Original subtitles

I dreamed I'd be kidnapped by the most ruthless mob queen in the country and

kept as her own private plaything.

One night, I went to sleep dreaming about my fairytale royal wedding just

weeks away. When I woke again, I was tied up in the back of a car.

Where the hell are you taking me?

Do you have any idea who I am?

I kicked the back of the driver's seat as hard as I could, but the woman at the

wheel just stared ahead, answering none of my questions.

i turned to the window endless rolling hills i had never been to this place

before my heart sank lower and lower after what felt like forever the car

finally stopped two guards hauled me into a grand hall and there she was

standing against the florida cleeling glass like a shadow deadly flawless cold

as ice at the sound of footsteps she turned and raised her gaze to me welcome

to sicily princess that cold beautiful face broke into a dangerous smile i

froze i knew her At a private party a week ago, my fiancé had introduced her

as the head of the Italian mafia.

When our eyes met back then, she'd given me a polite little nod.

I had taken it for courtesy.

What I never imagined was that she'd dare kidnap me. I forced myself to stay

calm. I was the future princess. She wouldn't dare do anything to me.

Starting today, you are my fiancé.

Fiancé? My head snapped up.

Are you out of your fucking mind? I don't swing that way!

I already have a fiancé. I'm marrying a prince in three weeks!

I screamed at the top of my limbs. You think you can just snatch me off the

street?

Let me go, or my fiancé will have your whole damn empire burned to the ground!

But her expression stayed perfectly calm.

Let him try.

This is Sicily, sweetheart.

Here, I am the law.

I followed her gaze.

My passport lay shredded on the table. Beside it was a newspaper whose front

-page headline read, The Royal House Reaches a Cooperation Agreement with the

Seals Islian Mafia. I began to tremble, helpless to stop it.

This was no kidnapping.

This was a deal that had been set in motion long before I ever fell asleep.

He sold me?

To pay off his debts?

I crushed the newspaper in my grip. The man who had sworn to love me forever had

handed me to a devil to save his own skin.

I flung the newspaper to the floor and lifted my head, staring coldly back at

her.

So what?

You think that makes me yours?

I'd rather die than play your little wife.

Stella's smile faded a little at a time, her gaze turning dark as it settled on

me. This was her territory, and there was no one on my side. Fighting her head

-on was suicide, but I wasn't going down without a fight, so I put on my best,

sweetest fake smile.

Relax, I'm only teasing.

She seized my wrist with terrifying strength, her fingers locking around it

like iron. Watch your mouth before I lose my patience.

She dragged me down the gallery without a backward glance.

Tall arched doors swung open onto a long table set for dinner. The table was

loaded with heavy Italian food. Grilled squid, hard bread, dark wine.

None of it fit for a royal paddock. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Stella

pulled me down into the seat beside her. I rubbed my aching wrist and shot her a

venomous glare.

She picked up her knife and went on calmly carving the grilled squid. I

didn't touch my silverware. I just crossed my arms. She watched.

Impressive knife skills.

You really know how to serve. So young to be running an empire.

She shoved

the chair back.

Grabbed my throat.

and pinned me flat against the table. I couldn't breathe.

Spots danced across my eyes. With the last bit of strength in my fingers, I

grabbed a steak knife off the linen and pressed the blade right against her

corrodial artery.

At the same moment, every bodyguard in the room drew their guns.

Dark muzzles aimed dead at me. Her grip didn't ease, and she didn't retreat a

single step.

I own your family now.

Squeeze one more insult past those lips, and I snap your neck.

My hand froze.

cold sweat beating between my fingers.

She was right. Slowly, I raised both hands, set down the knife, and put on my

most innocent expression.

Can't take another joke?

Fine.

I fold.

She stared at me, let out a cold laugh, and finally released me. I coughed,

clutching my throat.

The next moment, a document landed on the table in front of me. I didn't want

to look, but my eyes were drawn to the title anyway. A fake marriage contract?

I stared down at that contract, my confusion growing by the second. If it

was only a fake marriage, why had she gone to such trouble to drag me all the

way to Sicily? A fake marriage?

Cut the game, Stella.

What are you actually after?

Stella sat back down, leaned against her chair, and swirled the wine in her

glass.

You really don't know anything?

I frowned.

Stella tilt her head back and drank, the deep red wine staining her lips.

Our two families share a long history of marriage alliance.

My mind went blank. No one had ever told me anything about this.

I've met your brothers.

One's an idiot, one's an entitled brat, and the third nearly pissed himself at

the sound of a gun. By comparison, you're at least far prettier than they

are, Princess.

The room was so quiet I could hear the wax dripping from the candelab.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She had kidnapped me all the way to Sicily over a reason this absurd.

But if she thought of me as just a pretty decoration, that was my

advantage. I deliberately got up, stepped around my chair, and perched on

the arm of her seat.

She looked up, intrigued. I traced a finger down her sharp cheekbone. Up

close, her dark eyes didn't even blink.

She was just watching me like a predator, letting its prey think it has

the upper hand.

Prettier than them?

Her hand slid along my waist and gave a gentle tug, pulling me closer until I

leaned in beside her ear. At least you've got good taste.

She let out a soft laugh, part curiosity, part provocation.

Good. I like my toys with a little bite.

After dinner, I returned to my room, shut the door, and immediately started

plotting my escape. Two guards stood outside my door, both women, both

clearly well-trained. If forcing my way out wouldn't work, maybe I could try

another method.

I was straight as an arrow, but survival came first.

I quickly tidied my hair, deliberately undid a few buttons at my chest, and

walked out of the room. The female guards stared at me, expressionless.

I leaned lazily against the doorframe.

and began playing with the hair of one of them. Must be boring out here.

Such pretty girls playing guard dogs.

I stepped close, adjusting her tie with a slow, lingering touch.

She stiffened, hand instinctively twitching toward her holster. But her

eyes dropped to my exposed colivone.

It gets cold in that room all by myself.

Why don't you come inside, I'd and keep company? Before I could finish, a hand

clamped down on my shoulder. I gasped in surprise as I was spun around. Stella

stood there, her face dark, cold fury smoldering behind her eyes. What are you

doing?

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me, stumbling into the room. I lost my

balance and tumbled onto the soft bed.

I was trapped beneath her, sealed against the mattress by the full,

suffocating weight of her presence.

Up close, she wasn't just beautiful.

She was a predator ready to tear me apart.

Her lips, dark with red wine, hovered barely an inch from mine, desperate

enough to spread your legs for anyone with a key.

Rage surged through me in an instant.

What business is it of yours?

You don't own me, Stella.

You're not my keeper, and you're damn sure not my lover.

Something snapped behind her dark eyes. The faint trace of patience vanished.

replaced by a cold, feral hunger.

I've been far too gentle with you, Catherine.

Before I could scream, Stella gripped both of my wrists in one iron hand and

pinned them morselessly above my head. The violent sound of tearing silk echoed

through the bedroom as her other hand yanked my dress downward.

Cold air hit my bare chest and shoulders.

I gasped, arching upward in pure panic, every nerve screaming in revel.

Stella leaned down, her knee driving between my thighs to crush any hope of

struggle. Her fingers dug hard into my jaw, tilting my head back until our

breaths violently collided. If you're that eager to be touched, let me show

you who you actually belong to.

She leaned in closer and closer, about to kiss me. But in the next second, a

deafening explosion hit from outside the estates. The whole house shoved

violently. Paintings swung against the walls. Windows burst open in an instant.

And glass shards flew into the room on a wave of sheer force. Before I could even

react, the woman before me spun and hauled me into her arms.

I could feel her faint scent and the wild pounding of her heart. Bullets tore

through the glass and shrapnel exploded against the walls.

I squeezed my eyes shut, smothering the scream in my throat. Stella rose in a

crouch and grabbed my hand. Stay close to me.

The corridor had already dissolved into chaos.

Bodyguards fought fiercely, gunfire ringing out without pause.

The once quiet, lovish estate had become a brutal battlefield in an instant.

I ran after her, broken glass crunching beneath my feet.

She pulled me into a cramped storage room that no one had noticed.

I gasped for breath, sinking down against a dust-covered shelf.

Stella stayed alert, watching our surroundings, until I noticed her suit

sleeve was soaked through with blood.

You're bleeding!

She glanced down at it, as if she couldn't feel the pain, her face still

calm. Just a scratch.

I stared at the blood at a loss for words.

She could easily have fled on her own, yet she had been hurt protecting me.

Looking at her arms still seeping blood, I felt something explicable rise in my

chest.

my gaze kept drifting to her face for some reason she seemed so familiar not

from that brief encounter at the banquet but from somewhere much further back

long ago as if possessed i reached out let me see your wound she snatched her

arm away her voice cold no need It won't kill me. My hand hung frozen in math

air. Staring at her frigid expression, I felt like all my goodwill had been

thrown to the dogs. My face darkened and I yanked my hand back. Who said I care

about you anyway?

I tried to get up, but another explosion sounded outside.

The shockwave slamming into the walls. My legs gave out and I fell against

Stella. Stella raised an eyebrow and caught me around the waist.

Is that so?

Then why are you throwing yourself into my arms? I had collapsed against her, my

palm braced on her shoulder. I tried to push her away, but she didn't let go,

keeping a steady hold on my waist. Let go of me! We were too close, close

enough to smell the faint scent of blood on her, close enough to see my own

reflection in her eyes. A silence that was too quiet settled between us. She

lifted a hand to the norp of my neck and bent towards me.

Her hand rested on the nape of my neck, her fingertips warm against my skin, her

touch restrained and gentle.

she was about to kiss me again and i instinctively closed my eyes but just

then hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door my eyes flew open i

shoved stella away and scrambled back a couple of steps she recovered her

composure in an instant glanced at me and rose to open the door The underling

stood outside, blood on his face, her expression grim.

We found the man who sewed out the estate's location.

Stella's eyes went cold in an instant. Where is he? The underhing didn't answer

right away. She only shot me a look of pure fury, and my heart tightened for

reasons I couldn't name.

Stella gave a slight nod. A dust-covered man with his hands bound his back was

thrown to the floor at her feet. He raised his head and met my eyes. I

choked back, the gasp rising in my throat.

It was the bodyguard who had been at my side since I was a child.

Stella turned to look at me.

One of yours?

Do with him what you will. She nodded, and the underlings took him away.

The wreckage at the entrance had already been cleaned up. I brushed past Stella,

strode back to my room as if nothing had happened, and walked in the bathroom.

Hot water poured over my head, slowly driving the chill from my body. I closed

my eyes, but my thoughts wouldn't stop.

Why did the one I trusted most have to betray me?

And why was the one protecting me the one I hated most?

Stella's face kept flashing through my mind, her beautiful eyes when she leaned

close, and the kiss that had almost fallen.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to stop thinking.

But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

Someone was in my room, someone who hadn't been there before.

Stella was sitting on my bed in her pajamas.

What are you doing in my room? She didn't get up, only raised her eyes to

me, protecting you. Her tone was so matter-of-fact that I nearly laughed in

anger. Have you forgotten?

We're only in a fake marriage. There are no feelings between us. Besides,

everyone on this estate belongs to you. What is there to protect me from? She

looked at me, a hint of a smile in her eyes. Perhaps there are other traitors

on this estate that even I don't know about.

Her voice was calm, but it left no room for argument.

The images from the explosion flashed through my mind again. The shattered

glass, the chaos of gunfire, the body she had put between me and death. I

pressed my lips together, walked to the bed.

pulled most of the blanket over to my side, and pointed at the middle of the

mattress. Fine, but you're not allowed to cross this line.

She followed my gaze, said nothing, and lay down. I was too restless to sleep.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Stella was awake too, quietly staring at

the ceiling. I couldn't help speaking.

Is it like this every day for you?

Like what?

Always someone out to kill you.

In the darkness, she let out a soft laugh.

Scared? I'll protect you.

For reasons I couldn't explain, I believed her. I was no longer afraid of

being alone with her. In fact, beside her, I felt more at ease.

I starred myself with that thought, and my eyes flow open. I turned over, trying

to hide my agitation, and my lips collided with something.

Warm, soft, carrying a woman's faint, delicate scent. I froze, staring into

Stella's eyes. She didn't pull away. In the dim room, we were close enough to

count each other's lashes. The line I had sworn to uphold.

One of us had already crossed it without a sound.

My lips were still pressed to hers, but my mind was a complete mess.

The next second, I sprang away from her and nearly cracked my head on the

headboard. Um, I just, it was an accident.

I stammered out a feeble explanation and harried my face in my pillow, not daring

to look at her again.

The bed's not that big. It happens.

A faint smile lingered at the corner of her mouth, and then she fell silent. The

quiet in the room only made it more awkward. I grabbed the water glass by

the bed, then realized that drinking right now would look far too deliberate,

and set it back down. I stole a glance at her. She lay there peacefully, eyes

closed, seeming about to drift off, but the corners of her mouth were still

lifted, giving her away. I looked away at once.

What was she smiling about?

Did she think I'd been ridiculous just now? I closed my eyes, but the scene

from moments ago simply wouldn't fade. Her lips had been so soft, a feeling I'd

never once imagined. I could still remember the way she'd looked at me in

that instant.

What was I even thinking?

It had only been an accident. I told myself that, but the harder I tried not

to think about it, the sharper that kiss became.

Stella was fast asleep, breathing in slow, even rhythm.

I couldn't resist stealing one more look at her.

I was the one who had pulled away first, and yet I was the one who cared the

most.

When I woke the next morning and walked out of my room, I caught a familiar

scent. On the long dining table sat golden honey pancakes, cream, and the

jam I'd loved as a child. Even the plating looked like home. I stood rooted

to the spot.

stella was already there quietly eating her own breakfast still those few slices

of dry bread and a cup of black coffee so plain it looked like she was going

through a required routine i pulled out the chair beside her and took a bite of

the honey pancake the familiar sweetness spread across my tongue and the tension

in my chest loosened a little i turned to look at her She was still chewing her

bread, acknowledging me only with a slight nod. The accidental kiss from

last night came back to me and my ears grew hot for no reason. As if possessed,

I cut off a piece of pancake and set it on her plate. The taste of my hometown.

Wanna try?

She looked a little surprised, studying the soft pancake on her plate, before

cutting off a small piece and bringing it to her mouth. Too sweet. I watched

her. She clearly didn't like it, yet she still swallowed it slowly.

I couldn't hold back a laugh. It doesn't hurt to try new things now and then. It

was the first time I'd felt truly at ease since arriving in Sicily. Stella

watched me, and the corners of her lips- lifted gently to. But just then,

footsteps sounded from the doorway again, and an underling hurried in with

a grave expression.

Boss, everything is ready.

Stella nodded.

I looked at her, baffled.

What are you talking about?

I was about to ask when Stella set down her knife and fork and dabbed a crumb

from the corner of her mouth. Keep eating.

I'm going out to handle something.

She followed the underlick out of the dining room. I hurriedly ate a few more

bites of pancake and slipped after her. I hugged the corridor walls, dodging the

underlings coming and going until I reached the estate's stables.

A crowd stood gathering at the edge of the yard.

Stella stood in the center.

In front of her knelted a dishambled figure, hands bound behind his back,

slumped onto the ground. That was the bodyguard who had betrayed us yesterday,

the man I had once trusted most.

Stella stood over him, gun in hand, her face cold.

A startled cry escaped me before I could stop it. The bodyguard heard it. His

face twisted in pain as he raised his head toward me.

Miss Catherine!

He shouted my name. Stella's gaze followed his to me, and she spoke

calmly. You're here.

She didn't scold me or order me away. I walked to her side, and she suddenly

held the gun out to me.

He's your man.

You decide.

When the gun settled in my hand... Its weight was heavier than I'd expected,

and my fingertips trembled.

Memories rose unbidden. He had protected me as I grew up, stood beside me at

every event.

I had always believed that no matter what happened, he would be the one

behind me. But in the end, he had betrayed me too. My fingers slowly

tightened, yet I never found the courage to squeeze the trigger.

Let him go. I lowered my hand and gave the gun back to her.

The yard was dead silent.

Everyone watched me, as if waiting for Stella to explode. But she said nothing

at all. She only waved a hand at her men.

Then let him go.

The bodyguard was taken away quickly.

I watched his figure vanish at the edge of the estate, but I didn't feel the

relief I'd expected.

I'd thought Stella would be displeased by my softness.

Instead, she simply took the gun from my hand, her expression unchanged.

If you don't want to kill, that's fine. Come with me.

She led me out of the yard, walking so fast I had to nearly jog to keep up.

Behind the estate lay a training ground, an open space lined with shooting

targets, wooden posts, and training equipment.

A few undermins stood far off to the side, no one speaking.

Stella pressed the gun back into my hand. I raised an eyebrow.

What's this for? You don't have to kill, but you do have to learn to protect

yourself. She took my wrist, her palm covering the back of my hand, and slowly

raised the muzzle toward the target ahead.

Her warmth seeped through the thin fabric of my clothes.

I stiffened for no reason and forced myself to stay composed.

I'm a noblewoman. Do I really need to learn this?

She let out a soft laugh, almost like a sigh.

Your title won't protect you forever.

She was close now, her voice right at my ear. Her hair tickled my skin, and I

couldn't help tilting my head only to realize my back had settled against her

chest. Stella's voice dropped low. Keep your eyes on the target.

The gunshot slammed to my eardrums. The cold metal was heavier than I'd

imagined, and the gun nearly jumped out of my hand.

I cried out and let go on instinct.

Stella caught my shoulder, her other hand closing over mine again.

Hold it tight.

Her palm pressed firmly over my hand with unyielding strength, steadying the

runaway gun. She stood behind me, her breath grazing my ear, and I could feel

the vibration in her chest when she spoke.

Aim again. I forced myself to look up once more, but my wrist was numb from

the recoil, my ears still ringing, my head spinning.

I'm scared. I can't learn this. I stared at the quiet target in the distance,

afraid that one day a living person would stand where it did.

The hand gripping the gun trembled.

Stella's voice held no pity whatsoever.

If you want to live, you have to learn. She was too calm.

It struck me that I had never truly considered what she had been through all

these years. For a young woman to rise to the top of the mob, how many gun

muzzles had she dodged? How many betrayals and brushes with death had she

survived? Perhaps she had been afraid once.

But now she stood behind me, holding my hand, teaching me how to truly survive.

The woman everyone feared might not have been born unbreakable. She had simply

learned to be strong earlier than anyone else.

After training, I followed Stella back to the villa.

Just inside the main hall, an underhand came up and handed her a gold-impossed

invitation.

She glanced at it, frowned slightly, and passed it to me.

I opened the cover, and there it was.

My family name. My family was inviting the two of us to attend a banquet

together. I stared at the familiar signature, and the emotions I had only

just calmed began to surge again.

Stella leaned against the table, her expression unreadimable. Do you want to

go? Her tone gave nothing away, but there was a faint hint of disapproval in

her face. I frowned in confusion.

It's a banquet hosted by my own family. Why wouldn't I go? She studied me for a

long moment, like someone who had no choice but to spell it out. Your former

fiancé will be in attendance as well.

I froze.

How could I have forgotten him, my former fiancé, the man who had once

sworn to love me forever?

I lifted my chin, my smile turning cold. Of course I'll go. After all, he and I

still have things to settle. Stella didn't try to talk me out of it, nor did

she press for answers.

She only nodded slightly, and a strange sense of loss washed over me for no

reason.

Even she would consider my feelings, while the people who claimed to love me

could sell me out so easily, all in the name of some noble-sounding excuse.

A stylist arrived at the villa with several assistants to prepare gowns for

me and Stella.

I sat before the mirror as the stylist arranged my hair.

Behind me, Stella had already changed into her gown and stood quietly at a

distance. I picked up a gemstone necklace and fastened it around my neck,

but the chain tangled in my hair. I reached up to pull it free and only made

it worse.

The stylist moved to help, but Stella gave a slight wave of her hand.

I'll do it.

At the vanity, she stood behind me, her fingers combing through my hair,

patiently working each caught strand loose.

Her touch was gentle and unharried, and the callers on her fingertips grazed the

back of my neck, sending a faint shiver across my skin. My ears grew hot without

my permission.

I cleared my throat.

Didn't know you could be this attentive.

Stella didn't answer, simply continuing to work through my hair.

Once the strands were free, she smoothed my hair back over my shoulder.

All done.

Her fingertips brushed the side of my neck, and I shrunk away on instinct.

She stood behind me, watching me in the mirror.

And in that moment, her gaze was different from usual.

Quiet. Probing at something I couldn't understand. A flicker of pride rose in

me, and I lifted my chin.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

My mother gave me this necklace when I was ten.

She made a faint, barely audible sound of acknowledgement.

A slight frown creased in her brow. It's lovely. Have you ever- She trailed off,

as if mocking herself.

Never mind, it couldn't be you. Her behavior was strange, but I shrugged and

didn't press. What I didn't know was that Stella's savior had once worn a

necklace just like this one, and she had spent ten years searching for that

person.

In the ballroom, familiar music and the click of glasses closed in around me

once more.

Stella and I walked in arm in arm, and I spotted my old friend Charlotte.

I instinctively moved toward her.

She was the first familiar face I'd seen since leaving the kingdom.

And I'd already rehearsed how I would explain everything.

But before I could speak, my steps faulted. She was hanging on the arm of

my fiancé, Kevin. Their intimacy so natural, it made my heart sink. My smile

froze on my face. She noticed my gaze, and the look she gave me held none of

the old warmth.

Well, well.

Look who's here.

If it isn't Catherine.

Long time no see, Charlotte.

What's going on between you and Kevin?

I waited for her to explain.

To tell me that what I was seeing wasn't what I thought.

What's going on? As you can see, Kevin and I are getting engaged next month. I

strode up to them, unable to hold back my shout.

What do you mean?

I've always treated you as my best friend. Friend?

I wouldn't say that.

Did you really think I enjoyed those boring little games with you and going

to those dull parties?

I did it all for Kevin.

I love him.

Far more than you ever did. And now you've even thrown away your noble

status to run around with some mob woman. Her gaze slid past me to Stella,

who was raising a glass with someone across the room.

You're pathetic.

Every word struck my ears like needles.

I stared at the familiar face before me, remembering the years we'd grown up

together, the balls we'd attended, the secrets we'd shared. It had all been for

profit. Only I had taken it to heart.

I swallowed my fury and turned to Kevin. He stayed silent, as if none of it

concerned him. I need to talk to you. Charlotte didn't release his arm, just

stood there watching the show. I pressed on. Why did you send me to Sicily? You

promised to marry me?

And then you handed me to someone else?

Charlotte let out a shrill, piercing laugh that made the whole scene

unbearable. Whispers broke out around us. My hand tightened around my wine

class. Kevin still wouldn't speak.

I had reached the end of my patience.

Cat got your tongue?

In that moment, I suddenly felt ridiculous.

How many proposals had I refused for his sake?

How much had I given up to become his wife? And now he wouldn't even admit

he'd once loved me. I held back my tears, and just then, the crowd fell

silent. The next second, a hand... reached out and closed firmly around

mine stella stood at my side her face cold as she looked at kevin my fiance is

speaking to you didn't you hear i blinked and looked up at stella Her

expression stayed calm, but her palm was warm, holding my hand tight, as if

lending me her strength. My heart lurched violently.

I thought of every day I'd spent in Sicily since my arrival. She had never

once treated me like a thing to be traded. She taught me to protect myself,

but she had never forced me to do anything.

I looked down at our joined hands and squeezed hers back.

On the way back, I leaned against the car window, my heart still unsettled.

The warmth of Stella's hand seemed to linger in my palm.

All the sneers and whispers had stopped mattering the moment Stella stepped in

behind me.

When she took my hand and declared our relationship to the room, that feeling

wasn't half bad.

I couldn't help the curve of my lips, then deliberately pressed it flat again.

How strange.

When had I started caring about her this much?

Cicely was silent under the night sky.

Stella sat beside me, quietly working through her papers.

I leaned over, curious, but just as I opened my mouth, a thunderous roar

erupted outside the car.

The whole car lunged violently.

Before I could react, the vehicle ahead was flipped into the air by a wall of

fire. I ducked and covered my head on instinct.

Dense gunfire erupted outside the windows, bullets hammering the car.

Stella grabbed me and hauled me into her arms, shielding me with her body. I

huddled against her as gunfire and explosions pounded my ears, my heart

nearly leaping out of my chest.

Glass flew past the shattered windows, and she raised a hand to guard the back

of my head.

I clung to her clothes with all my strength.

Stay here.

I froze for a second.

Stella flung open the door and walked into the hail of bullets.

I couldn't follow her in time.

The gunfire outside the door still raged when the one behind me was yanked open,

a hand clamped over my mouth, and before I could even struggle, my body was

dragged out of the back seat.

Stella heard the noise and spun around, but the car was empty. She stood still.

Her gaze darkening.

Catherine?

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar room.

My wrists weren't bound, but every door and window was locked tight.

I pushed myself up on the bed, my head still swimming from the explosion.

The lock turned and in walked the last person I expected.

Kevin? He shut the door and strode toward me quickly.

still wearing that gentle expression from the old days.

Catherine, are you all right? He reached out to touch my face.

I turned my head away at once and shoved him back hard.

Don't touch me!

He stumbled back a step, as if he hadn't expected that from me. I looked at him

and felt only disgust. He was already with Charlotte, and now he came to me

playing the devoted lover. Kevin tried to explain.

Charlotte and I are just a stop-up.

The one I've always truly loved is you.

I didn't believe a word of it. I only wanted to see how much longer he could

keep up the act.

Don't worry.

Once I've dealt with Stella, I'll come and take you home.

The wedding will go ahead as planned.

You'll still be my princess.

I looked up, shaking with fury and disbelief.

What are you going to do to Stella?

Kevin stayed where he was, as if he'd finally lost the patience to keep up the

pretense. He tugged at his collar, his expression turning cold.

You think I really needed that money from the mob?

I stared at him, baffled. The Sicilian syndicate too powerful.

In recent years, it's become a threat to the royal family. I needed an excuse to

start a war.

Say, a mob boss kidnapping the prince's fiancée. As for you, you were just a

convenient way to buy time.

A chill ran through my body, and I finally understood what it all meant.

From my kidnapping, to last night's attack, from start to finish, I had only

ever been a pawn in his plan.

Even my marriage was his excuse for war.

I looked at the man I had once believed I could trust with my life, and he felt

like a stranger.

You're insane. I couldn't bear another second in the same room as him, my voice

trembling with rage.

Let me out of here.

I'm going to find Stella.

Kevin looked at me and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

You've really fallen for that mob woman?

He narrowed his eyes, watching for my reaction, then deliberately stepped

closer. You can't seriously want to spend the rest of your life with her.

I looked at his face, and all I felt was revulsion.

Whether I love her is none of your business.

I lifted my head and met his gaze squarely. Even if I did fall for her, it

has nothing to do with you.

Because I will never love you again.

Kevin's face stiffened for an instant.

All warmth draining from his smile.

You think you mean anything to her?

A bargaining, Chim.

A transaction.

A tool to keep your family in check.

You're nothing.

I knew he was trying to drive a wedge between us.

But I couldn't stop the doubt from taking root.

She taught me to shoot because I needed to defend myself.

She held my hand in public.

Perhaps only to keep up the appearance of a fiancé. But then why, at the

banquet?

Had I felt so safe the moment she stood beside me?

The more I thought, the more restless I grew.

My chest was tight with something I couldn't name.

Get out!

Kevin left, slamming the door hard behind him. The world finally fell

quiet. I stood where I was, breathing hard, slowly calming down.

I pulled the handgun Stella had given me out of my bag and gripped it in my palm.

I decided I wasn't going to wait for anyone to save me.

I would go and find her myself.

I fled back to the estate, nearly out of strength. The roads were terrifyingly

quiet under the night sky.

I didn't dare look back, pushing forward on memory alone, and only when the

estate gates finally came into view did I let out a breath. I dragged my

exhausted body upstairs and into Stella's room.

The lights were off.

everything was as tidy as when she'd left it i sat on the edge of the bed and

spotted a familiar handkerchief on the nightstand the silk had lost its lustre

long ago yet it was still soft to the touch stained with a spot of blood that

would never wash clean i stared at it and a childhood memory surfaced that my

birthday party ten years ago i had met a wounded little girl She'd been playing

in the garden when a branch scraped her arm, and she grit her teeth, refusing to

cry. I cleaned her wound with my own handkerchief and gave it to her. It was

exactly like this one.

I shot to my feet, staring around the room in disbelief. Could that little

girl have been Stella? I looked down at the handkerchief, and the scene from the

banquet surfaced again, the first time we'd met, and those eyes that had always

seemed familiar. So it hadn't been my imagination.

We had met long before all of this.

I clutched the old handkerchief, desperate to find Stella at once. If

that little girl really was her, I had so much I wanted to ask.

I stumbled out of the room and stopped an underling in the corridor.

Where's Stella? The underling answered without expression.

Boss thought you weren't coming back, so she's planning a marriage alliance with

another princess of the royal family.

A winery on the outskirts.

I nodded and turned to head downstairs.

I didn't know what answer I wanted from her.

I only knew that right now, I desperately wanted to see her.

By the time I reached the winery, it was fully dark. Several black cars were

parked outside the tall iron gate.

I hurried forward, but two royal guards blocked my way before I could enter. I'm

here to see Stella.

The guard laughed.

You still think you're the princess, free to come and go on royal land?

I clenched my fists.

holding back my anger. Princess or not, I'm still a noble woman. Get out of my

way! The guard's face darkened as he looked me over with contempt.

I didn't back down an inch. Just then, a massive explosion tore through the

winery from within.

The entire iron gate shickered, and flames burst from the distant windows.

The shockwave knocked me to the ground. I stared in disbelief as the winery

turned into a sea of fire before my eyes, and Stel was still inside.

I scrambled up and charged into the winery like a mad woman. Smoke poured

from the depths of the hall and broken glass covered the floor. I ran on,

stepping through the debris. I was almost through the doorway when a pair

of arms shot out from behind me and caught me around the waist.

The arms were impossibly strong, and I couldn't break free. Then a familiar

voice sounded behind me. Catherine!

I went completely still, turning my head slowly, and there she was, the woman I'd

been aching to see. Stella's suit was covered in dust, and her hair was a

mess, but her eyes were bright. She stood there alive before me, her face

frighteningly dark.

It's exploding in there!

Are you out of your mind?

She dragged me away from the fire. I tried to argue, but my throat was choked

with smoke, and I coughed violently instead.

Tears streamed down-

I was so scared you'd die in there!

our lips pressed together and i could taste the lingering heat and smoke of

the fire stella lowered her head her palm sliding from my cheek to the nape

of my neck her fingers threading through my hair the faint smell of gunpowder

still clinging to her seeped into my breath grazing my lips before being

caught in a kiss that turned tender our foreheads rested together as we savored

the relief of having survived

Her kiss deepened until I couldn't breathe. I patted her back lightly and

heard her give a muffled grunt. My fingers found cold, wet blood. My mind

went blank, and I snatched my hand back. She tried to pull away on instinct, but

I caught her hand first and pushed aside her dust-covered jacket.

Her body was covered in wounds.

Some were still seizing blood. I stared at them, my brow falling deeper and

deeper. Without a word, I took the old handkitch from my pocket and wiped the

dust from around her wounds. This time, she didn't pull away. Her gaze landed-

on the handkerchief, and her whole body went rigid. She seized my wrist.

This... Where did you get this?

I looked up at her, serious. It was always mine. I gave it to you ten years

ago. I flashed a triumphant smile.

Stella stared at me, as if she hadn't yet taken in my words.

After a long moment, she looked down at the old handkerchief in her hand and

smiled. A rare sight.

The memories of ten years ago burst open like a floodgate, the little girl

covered in wounds, huddled in a corner, and the woman before me now, overlapping

into one. I thought I'd grown strong.

And yet today, you saved me again.

My smile only grew brighter.

But you've saved me plenty of times, too.

When the estate exploded, when everyone around me smeared, we smiled at each

other and walked out of the winery.

But we hadn't gone far when a familiar figure appeared ahead of us.

Catherine. I stopped.

He looked at me with an arrogant smile.

Leave her now and come with me. You can still be the future princess.

Our engagement still stands.

I found it absurd. I stepped back behind Stella, who raised her gun with icy

calm.

Move.

Or die.

Kevin was unconcerned, clearly not believing she would actually dare to

shoot.

You wouldn't dare kill me.

I'm a prince.

Before he could finish, Stella's gun went off first.

A bullet hole bloomed in the middle of his forehead, and Kevin fell, shock

frozen on his face. Stella blew the smoke from her muzzle. She turned to

look at me, the corner of her mouth curving up.

That's the thing about the mob.

We don't play by your rules.

She held her hand out to me.

So?

Care to be my accomplice?

I looked at the hand she offered, remembering the day I first arrived in

Sicily.

Back then, I thought she was a bloodthirsty devil. Now, I didn't

hesitate for a single second. I gripped her hand firmly.

Of course.

She smiled, easy and at peace.

In that moment, I finally understood.

I was no longer a bargaining chart to be traded for profit, and she was no longer

the mob queen standing alone. Neither of us had to prove our choices to anyone

anymore.

From now on, we would always stand behind each other.

The firelight lit Stella's eyes, and I watched her as the tightness in my chest

slowly dissolved.

The doubts Kevin had planted, the fear of being locked in that strange room,

the panic I hadn't dared admit as I raced here, all of it finally had an

answer. She lowered her head and kissed me again, this time.

I didn't pull away.

I raised my hands to her shoulders, her arms tightened, pulling me securely into

her embrace.

I tilted my chin up and deepened the kiss myself.

Stella pressed her forehead to mine, breathing low, a smile on her lips. This

time, it wasn't an accident.

I couldn't help laughing.

Her men soon arrived to escort us back, and we returned to the villa. Neither of

us brought the things that no longer mattered. The moment the door closed, I

threw my arms around her.

Stella seemed to startle for a second, then wrapped her arms around my waist,

and we tumbled onto the bed together. We could hear each other's heartbeats and

feel each other's breath.

Nothing in this world could tear us apart again.

The next morning, I woke in warm sunlight.

It filtered through the sheer curtains, falling across the foot of the bed and

onto the face of the woman sleeping beside me. Stella lay nighately at my

side, her features softer than usual. I turned to look at her. As if sensing my

gaze, she opened her eyes, leaned in slowly, and pressed a gentle kiss to my

forehead. I savored the peace and quiet, thinking once more of the day I'd

arrived in Sicily.

Back then, watching the unfamiliar coast and hills pass beyond the car window,

I'd believed I had lost my freedom forever.

I never imagined that it was here, of all places, that I would find true

freedom. Stella spoke softly, her voice still husky with sleep.

When should we have the wedding? I smiled and nodded.

Anytime. The engagements, the titles, and the so-called family duties that had

once bound me, all belonged to the past.

I no longer had to run, and I no longer had to be on my guard. I finally

understood that my true home was never that palace.

It was wherever someone was willing to hold my hand and willing to let me

choose to stay.

By her side.