I was pretty sure every bit of oxygen left my body with my sigh as I laid upon the windowsill, hand raised so I could stare at the engagement ring Doflamingo had presented me with three nights before. 

It was surprisingly delicate for having come from such an extravagant man. A thin, pink gold band with three stones. Two small white diamonds along with a larger pink diamond in the centre. Still, it felt so heavy upon my finger. 

"You should have seen the Young Master trying to pick one for you. Honestly, it was adorable." I glanced across the hall to Dellinger, who had sauntered into view from goodness knows where. "The amount of berries he spent? You're making me jealous." 

Grimacing at the thought of the cost, I dropped my hand, swinging my legs over and hopping down from the sill.
"He could have tied a piece of cotton around my finger and I would've been fine with it. He knows I hate expensive things…" It wasn't that I was complaining. It really was gorgeous, but unnecessary. 

Falling into step with me, Dellinger's pumps clicked much louder than my heeled boots, echoing in the halls. 
"You know how he is. Only the best for his little princess. Oop, sorry, I mean Queen." He snickered, bumping my shoulder in a playful manner. "So, what's the plan for today? By the looks of you, you're gonna try and sneak out again, right?" 

As much as I didn't like Dellinger's personality very much, he was still a dear friend of mine, and we knew each other well. It wasn't surprising that he could tell that just by looking at what I was wearing. Usually, I wore dresses around the palace, just to please my now fiancé, but today I was wearing tights and a white poet shirt, much too large for me and belted in the middle. My usual attire for a sneaky frolic around town. 

"Just want to go for a walk, is all. Don't you go saying anything. You know I always come back." I threatened him half-heartedly with a single finger and the younger boy raised his hands in mock defence. 
"Hey, I don't care. You do you." 

We continued walking in silence for a while until, exiting from one of the meeting rooms of the palace, Doflamingo appeared, alongside Diamante, Trebol, Vergo and Pica, his top executives, and I barely had time to pause before I was spotted. 

Well, there's no way I'm getting out of here now… 

Opening his arms, Doflamingo smiled, though I could see the veins in his forehead twitch ever so slightly. 
"There's my girl! Where are you off to on such a fine morning, hmm?" That was his way of interrogating me, without seeming harsh. 

Trebol approached me in a manner much quicker than his appearance would suggest, his snot-laden face pushing right up into my personal space. 
"Oh! Oh! Looks like you're about to try and sneak away again, Queeny!" He pointed out, voice a few decibels higher than I liked. 

"Treb, you're too close…" I muttered, leaning back so far that I almost fell over. He just followed. 
"But? Buuuuuut?" He pressed, and I could see my reflection in the borble of snot dangling from his nose. Rolling my eyes, I reached out to pat him on the cheek, avoiding any area that looked too sticky. 
"But I like it…" 

I really don't… 

"You won't be going anywhere." Doflamingo walked up from behind Trebol, nudging him out of the way and taking his place. Deflating, I almost took it lying down, but with how things had been the past few days, I needed to get out. 
"Why the hell not? You can't always keep me cooped up in this place, Doffy. I'm gonna go stir-crazy without time to myself." 

The members of the family around us all exchanged a certain look. They all knew it wasn't wise to speak out against their captain and king, but surprisingly, Doflamingo didn't get visibly agitated. 

"Young Mistress, you see, we have a slight situation, so it wouldn't be wise for you to go wandering around today." Diamante spoke up, using the title I despised. "We have received intel that a pair of notorious pirates have been spotted along the North shore. Wouldn't you much prefer to stay here, where you're safe and protected?" 

Cocking a brow up at the man, I stood my ground, arms folding in front of my chest. 
"Aren't you all notorious pirates, too? You know I can handle my own, Mante." Indeed he did. Two years prior I had gotten loose and reaped havoc in the Corrida Colosseum, getting two rounds in before he himself had dragged me out of the ring by the scruff. Though between his bouts of scolding, he had complimented me. Training with him, among the others, had paid off. 

Doflamingo seized my attention by lifting my chin with a hooked finger, a small smile on his face, yet I could see how tense he actually was. That forehead told all. 
"Everyone here knows you're tough, but the scum we're dealing with have bounties well over five-hundred million. Why don't you spend the day with me, huh? A quiet day in, just the two of us, while we keep an eye on them?" 

I didn't want to stay in the palace. I wanted to have my own fun, alone, but there was a rasping voice in the back of my mind that told me to do as he asked. That he loved me, and because of that I needed to stay with him and be good. 
"Okay...that sounds alright, I guess…But the second they're dealt with, I wanna go to town on my own." 

Doflamingo smiled at my snippy obedience, his thumb closing in to pinch my chin, giving it a gentle shake as he leaned in a bit closer.
"That's my pretty little trick. Whatever you want. I'll even give you as much cash as your heart desires for your day out." 

There was that twisting in my gut again. Every single time he touched me, without fail, and I wondered why people spoke so highly of love. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant feeling. 
"No cash, just alone time." He finally released me, his hand moving to rest upon my head as he coaxed me into a walk. If our height difference hadn't been so vast, he likely would have placed it upon my lower back. 

We split off from the others, and we remained quiet for a while, ambling towards Doflamingo's private quarters without hurry. I continued to steal glances every now and then, thinking about how lucky I was to have him. At least, thinking about how I couldn't really imagine life without him. There was but two instances that I recalled us being apart, but I tried not to think about them whilst in his presence. 

"So, what assholes are hanging around Dressrosa? You planning on trading them off for their bounties?" I asked curiously, my nose crinkling as the feathers of his coat tickled my skin. 
"Just a pair of losers from Whitebeard's crew. Nothing we can't handle, sweetheart." He replied, as though I was worried. 

Tangling with Whitebeard is risky… 

Still, I wasn't all too concerned. He was far past his prime, anyway, and I knew my future husband was able to handle himself. When we turned into the final corridor, I spied both Monet and Violet coming from the opposite direction, and nodded to them in greeting. 

"Young Master, Young Mistress." Monet bowed her head politely, a small smile on her stunning face. The pair of them were gorgeous women, and well endowed in the chest department. Sometimes, just sometimes, I got a little jealous. "I have an update on-" 

Zoning out, I turned to Violet, offering her a kind smile. I had always felt bad for her and her situation, so I made a conscious effort to be as nice as possible. 
"How are you going, Vi?" I asked, and she shrugged her shoulders, actively avoiding looking at Doflamingo. 

She doesn't have to fear him so much. He won't hurt her…

"I cannot complain." She replied in her thick accent, one that just seemed to add to her beauty. "And you, (Y/N)?" That was another thing I liked about her. She was one of the few people who called me by my name. 
"Kind of crappy because I'm not allowed out. Hey, once I am, how about we go dancing again? You still have heaps of moves to teach me!" 

Violet relaxed a little and smiled more, but her eyes remained the same. Scared and sad, as they always had been. 
"Of course! Just let me know when you'd like to, and we'll make a day of it!" Beaming, thankful that I had something to look forward to, my ears picked back up on Monet's voice. 

"-the Phoenix. They were last seen by Buffalo's place in Acacia, so they can't have gotten far. We have men stationed on every corner and rooftop." She explained, and Doflamingo nodded approvingly. 
"Perfect. Call me once they're cornered, or captured. Come on, doll." 

Quickly waving my farewell to Violet, I followed after him, making a beeline to the small bar area on the far side of the room the second we passed through the door. 
"Marco the Phoenix, huh? His bounty is through the roof...I wouldn't exactly count him as a loser…" I didn't look up as I poured myself a scotch, leaning my elbows on the table as I plopped a circular ice cube in, watching it bob around. 

"You heard that?" He chuckled, removing his signature coat and hanging it on the back of his chaise lounge. "Well, there's nothing to worry about. If they don't cause any damage, then I may let them be. Just need to keep an eye on them." 

Somehow, I doubted that he'd leave them alone. Lesser known pirates, sure, he could care less, but big names like that? It was unlikely. 
"So, I'm under house arrest for a just in case scenario? What, are you scared they'll try and steal me away?" I snorted, my muscles tensing when he strode up to stand on the opposite side of the bar counter, planting his hands either side of my glass and leaning in close. 

"Never joke about something like that. You know that's the one thing that scares me." His tone had turned deathly serious, and I nodded slowly, immediately shaking the fear from my features, which I had seen in the reflection of his glasses. 
"And Kaido. You're kinda a little scared of Kaido." I pointed out, hoping to ease the tension, and I felt relief when I saw him soften, a small puff of air escaping his nose and his lips twitched upwards from a flat line. 

"You really love bullying me, don't you?" He chuckled, lowering even more to rest his chin in his hand, which was kind of funny, considering the bar top was so low. His back was almost perfectly horizontal. 
Taking a sip of my drink, I just shrugged. 

"Hey, when you keep me bored all day, yeah. It's something to do." 

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***Don't worry. We all know who's gonna show up soon! He has a promise to keep, after all.

I used the same doodle from last chapter and (poorly) put her in the clothes I pictured for this. I can't draw poet shirts. Again, just what I'm seeing. Wear what y'all wanna wear.

Next Time: Where Would We Be Now?***