eyes. He looked down at the three men on the ground, then snapped his gaze toward my face. “Did you do this?” he asked in a deep voice. 

I slowly nodded my head, lost for words.

Fuck. Why am I acting this way?

He let out a sigh before looking around the place. “Are you just going to stand here and do nothing?” he asked the watching apprentices. They all averted their gazes. “Get back to training,” he calmly said. 

I was about to turn around and go back to training with the other apprentices when I heard his command. 

“You,” he said. 

I paused in my tracks, unsure of whether he was calling out to me or not. 

“I’m talking to you, princess. Turn around.”

I pursed my lips together. He’s definitely talking about me. 

I slowly turned around. “Yes?” I asked. 

He smirked as he looked my body up and down. 

“What do you want?” I snapped, not liking the way he was looking at me. 

“Come with me.”