***KILLER POV***

"Tis a pleasure to see you again, Your Grace. Forgive me if I seem to stumble over my words, but I am utterly staggered by how quickly your beauty grows by the day."

It took a lot of self restraint for me to not scoff at Doflamingo's over the top compliment, and to not make a move to execute when he pressed his lips against Princess (Y/N)'s hand.

"How sweet of you to say, Lord Donquixote..." (Y/N) feigned appreciation, quite obviously, but still allowed the man to pull out her seat for her at the dinner table.

Not moments before, on the walk to the Western Wing, where the suitors were staying, she had been filling me in on the man in question. It was safe to say that I was horrified that he was even an option.

Lord Donquixote Doflamingo, hailing from Dressrosa, a large citadel two weeks travel to the east, known for both weaponry and exotic goods. I had already had a decent knowledge of him and his house, though there were things that I had learned from her words.

The connection between Doflamingo and King Sakazuki ran deeper than originally expected. Whilst it was common knowledge that the Lord had offered many of his own troops in assistance to seize Marineford, he had also provided brittle weaponry and decoy soldiers to the late King Newgate, to create a false sense of security.

That wasn't the reason his selection as one of the Princess's suitors disgusted me, though. Not only was he over twice her age, but legally, he was her Godparent. Whilst not related, the very thought was horrendous.

"I am very pleased to see you are still wearing the pendant I gifted you." Doflamingo smiled as he sat opposite her, motioning for one of the servants to get the meal to the table.
"Why ever would I not be? It truly is a treasure."

She's a good liar when she wants to be. I could hear her complaining about the ugly thing to her handmaiden...

"Only the finest for you, Your Grace." Shrugging off his coat of obnoxiously pink feathers, Doflamingo clasped his hands together atop the table. "Oh, speaking of...I have had tonight's meal prepared with ingredients freshly imported from Dressrosa. I am sure you will find it to your liking."

I couldn't deny that once the food was carted in, my mouth was watering. The smell was enough to remind me that I had never eaten such lavish food a day in my life, not that I minded. Red and white meats, seafood, vegetables prepared in all manners of ways. It was a smorgasbord.

"You...have truly outdone yourself, My Lord..." Princess (Y/N) seemed to be taken aback by the sheer quantity, and quite possibly the quality, as well. I knew I was. "I would never wish to offend you in any way, but I have high doubts that I could eat all that much. Corset, and all..."

Again, I knew she was lying. She herself had told me that she hadn't eaten for the entire day in the hopes she wouldn't throw up at the thought of him. I felt a strange kind of pride due to knowing that.

"You could never offend me, Your Grace. I'm satisfied simply by the fact that you accepted my dinner invitation." Doflamingo really was trying to sound like the perfect gentleman, but anyone who had any kind of wit about them would be able to tell it was all a ruse.

Men like him wanted only one thing. Power. Marrying the princess of the realm would give him that and everything else his heart desired. Only a fool would fall for it. Luckily my princess was no fool.

It was a pain, standing there as still as stone whilst the pair ate, one speaking more than the other. I was used to discipline, but a different kind. At least I could scowl at the Lord as much as I wanted with him being none the wiser.

It's fine. You're in her debt, and even if you weren't, you wouldn't leave a woman alone with a scoundrel like him...

"You seem quite fond of that helmed guard, Your Grace. A pet project?" It took me a second to realise Doflamingo was referring to me, but I remained unmoving.
"No, he is my dear personal knight. I request his presence wherever I may go." The Princess replied, just picking at her food.

"If you were to become my wife, I would ensure you'd have countless guards at your disposal, and as many handmaidens as you desire. You are far too precious for just one meagre man." The blond spouted his wealthy bullshit, and I longed to cut his tongue out of his smug head.

"No thank you. Killer is the only armed companion I wish for." Princess (Y/N) responded without a beat, and it made me happy. I wasn't sure why. I wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place, but still, hearing that was warming.

The conversation for the rest of the meal was flat, and carried mostly by Doflamingo, boasting of his city and accomplishments, none of which were worth a moment of attention. He was rich, he was born rich, and what he did to maintain those riches was less than savoury.

Finally, much to my relief, the Princess stood and dabbed at her mouth, placing the napkin back upon the table by her nearly full plate.
"Thank you for the delightful meal and conversation, My Lord, but it is getting late, and I have a busy schedule on the morrow."

Lord Donquixote looked disappointed for a split second, almost annoyed, but he quickly painted on a smile, standing to match.
"I completely understand, Your Grace. I myself have a lot to take care of as well."

Thank the Gods.

"Would you give me the honour of escorting you back to your quarters?" I had thanked the Gods too soon. What was his game? Was he expecting something from her? If he was, it would be over my dead body.

My eyes, thankfully concealed, flitted over to the Princess. She seemed just as agitated by the request as I was, if not more-so.
"If...you insist, My Lord..." She accepted through grit teeth, seeming to be holding back far more than I was when he hooked her arm around his own.

Walking behind them down the castle corridors was torturous. Every movement, every smirk, every spoken word from the Lord had me itching for a blade in my hand. My temper was not usually provoked, but something about him had it raging.

How dare he touch her so casually? Speak to her with such a snaking tongue? Why was it bothering me so much? This wasn't permanent. It shouldn't have set me alight.

"Your quarters, as promised, Your Grace." Doflamingo bowed to the Princess, his height making her look like a little mouse in comparison. "I have enjoyed your company this evening. I do hope we can make a habit out of it?"

The irritated royal forced a smile to her lips, curtseying back but quickly moving both her hands behind her back so he couldn't steal one for an unwanted kiss again.
"Thank you, My Lord. Perhaps. Have a pleasant evening."

With that, the young woman opened her door and escaped to the confines of her room, leaving the Dressrosian Lord to drop his facade. A vein in his forehead pulsed through taut skin, and his teeth ground together like pummel stones.

Before walking away, empty handed and unpromised, he turned his head to me, eyes hidden just as mine were. I could tell there was nothing but malice behind those tinted amber lenses, and I was sure he knew I returned the aggression tenfold.

Once he had left, I took my place on the wall adjacent, where I would likely sleep for yet another night. The Princess had never once expected me to stay on guard all night, and I had my own bunk down in the barracks, but as uncomfortable as it was, I preferred to be right where I was. Especially now, after seeing such a display from Lord Donquixote.

I nearly flinched when the door reopened, Princess (Y/N)'s head sticking out before it opened entirely.
"Thank the Gods, he left..." She heaved a sigh of relief, leaning against the frame of her doorway. "Care to come inside and chat for a while?"

She's inviting me into her private chambers? Alone?

My answer took a while to come, and her expectant eyes tried to throw me off.
"I'm...not sure that's appropriate, Your Grace..." I mumbled, averting my eyes from her pout. She was a beautiful woman, even when pulling faces. That I could not deny.

"Oh, come on, Killer. If anyone were to ask, I would simply say I did not feel safe and requested your company. I thought we were friends? I feel terrible knowing that you waste away in the hall on your lonesome." She urged me, and I was too weak of a man to deny her.

Sighing, I pulled away from the wall and approached, chest warming when I saw her excited grin. Closing the door behind me, I lingered close to it, unsure of how to act. Every piece of furniture and decoration looked extraordinarily expensive, and I felt as though I would taint it with my touch.

"You looked uncomfortable with him. I'm sorry you have to deal with that..." I tried to break my own tension with conversation, which wasn't something I was good at. Seating herself at her vanity, Princess (Y/N) began to wipe away her light make-up, looking to me in the reflection.

"Uncomfortable would be an understatement. He disgusts me to the core. Marrying him would be the death of me. He is hardly to be considered a candidate." She scoffed, pulling pins from her (H/C) hair. "Killer, would you please pass me my hairbrush? It should be to your right, on the dresser."

Locating her gold-trimmed brush, I approached her, the sight of us near each other in the mirror making me pause. How did I even get to this point? Not once in my life had I ever admired, or even remotely expected a royal, but here I was, bound to one, body and soul. Willingly.

Don't. Don't you dare even think about that.

"If it pleases, Your Grace, I could assist?" What was I doing? Offering to brush her hair? What right did I have to do that? No, why would I even consider it? The capital was doing something to scramble my brain.

Turning to look at the real me instead of a reflection, the Princess seemed surprised for a moment before she smiled brightly and turned back.
"Only if it pleases you, Killer. Though, I will admit, I am rather envious of your own hair. It must take a lot of work to maintain."

It had been a long time since my hand wasn't steady, but I could see the faint shake as I reached to begin brushing. I thanked the fact that I was wearing gloves, because if I had felt the softness of her hair I may have had to deal with mistaken, misplaced feelings.

"Honestly, I rarely touch it. It just does what it pleases." I explained, careful not to tug or pull with the bristles. Her mouth popped open in the shape of an 'o'.
"Wow...I know women who would kill to have hair such as yours." She giggled, relaxing in her stool.

She's kind. A genuinely good person, unlike the others. I feel sorry for her...

"I like this." She stated out of the blue, and I paused mid-brush, unsure of what she meant.
"Your Grace?" I had a vague idea, but in my position it wasn't my place to make assumptions.

"This. Time with you. I mean, yes, I do have other friends within the castle staff, and other Lords and Ladies, but I cannot help but feel those are merely bred from my status." The Princess explained, smile soft and quiet. "Whilst I did technically force you to my side, I enjoy your company above others. Getting to know somebody, especially as mysterious as yourself, makes me happy..."

Every shred of me knew it was a bad idea, to get wrapped up in the words she was speaking, dangerous, even, but they were so genuine. I wasn't nearly half as strong as I had originally thought.

"I...like this too, Your Grace..." I had to be honest. I couldn't help myself. She was so pure, everything that I wasn't, and it was doing something to me. Before I could say anything else, the door clicked open, and in walked a head of pink.

"Sorry I'm late, Your Grace, I thought you'd be out lo-" Perona stopped mid-step when she saw me standing behind the Princess, brushing her hair. She looked flabbergasted. "Replacing me with your Hound? That's a bit of a slap in the face."

"Perona!" Princess (Y/N) scolded her handmaiden, spinning around in her seat. I took a step back, offering the brush to the new addition to the room.
"Just following orders. Here."

Perona looked me up and down with her big, critical eyes, swiping the brush from my hand.
"It speaks?" She jabbed at me, but it wasn't any use to her. I had thick skin beneath my armour.
"It does." I responded flatly, my hidden glare only dissipating when the Princess moved to stand between us, wagging her finder in the handmaiden's face.

"Perona, I swear to the old gods and the new, I shall fight you!" She threatened, which came as a surprise to me. A good surprise. She had spunk. "Killer is no Hound, and is a he, not an it. I swear, you can be so catty sometimes!"

Rolling her eyes, Perona toyed with the brush in her hands, lips popping silently.
"I only called him a Hound because of his new nickname. A lot of the other chamber maids and staff are scared of the big guy. Dubbed him the Princess's Hellhound. Kinda catchy if you ask me, Your Grace."

Great. Another nickname. I haven't even done anything to earn it this time...

"Anywho! It's time for the ladies to have a talk! No men, or Hellhounds, allowed, so out! Git! On your way!" Perona began to push at my back to get me to leave, and I didn't resist, even though it would have pleased me to flick her directly between the eyes.

"Perona! Stop it!" (Y/N) raised her voice in frustration, rushing to shoo the pink haired woman away before taking hold of my hand, sandwiching it gently between her own. "Thank you for this evening, Killer. I am incredibly sorry about her..."

I glanced to the handmaiden, who poked her tongue out at me. I knew she wasn't a bad woman, but she still got on my nerves. At least I knew she cared for the Princess.
"No thanks needed. I'm for whenever you need me, Your Grace."

Princess (Y/N) kept my hand within hers, and I waited, unable to move even if I wanted to. She had kindly (E/C) eyes that held me in place, stronger than any shackles ever could. Dangerous.
"I implore you, please do not sleep out in the corridor again. I hold concern for your health, doing that every night. Sleep in a real bed. Promise?"

This is a cruel world. How can I refuse her?

Taking a moment to compose myself, lest I stumbled over my words, I nodded once, even though I wished to stay in my usual post.
"As you wish, Your Grace. I hope you have a pleasant evening." I turned to face her companion, who was leaning against the vanity watching the show. "You...not so much."

I heard the woman complain as I left, lingering on the outer side of the door in the hallway.
"Did you hear that, Your Grace?! He's no gentleman!" She whined, and I heard an airy giggle, as sweet as sugar, follow that grating noise.
"Well, if you would treat him with respect then I am sure he would return the gesture. I adore Killer. The least you could do is play nice, for my sake?"

I chose to leave after hearing that. My armour creaked and clanged as I headed down the hall, shoulders stiff and mind unfocused.

How could she adore me? We hardly know each other. I shouldn't be letting this get so out of hand...but...I can't help but adore her right back...

...Shit...

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***I shouldn't be writing at 2am because I go back to work in the morning, but screw it.

I'm hoping I can shake this damn cough. I'm completely better and even got myself cleared by my GP to go back to work after the flu, but residual cough clings to me like a magnet to a fridge...

Next Time: The Unrightful Heir***