"No matter what evil might come one's way, to be loved is to be protected." - Kate Morton

Fun Fact - There are seven colours of the rainbow, seven chakras, seven days of the week, seven continents, and seven wonders of the world. The number seven is featured extensively in Christianity and other religions, along with the number seven forms the basis of Western musical scales.

Alex looked smug as he glanced below, watching over a retelling of a children's tale, a darker and more sinister version. The boy had gotten his family cursed and his descendants would not be spared. He died on his deathbed, reminiscing over his life on the street to the riches he obtained at the cost he now had come to regret. He did not want his love and his children to live through this curse of having the males in their family die tragic deaths.

The old man, took his last breath as his wife clung to him, remembering what had left him to lose his two sons to war for his daughter to lose her husband and boy and for his daughters-in-law to lose their husbands. He turned to his wife, "I am sorry. My selfishness has brought this curse upon us. To lose our men."

She shook her weeping head, whispering it was not his fault. The man knew otherwise, it had been his fault. His life on the streets had been a part of him he kept hidden from those in his circles. A shameful past it was. He had been conscripted into an endless war, and his ranks grew as he had been the one to save a battalion. When he was honoured and given a medal, he fell in love, at first sight with the general's daughter, and bewitched her and took her innocence.

He did not know the girl had not seen him only as a friend. She went to a gypsy, and with the blood of her unknown son for the man to see blood throughout his life, as he had ruined her own. Once her betrothed had found she had been taken by another man, he did not stop at ending their marriage. He ruined her and the relations of her family who would disown her later. She no longer had a mother or a father, and her brother watched her with disgust. She had hoped they would love her and see her through this trail, but they had shown their true colours.

The lovely Anna did not blame her family or their betrothed. All the blame was on the street rat turned soldier. Once she pushed his devil child out of her, she went and sought her revenge.

Cecilia Eddison sobbed in her handkerchief to his right as her brother, silently rolled his eyes. The audience clapped as the performers bowed, and the aristocracy made their way to the hall of the opera house. Alex shook hands, watching a set of noble ladies bow and the next set of nobles, a well-known family came into his sight. He signed, and then smiled, taking the hand of the man of the house, who introduced his daughter, and started to list her qualities, and that she was single.

Marissa held her mouth down with her upper lip to stop herself from laughing. Seeing her elder brother struggle as the thought of fathers and brothers and uncles present their single ladies they were responsible for was very amusing, "How did you find the play, Cecilia?"

"Oh! It was all so nerve-wracking! Wonderful, but so tragic," she began, feeling for the man who had lost it all because of one bad deed, "I understand that taking her innocence was devastating to her and unforgivable, but if she really wanted revenge, there were other ways of finding it! As well, his reason was valid. She was part of the reason he starved on the streets! She was part of the people who had had all and riches and food while he slept on an empty stomach and torn clothes at night!"

Marissa nodded, understanding Cecila's point of view. She very well did sympathize with the man, "And you, your grace?"

The two turned to Cecila's brother, Anthony, "I agree with my sister wholeheartedly. The woman was too cruel. As much as I hate to say it, we are that woman. We the rich, noble aristocrats and people in power, the government, are the people who keep taking from the poor and will never be satisfied even when we are full. When they rise up, for valid reasons, we take it as treason and make criminals of them, when we are the villains. I am ashamed sometimes that I belong to this group, but that is why we have charities, and services in place of these occurrences, your highness."

Once again, with a nod of her head, she dismissed herself, and found her younger brother, as a pair of noble girls her age bowed and greeted her, "Have you seen our brother?"

Dominic shook his head, wanting to get away from all the attention. He sometimes hated that Alex was king. He was being a perfect host for the Edisons on their visit to the capital, and this royal duty and him being forced to be a perfect host to these people from Beaumont, was tiring.

He followed along with Marissa to get some refreshments, before finding Alex and stepping outside with his siblings and the Edisons. They rode in an open carriage through the city, with Alex stopping to show Cecilia around the capital. They stood at a bakery to eat some snacks and found themselves in the city as part of a band concert.

They seemed to gain attention, as the most famous family, which embarrassed Dominic the more so as young ladies who would come out into society soon, or those who had swarmed around him, as their father shook his hand, while other male adults in charge of these girls spoke of potential marriage with their daughters and sisters and nieces and cousins, not to him, but with Alex, as if he were some sort of business deal.

Marissa, seeing her troubled brother found her way to him, speaking to the nobles and middle class on his behalf. Dominic held her hand in appreciation, remembering a time when his mother would do just that when crowds gathered around them. He squeezed his sister's palm, watching as Alex handled himself with perfection. It would be more hours until he could find peace.

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Eleanor walked the halls, strolling and looking behind some curtains. She found disappointment when nothing was all she met. She hummed some more, gaining looks from servants who she was still getting used to. She didn't know their names, nor did she think she would ever. They all hated her. That was for sure.

Ada followed behind, helping in her search to find the two siblings. The dog paused at a door, Eleanor opened it to find the blue drawing-room she had once woken up in after the incident with the maids. The curtains were drawn and the room was dark but spotless and clean. She walked around, coming to a spot at the grand piano in the room. She bent to find both Georgia and Elliott the cat.

Ada began to chase the poor cat and Georgia stated her own whining, "Adaline was not supposed to help! That is cheating!"

Eleanor laughed, "Well, when we started this game, that was not a spoken rule, so therefore I have not cheated." She continued to look around, coming to the closet in the room and pulling it open. Nothing was there. At least from what her eyes could tell. In the dark, closed corner. There he was.

Stephan ran, trying to still hide even when he had been caught, "That is not fair! You've cheated! Just as Milbournians do at everything!" He joked, and silence came about the room. It was awkward as the three stood in place and the animals kept their playful chasing going. Georgia squealed, breaking the silence and running.

Her brother followed her, trying to hide even though now it was Georgia's turn to seek as she had been found first. The two ran out of the room, running to the library some doors down. Eleanor followed, leaving Ada and Elliott alone to have their own fun. She opened some rooms and shut them after some time of deciding they were not hiding there.

She entered the library, just as Georgia passed some maids dusting the windows and shelves, hushing them. The librarian ignored the two royal children, staying in the room deep within the large room. Stephan continued to run, stepping onto the stairs to the upper middle level of the archives. He looked behind once, not looking where he was going and slammed into a display, turning to watch as the vase that had been sitting on the surface broke. The display knocked the next display and vase, and so forth with the next display and vase.

Eleanor gasped, rushing past him to stop the fourth display from being destroyed. Stephen stood there agust. He still had a bright education ahead of him and that included the value and history of some of these displays and artworks, and he had just caused them to break. He knew they cost more than his own life and if Alex was made aware of him being the blame, there was no telling what his brother would do to him.

Georgia revealed herself and her shocked, not knowing where to start helping. She stood pale.

The librarian rushed up the stairs and the maids behind him, all astonished at the sight of the destruction of historical artifacts, "What have you done girl?! Do you have any idea of the value these vases hold?"

Eleanor stayed silent. Even as she was dragged to Carson the blame was pinned on her. She didn't quite care what the staff were saying and who they were pinning the blame on. Most likely her.

Gossip flew and soon came to Alex. He sat unpleased with the mercy of the three before him. Stephen and Georgia stood with their heads glued to the floor, with their other siblings surrounding them, as well as Carson and the library and the palace commissioner and preserver of arts.

Then there was her. She had a talent for always being in the middle of stirred trouble. It was starting to not surprise him. He watched as his sister lifted her head and their gazes met, "Did you break it?" He questioned before she could return her staring elsewhere.

She shook her head fast, cursing herself for her honesty, "Alex-

"If not you, then who out of them?"

She stood her ground and looked anywhere else but him and that enough was an answer to him. She would not betray them. He understood if she were protecting her twin brother. They were the closest, kin and inseparable. The slave, on the other hand, he did not understand.

He grabbed Stephan's chin and forced the boy to look straight at him, "And you? Did do it? Are you responsible for destroying history that is worth more than your childish life?"

Stephan took a step away from his brother's hard grip and shook his head, looking at the slave.

Eleanor finally looked at him, and before he could even speak, she beat him to it, "No, I did not break it."

The situation was now becoming amusing to Alex. Here was a grown woman, and two children, all claiming to have not broken priceless, historical artifacts, that his mother had loved a piece from, and one of them was lying.

He stood abruptly, bending towards his brother, "I allowed for your coming home from the academy, but if it has to be off to the cadets a bit early at your age, I can arrange for it. Who did it?"

Stephen looked sideways, knowing his sister would reveal the truth. Alex looked to their sister too, knowing this knowledge as well. He parted his lips to reveal the truth and confess to his breaking of the vase, but it never came, "I broke it."

The room stared at Eleanor, Alex more so than all else and yet confused as to why she would lie still and take the blame that was not hers to bear, "Why?"

"Because it was fun. The feeling of watching this family crumple to the ground and shatter was the exact same as the feeling of watching glass come apart. I quite enjoyed it."

His hand flung to her cheek, "I imagine you did." He looked back to his brother, saying in one look that this ordeal was not over, "Leave us."

She stood still, not wanting to give him her tears. So much for committing to a crime she had not committed, "Are they worth more than your life?"

"What?"

Once it was just them, she spoke above her whisper, "You said they were worth more than your brother's life, and so I ask if the king were to have broken some priceless piece, would they've more than his life?"

"Of course not?" He was disgusted with the smart question and so much more annoyed with the quick-witted comebacks.

She laughed, unsettling him as he stood in front of her, taking up her personal bubble, "Then why should it be more than his life? Why should it be more than mine, even if I broke it."

"I never said," his hand gripped her hair, forcing her to her knees, "that I would not face consequences or that I was above the law. I am not."

He positioned her face at his crotch, and she stared at his evident erection. It must have been painful to hide.

With swift movements of his zippers, his cock was within her parted lips and he halted as she took in his full length. His hand came to sooth her cheek, tapping it a few times as she moved back, all for him to shove himself back.

She would be the death of him. It hadn't been long since they had begun anew at Ravens, and it was going well. But Alex knew that would not last. Nothing good ever lasted for him.

She zipped her dress down, her apron already in a mess on the ground and her corset would be next. He pulled from her mouth with a grunt, still so hard. She had not managed to bring him to come.

He returned with a cane and her breath hitched, "Hold out your breasts." It was clear that he was not asking but she failed to receive such knowledge, "Do you not trust me not to hurt you?"

She shook her head, looking at his cock, wanting to continue her assignment and bring him to destruction and to make him lose control, "I do." She voiced.

"Do you not trust me to protect you and handle your punishment?"

"I do. I do trust you, sir. Just as much as I hope that you trust me."

Alex forced her lowered gaze to his, "Then fucking present your tits to your master."

She slowly held her milky white folds at his thighs, with her dress and chemise and corset surrounding her. She watched as he positioned himself at her side and struck the cane to her presented tits.

She groaned, finding it hard to stay upright, but she managed to do just that as the second whip of the cane followed and the third.

He could tell she was becoming wet, even though this was supposed to be a punishment. She couldn't contain or hide her tears as he whipped her peaks a final time, watching as they turned a darker red, before turning to start gradually swinging at her ass in quick but toned-down whips.

He ceases suddenly, taking her mouth to his, drawing her belly to his calves, "He didn't deserve you taking his blame, but alas thank you."

It was strange for those words to fall from his lips, " I just did what I would have wanted someone to do for me."

His fingers intruded along her wet wall, but there was no foreplay needed, as she was already at her peak without him needing to touch her or warm her up.

She came, muffling her pleasure into his trousers, tears falling as she could not contain herself. This was still all new to her and yet, no matter how wrong it felt, it would always feel right. This relationship, formed on a rocky foundation, being a captive and slave of war and yet finding some understanding in her captor.

She longed to be free even before the war had started, and now coming to see that even a man in power, who had everything he could dream, was as much a caged animal as she was, left some comfort to her mind, and more importantly, she understood his actions. She may never forgive for the deaths of the people she loved until the end, but she understood his reasons.

He was lost, had lost people too. He had a whole country to care for and he had been pushed into a position the second his father took his last breath.

She took a breath in and opened her eyes, as the room shifted and morphed into the dark room he had been placed in. His chest rose, suggesting he was alive. He had risked his life to get her and now that he was, they were in more danger than ever before.

Lifting herself from her seat, she reached for him, gliding her fingers over the scar he had earned some months ago during the hunting assassination. A failed attempt. Now a new wound was forming under the bandaged side. She shut her eyes, taking in the moment, It was all she would have these next few weeks. 

The second he woke up, a war would begin.

It seemed fate was laughing at her, taunting her. She lifted her lids to see dark blue eyes staring back at her. Blood would be spilt.

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Hey Wattpaders! I would like to officially welcome you to The Logic To Her Mind, book two of The Key To His Heart series. Book one was sure a rough ride and I promise that book two will be even rougher, and it will make you cry and happy and all other emotions out there. You've made it through chapter one. See you in chapter two.

Song - Used to me, Luke Chiang