The American university of Rome is the College I’m at. It’s old and prestigious. The college is known for its historic buildings, beautiful architecture, and rich academic traditions. It consists of various departments, each with its own unique history and character. The campus consists of all genders. Meaning all hostels can have the different genders in them. I’m presently researching other colleges in Rome that I could go to since this one is apparently too well known. Stacy had told me a bit more information about the history of royal blood. She had said in the past few decades nothing much has happened but from the beginning of time there was some kind of secret going on. She told me that the ancient family of the royal blood was called the house of evergreen. In the annals of time, there existed a royal bloodline shrouded in mystery and intrigue, known as the House of Evergreen. Legends whispered of their ancestral pact with the forest spirits, granting them unearthly powers
I dunno whether I should be mad that Kane is with his brother's murderer or mad that I can’t hear what they're talking about. “What are they doing together?” “I dunno, you're asking me? I should be asking you! You're the one that was in love with him.” “He’s your step son!” “As much as I’d love to continue this argument, it's not going to lead us anywhere. But I do think he’s here for a specific reason and it’s not to be buddies.” “I’m going in.” Elena grabs my arm and pulls me back towards her. “Nope, you're not going anywhere, it’s not wise.” “It’s not like he’s going to kill me.” “He won’t but is it not better to contact Kane about this later not here.” “Ugh fine.” I say knowing damn well I’m lying. “I’m going back to the car.” The moment I leave Elena’s side I start to run towards the entrance. “Aurelia, don’t do this.” I hear Elena say through the earpiece. I ignore her and immediately pull out my gun. I slowly creep through the door and make my way towards th
It doesn’t take much time before I reach the car. “Aurelia, You really have a death wish?” Elena says while I get in. “He’s obsessed with me, he’s not going to kill me.” “But his brother will.” “Just drive.” She starts the car and we immediately move. “Why didn’t you tell Kane the truth about who told you the whole truth?” “Because he wouldn’t be happy if he found out I was still talking to you.” “Here I was thinking it was for my safety.” “Come on Elena, Kane wouldn’t kill you.” “He wanted to.” “Can you blame him?” We arrive and I get out of the car. “Thanks for the drive, bye.” I say before going back to my dorm. I see that Stacy’s car isn’t in the parking lot so I know she’s not around. Knowing her she’s probably with some guy. I go up the elevator and open my door once I reach it. I lock it and turn to go to my bed and Lo and behold, Kane is sitting on it. “You got here rather late.” “What are you doing here Kane. I could have screamed.” “I came to see y
The beauty of hating someone needs to be studied. I find joy in seeing Leonard in pain. I saw a notification from my phone this morning. It was from Kane. He sent me a video of Leonard howling and screaming on the floor. I really do love this man. Kane hasn’t had any leads from our plan. He keeps ranting about how Isabelle has fled from the face of earth, So i decided to start looking for Isabelle’s leads on my own. One of the king's annual festivals which no one attends unless they're rich, invited or a plus one is coming soon. Lucky for me I know someone who once dated someone from the royal line. Ella. I pull out my phone and dial her number. “Hey love.” “Aurelia! I missed you so much. The last time we spoke was on your birthday.” “Yeah and again thank you guys so much for the surprise.” “Of Course. What is it though? You don’t usually just call people for nothing, knowing you you're looking for something.” “I actually wanted to talk to you.” “Well.. talk.” “No like
I’ve called Aurelia about fifteen times now and she still hasn’t answered. I’m worried about her but at the same time she could be bathing or something that could have caused her to not be with her phone. I can’t help but have this nagging feeling that she’s in trouble. I decided to go check out her dorm to see if she’s returned yet. It wasn’t hard for Leonard to find out where she lived so he had filled me in, he even helped me with a duplicate key, that man and his connections. That’s how I had managed to see her the day she saw me here. It doesn’t take much time before I reach her room. I knock twice yet no one answers. I go to knock the third time and someone opens the door. “Hello, how can I help you?” A random woman says. “Hey, I’m Kane.” “Oh my goodness. YOU! Aurelia told me so much about you, I'm Stacy.” She is a little too excited. She holds out her hand but I shake my head. “She did say you were rude.” “Is she around?” “Actually, no she stepped out a while ago b
12 strokes of midnight was closed the night Rune was killed. I sometimes wish it was still open because I seem to have no other purpose in life but only in terms of career. I’m presently on my way back home after buying groceries. I do not like buying groceries but my husband and I seem to have switched duties now that he has a decent job and I don’t. My phone starts to ring so I connect it to the Bluetooth of my car. I check the caller ID but it’s an unknown number, I answer. “Hello, who am I speaking with?” “That’s not really important seeing as your husband is about to die.” My hands go stiff on the steering wheel and I almost bump into an old woman, I immediately stop the car on the side of the road. “What do you want?” I say whilst grasping my phone like I’m about to break it. “Simple, tell me where your precious little friend is hiding.” “Please I don’t know who you're talking about!” I scream. My voice wobbled. “Oh but you do, you were with her recently… Does Ro
I wake up in what seems like a room—-wait where am I? I’m about to start sitting up straight but everything comes crashing down like a slideshow in a cinema. Ella, Nick, Isabella. Now that I think of it, why did they put me in such a comfortable king size bed? “-we need to make sure I make Rowan pay me a large amount before we give him to her!” I open my eyes more than when I had woken up so that I can see who it was that spoke. I instantly shut them due to the overbearing light that slices through them. “Looks like someone’s awake.” Ella says. “The curtains.” I say softly. Not because I want to speak lightly but because my throat feels dry. I hear the curtains close so I finally open my eyes fully. I am indeed in a fancy room. There are two people in the room. One is staring at me, that must be Nick, the one who spoke. The other is Ella who is bringing me water. She tries to make me drink it with the cup in her hands but I take it from her hand and drink it on my own. “Stu
Hearing Kane say Rowan killed Richard doesn’t upset me the way it should because Richard was a horrible person but it still doesn't mean he deserved to die. Rowan is an evil man. “Kane.. I’m so sorry-” “It’s fine, I never liked him anyway.” “If Rune was here he’d be so happy.” “Indeed.” “Where are we going anyway?” “I bought a house.” “You bought what now? Do you know how expensive land itself is in Italy, let alone building a whole house?” “You're forgetting who I am clearly.” “Is it far from here-” kanes phone starts ringing so I pick up since he’s driving. It’s Elena. Finally, “Hey Elena, where have you been?” “Aurelia oh my goodness thank God you're okay.” Her voice sounds shaky. “I’m fine, what’s wrong?” “Well my husband is dead so a lot is wrong.. can you um give Kane the phone.” “Sure, hold on.” I place the phone on kanes ear while he talks to her. “What is it now?” He asks Elena. I can’t hear what she’s saying. “Can I put it on speaker?” I ask. Kane look
My eyes have been shut this whole time that when I open them I realize none of this makes sense but I don’t even care. I get off him and kiss him so hard I’m sure I left a bruise somewhere. I finally allow us to breathe. “I’m so sorry baby.” I whisper whilst hugging him. “Shh..” he says and rubs my back. I step away and he wipes my tears. “I know you have many questions.” He says whilst holding my waist. I nod with snot probably coming out of my nose. “Ask.” He says. He’s trying to distract me. “How are you here.. the letter! Your silence on the phone? London?” I speak without thinking . “Michale called yesterday. He told me he didn’t want to tell me about your wedding but I told him we already met and you told me about it. He then told me it’s happening today but I still didn’t want to bother. I had concluded that I’d kill myslef the day you get married. So I was prepared until he told me the kind of danger you might be in and I immediately got on the plane. The only
“I’m so sorry Leo.” I say but he ignores me and I can see his heart shattering. I know how much he loved his sister even though he loved to pretend otherwise. I then look at Luca who seems to be staring at Isabel like he’s in a trance. He’s not even crying. There’s not even tears. He’s just staring at her. I sit flat on the floor between the two dead bodies whilst the war outside is still happening so it’s not like I can go anywhere. Elena suddenly calls my name but I’m too shocked to look at her. She shows up in front of me and hands me the same envelope that mom gave her. I take it from her and open it. I look down first because I want to see who it’s from, this is not the time. I see the name Kane there and I immediately start to get the most painful headache ever. I close my eyes and I could swear I’m in a trance where all I’m seeing are memories. They're all coming back. Rune was my stepbrother. Leonard killed him. I loved Kane alot and I also loved Rune a lot. Emaine
I sigh when I realize Michael and I have walked past half of the aisle and look up. I finally have eye contact with Leonard and the way he looks at me makes me want to drop my gaze back down. He looks amazing in his black suit. His hair is slicked back as well and he’s carved his beard. He’s staring at me like I’m the best thing he’s ever seen and that makes me smile. We finally reach the small stairs and Michael untangles his hand from mine. I see him glare at Leonard before he lets me go and I walk up the stairs. I stand right in front of Leonard. He's on the right side whilst I’m on the left. The priest is in the middle. My girls are behind me and vice versa with Leonard’s men. I so badly want to ask Shannon where Emaine is but I don’t think it’s appropriate. I hear some whispers whilst I’m up here but I can’t hear what their saying. Everyone sits down and I finally hear someone say that it’s not right for my mom to be here but the king's mother isn't. I snort and Leonard rai
One week later I’ve been thinking about Kane and I’s conversation all day and my heart feels like it's exploding every time. I don’t know whether it’s the memories of my past that have been coming back lately but they are affecting the way I feel about this entire situation. Leonard decided to rush our wedding because he felt like something bad would happen in between. Apparently the rebels are angry at me for betraying them. they’ve started to riot again. I didn’t betray them but it sure as hell looks like I am now that I’m getting married to one of the revolution's enemies. They must be feeling the same way Michael feels. I would definitely try to find who is commanding them now that me, Michael and Luca are no longer there just so that I could talk to them and try to find a reasonable understanding or come to an agreement between one another to stop the violence and just let the wicked leaders lead. The people will handle it during the elections when they are choosing their own l
I lean back in the seat, tracing the edge of the invitation card in my lap. It’s still strange, seeing my name next to Leonard’s in elegant, golden script. I went to see them today, to invite Michael, Elena, Shannon, and the others to the wedding. A part of me hoped they’d all be there, that maybe they’d want to share this with me. But every single one of them declined. Their rejections feel like tiny, sharp pinpricks, pressing deeper the more I think about it. As we slow at a red light, I glance out the window, watching people hurry across the street, faces blending into each other. Then I freeze. In the car beside me, a familiar face leans against the window, lost in thought—Kane. My heart skips. Without thinking, I lean forward and tap the driver’s shoulder. “Please, pull over. Right here.” He raises his eyebrows at me through the rearview mirror but nods, steering us to the curb. I roll down my window, sticking my hand out to catch Kane’s attention. “Kane!” I call softly, hop
Everyone keeps congratulating me but for some reason I don’t even feel like this is real. Leonard told me he doesn’t want to waste much time on our wedding and I agreed so we’re getting married in a week. I decided to go to kanes place to tell Michael and the others. For some reason I can’t get Kane out of my mind….ever since he helped me that day by getting me away from that weird ass man in the library stuck with me and I haven't been able to thank him. I didn’t even thank him for trying to get to me the time that Leonard had kidnapped me. Leonard invited his hateful relatives for our engagement. Apparently the tradition is that they have to all come and dine with me, I refused to do so.. they came regardless but I wasn’t there to see them. Leonard had understood that I needed to leave so he let me go to kanes place which is where I’m heading now. He insisted that I take some of his guards so I did. I don’t know how Shannon, Michael, Elena, Luca and even Kane will take this news…
Hearing that Aurelia was in love with Leonard was one thing but seeing it in her eyes did something to me. The moment we got home I didn’t speak to anyone no matter how much they tried to get me to speak. There’s no use for me to stay in Rome if the reason I’m here is clearly gone… I don’t want to give up but as long as she doesn’t have her memory back I have to leave. I decided to write her a letter, I hope that when she gets to read this her memory will be back. I’m presently packing. I'm going back to London. I don’t plan on getting talked out of this so I’m planning on going when everyone’s asleep besides Shannon, I'm going to give her the letter personally because I know she’ll deliver my message. I step out of my room silently and knock on her door a few times. She opens it whilst brushing her eyes with her hands. She looks like she hasn’t been sleeping… but she does look very tired. “Kane?” she asks, voice hushed. "What are you doing here? And...with a suitcase?" I st
I sit in my room, the dim light casting shadows on the walls. My heart still races from the commotion downstairs. I expected my mother, Shannon, to leave with the rest of them, but she didn’t. She’s here. I hear her soft footsteps approaching before there’s a light knock on the door. “Aurelia, may I come in?” she asks, her voice gentle but firm, like always. “Yeah,” I whisper, unsure of what to expect. My fingers fidget in my lap as she steps in and closes the door behind her. She sits beside me on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight. There’s a brief silence as she studies me, her eyes soft but observant, the way a mother’s should be. I look away, my throat tight, already feeling the emotions bubbling up. I know what this is about. “I didn’t leave with the others because I needed to talk to you,” Shannon says, her voice soft but serious. She reaches out, taking my hand. Her touch is warm, familiar, and it instantly begins to break down the walls I’ve tried to
I sit on the edge of the couch, my eyes scanning the room. Kane leans against the wall, arms crossed, his face unreadable. Shannon and Luca sit across from each other, both looking deep in thought. Elena is quiet, but I can feel her eyes on me, waiting. Emaine sits off to the side, her posture stiff, clearly uncomfortable. I clear my throat, trying to break the silence. "The revolution has been regrouping. We don’t know who their new leader is, but I have reason to believe they’re planning to take action soon." Kane uncrosses his arms, his lips curling into a grim smirk. “Let them. If their first plan is to kill Leonard, I’d be more than happy to let them.” Before I can respond, Shannon jumps in. "That’s not a good idea, Kane. Especially if Aurelia isn’t leading them anymore. They see her as a traitor. If they try to kill Leonard, they’ll go after her too." Her words hang in the air, and I can feel the tension rising. Luca’s phone suddenly rings, cutting through the weight of the