┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Welcome

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Chapter 2: Welcome (Ronan's POV)

I stood there with the rest of the staff, my new co-workers, listening to the king and queen give us a loud, annoying, unnecessarily long speech. This speech would have been useful had he given it before someone tried to kill his daughter. 

I don't even know why I took this job, I'm supposed to be on a break. After my last job, working with the royal family in Zariya, I decided to take a long-overdue break. My grandma was meant to visit me and I was going to spend a couple of months with her. But then Adrian called and said that the royal family in our hometown, in our own kingdom, Astella, was attacked. I asked a few questions. Who was attacked, who got hurt, was anyone caught? The basics. 

As it turns out, not the family, but the princess was attacked. She made it out just fine but her bodyguard, I believe his name was Finn, died by getting shot. And the culprit wasn't caught. He got away before the guards got there. I'm well aware that Adrian is the assigned guard for Prince Atlas. He's been working here for nearly a year now, and he claims to love his job. He gets along great with the prince. 

I, however, don't get along with people. I don't think I'll get along with the princess either. But I was able to handle King Archer and Queen Evelyn's daughter, Princess Bella, who is quite a handful. I should be able to handle a grown, twenty-one-year-old woman. Working in Zariya, I became more of a babysitter than a bodyguard. And now I still get letters from Princess Bella talking about her teddy tea parties and trips with her parents. 

Out of the corner of my eye, at the entrance to the palace, I could see two people walk out. I recognized Prince Atlas. I'd been to some of the same parties as the royal family, working for other people. Beside him, stood his sister. 

Princess Grace. I looked over, my eyes locked with hers. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, her hair was damp as it cascaded down her back, and she was watching me. She didn't blink away. Her brother said something and she turned to him, shaking her head while talking. She let her arms drop and turned to leave but Prince Atlas grabbed her arm and pulled her back, shooting her a stern look. She sighed, staring at the ground. 

I blinked and looked away, turning my attention to the king and queen and their torturous speech. "And last but not least, let's welcome our newest member of staff, Ronan Stone. Ronan will be replacing Finn," the king announced. Nobody said a word. Not even Adrian. Huh, I guess Finn got along with his co-workers, to the point where everyone's miserable at his demise. "I expect you all to welcome him, explain the ground rules, and show him around. But before you get a chance to get to know your co-workers, Ronan." He turned to me. "There are two ground rules I have for you." 

I blinked, listening with a blank face. 

"Number one, keep my daughter safe. At all costs. I don't care what happens to you, or anybody else. She should be safe." 

That's my job as her bodyguard, isn't it? I resisted an eye roll and kept listening. 

"And at no cost are you permitted to be involved with her in any way other than professionally, understood? No friendship, no relationship. You are her guard. You're here to protect her, not to be her friend. Am I clear?" 

"Crystal," I nodded once. 

He nodded in approval, seeming pleased. "Very good. We'll be eating lunch now, so take that time to understand the palace and its estate. Have a look around. Adrian?" 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Show him around." 

Adrian nodded in understanding and then they left. I watched the queen shoot her daughter a vicious look, nodding towards her hair. 

Just because it's... damp? 

The staff greeted me as best as they could, introducing themselves one by one and then standing right in front of me, judging. Fair enough, it happens everywhere. 

"I'm not here to replace Finn," I sighed, adjusting a cuff link. 

Ms. Bella, the housemaid, blinked in surprise. I'm always around someone named Bella, whether that's a little girl or an older woman. It disturbs me, considering that was my mother's name. 

"I'm only here to protect the princess. Saying I'm here to replace Finn would be a lie and disrespectful. I thought I'd clarify before everybody here hates me." 

They all chuckled softly, opening up. 

I turned to Adrian. "Show me around?" 

He nodded, watching me in amusement before we started walking into the palace with the rest of the staff. He explained everything. The foyer, the dining room, the ballroom, library, and then we reached the backyard. We both stood at the entrance, staring ahead. 

"He was shot?" 

"Yeah." 

"Where?" 

"At the white bench near the gazebo." 

"Do you know what happened?" I began walking ahead and to the white bench while he trailed behind me. I stopped at the bench, staring at it and then taking a look around. 

"Princess Grace likes taking a walk every night. Finn was always with her. They came out like they would every night. From what she explained, she was sitting on the bench when Finn noticed something behind her. She ducked in time and he ensured that she was inside the palace. Shots were fired but she was too scared to look back. She locked the door and called for guards. When we came out here, nobody was here and we found him dead." 

"Shot at the heart?" 

He nodded. 

I tilted my head in confusion. "Multiple shots were fired. He was only hit by one?" 

"Huh?" 

I turned to him. "You said shots were fired. Multiple. How come Finn was only hit by one?" 

He shrugged, "Maybe the culprit has bad aim." 

"Then why would he even think about trying to kill the princess? Knowing he couldn't do it? No," I shook my head. He fell into thought. I pieced it together the minute I heard it. "He didn't want to kill him," I sighed. I looked ahead at the large distance between the bench and the stone wall of the backyard. There weren't even any lights, it's a perfect hiding spot. "It was an accident," I mumbled. "He wasn't trying to kill Finn, he only wanted to kill the princess. He only shot at Finn because if he didn't, Finn would have shot him. He killed Finn so he wouldn't be killed." 

His eyes simmered with realization before he nodded in agreement. "You're right." 

"That wall. We need lights over there. Who do I tell to have that fixed?" 

"Either Prince Atlas or the king." 

I nodded. "Okay." 

We turned around and went back inside, locking the door behind us. We went upstairs where the king and queen's bedroom was along with a few guest rooms. Then we went another floor up where he showed me Prince Atlas and Princess Grace's bedrooms. The hallway had a ceiling pull-out door that led to the attic, there was a balcony in the middle of the hallway, glass doors showing the view. I stared at it in disbelief. Most doors here are made of glass and you can't have security at every door. Their palace is a set-up for disaster. 

"Adrian!" 

He looked down the right hall where Prince Atlas was coming out of his room and walking over. "Yes?" Adrian asked. 

"I have to run for a meeting with the builders for the new hospital. Let's go." 

Adrian followed him out, quickly telling me, "Just look around." 

I thought I'd already seen everything and I should just go back, but then I stopped at the staircase, thinking I should make sure her room was safe for her too. I'm not exactly excited to be her guard. I'm well aware that the people of Astella absolutely love and order her. 

She gets along with the citizens, she visits them often, she plays her role of the perfect princess. Men fall at her feet and women view her with envy. The others, the kind souls, treat her well. I'm aware that she tries really hard to play some role in the big decisions but her opinions are often ignored. Not by the prince though. From what I hear, they have a good bond. 

I haven't been in Astella for nearly a year. Everything seems different yet somehow the same. I knocked on her door and waited for an answer. But I didn't get one. So, I knocked again, harder this time. Still nothing. 

Did something happen? 

I pushed the door open and walked in, finding the room empty. My eyes landed on the bed where I could make out her body under the covers. 

She pulled the covers down, only her eyes peeking out. Her hair was a mess from being under the covers and her eyes were red and bloodshot. She was crying. "Can I help you?" she mumbled, sniffling loudly. 

"No," I answered bluntly before walking to her window, checking the lock, the glass. At least the windows are bulletproof. 

"What are you doing?" 

I turned to her and found her sitting up in bed now, running her fingers through her hair, fixing it. "Making sure your room is safe." 

"Why wouldn't my room be safe?" 

"Because nothing else in this palace is," I scoffed. 

"Excuse me?" 

I rolled my eyes, looking at her. "You have no lights in the dark corners where you should, the biggest doors leading to the outside are made of glass, the guards are all stationed at the front. It's a recipe for disaster. No wonder Finn didn't make it." 

She glowered at me. "Do you know what you're saying?" 

I sighed, leaning against her desk. "I'm saying he wouldn't have died if more guards were stationed at the back. He wouldn't have died if there were more lights in the backyard." 

"And that's my fault?" 

"Is it?" I lifted a brow. "You could have asked for security changes." 

"Like anybody listens to me!" She exploded, kicking her covers off. 

I watched her for a minute. "Well, that's not my problem. Is it?" 

She blinked, clearly taken aback. Was she expecting me to be a sweet, carefree bodyguard that lets her do whatever she wants? I rendered her speechless for a moment before she gathered her wits again. "Get out." 

I bit back an amused smile and stared at her, poking the inside of my cheek with my tongue while looking around the room. 

"I said get out. Your job is to keep me safe, isn't it? You walked in, checked the room, and it's clear. So get out of my room. You can be stationed wherever the hell you want. Don't come in here again." 

"I'm allowed to come here whenever I want," I sighed, pushing myself off the desk and walking to the door. "If you need me..." I stopped, turning to her. "Scream for me." 

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 2

Well, now that we've established that he is a DICK

do we like him or not?

next chapter: blood