PAST

Rose fiddled with the strap of her backpack, being terrified of the castle grounds. She felt it was a maze and if she got lost she might disappear with a poof. Earlier being surrounded by her best friend she never noticed how scary can this castle could be if one lost their way. The anxiousness on her face was evident and it looked as if she was going to meltdown before a meek 'hello' left her mouth.

The mafia prince was raged, not only the little devil did not come but also left him to take care of god knows which spoiled child of a forsaken clan.

He of course had known about Aurora's best friend but could not help and think that no one was worthy enough to get closer to his precious sister. His entire life has been spent among these clans and he had never met a person who was devoid of greed, they wished for something or the other from him and it might be the same for Aurora yet since his parents approved he too had somewhat of a much better view of this 'best friend' than others.

The angry steps caused Rose to stiffen and look up at the balcony to see the man in complete black with dark ripped jeans and a shirt that was folded up to his biceps only to contract around it making her face flustered like a peach.

ARES

Aurora's brother

Mafia Prince

The person whose picture was shown to every clan to let them know the hierarchy of the rulers but that was not the only picture she had seen of his, not the only side she was made aware of.

He was a god.....her crush.

Before Rose realize that the man she was watching was not a mirage and could cry from nervousness, stormy irises locked with her warm honey ones and the steps halted making her freeze.

Real

He was infront of her.

He saw her...

Ares looked at the girl who he was sure was no older than thirteen, clutching her belongings close like a timid rabbit watching a scene unfold yet being hauntingly unaware of her charm and aura. She was adorable with wide fearful eyes that had a tinge of excitement, she was an angel.

A precious doll

It was like the air got knocked out of his lungs and he was left breathless when she took a step back as he slowly receded down the steps in a haze. The flowery dress made her look like a Disney princess that came straight out of a fairytale. Those tales of elves and fairies all coming to life.

She looked anywhere but at him when he walked toward her, his head bending down to look at her opalescent eyes which now watched his every step keenly. Ares could not tell why but he felt a sudden tinge of pain in his heart, such a precious person, and how come he thought bad of her.

"What is your name doll?" warmth spread bursting in each pore all the while filling it with a sugary sweet feeling when the frail princess relished in the deep voice of Ares.

He gently took her suitcases in one hand while the other palm left feathery touch on hers as he took her small palm leading her into the castle.

"Rose" she whispered biting her teeth into the red flesh of her supple lips, the man said absolutely nothing but smiled as his eyes twinkled.

The hallways were long and well furnished with high almighty ceilings, chandeliers pouring out light, they stopped infront of a door carved with turquoise flowers patterns.

"This will be your room princess, once you get settled down, please come to my room, we need to have a very important discussion." Ares pointed to the door beside her, indicating that it was his personal suite and the matter was serious.

Was it?

______________________________________

"Not to scare you Rose but you have broken the rules of the palace, even if I want I cannot exempt you from the punishment." Rose stiffened, she was not knowing that there were a set of etiquettes that one had to follow and thus did everything out of instinct.

"W-What did I do? What will I-I do now?"

"When you came inside, you did now bowed down your head infront of me so you have to do it now and then I can decide your punishment."

"p-punishment?" the girl got teary-eyed, she just got here and she actually managed to embarrass herself infront of her crush...

She bowed, soft black hair reflecting light, and the braids bounced down in the process, the heart of the mafia prince broke with how divine Rose was, she did not even challenge him.....that needs to be changed, she should bow to no one, listen to no one......not even him and do whatever she wished for.

His frame emerged closer as he pressed a very light kiss to her scalp making the girl gasp lightly while he arranged her small braids in the process, those luscious hair patterns left a silky texture of touch on his calloused palm.

His body moved away giving her space as the tears that previously gathered in those cocoa pools of innocence were forgotten. Rose hated people coming into her personal space but the way Ares did it, with those kind touches that were devoid of all malice and greed. The way he smiled at her so brightly....was this alright to do?

"What do you love doing in your leisure time?" Rose was in a flustered, dazed state when her mouth automatically replied.

"ballet" as soon as the word left the lips, her eyes widened. She just started learning!

"Then you will dance for me.....that's your punishment princess."

"I c-can't, I d-don't do it well." a palm patted her head softly making her break out from the fear.

"I will not judge you, Rose."

PAST

ROSE 13

ARES 17

The Cattaneo princess remained afraid and wary, people were not always kind, and assuming that everyone was good because they have sweet-talked you can be lethal. For the next few days after she met Ares, Rose maintained a safe distance.

What if he was merely engaging and indulging with her because he was nice and she was his sister's friend but in reality he hated her. What if he was disgusted with her? the thought brought nothing but pain and agony to the innocent girl who felt her heart breaking.

It was morning when she sneaked out after having breakfast, Ares was in a meeting so he had sent a female guard to give Rose a hearty meal of whatever she loved, the black-haired beauty was moved by his kindness and told to thank Ares in return from her side.

When the guards watched the thirteen-year-old girl bouncing in the gardens from one rock to another and plucking red strawberries they turned a blind eye and minded their own business.

Rose was content, she searched the whole garden filled with creepers and plucked the biggest and juiciest of the berries, till now she had a handful of those so she decided to ask a nearby guard for a basket.

"c-can I have something to keep these?...please." the guard bowed when he saw her palm filled and the things overflowing her dainty hand.

The said the blue basket was filled with fruits after an hour and had become too much heavy for her to carry so Rose decided it was best that now she returns to her room and sleep for a while.

The idea sounded perfect and she hummed a euphonious melody while walking as her white frock swayed with the wind.

The breeze was light and the season cloudy, with every inch of the ominous sky being covered with a blanket of clouds Rose stopped at the wooden bridge to look at the reflection of passing clouds in the lake, the swans were nowhere in sight, most likely they were under the bridge in their nest but what attracted the girl most was a big white lotus flower in the middle of the lake.

She looked around and none of the guards were at this inner side of the mansion, the girl who never got into trouble before decided to be a little rebellious that day and went down the bridge, taking off her shoes she dipped her toes in the water to check the temperature.

The artificial lagoon was shallow and was not at all enough to drown her, also her dress would not be dirtied if she would be careful.

The girl stepped her foot inside the water raising her dress above her knees to stop it from getting wet, with cautious baby steps she went further in the middle towards the lotus she wished to have.

When the desired bloom floated near her she was too excited to notice the mud beneath it making her feet slip as she fell down in the mud with a heavy thump. The mafia prince was searching for her when he saw a white visage from far away in the pond and the pretty princess lose her footing, Ares ran towards the girl.

"Rose!" Rose was blank for a moment, all dirtied by mud with soil splashed on her face ,flock all stained, her ears started ringing as soon as she heard Ares's call. She did not even dared to look up as tears filled her eyes.

The water sloshed and Rose trembled in terror, now he would not be nice to her, he would truly hate-

"Baby" Ares cupped her face gently, wiping off the mud on her cheeks and nose.

"Here, don't cry doll. You almost made it there." The man plucked the big white lotus from its floating leaves and kept it infront of Rose, who looked at him in utter surprise, the shame washing away. Those dusty cyans had nothing but concern and longing.

"Y-You got dirty for me?" Her voice was a whisper as she saw his shirt no better than her own dress.

"Absolutely not! I saw a fairy in pond and wished to catch hold of her. My intentions are pure evil." Rose giggled forgetting every little insecurity as Ares spread his arms to welcome her into his hold to take her out of this mess.

_______________________________________________________

"Half of your berries belong to me now." Rose gasped as Ares took a handful of her hardwork washing it in the sink.

Her hair was wet from a fresh bath, clothes new and fresh while Ares changed too. Rose pouted when he also took the lotus from her hand washing its petals, before she could protest he cut down the dark green stem placing the snow lotus on her shiny black head making her look as if she descended from a ancient tale.

A flash made Rose blink in surprise as she realized Ares has taken a photo of hers with the flower at the top of her head which was bigger than her face.

"See, I caught the fairy."

Rose blushed at his compliment while he ate the strawberry appreciating her.

"This one is juicy" She nodded shyly as he kept the berry infront of her mouth as she took a bite.

"You broke the rules again....are you ready to pay for your sins." the girl slowly chewed on the fruit inside her mouth as her cheeks turn pink.

"O-Ok"

"Let me kiss your head then."

__________________________________

"Clean them well." The pouting lips and mahogany eyes watched Ares who talked on phone with Aurora to reassure that Rose was very well with him.

It has been three months and Aurora was unable to travel due to her contracting flu, the doctors had advised the girl that travelling under such conditions might worsen her health. After Ares talked with Rose's parents assuring them that he will take care of her very well in Switzerland only then did Rose was allowed to extend her stay.

Whispers from other side of the call seceded and Rose pointed an accusing finger at Ares. After the incident of her falling into the pond and Ares holding her crying face to sooth her feeling of shame, the girl was confident enough that he did not hated her, instead he spoiled her rotten thus now the stubbornness had decided to come out.

"I don't wanna clean." her cherry cheeks were squished together by the masculine man who kissed her head making her blush and hmph in return, Ares chuckled when he saw the innocent doll using a thin cloth wrapped around her one delicate finger to cleanse the interior of the guns despite complaining endlessly.

"No matter how much you try...I don't want to."

"Then how is my fairy going to learn about the weapons?"

Since the children of caporegimes and mafia members had more to learn than the rest of the common households, there was a system of education created, 7 months of training in school was compulsory while the rest 5 months, the clan heirs and heiress's were allowed to go around the world and attend meeting and meet influential entities to solidify their own statures and then present a report on everything they learned to the head office in school upon returning.

In three months Rose had learned Spanish and Greek as the elite languages, learned to shoot targets up to ten meters with excellent precision, all the while going through the rigorous exercise of walking etiquette with as many as five books on her head. Although she might have to make a report for all of this when these five months were finished and at the same time teachers excelling in their fields might test her skills yet the angel was confident with how well Ares has taught her.

"B-But they are scary!" she complained relentlessly with glazed chocolate irises, she was accustomed to Beretta 92FS, which was a simple pistol of Italian origins yet Ares had soon replaced it with SIG Sauer P226 pistol who did nothing but scare the sweet princess.

"But my fairy does wants to learn doesn't she or is it something else......are you fine darling?"

It was not a kind of spoiling where Ares did everything and Rose must simply sit like a doll and observe instead a kind where he will cook for her and ask her to wash vegetables, where he might teach her ballet yet for returning the favor would ask her to dance to his tune of violin.

Rose was not too good at ballet, not that he was going to tell her.

There was a sense of equality in the entirety of his adoration and possessive approach towards her, thus even though Rose was ordered around the entire day to basically stick to his side, she could not make herself have any complaints. Usually no matter what he said the fleeting flower stuck to his side pretending to be his assistant and helped him in doing various work thus today Ares felt something was out of the place.

"I feel a bit dizzy......." Her head had been aching since the morning yet she did not wished to worry Ares thus resorting to being a brat...once she was inside her suite she will get a rest and be well, that was what Rose told herself over and over.

Those words were spoken in a whisper, Rose was feeling fatigue when she woke up and took a medicine on her own in order to not disrupt Ares from his work and as soon as she felt a bit better she thought to follow the prince like usual.

"Baby your face....why is your face so red my love?" The tone started as of a question but when he saw Rose's eyes drooping dangerously the mafia prince could not help but feel terrified for once in his life.

She was trying to speak yet no words seem to escape her throat as black dots danced in her vision.

Strong arms came around to pick the fragile girl up in his hold as his heart thumped erratically, what has happened to his fairy, she was aright yesterday...he has been too hard on her......it was all his fault. The man's frantic actions alerted the servants making them wide eyed.

Was this the man who was the Dark Prince of Styx?

He at this moment certainly looked more humane than ever.

"Call the doctor at once!" Absolute fear engulfed him when Rose who was feeble till now but still had energy for holding his shoulders for support passed out the other moment with her fingers slipping down his chest.

"R-Rose" Pulling her inside his suit the man laid his pretty princess down on the bed while taking off her shoes to make her more comfortable. The temperature of the room seemed to drop as the man had an increasingly fearsome aura looking at the girl who was so fragile as if she might blow with the wind when the doctor was rushed in by the servants.