~ Chapter 14 Grievance from the Past ~

Trying to make as little noise as possible, Nike hurled herself back onto the ground and pretended to be asleep. Her intention was to catch her captor off guard, knock him out with a couples of good punches, and make sure that she would drag him all the way back to the underground prison cells back in the castle. She wasn't going to let him walk away from this without any punishment. Although she didn't have any knife with her for self protection, her only weapon now was her brute strength.

The footsteps reverberated off the walls and they approached with every passing second. Her heart thudded nervously as she lay still. A couple of minutes later, she noted that the footsteps stopped right outside her cell. In the darkness, she could only rely on her hearing. Her ears picked up the sound of keys jingling as her captor unlocked her cell. She tried not to cringe when the rusty, old gate creaked noisily and heavy footsteps shuffled behind her.

Something poked her in the back lightly, as though testing to see if she was conscious. She feigned ignorance and continued to sleep, unaffected by the unknown presence. A hand grabbed her shoulder to roll her body over. Seizing the golden opportunity, she grabbed the hand and pulled it to her hard. Her other hand clenched tight before throwing her fist straight into the face of the black silhouette.

To her dismay, her fist didn't meet her target. That slippery, cunning lump of mass dodged her at the last moment and went around her. It grabbed her arm and twisted it back, before adding a kick to the back of her knees. She fell forward to the ground with a loud yelp of pain. Refusing to give up like this, she tried to wrestle her way out his hold once again. It was only when her head was pulled back roughly that her body froze. A floating ball of light came into her view and almost blinded her eyes. She flinched immediately and averted her eyes away from the light. Slowly, she peeked through an eye and glanced back slightly, only to find that the floating ball of light was actually coming from an oil lamp.

And a hooded figure was holding onto the light source. The light shone against the side of his face and recognition lit up in Nike's eyes.

Leo.

Topaz brown eyes shining in awe, he shook his head in disbelief at her. "Wow, you are more strong-willed than you look," he remarked. That was a nice trick you pulled back there, you almost had me. Phew..."

"Why don't you release me and I'll show you the way to your grave?"

"I'll let you go, but first-" He took out a rope that was tied to his belt and smiled at her. "-let's tie you up as a precaution."

Despite the state that she was in, she threw him a death glare. Damn it, the chances of her getting away seem to diminish. He bounded her wrists together tightly and gave a quick tug on the rope to ensure that it was secured before standing up.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Nike demanded. "Why did you kidnap me? What did I ever do to you? I thought we were friends..." she mumbled miserably. She recalled how he genuinely cared for her earlier when he helped her out.

With the light coming from the oil lamp illuminating their surroundings, it was the first time that she realized that all this time she was actually inside a cave. There was a row of prison cells lined up across from the one that she was currently being kept in. How did such a place exist inside a cave? And Leo, why did he bring her here?

He was staring at her quietly with a small smile. The emotions swirling in his eyes were unfathomable. "I am sorry, Nike-sama. If we had met under different circumstances, then perhaps we would probably have become good friends. To be honest, having you in my company almost made me forget myself and my reasons for being back here today."

His words greatly confused her. "Leo-san... I don't understand what you mean. Could it be that you...know?" Her voice faltered as realisation finally dawned on her.

"Yes, my dear princess. We needed you to draw out the Great Sun King," he revealed.

She couldn't stop herself from sucking in a breath loudly. "When did you know my real identity?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "Honestly, I never expected to run into you at the circus. Until I saw your necklace." His eyes shifted to her teardrop necklace, which was glowing slightly in a bluish colour in the dark. "That was when I recognised you immediately. You saved me the trouble of going to you instead."

Her fingers reached up to her neck to grip her precious necklace tightly. "But how?" she asked nervously. "I have only received this yesterday."

"I have my intel," he said. "And it told me that the Sun King specifically ordered that jewel in a rare design to gift it to you. Not anybody is able to wear that kind of jewel."

"And your hair was sticking out a little at the bottom..." Squatting down, he reached out to pull off her wig and her thick, glossy hair tumbled down her back in long waves. "You know, the colour of your hair is quite unusual and unforgettable." His fingers brushed over a lock of her hair, as though he was mesmerised with it, before he let it fall back into place.

"How long were you keeping tabs on us? And why? Are you going to kill me?" she demanded.

He shook his head. "I assure you that you will not be harmed, my lady. Although I can't promise you that I won't hurt his Majesty."

Her eyes widened in fear. "You may do whatever you want to me, but don't you dare lay a finger on him!" she exclaimed.

He cocked his head at her, amused. "Are you really in love with a guy who nearly started a war with your country? He forced your family to approve the marriage proposal that he has came up with and you were practically shipped to this unknown country against your own wishes. Not only that, he makes you use your magic to make it rain, as though you were merely a toy that he has bought. If you want to get back at him now, this is your chance. I am willing to give you a chance. I don't want to see your life being ruined by him, just like how he ruined mine," he spat out bitterly. There was pure resentment in his eyes and this made Nike extremely fearful of what he would do to Livi.

"Leo-san, I admit that what you have said is true," she said. "But that was all in the past, everything has changed now. I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him now. The more time that I spend with him, the more I realised that what everyone says about him is wrong."

She swore that she could almost hear Neil's voice lecturing her about the daily dangers of being part of the royal family and the extra precaution that she should always remember to take. To think that she would yet again face another threat. Livi... Why would people constantly pit themselves against him? Why were they not able to see the goodness that she has seen in him?

A look of utter disbelief masked Leo's face. "That is you being brainwashed by that evil man."

"Leo-san... That's not true. Now, why don't you tell me what exactly happened to you instead? Please explain everything to me in detail."

His eyes bore into hers stoically. "Trust me, you aren't going to like what you hear."

"You have to help me understand things then," she pleaded. "Let me know what happened between you and Livi." So that she could help to figure out another solution to resolve this grudge between them without having to spill any blood. She didn't want to let anyone die by the hands of the other.

"Alright." He sighed and sat down right beside her. "If that is what you want, my lady. So it shall be."

And then he launched into his story.

~ oOo ~

Three years ago, everything changed for him.

He was just an ordinary kid with dreams - to take over his family's business and marry the girl of his dream one day. He wanted his family to be well-fed and not fret over any worries.

But those dreams of his shattered when they came.

Bearing the crest of the Royal Arms on their military uniform, they strode into his house one day and began tearing things off the walls. They dragged him, his parents and sister out of their bed chambers and into the main hall. The soldiers forced them go down on their knees. He remembered the horrified expression on the faces of his mother and sister. His father's face was ashen and unnerved, his body quivering in fear. Leo remembered that he was the only one brave enough to speak up to the soldiers, to demand the reason behind their outrageous appearance. The nerve of them to barge into his house without any warning!

What was even more appalling was the announcement that they made next. It turned out that his father's business was failing and was unable to repay the large sum of capital that he has loaned from the national merchant bank.

Leo recalled pleading his father for the the truth. Was what the soldiers saying were true? Did their business really failed that badly?

But his father remained still and didn't make any denials. Staring at the man whom he always looked up to, Leo slumped back in defeat.

As a result, his family has to bear the full responsibility of repaying the loan.

When they meant full responsibility, Leo's family didn't expect themselves to be dragged away and sold off as slaves. He and his sister were separated from his parents and they were shipped out of the kingdom to some unknown place. They ended up living in a small barrack beside a mineshaft. They weren't the only slaves, for there were other young females and males working along with them. For every single day, they had to enter the mine to dig up precious metals for the shameless nobles. Their bodies, wearing nothing but just a plain, white tattered overall, were battered.

They never once saw their parents again and each day they wondered how they were doing.

Until one day, the letter came.

A/N: Thank you to all for the reads, reviews/faves/follows! This fanfic has now been shared on Wattpad as well! Feel free to use whichever platform you guys prefer. ;)

By the way, anyone has any good anime recommendations (preferably romance/action)? I am running out of anime to watch. :D