After much back and forth, Ace decides to go anyway. It had to have been some form of torture because the thought of someone else marrying you was destroying him from the inside out. It didnât help that the pulling sensation was stronger than ever. It felt like the entire universe was screaming at him to go. So, who was he to ignore the entirety of the universe? Maybe there would be some closure.
Deuce didnât go with him this time. He was more noticeable than Ace, so someone would probably think he was there to catch the marriage ball. A very deep part of Ace almost wanted him to do that. At least if Deuce married you, he could trust that you would be taken care of and happy. And you would be in his life to some extent, but that wouldnât be fair to Deuce. He would be putting him in the exact same situation he was in.
Surely the universe had something in mind. Why else would it reveal you to him? Have the newspaper of your marriage toss end up at his house when he happened to be there? There were too many things happening for it to be coincidence.
It was particularly warm and it sucked even more having so many people around him. He was impressed with the set up, however. The house you resided in was large. He couldnât help but wonder why. Why were you doing this? You didnât seem one to be part of the nobility life, so why pull a big stunt like this? Televised and everything.
Unless it wasnât your choice, which pissed him off even more. You were only a noble, not even a royal. Why were you having to marry someone you didnât know? Or marry someone you didnât want to? He didnât understand it. Well, he did. It was greed. It was almost always greed.
Once more, he was able to lay his eyes on you. His breath was taken away and he was head over heels all over again. It just fueled his fire to end up in your life somehow all over again. Only, he didnât know how he was going to do that if you were engaged to someone else.Â
Everything about this event wasâŚodd. Everything felt like it was straight out of an old textbook. No one did things like this anymore. A marriage toss was an ancient tradition that died out centuries ago. Not to mention, the marriage ball itself even looked old. The clothes you and your family were wearing were also that of old times. He wondered why this entire spectacle was happening.Â
By the look on your face, it wasnât your decision. He grew angry all over again.
The next moments were a blur. One moment, he was absolutely captivated by your presence, the next, you were standing in front of him, the ball in his hands. He blinked, unable to even fathom that any of this happened.
It was as if you found him drifting out at sea. It was automatic, it was telepathic. You looked at him as if you had always known him.
He scrambled in his own brain. What was he going to do? Then he remembered his cover. He was playing as a man in the poverty line. Someone with nothing to his name. Surely, you wouldnât want to marry him. You would at least want someone of your status. Besides, even if he went with it, at the end of the day, he didnât know you. You could be awful. Never meet your dreams or whatever. He couldnât think right now. Not when you were standing so close to him. Not when you smelled so good.
Then you stepped even closer. In all your elegance and radiance. You had the command of someone who ruled an entire kingdom. The air about you; you absolutely were more fit for a throne than he.
Everything else fell away. Suddenly, you were the only two people around. He couldnât hear nor see anyone else. There was only you. You with a warm air about you that felt like home. A soft, analyzing expression on your face.
Then the reality of the situation hit him. He quickly bowed to you, remembering his character to play. âI-Iâm sorry! I didnât mean to catch it, i-it just ended up in my hands. I didnât want it to end up on the dirty groundâŚâ
He straightened back up, meeting your intense stare. It was hard to tell what you were thinking. The look on your familyâs faces said enough. They were disgusted that a âcommonerâ caught this marriage toss. Hah, if they only knewâŚ
Though, your expression wasnât like that. Your expression seemed thoughtful and taken aback. Perhaps just surprised that you threw it so terribly?
Then your sister piped up, speaking something about having to honor tradition. Was she really saying that you should marry him? That didnât make any sense. He had done a bit of reading up on your family. They seemed like the typical greed type. They would want you to marry someone of a higher house. A house with a lot of money. Like the Bastilleâs.Â
Thatâs when he saw it. The hatred in your familyâs eyes when they looked at you. They despised you. Why was that? You seemed so -
âIâm going to give him the choice.â
He tensed as you spoke, stopping his train of thought. A voice that seemed so kind to him, so genuine. Despite the situation you were in, you werenât taking it out on him. You werenât going to use him as a lifeline to get out of the entire situation. You were giving him a choice. Something he had never exactly been given before. It threw him off.
You and your sister went back and forth for a moment before Ace finally spoke up.
âSure.â
Seeing you defend him so adamantly was honorable. Especially considering he was a commoner right now. You knew your situation and werenât going to drag others into it that didnât need to be dragged into. So, he figured âwhy not?â
The shock on your face when you turned around made him want to laugh out loud, but he held it in. He relaxed his posture, trying to keep himself calm. He was a prince, after all. Hiding his emotions is what he did best. He started prattling on his knowledge of the subject. How it used to be open for everyone, not just nobles. That way no one house became too powerful or whatever. MaybeâŚmaybe he did pay attention in his lessons more than he thought he did.
He did remind them that there was nothing to his name. He needed to keep up his facade. He knew him having nothing would bother your parents. He would be bringing nothing in for the family. No prestige or anything. At least not for now.Â
Once he figured out his own shit, howeverâŚ
Then you laughed; a beautiful and musical noise to him. Color seemed to burst into his world. It was small, somewhat like a chuckle, but it made his heart race. Every time you looked at him. Every time you spoke. Everything you did made his heart thump so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest.Â
The universe was really going to let this happen? It was actually going to give him something he wanted? He wanted nothing more than to take you away from here. Away from the family that looked at you like you were nothing more than the scum on their shoe.
He made a promise right there that when this was all over, he was going to confess everything. Then he was going to give you the royal wedding that you deserve. He was going to rub it in your familyâs faces and they werenât going to be invited.
When you spoke, it was as if angels were singing down upon him. You said that you were going to honor the tradition. You spoke so smoothly, so kindly - to him, it was clear that status didnât matter to you. Money didnât matter. You didnât seem bothered in the slightest that you would have to marry a commoner. In fact, you looked relieved. What had they put you through that you were willing to give everything up like this? You would throw everything you were given away just to spite them. It was admirable.
He tried to give you one more out, telling you that he had nothing once more. That he cannot give you the life you deserve. It would be a struggle to be with him.
âIâm sure if we work hard and save our money, we will make a decent living." Then a small, little smile that spoke so safely. He was pretty sure his heart was going to explode. You really didnât mind living with him. With the idea of possibly struggling.
He couldnât find his voice. He just stared at you, completely taken aback by your words. He couldnât believe it was working out like this. Not only did he happen to find you, but you were soâŚkind. You were so sweet. Part of him was worried the universe would torture him more and make you an insufferable spoiled brat but that was so far from the truth.
âPick me up in three days time if you agree to this. I will have everything ready by then.â
You were giving him three days to decide? Hell, he would take you now. Before he could even protest, you turned and walked away. You really commanded the space you were around. Regal in every sense of the word. More than the rest of your family, and you had no idea.
--
Deuce was in shock when Ace filled him in on what happened. This just made everything a million times more complicated and he was stressed beyond comparison. Irritation creeped up his spine. âWhat happened to having a low profile!âÂ
âI know, I know. Itâs not my fault!â
âYou shouldâve said no!âÂ
âI canât just say no to a noble!â
âACE YOU ARE THE FUCKING PRINCE!â He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a harsh sigh. Ace could see the migraine popping into his head.
Okay, he was right. Technically, he wouldnât have faced any repercussions for saying no, but he couldnât just hand you over to someone else. Not when you were so close. Plus, it would blow his coverâŚkind of.
The two simmered for a moment before Ace finally sighed. âI couldnât just hand them off to someone else. Besides, to keep up my looks as a commoner, it makes more sense to say yes.â
Deuce stared at Ace for a long moment, running calculations. âOkay, okay. This could still work out. If we are careful. The princess will leave for her kingdom soon enough and Iâm sure we can say youâre away on work or something for when you have to go back to the castle.â He glared at Ace.Â
The prince put his hands up in surrender. âI know, I know.â He looked around, thinking. âWeâre probably going to need to actually put some furniture in this house, huh?â
Right now, it was just a run down house with a couple folding chairs and a folding table. Bare minimum as he usually held the parties in the small backyard and the kitchen so the house wasnât used anyway. There were also plenty of holes in the floor. There was so much work to do in these three days before he brought you home.
At least there was a lot of natural lighting. Even a well lit place could hide salvation. He could see the tiredness in your eyes. The eyes of losing a battle. You had no idea just how much you had won the war and the thought made him smile.
--
Those three days sucked. From sun up to sun down and even well into the night, Ace and his crew were working on getting the house in livable condition. Its dilapidated state was worse than he had originally thought. Sure, he couldâve just hired a crew to do all the work because he was the prince, but he had to be careful. He couldnât trust just anyone. Luckily, they had made plenty of friends on their excursions into town and one of them actually worked with a small business construction crew and so they helped out.
Limited people, limited time, limited funds. He had to be careful with his spending as to not raise too much awareness.Â
The day he was set to pick you up, he was called to the palace. The entire time he was antsy, watching the clock. He was quick to finish up his work, eager to get to you. He didnât want you to think he had abandoned you. He couldnât risk blowing this, not when he was working so hard to make it happen.
Alas, the universe was in his favor once more. He was able to finish on time and make it to you. Even had an idea to mess with your parents a bit. You seemed amused and looked radiant as usual. He still couldnât believe he was taking you home with him.
Though, he was nervous about you seeing the house. Maybe he shouldâve just gotten a different house. One that was a little bigger. Maybe a little nicer. Nothing too extravagant. But, you deserved more than just a run down shack of a house. Even if they did work hard on making it liveable in three days.
âSorry, I know you deserve more.â The look on your face was stoic. You were an expert at making your emotions.
And again, you provided that lovely musical laugh that he couldnât get enough of. Warm and real. He had heard so many fake laughs in his time that yours was a breath of fresh air. You seemed unbothered by the house, in factâŚyou looked excited about it, claiming now you have a project.
He honestly couldnât believe you were real.Â
However, when you mentioned picking up a job, he was quick to protest. He didnât want you doing anything. He would provide you with everything. Deuce gave him a look that was telling him to remember his role. A commoner with barely any money, but he didnât want you to worry about anything. He could tell youâve been through the ringer and he just wanted you to be able to take a breather for once. When it came to you, all his rules and reasoning and planning went out the window.
Only, just as quick as he was to cut you off, you were quick to cut him off. You put him in his place, telling him that you would likely go mad just sitting around doing nothing. Again, you had this demanding air about you. Truly fit for royalty. You mentioned having previous work experience and he was surprised. You were just full of them. You hated the noble life, you didnât mind working.Â
Everything you did and said made him fall more head over heels in love with you. More and more he wanted to whisk you away to the palace where he could keep you safe. Damn his father. Damn the arrangement. He just wanted you, but he had a plan and he needed to stick to it.
He knew that he wouldnât be able to marry you anytime soon, but he knew he wanted to be with you forever. There was a ceremony that was ancient in tradition and close to his heart. It was only one that was done with the one you love. Promise that you will be together. Even if not in this one, in the next.Â
He was surprised you were so willing to do it. He couldnât understand why you were so willing. You couldâve just accepted the engagement and married whenever. But here you were, willing to go an extra mile just for some commoner.
He would need to get the backyard ready. With you going to your friend's house, it made things easier. He didnât want the surprise to be ruined.Â
While you were gone, he worked on redoing the backyard. Well, he worked on planning for the backyard. He wasnât able to really get started on it until the next day and by then you were already home.Â
--
The ceremony couldnât have gone more perfectly. You seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it. You didnât sound like a robot rehearsing lines either, there was meaning behind your words. Promise. It made his heart race.
Thatâs why he made the decision to give you his motherâs talisman. Something she had given him right before she passed. Her family had been the keepers of it for a very long time. A protector of sorts. It was the jade dragon necklace from the once powerful ruler. Only it was dormant now. It never chose another successor. His mother told him to give it to someone. Only she never specified who. She only said that he would know when the time came.Â
And he knew that time was now. You were that person he needed to give it to.
You were flustered, denying it at first. The fact that the reason you denied it was because you knew it held sentimental value and not just material value said so much about you. Some people wouldâve only seen the material value of it and pretended to deny it to make them seem like they were good people but you, you saw the actual value.
You were just concerned about him giving you his most precious, sentimental valuables. But what you didnât know was that he was keeping his two most precious valuables together.
Ace x gn!reader
word count: 2.9k
a/n: this was actually gonna be out last week but i didn't like the entire chapter i wrote so i just sat on it. then i took the long way home from work one day and it hit me like a freight train so i rewrote the entire thing. then i let it marinate for a couple more days just in case.
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Ace will never forget the moment he met you. It wasnât at the marriage toss, no. You had no idea of this encounter, actually.
Deuceâs family hosted the ball and Ace was watching from a balcony above. He never really intermingled, he was mostly there to talk to his friend about something completely unrelated. He was never one to be serious about the noble life, so he never went to functions and his mother had wanted to keep him out of the spotlight anyway to try and give him a normal life. One that he fought hard to keep.
âTheyâre like sardines,â he mused, shaking his head. Watching so many people so close to each other in a space like that. He didnât understand why everyone enjoyed those kinds of events. Too many people, not enough space.
A small crowd started to gather to one side, piquing his interest.
âWhatâs going on down there?â He glanced at his friend that was grabbing some things out of his study. Deuce looked over at him, walking over to glance over the railing.
âAh that would be y/n of the l/n family. Theyâre a higher house but not quite part of the highest circle. Their family was actually able to get them to show up and theyâre eligible for marriageâŚyou know how the rest goes.â
Ace made a face. He knew that all too well. Most marriages among noble houses were all political gain and never of love. Hell, his father had just told him heâd be marrying a princess from a neighboring country just to strengthen the bond. He didnât care about much of anything and knew it was pointless to fight it, so he just accepted his fate.
That was, until the crowd cleared just enough to reveal you.Â
For a moment, time stood still. There was something familiar about you that he couldnât quite place, but one thing was for sure: He needed you. He needed to know you. What you liked, what you disliked, what you did in your free time - everything. He was so caught up in the absolute radiance that was you that he forgot about one small detail.
He was already engaged. To someone he didnât even know.
Sure, he didnât know you either. The difference was; he actually wanted to know you. He didnât care about some princess. He wanted you. The universe was especially cruel to reveal you to him now not even a week after being betrothed to another.
âI have to go down there.â
âAce wait-â
It was too late, he was on the move. Only, by the time he had reached the ballroom floor, you were nowhere to be seen.
Deuce had been hot on his heels, hissing under his breath. âAce, we need to get you away from here lest you somehow end up recognized.â There was enough resemblance between him and the king for people to make the connection. Why else would there be some unnamed noble at a ball? One that wasnât even dressed for the occasion. It wasnât a secret that the prince hated these events.
âNot until I meet them.â
There was a soft breeze from the balcony to his left. Ah, you went out for a breather. He didnât blame you. Nobility life could be suffocating. Besides, from what Deuce had said; you didnât seem to go to a lot of these things. That was even more intriguing to him.
However, when he went outside, you had already scaled the side of the building and were running across the lawn to escape. He stared after you, mouth agape. How the hell did you cover that much ground in that little time? There was no way he was going to catch up to you!
The universe really was torturing him.
âDeuce, I have to meet them.â
Deuce sighed, shaking his head. âUnfortunately, thatâs near impossible. Between them always disappearing from their home and you being betrothed already, it wouldnât be wise.â
Ace frowned deeply. He would meet you. He had to. Why else would the universe bring you into his life? He had never wanted anything so much. Maybe heâd talk to his father about you. Surely, he would be fine with it.
--
âAbsolutely not.â
Aceâs heart shattered into a million pieces. âBut-â
âThe arrangement with Princess Tate is already made. We cannot go back on it. I told you to get your act together and you did not and now you must pay the price of irresponsibility.â
âBut this is my whole entire life we are talking about! This isnât a punishment - itâs a life sentence!â
King Roger let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. âAce, you are a prince. You must marry either another royal family or someone very high up in the noble houses. Y/nâs family is not high enough.â Almost, but not quite.
âWho fucking cares about status!â Ace never once cared about his own social standing nor has he ever cared about the standing of others and he doesnât understand why he needs to start now.
The look on the kingâs face softened for a moment. âAceâŚâ He took a deep breath, collecting himself. âI am sorry, but this is something we had already agreed to. That you already agreed to. Going back now would look very terrible on our kingdom and our family. Have you just-â
âItâs only been a week! And Iâve never met the girl! It should be fine!â Ace was heated and clearly not wanting to listen to reason. This was the only thing he had ever asked for. He never asked for anything else besides staying out of the spotlight and having some privacy.Â
âThis is what you agreed to, Ace.â Rogerâs voice was more firm, clearly over his tantrum. âYou will carry out this engagement and marry the princess. You will forget about the noble in due time. Besides, you never met this noble either. Youâre wanting to throw away a country alliance for someone you saw from across the ball?â He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.
Ace went silent, biting his tongue. His father was right. He hadnât met you. He had just seen you. But, with the way everything feltâŚit just felt right. As if you were made for him and all he had to do wasâŚgo for it. There was an invisible string connecting the two of you and it was tugging at him violently.
At the end of the day, his father was right. He was a prince. He had a duty. He agreed to this engagement because he didnât care about the noble life. Hell, he wasnât even sure why he was still playing this game. He wanted out of it. Forever. There was nothing for him here. He wasnât exactly close with his father. His mother was gone. The only thing he had within these walls were a few friends that he held dear.
If he was going to be forced to marry this princess, he absolutely was not going to be sticking around. She could have the damn kingdom for all he cared.
âFine.â He turned on his heel, ignoring his fatherâs calls. He headed out and didnât look back.
--
The princess and her father wereâŚbland. Ace didnât care for either of them. He could tell neither of them were acting their true selves but his father was eating up all the flattery. Whether he could see through their ruse or not, he wasnât sure.Â
Personally, he hated it when people acted like this. Over the top and sickly sweet just because they wanted something from him. Always, if someone found out he was the prince, their demeanor would always change. It was ass kissy and he hated it. Especially if it was someone he was already getting along with.
If he was already getting along with them, despite having disagreements, then why kiss ass so hard just because someone finds out heâs a prince? He just didnât understand it. Well, he did. It was greed. It was always greed. People always wanted something from him. Money, fame, status, the connection to his father - anything. They no longer saw Ace as a person but as some kind of ATM to get whatever their heart desired.
And he hated it.
He knew what the princess and her father wanted. They wanted this engagement, naturally. To have direct ties to his father and a powerful kingdom. It was justâŚsickening.
âYou know, father,â the princess began. Ace had just stepped out onto one of the many balconies to clear his head. The princess and her father mustâve been below. He stayed quiet, listening to their conversation below. Might as well see them for who they really are.
âI think we have this one in the bag.â She chortled. Ace made a face. He hated her laugh. It was gaudy and annoying. Her voice was too. Everything about her was justâŚblegh.
âOh do you?â Her father was slimy all over. The way he looked, the way he spoke. Ace hated it. He just hated them.
âThat I do. That prince is clearly smitten with me.â It took every fiber in the princeâs being not to react and blow his cover right then and there. In what world did he seem interested in her!?
âHow can you be so sure? He seemsâŚlackluster.â Her father sounded confused. He wasnât wrong either. Ace went out of his way to show that he wasnât interested in any of this arrangement.
âHeâs just playing hard to get. Itâs what men of his status do. Men who think theyâre hot shit and have people fawning over them all day.â
âLanguage.â
âApologies.â She cleared her throat. âAnywhom. Ace is clearly playing games. That means heâs completely smitten with me. I can also see it in the way he looks at me.â The giggle that followed her statement sent a chill up Aceâs spine.
In what fucking worldâŚWhat planet was she on? She clearly watched too many movies. Or perhapsâŚAce just didnât know. He never really hung around other nobles besides Deuce and he was kind of like him. An outlier. Neither of them really cared about dating or impressing others. At least not nobles. Sure, he was a huge flirt with just about anyone but that was always at parties where no one knew who he was. It was all fun and games.
Her father hummed in amusement. âI suppose that just means itâll be easier to get rid of him. He wonât see it coming.â
What?
Aceâs heart stopped. The air knocked right out of his lungs. They were going to what?
âExactly! Everything is going to plan and once I take over, we can merge the two countries. No one will be able to say no to us any longer.â
The feeling in the air tensed, darkening. Ace couldnât breathe. He couldnât move. They were going to kill him and take overâŚ? But thatâŚthat didnâtâŚ
His feet began moving before his brain did. He ran off the balcony and into the palace. Deuce was hot on his heels, trying to demand answers but he couldnât even answer him. His mind was still trying to catch up.
It caught up once he was finally in his fatherâs chambers. He finally took a note of his own surroundings, seeing his shocked father sitting at his desk and looking at him. âAce?âÂ
The prince was shaking, trying to find his words. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. âTheyâre going to kill me, dad.â
Roger blinked, completely at a loss. âWhat? Who?â He stood up, concern stretching over his features. He stood up from his desk, striding over to his son. âWho is going to kill you?âÂ
Ace looked up at his father as the man put his hands on his shoulders. âThe princess and her father.âÂ
Whatever concern Roger had immediately dissipated, replaced with anger. âGol D. Ace. I cannot believe you would stoop so low as to lie about something so serious to get out of an agreement you made.â He turned away from him, heading back to his desk.
One blink. Two. His fatherâŚdidnât believe him? âD-Dad! Iâm not lying!â He followed him, shaking his head. âI just heard them talkin-â
âAce. I have had enough of your childish behavior. You are to marry Princess Tate. I donât want any more lies or tomfoolery. It is time you started acting like the crown prince you are. I have let you do what you wanted long enough.â
Ace stared at him in disbelief. He really didnât believe him. He thought he was lying.Â
He watched as his father sat back down at his desk, resuming whatever he had been doing before he came in.
âYou honestly think Iâm lying?â His voice was small as he stared at the man he had dared call a father all this time.
âOf course I do. I am making you deal with your consequences and you are acting out. Typical child behavior.â
âFather, I am an adult. You think I would fucking lie about something like this!?â His voice was getting louder the angrier he became.
âYouâll understand when you have children.â
Something snapped deep within Ace. If thatâs how it was to be. Fine. He would eat his words. Eat them over his cold, dead body. âAs long as I am marrying that woman, I will never continue this bloodline.â
With that, he left, ignoring his father once more as he stormed off.
--
âAre you sure you want to do this?â Deuce looked tentative and unsure, but Ace knew that no matter what, the man would follow him to the end.Â
âAbsolutely.âÂ
His best friend sighed, nodding. âThen, I have your back. As I always have and always will.âÂ
âNever doubted that for a moment.â Ace and Deuce had been inseparable almost their entire lives. They clicked immediately and the rest is history. Deuce was one of the few people Ace trusted wholeheartedly.
âWell, thatâs your plan then?âÂ
âWeâre going to need a teamâŚâ Ace delved into his entire plan. He decided since his father didnât believe him, he wasnât going to just roll over and let himself be poisoned. He wasnât going to surrender that easily.Â
Honestly, it was because of you. If he hadnât seen you at that party, he wouldâve just let the princess poison him. Let his father eat his words. He hated the noble life anyway and he supposed death was one way to escape it. Now that he met you, he wanted to stick around. Without the princess in the picture, his father would probably have no issues with it.
And something told him that having you by his side would make the noble life a little more tolerable.
He was going to make the princess confess to her plans and beg for forgiveness. He had slipped out of the castle for the rest of the princessâ visit so he could plan without being interrupted. He already knew he was going to really get it from his father, but he accepted his fate. His father yelling at him now would be nothing compared to the look he was going to have on his face when he realized he was going to let his only child die.
The two were currently on the outskirts of town, in a small house. One that you would later be residing in but they had no idea of that yet. This was the place he always stayed at when he wanted to keep a low profile, prowl about the town, and maybe throw a couple of parties. When he wanted to pretend to be normal and escape his life for a little while.
Now, it was his headquarters. His living room now a war room. Schedules, connections, backgrounds, everything. He was going to have it all. He was going to leave no stone unturned.
In the middle of their planning, there was a thump on the door. Both men tensed, staring at the direction of the front door. A moment passed, two. Nothing. They glanced at each other before Deuce headed towards it.
He glanced out of the window next to it. âOh, itâs just a newspaper. They mustâve thrown it.â
Ace sighed with relief, running his hands through his hair and laughing. This was the most stressed out he had ever been in his entire life. And he was a fucking prince. He had completely forgotten that he opted to have the newspaper delivered here so he could keep up with more commoner events. Or events of lower housesâŚ
Or maybe he might find out more about you and your family.
âUh oh.â
The prince let out a long sigh as he slowly turned around. âWhat could it possibly be now, Deuce?â
The man had the paper in his hands, looking at whatever the headline was. He was silent as he stared at it.
âWell?â
Deuce looked from the paper to Ace to the paper again. He sighed, turning it around. The princeâs heart dropped.
It was the announcement for your marriage toss. You were going to be getting married.
idk if u said this already but it took me too long to notice that the chapter names are dragons in different languages right? u always make chapter names interesting
thank u!!! <333
i struggle with titles of fics and chapter titles a lot ;a; i typically take a word/element of the fic and i just put it in a lot of languages. though, what i've learned from this fic is that dragon is relatively the same in a lot of languages lmfao
I love how some fics are called shit like "They Only Shoot The Birds Who Cannot Sing" and it's like the most insane porn you're ever read and then some fics are called Spit On Me and it's 18,000 words of the most achingly id-scratching prose you've ever read and they're both. They're both so fucking good. thank God for fanfiction.
Ace x gn!reader
word count: 2k
a/n: smaller chapter i knoooooow i thought it was gonna be longer in my outline rip ;a; hopefully the next ones will be better for u
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The world stopped. HeâŚhe agreed? He agreed to that kind of offer? ThatâsâŚthatâs insane! Though, you supposed they were betrothed before you were in the picture, so itâs just business as usual. Except for the whole, he knows sheâs going to poison him thing.
âAce, that is an entire kingdom; your kingdom; your life. Donât.â What he was agreeing to was basically suicide. Your voice is quiet, broken. Exhaustion coated it in a thick and sticky layer, fried with strain. Days of hardly eating and no sunlight were really getting to you. It was really a marvel that you were standing and coherent at all.
âIf it means you live, then it is all worth it.â A small, pained smile appeared on his face. He was really willing to throw an entire kingdom and his life away just so you could live. Tears were really falling down your face now. Yes, it was such a selfless gesture but at the same timeâŚ
âI donât want to live if that means you are not with me.â What was the point in living when the man who had saved you from a life of misery was being taken away? It would be just as miserable as if you had stayed with your family and did as they said. You wouldnât be able to live with yourself if he died just for you. You didnât think you were worth all that. Unlike Ace, you werenât anyone of importance. Hell, your family disowned you and tried to kill you.
âI am not the only one you have,â he said, a calm tone to him. He had stopped struggling, looking at you with a serene expression. Heâs already accepted his fate. This is what he was choosing. That doesnât mean you missed the water welled in his eyes that were on the brink of falling. He was holding on by a thread.
Suddenly, youâre let go and immediately you run to him. Damn the pain in your legs. The adrenaline numbed it enough to make it to him, thankfully. You fell to your knees before him and heâs allowed to drop to his so the two of you are at level. The guards deem the both of you harmless enough to allow you to say your goodbyes.
âYou have Banshee and Gran,â he continued. He was right. Banshee and Gran both meant the world to you. They provided you so much in your life - showed you so much. But, so did he. âNot to mention, Iâll leave Deuce with you as well as Yamato. You wonât be alone and youâll be safe.â The look he gave you was so warm and full of so much love that you felt like you would explode from the storm of emotions coming from you.
Thundercracked overhead.
Again, he was right. You had Banshee and Gran, yes. You would also have the other two should Ace say so, but you wanted him as well. You didnât want him to kill himself just for you - that was insane! You wouldnât be able to sit with yourself and watch him on the news slowly wither away and die when it would be your fault! Even if he was agreeing to it, it just didnât sit right with you.
You gently take his face in your hands, studying every inch of his face, engraving it into your mind. You knew there was nothing you could do. This was a fight that was clearly out of your hands. You had no money, no wealth, no power, no say. Nothing you could do could prevent this from happening. You werenât even married to him so you didnât even legally have anything to say. This war was lost. You werenât enough.
You rested your forehead against his, just enjoying his presence one last time. Tears fell down your face at a rapid pace.
This fucking sucked. For once, you had something you truly wanted. For once, you actually thought of the future. For once, you were fucking happy with how your life was working out and now it was all going to be torn away. For greed. It was always fucking greed.
An overwhelming storm of emotions andâŚso much anger. Words couldnât even describe the amount of rage you were feeling. Why werenât you fucking allowed to have anything? Your entire life you hadnât been able to justâŚlive for yourself. Always listening to the instructions of others, always having to follow societal rules, always having to do things a certain way. You werenât allowed to have shit and it just wasnât fucking fair. You were over it.Â
You felt like a raging storm brewing on the horizon of a calm ocean. JustâŚwhat the fuck? What even was happening? The one good thing you had, you couldnât even have. You tried to escape the noble life only to end up even further in it. Ended up entangled with the prince of all people! Now there was a political war happening and you were smack dab in the middle of it.
But why, when you finally have happiness, could you not just fucking live!
Lights flickered overhead.
All you knew was being scolded, pushed around, and punished. Anything you showed interest in growing up was never good enough for your parents. If it didnât directly benefit them, it was pointless. Then they wouldnât even let you go. If they just wouldâve let you leave, none of this wouldâve happened. You could be living with Banshee right now - no heartache included.
But you didnât regret meeting Ace. You didnât regret any of this. You just fucking hated how this was playing out. You just wanted everyone to leave you alone. You wanted to go home with Ace without any other worries. However, even if by some miracle the two of you were out of this situation, you could never go back to your cozy life. It never wouldâve lasted either.Â
Eventually, the truth wouldâve come out of Ace whether this whole kidnapping happened or not. Then what? Would he have left you when he grew bored? Would he have just disappeared one day back to his duties and you only finding out through a broadcast? Would he have asked you to be a consort? Would he have made you a queen? You had no fucking idea.
What did the universe have against you anyway? Why did it keep hurtling such bullshit at you? You were tired of not being able to help your friends. Tired of feeling helpless. Tired of needing saving. Could people not just leave you alone and let you spend your days tending to your garden in your little house? It wasnât a big fucking ask!
âY/nâŚâ Rain started coming down in sheets outside.
You just wanted to be able to protect the ones you loved. To be able to somehow save the day, take Ace home, and justâŚbe able to live. Have a humble little home and a lovely garden with the help of Yamato. To run Bansheeâs little store with her. To enjoy Friday nights at Granâs. But you couldnât. You werenât enough and you were fucking sick of never being enough.
Is that really what you want? Power?
Arms wrapped around you. The warmth told you it was Ace, but you were so far removed from your body right now that you couldn't process much. Panic started to seep into your bones as your world came crashing down more and more. You were going to lose everything again and you werenât sure you were going to survive it this time.
Aceâs voice came through your foggy thoughts. âIâm sorry. I shouldâve told you.â
You blinked as you glanced at him. Tears were falling down his face now. He looked sorrowful and full of regret. Did he think you were mad at him? You could never be mad at him. Because honestly?
You understood. To a degree.Â
While everyone processed everything differently; for the most part, you somewhat understood. The pressure of being in nobility. You couldnât stand your own and you couldnât imagine the amount of pressure he was experiencing being the prince. You thought you didnât have the ability to say no or to have a choice, but he really didnât. Everything you experienced, he probably felt it tenfold and your heart ached for him.
You sure as shit didnât blame him for running away. He probably saw an out the day at the bridal toss. He probably saw it as a sign - a way out. Just as you saw the sign when you realized heâs the man from your dream. You still arenât sure what the universe was trying to tell you now. Bringing the man from your dream only for this to be the outcome. You found your role in a tragedy.
âOh, I could never be mad at you.â Your voice was soft, strained. There was a weird sense of calm despite the fact you felt like you could explode at any moment. A bottle that has been shaken and ready to burst. A powder keg about to explode. The eye of a hurricane.
Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, you pulled him in and kissed him hard, full of passion and fire. At least you would kiss him once, tell him your feelings before it all went to shit.
Ace was surprised but also quick to return the passion and fire. You knew he felt the same way. Every moment you spent together was full of love and intimacy that you had only ever dreamed of. You just wished you couldâve seen it sooner instead of trying to convince yourself it wasnât real.Â
You pulled away after a moment. âI love you, Ace. And I always will. There has to be a way out of this.â Your voice cracked as you felt yourself tipping over once more. âThere has to be.â Quieter this time, as if a small affirmation being whispered into the universe.
There is.
The look on Aceâs face destroyed you. It was full of love but also sadness and helplessness. It was clear he was also thinking about the life the two of you couldâve had, had everything worked out. He had no hope. Pandoraâs box was opened and Ace couldnât see the hope at the bottom, but you could. If he didnât have hope, you would have enough for the both of you. There was no fucking way that the universe would bring the two of you together in such a manner just for this to be the outcome.
There had to be a fucking way. You would find a fucking way. You would rather fucking die than to just sit idle and let him wither away.
The two of you were ripped apart and you yelled; you protested, you fought back. Nothing worked. Nothing would work. Not with you in this state. It was like a toddler trying to fight an adult. You werenât doing any damage, but you werenât going down without a fight.
âDONâT FUCKING TOUCH HIM!â The lights went out, the window bursting open from the wind once more, the rain blowing in.
Ace was trying to fight against the guards that had him. He reached for you and you reached for him. This was all you wanted. You didnât care that he was the prince. You didnât care he lied to you. You didnât care. You just wanted to be with him, whatever it took. He was your home now.
You strained against your guards with a little more strength than you thought you had, breaking from them while they were distracted by the rain and wind. âAce!â
âY/n!â
Are you ready?
Then you felt a crack in the back of your skull and everything went white.
At a million miles an hour, your head races. Everything you had done in your life up until this point was quickly turned over and dumped out because how the fuck were you in a situation like this? Your entire life, all you did was try to avoid nobility at any cost and now you were sitting in a throne room of a kingdom you werenât even a part of. How the hell did anything you had done in your life lead up to this point?Â
The adrenaline that was now pumping your veins was making you feel more awake than you have felt in days. You were more alert and less in pain than you were half an hour ago.
The king looked down his nose at you. It made your skin crawl. He clearly thought you were scum - less than even. You were nowhere near his status and you were insulting him by being in his presence. Which, why the hell were you anyway?
âState your name.âÂ
This again? Did no communication happen in this kingdom? Annoyance rose up your spine but you kept it down. You were at a point where you didnât care what happened to you. You just wanted it to stop. Like when your prison guard first asked; you answered, providing Aceâs last name instead of your own. It was interesting how natural it felt.
They seemed to perk up at your answer. âPortgas?â The princess spoke with renewed interest. She had looked completely bored before but now she looked like she was looking at an animal that was about to do a trick. One that she has seen many times, but provided a little entertainment.
You scrunched your brows together but nodded. What was special about that?Â
You watched as the princess looked to her father, speaking to him in a low voice. He kept his eye on you but leaned in to listen. He nodded to whatever question she asked before the two of them straightened back out.
âTell me. Who are you?âÂ
You blinked. You just told them who you were?
âI am just a commoner. Just as my husband is.â Maybe you and Ace werenât quite married yet, but it would be easier to just claim you were. They would probably kill you before they found out anyway - if they bothered looking - and you were already claiming his name.
âAre you aware that the last name âPortgasâ was also the maiden name of the late queen of the kingdom from which you hail?â There was an amused look in the kingâs eye. As if he was playing a game of chess and this was the winning move.
âUhâŚmaybe?â Suddenly, you wished you had paid attention in your studies because then maybe you wouldâve noticed it sooner, but still. Surely it didnât mean what he was implying. âAre you saying my husband is the crown prince, your highness?â You blinked.
The king just chuckled, sitting back in his chair. âI suppose it was a long time ago that she had passed and an even longer time since she had the name.â He shook his head, ignoring your question at first. âIâm not implying anything, just pointing out a fact.â
âAnd what is your maiden name?â The princess spoke up, hurriedly. It seemed she didnât want to play whatever games her father was initiating. She was growing impatient.
âUhâŚâ You really didnât want to say. âIâm just a commoner, I donât see why-â
âAre you denying royalty?â She glared at you so sharply, it would cut you if they were daggers. âDonât test my words.â
âNo, your highness.â You swallowed hard. You provided them with your last name. However, recognition didnât seem to spark their eyes. So, this really wasnât about your family. Just what crock of shit were you in?
âWhat is your husbandâs name?âÂ
You were quiet for a moment before you answered. âAce.â Your voice was quiet, but it was enough to make the princess stand up.
âSo, it is you!â Anger radiated from her so intensely, you could feel it from where you were. The glare she had been giving you somehow intensified. âYou really are a nobody. That means this next part shall be easy.â A wicked grin spread across her face and she lifted a delicate hand.
âGuards, on my count get rid of them.â
The sound of the guards drawing their guns and pointing them at you. They held their fire, waiting for her command, but you werenât even in your body right now. Your brain was finally connecting all the pieces without a doubt.
Ace was the prince. You were the person who had run away with him. Now, so many other questions were rising and you were never going to be able to answer them. You were going to die without knowing. Why had Ace been at your marriage toss? Why did he agree to marrying you? Why did he do literally anything and everything with you? Was he doing his princely duties when he said he was going off for work? Were you really just a fun toy for him to amuse himself with when he was bored with his life?Â
You felt a storm of emotions that you couldnât put a name to. All of them conflicting.
âAny last words, commoner?â
Her words didnât even process. You felt like you were going to explode at any moment. At least you wouldnât have to be lied to or tugged around by royalty and nobility anymore. You would finally be able to rest in peace - no longer a pawn.
Before anything could happen, the doors flung wide open.
âY/N!âÂ
Another surge of adrenaline takes over every fiber of your being as you whipped around, immediately recognizing the voice. All the conflicting emotions washed away, leaving only relief behind. âAce!â
He went to run for you only to quickly be detained by the countless guards in the room. You managed to stand, trying to make your way to him but you didnât make it very far either. Both of you just stared at each other, trying to fight your way to each other. To no avail.
âY/n!â He cried out again only to be yanked away once more. He looked at you, looking over your malnourished body. Sadness filled his eyes as he took in the weight loss, the bruises, all of it.
The emotions started to overwhelm you. They bubbled up inside, occupying every molecule of your being. Your chest and throat tightened. Tears began streaming down your face. You couldnât say anything - the only thing coming out being choked sobs.
The princess cackled, her voice reverberating off the walls around the two of you. Neither of you looked at her, just looking at each other with desperation in your eyes. As if you could create a stare strong enough to attract the two of you like magnets.
After the cackling died down, Ace looked up at the woman across the room. His glare held the force of a prince. Now that you were looking at him properly, he was wearing the attire of a prince. Maybe not as put together as he would be on a television screen, but now he was donning his house colors. He was in a button up and slacks that were clearly made out of the best material money could buy but they were dishevelled as if he hadnât changed them in days.
âThey are not a part of thisâŚplease. You have to let them go.â The desperation was so strong in Aceâs voice that it cracked, along with your heart. It pained you to see him like this.
âI donât have to do anything.â She thought for a moment, a shit eating grin spread across her face and an evil glint in her eye. âOh, I suppose I could let your beloved go.â She giggled. âOn one little condition.â She winked.
âAnything.â
You looked at him with wide eyes. Anything? A man that could lose everything was offering anything? Before you could even start protesting, the princess laughed again.
âIâm assuming you started to draw away from me and sent spies after me because youâve figured out my plan.â
Plan? Spies? This was obviously something that was way bigger than you. Something that had nothing to do with you. You were just an unfortunate pawn with no say or clue in the matter.Â
Ace was silent, anger radiating off of him just as it had the princess earlier. He took a deep breath before speaking. âYes.â
You looked between the do of them, desperately trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about. The princess seemed amused by it all. âOh, poor peasant. I know this is probably above your brain power.â Why the hell was she talking like this was the medieval times? Commoners had education too. Well, that and, you didnât grow up a commoner but still. Everyone could go to school these days.
âAce and I are betrothed.â Your heart sank. That made sense. He was the crown prince. Of course heâd be betrothed to a princess. It also made sense on why the two of you hadnât married yet. You assumed it was funds when it was actually this. Now, the lies were collapsing.Â
You were always the optimist when it came to Ace, but you never thought of this. You think of how this came to be. The only reason you had agreed to entertain this idea was because of a dream. A dream that you had long forgotten until this moment, but a dream nonetheless. Maybe thatâs why he was in your dream. It wasnât the universe saying you were meant to be together, you probably just saw him at some point in passing and your brain just stuffed him in your really weird dream.
But it felt so real. That still doesnât explain how he would end up at your marriage toss. Being a prince and all that. Ugh, your head was pounding.
âMy plan was to marry Ace. He was fine with it in the beginning. He hated the life of royalty so he just went through the motions. Accepting anything daddy told him. Then he started pulling away. I assumed it was because of some consort. But it would seem that he ran off to get married so that he couldnât marry me.â Her face fell into one of anger.
âI would have been fine if he had a consort or a lover. I donât care. I wanted the marriage. And he took that from me! You took that from me!â Her voice raised to a shrill shriek. Kings and queens could have many consorts, but they could only have one marriage. And typically divorce couldnât happen in royalty. You were stuck with them forever. Or until one or the other died.
Wait, but the two of you werenât married. You looked at Ace, but he was glaring at the princess. He trusted you to go along with the story. He knew if he looked at you now, it could give the two of you away.
âYou were going to poison me!â
Poison? You looked at her. It made sense. Marry the prince, slowly kill him, obtain the kingdom. It was evil, but it checked out. This is why you wanted away from royalty. Greed knew no bounds and you wanted nothing to do with itâŚnow you were in with the highest ranks. Just your luck.
The princess took a deep breath, composing herself. She straightened out, clearing her throat. âMy condition.â She looked at you for a moment. There wasnât even disgust in her eyes. There was nothing. They were dead.
âYou let me go through with my plan. You sit beside me. Act like a good and faithful husband. Then I will let them go.â
What she wasnât saying was louder than what she was saying. âYouâre asking him to basically kill himself!â Finally, you had found your voice. âThatâs insane! Disgusting! What the fuck is wrong with you!â You pulled at your guards but they didnât budge.
âThis is why I fucking wanted out of the nobility life!â Your own voice echoed around the room this time. The windows rattled a little bit, a gust of wind pushed one of them open. A crisp, cool breeze filled the room. You could practically smell a storm coming. It did help you clear your head a little.
âWanted out?â The princess cocked an eyebrow. âI thought you were a commoner.â She narrowed her eyes at you. She repeated your last name again, clearly thinking hard. âRight. Your family is a noble one. Not nearly as noble as you once were but still a high house.â She frowned deeply, shaking her head. âYou lied to me.â
Fear started settling into you. âN-No. My family disowned me. Tried to kill me. I-I-â
âThey arenât noble anymore. Theyâre just a commoner. Which is why you should let them go.â Ace spoke up again, only he wasnât looking at her. He was looking at you. There were so many emotions swirling on his face. However, one took precedence. It made your heart stop.
âAce. Donât.â Your voice was barely above a whisper, getting caught in your throat.Â
His eyes left you. There was a serene look on his face. He made a decision and there was no changing his mind. He looked up at the princess and you began to thrash against your guards as he stopped pulling against his. No, no, no. This couldnât be happening.
âIâll do it. Let them go. Iâll marry you, Princess Tate.â
i know i say this often but i cannot say it loud enough: people who comment on fics, people who reblog posts and engage with fanworks are the people who generate community and without them fandom would be nowhere, so truly thank you for your presence, you make the world go 'round <3
i know i say this often but i cannot say it loud enough: people who comment on fics, people who reblog posts and engage with fanworks are the people who generate community and without them fandom would be nowhere, so truly thank you for your presence, you make the world go 'round <3
Ace x gn!reader
word count: 2.8k
a/n: lmfao not working gettin' my ass again. we've been having 'important people' come for visits so we've had to work overtime and just a lot more. it's been a shitshow. not to mention the leak in my ceiling that went into my light and blew it. so had to get that fixed. had to sit with a bunch of mold in the ceiling because of it as well until they fixed it finally. there were about four holes in my ceiling and another three in my bathroom. oh and my outside hose was leaking rip. got that fixed too tho. on the plus side, got to see one of my fave bands in concert again.
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When you come to, there isnât much lighting. Your eyes quickly adjust to the low lights as you move to sit up. The back of your head is throbbing where they knocked you out. You reach to gently press on it only to find it very tender. Fuck, they hit you hard.
You looked around the room. The room looked to be a dungeon of some kind - void of any comfort. However, there werenât cuffs on the walls or jail bars. You donât recall your parents ever having a dungeon. Besides, kidnapping feels like a step backwards from murder. Usually you go with kidnapping before you go with murder, but what did you know?
Of course you thought this was your parents. Who else would it be? You werenât exactly known in the world of nobility that well. The only time you really interacted with the public - aside from when you were a child with no choice -Â was the whole televised marriage toss. But, Ace won that. The people knew you were taken. Unless there had been someone who was secretly obsessed with you the entire time?Â
A million scenarios ran through your mind, all a little more reaching and crazy than the last.Â
Then, you started laughing. Everything was just ridiculous. No matter how many times you told your parents that you wanted nothing to do with them, they kept pulling insane stunts. You didnât understand it. Where did they even take you? What was the point? Another assassination attempt wouldâve made more sense.Â
The only reason you were laughing was because you knew the moment you stopped, youâd start crying and you didnât want to shed another tear because of them. Theyâve made you cry plenty of times, you were over it.
After a bit, your laughing died down and now you were just sitting there. Your mind started to wander again. Has Ace found out yet? What was Yamatoâs reaction when he came back and you were gone? Had they told Banshee already?Â
Honestly, you felt bad for Yamato. He had been adamant in sticking to your side and you convinced him to leave only for this to happen. You could only imagine how he felt. Heâd probably never let you out of his sight again.
If you were able to go back home, that is.
--
After what felt like a lifetime, the door to your little dungeon room opened up. Light poured in, filling the room. It was such a stark contrast that you had to lift your hands in front of your face and shield your eyes.Â
âState your name,â a gruff voice said.Â
Why was he asking your name? If he kidnapped you for your parents, shouldnât he know? Also, why the fuck would you kidnap someone and not be sure of their identity? Everything felt backwards and wrong.
Slowly, you lowered your hands from your face as your eyes adjusted to the sudden light.Â
Before you was a brick of a man and you didnât recognize him. You knew all of your familyâs staff and he wasnât one of them. He had blond hair that was shaved into a buzzcut and angled features. He wore a military uniform, but the colors were wrong. They werenât the colors of your house or even colors from any of the other noble houses or even the royal ones. You racked your brain trying to figure it out.
Then you noticed the crest on his lapel. It hit you. He was from the neighboring kingdom. What the hell were you doing here? Your parents didnât have that kind of reach. There had to be some serious misunderstanding.
âUhâŚâ You werenât about to give them your familyâs name. They were too well known and honestly you didnât want to be tied to them anymore. âPortgas D. y/n.â Ace was just a commoner, so using his name would be best. They wouldnât know who he was. And youâd have his name soon enoughâŚif you were able to get home.
The man clicked his tongue as if processing the information. If they grabbed the wrong person, they werenât showing it. You still didnât know why you would be kidnapped by neighboring royalty.
âWhere is the crown prince?âÂ
All thoughts stopped. The prince was missing? You knew he didnât like to show his face and he was often off working or something or another, but you didnât know he was missing. âUhâŚI donâtâŚâ You also just didnât keep up to date with royalty or nobility like the rest of your kind. You didnât care enough.
âDo not play games with me!â His voice suddenly boomed, making you flinch at the sudden noise.
âThe crown prince ran off the play house with some harlot.â There was venom dripping in his voice. Why was he so upset with what a neighboring prince was doing?
Ran off? Why would he run off? Well, you did hear that he wasnât one to really care for the throne and stayed out of the limelight. Much like yourself. You couldnât stand being a regular noble, you couldnât imagine having to be part of the royal family. All that pressure and loss of freedom? You couldnât do anything you wanted to! You wouldâve been on even more lockdown than you had been.
Just further pushed your own belief of even if you have the world, if youâre not surrounded by the right people, shit fucking sucks.
âWell, I donât even know who the crown prince is. He was never one to go in the limelight and I was never one to keep up with royalty.â
The man looked at you for a long moment. You stared right back at him. You had nothing to hide. You just wanted to be left alone. To be with your husband in your house. To hang out with Banshee when you worked at the store. To work on projects around the house with Yamato. To have dinner on Fridayâs at the nursing home with your best friend and Gran.Â
He let out a long, frustrated sigh. âI am not going to ask you again, y/n. Where is the crown prince?â
You rolled your eyes, letting out a sigh of your own. âI told you I don-âÂ
SMACK.Â
Your head whipped to the side and pain blossomed across your face, your cheek stinging and head throbbing all over again. This fucker really just slapped you.Â
âAnd I told you not to play games with me,â he spat, the hatred filling his eyes.
You blinked a few times, rubbing your cheek. âWhat the fuck, dude.â
âYour husband is the crown prince. You are the harlot he ran off with. Do not play dumb with me.âÂ
What? Ace was the prince? That didnât make any sense. Surely, he wouldâve told you? You were noble too, after all. It wouldâve been something the two of you couldâve bonded over. There were all those times he looked like he wanted to tell you something but didnâtâŚno, your brain was making things up.
âI would know if my husband was the crown prince and he is not. He wouldâve told-â
Another smack across the face, causing your ears to begin ringing. Your head began reeling. Was Ace the crown prince? Hell, you didnât even know what he did for a living. You assumed construction, but he was always away for work. Maybe he was going back to the castle to play role of the perfect prince.
âI hope you do not lie to me this time.â The man was in your face now and you glared at him.
âIâŚâ You closed your eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. âI do not know. As far as I know, he is not but-â Another smack. Fuck, dude. When would it stop?Â
âHow does someone not know their own royal family? Surely, no one is that dense.âÂ
âHate to disappoint,â you groaned, rolling your eyes.
The interrogation continued like that. They kept asking where Ace was, you kept telling them that you didnât know. You were telling the truth, you didnât know where he was. And as far as you were aware, your fiance wasnât the prince.
The hits kept coming, the questions didnât stop. It was an endless cycle. You couldnât think straight or hardly at all. Your face was numb, making it harder to talk. Blood was gushing from your nose and dribbling from your mouth. All you tasted was the metallicness of the liquid. Were you going to die here? How the hell did you even get wrapped up in this?
You were sure youâd be able to sort things out in your head if they stopped fucking hitting you, but people are dumb like that.
Eventually, once again, you lost consciousness. The world faded to black.
--
When you came to, you were alone again. It was dark - which you were grateful for. The world seemed to calm down again. Sure, you were in a dungeon in a neighboring kingdom and your fiance might be the missing prince, but you were alive, right?
Once more, your head was throbbing and now your cheek was dully stinging, you werenât sure how long you were out. Your stomach growled and you were really in need of a shower, blood crusted on your face and down your neck. You knew you werenât going to get any of those things. Sleeping on the floor also had your entire body aching. Your feet, without their proper care and stretching out, were in so much pain.
All you could do was think.
Ace being the crowned prince. You tried to recall ever seeing the prince, but you couldnât. You knew the former queen was adamant about keeping him out of the spotlight when he was younger and then after she passed, the prince still didnât bother. He was always working behind the scenes as far as you were aware.
Letâs say Ace was the prince. Why was he there the day of that? Why wasnât he at the castle doing important princely things? Surely, there were much better things to do than attend your marriage toss. Besides, certainly thereâs way better options for marriage than little olâ you. There was also the fact that Ace lived in a tiny shack when you met him. He worked around the clock pretty much.Â
If he was the prince, he wouldâve had an incredibly extravagant house with unlimited funds and he wouldnât be working all day every day. Wouldnât he?
But then, he did give you his card and said to use it for whatever, whenever. Not that you ever really used it, but it was there. You had no idea what he did for a job. Just that he was gone for days or even weeks at a time. There was Deuce, who was always by his side like some kind of secretary or advisor. They played it off as best friends, but it was clear Ace was in charge. Then thereâs also Yamato. A friend he had who was a bodyguard for some really important people. Was he a royal guard then? That would explain his expertise and his ability to one shot so quickly and easily without much thought or feeling.Â
Ugh, thinking about this was making your head hurt even more. Why wouldnât he tell you all of that if that was the case? What was the point of playing pretend? Why bother with your family? How come your parents didnât notice him either? They knew everything about everyone when it came to royalty? Maybe Ace was that elusive?Â
A small memory popped up of the maids whispering when they saw Ace for the first time. They had thought he was someone they knew. Maybe they recognized him? Then begs the question once more, how did your parents not notice? Maybe they didnât even try to notice, thinking he was a civilian through and through. He had dressed pretty casual all the times you had seen him. Nothing about him or his demeanor screamed royalty.
Before you could think much more, the door opened again. You shied away from the light once more, hearing something be placed on the floor and then they were gone again. You opened your eyes to see a plate of food a few feet away from you. It was only bread and a small cup of water.
You tried to stand up, only to feel knives in your feet and the feeling shooting up your legs as you fell down once more. The rough concrete of the ground, the beating, the coldâŚeverything was working against you. You could basically feel your lifeforce withering away with every second. Hunger ate at you but you almost couldnât muster the strength to go over there and eat.Â
After much debate, you finally made your way over there. Not by walking, but you made it. More than likely, you would die here in this dungeon basement. If Ace was the prince, then maybe he would sweep in and rescue you. If he wasnât, there was no way he could break you out of here and even have an idea that you were here.
You blinked. Wait, why was the neighboring kingdom looking for the prince anyway? What business did they have with him?Â
So many more questions began to pop up, but you were growing weary from everything, so you decided to lay down and try to sleep instead. Due to your weakened state, it didnât take long for sleep to embrace you in her arms.
--
Days went by, same each time. You were questioned, smacked around, given barely enough food to live, and left alone with your thoughts. Sleep kept you in her arms most of the time - the cold making you shiver and burning whatever small amount of energy you had. You were losing touch with what you were - who you were. Nothing felt real.
Luckily, the violence stopped. They were probably coming to the conclusion you were telling the truth.They even questioned you less and less, which you were more than happy with. Just let you wither away in peace.
At this point, the pain was just as normal as breathing. You stayed in one place, moving causing too much ache and hurt. You spent your time just laying on the floor, only moving to eat, then sleeping. Thatâs all you could do. Even thinking spent too much energy.
The door opened. You werenât sure how long it had been since the last time it opened. Couldâve been hours, couldâve been days. You were faced away from the door.
âGet up.â
Slowly, painfully, you turned around. You just glared at the man you had come to know...sort of. You still didnât know his name, not that you wanted to. He definitely wasnât as harsh as when you first met each other. Maybe this bonding over beating you made him soft. Maybe treating you the way he did and realizing you were innocent in all of this was getting to him. This whole situation was ridiculous.Â
He looked at you for a long moment before he shook his head with a sigh. He walked over, grabbing you by the arm and yanking you up. The sudden movement was enough to wake your entire body, filling it with fire. You closed your eyes and bit the insides of your cheeks to keep from crying and shouting. You wouldnât give them the satisfaction.
Another knight you had seen in the background a couple times came to grab your other arm, both of them easily lifting you off the floor. You had dropped down to an extremely concerning weight, unable to have proper nutrition and hydration. The fact you were still alive was surprising to even you.
They dragged you up some stairs, down long corridors. Were they taking you to your execution? You were innocent though. Maybe they had to rid themselves of the evidence of torturing an innocent person. Though, you werenât sure how this kingdom was. Maybe their ruler was known for being cruel.Â
You let yourself be dragged around like a ragdoll, your head bobbing to and fro, unable to even muster up enough strength to hold it up.
The three of you went through a set of large, ornate double doors. You were dragged down the long room before tossed on the ground. You laid there for a moment before slowly rising up to at least a sitting position and looking forward. You blinked a few times, trying to clear your vision.
Before you sat the king of the neighboring kingdom and his daughter, their princess.
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