Hours had passed since Gilen left you in Luciano's room. Judging by the sun's position, it was due to rise within the next hour. You checked the doors to exit the room multiple times to see if they were locked, which they unfortunately were. Unsatisfied with your predicament, you took what time you'd been trapped to observe the large room's layout given you had nothing else to do at the moment.

        The floor was carpeted in a plush cream color, although something told you beautiful hardwood flooring lurked beneath it. A king sized bed with red satin sheets and plush white pillows sat with its headboard pushed against the bachelor blue and dark gray streaked wall at the back of the room. A cherry wood nightstand stood at either side of the bed's headboard, lamps with black shades sitting on top of both. Beside those sat French doors leading to a balcony overlooking the garden and decorated with potted rose bushes. To cover them when daylight came were blackout curtains. A wooden trim wrapped around the bottom of the four walls while crown molding of the same wood sat where it met the ceiling, the ceiling being the same color gray as what was accenting the blue on the walls.

        A brick fireplace protruded from the right wall. A black leather couch with two matching armchairs surrounded a rectangular coffee table with a glass top and wrought iron legs curled into intricate designs sat facing the fireplace. A single wooden door was in the center of the left wall, leading to the master bathroom. To the left of the door was a chair and desk made from cherry wood stacked with papers, a cup full of pens, and a lamp nestled in the corner. To the right sat another cherry wood table with haphazardly placed throwing knives, all incredibly clean with sparkling rubies embedded into the black handles. Beside that sat two wardrobes, one of which would be yours and the other Luciano's. You figured most of his clothing, especially his special attire articles, were kept in a separate room. A few paintings of landscapes and what you assumed to be cherished objects littered the walls. Above the fireplace hung a royal family portrait, much like the one you saw in the hallway. However, the brothers were grown up in this one.

        The bathroom followed the same color scheme as the bedroom as far as the walls, ceiling, and trim went. In the left corner of the left wall sat a white porcelain toilet and a walk-in shower with various shades of black and gray for the wall and floor tiling. In the middle of the back wall stood a double sink vanity with black granite counter tops and to either side of it linen closets freshly stocked with towels and other bathroom supplies. The right side of the room contained a white porcelain, golden claw-footed tub under a large bay window, it's curtains drawn to let in the fleeting evening light. To either side of the tub were shelves built into the wall, small knick knacks and bottles of scented oils placed on them.

        With a heavy sigh, you walked back into the main room and noticed that the box you received earlier had appeared on the desk. Beside it sat a smaller box, neatly wrapped with a red silk ribbon tied in a bow. Taking both items in your hands, you made your way out to the balcony, setting the larger box on the wide stone ledge of the railing. Before opening the smaller box, you looked upon the vast forests surrounding the castle and the lush gardens below. The moon was full and just barely beginning its descent before the mountains in the distance.

        Your gaze returned to the small box within your hands, gently pulling the ribbon free from its knot and setting the strip of fabric beside the bigger box. Slipping off the lid, you found a small key nestled on a piece of felt. Pulling it out and setting the box down, you exchanged it for the larger on. The key slid into the lock easily and turned with little resistance as a soft click was heard, signifying that it unlocked. You pulled the key out and gingerly returned it to it's box. Tilting the lid back, a soft melody began to play as a ballerina dressed in (f/c) twirled on a pedestal. An oval shaped mirror sat fixed to the inside of the lid.

        The song it played was one you recognized, instantly humming along to it. Your elbows met the railing and your head rested on one of your hands as you basked in the gorgeous scenery. The music looped over once at its end, but you allowed it to continue to play, not at all bothered by its repetition. Your eyes slid shut as you inhaled deeply, the crispness of the cool morning air filling your lungs. The sound of footsteps alerted you to another presence. You knew who it was by the hostile energy, yet you couldn't bother yourself to look at him.

        "I hope you're happy," he said, voice cold in tone.

        "That depends. Who am I talking to? Luciano or King?" you questioned snarkily, arms crossed over your chest as you turned around. His nose had white gauze placed over it and held in place with some surgical tape of the same color. His arms were also crossed over his chest, hair now slicked back rather than framing his face.

        "King... You broke my nose as a result of your little stunt," he replied, his tone more hostile from your attitude.

        "Oops. Meant to do that to Luciano, but I couldn't help it if you decided to ta-"

        "Take control at that moment? Look, there's obviously much that you don't understand about this disorder. Hell, even I don't fully understand it, but I know my purpose. I'm here to protect Luciano from harm, and you punching him? That doesn't fly with me in the slightest."

        "I gave him a fair warning. He only has himself to blame."

        He was silent for a moment, eyes narrowed before sighing. "I will agree with you on that."

        Humming in acknowledgement, you turned your gaze to the sky, then the forest, and then back to King before closing the music box. Grabbing said item and the box with the key, you brushed past him to reenter the bedroom. An outfit sat folded on the bed in a neat pile. You recognized it as the (f/c) tank top, jean shorts, and undergarments you wore the day prior. Picking them up, you noted the scent of laundry detergent on them, wondering who washed them, concluding a maid or a butler must have. Waking into the bathroom, you attempted to disrobe, struggling a bit with the corset lacing.

        You threw on your previous day's clothes and exited the bathroom, draping the dress over one of the armchairs. You walked barefoot in search of your white tennis shoes but had no luck in locating them. You thought back to the red ballet flats Gilen had provided you to wear with the dress. They were comfortable enough that you knew you'd be able to run in them. After all, you weren't going to stay, not with the prince's toxicity anyway. With a quiet sigh, you returned to the bathroom to retrieve them.

        Walking into the main room with shoe clad feet, you noticed that Luciano was sitting on the couch with a fire lit in the fireplace. You weren't sure who was in control at the moment, but his eerie silence was enough to give you chills. Beginning to tip-toe to the doors, you hoped King left them unlocked when he entered the room. Hands just a hair's width from the handle, the prince spoke, this time as himself.

        "And where do you think you're going?" he asked without even looking.

        You knew you were busted. He knew very well where you were going but decided to humor you. There was no point in lying to him. He'd only read your thoughts again whether you liked it or not. Luciano removed himself from the comfort of the couch and stalked his way towards you. You turned so you were facing him, stepping back against the door. His hands slammed against the wood beside your head, essentially pinning you in place without touching you.

        "You want to leave? Okay, go right ahead," he said in a dark tone. "But remember this, bella." He moved his head closer, mouth beside your ear. "I always get what I want in the end," he whispered, tone possessive and lips trailing down to your neck.

        Luciano placed a gentle kiss to the tender flesh of your neck, fangs rubbing against your skin as his lips parted. Your hand flew to the doorknobs and successfully twisted them, pushing back to slide out of the crack you created. You shut the doors in his face, bolting down the left hall. Luciano growled in frustration. Why he had picked such a stubborn girl to marry was beyond him, yet it wasn't. He knew why he chose you. He knew why he wanted you so badly, but you were so different than he expected. The thought of forgetting about you was enticing. He could have any female vampire he wanted as his mate, but he didn't want them. He only wanted you, a human girl he fell head over heels for at the glance of a picture.

        For all he knew, he really didn't love you. He just loved the thought of you and him together, the thought of... Well, that didn't really much matter anymore. He chalked it up to his hormones, but he felt that wasn't all there was to it. He felt something for you. It wasn't just the lust or the need to find a mate. It was a burning need to have you as his, to protect you from everything and everyone. He was shit at showing his feelings after his parents' death. He bottled up most of his emotions, something he learned from his grandfather, and he knew it wasn't the most healthy choice. It didn't help that King had become co-conscious with him over the last few centuries, making for a mix of both of their thoughts at once on occasion, especially when King's opinions were of the stronger variety and when he wanted to take control.

        Proving his love to you and that you weren't just his play toy was going to be difficult. How do you prove something like that to someone who hated you for good reason? He could shower you with luxurious gifts, he reasoned. That was always an option and had worked in years past, but that wouldn't be enough to win you over. He was going to need to change and have a serious talk with King about their tactics to woo you. Step one was going to be to pull his shit together and get his head out of his ass. The second step was going to be getting you back. Why not both at once though?

        With a heavy sigh, Luciano dragged himself to his balcony. Oh, how emotionally painful this was for him. He had spent almost his entire life looking for the perfect girl to marry. He longed for a marriage like his grandparents and parents. Sure they had their ups and downs, but they had such beautiful relationships with one another. And here he was, alone, angry, and distraught. He had found the perfect girl, only to have her ripped away from him, then dangled in front of him once more with the stipulation that she disliked him so much that she ran away.

        He directed his attention to the castle gates. Crossing his arms and resting his forearms on the railing, he leaned forward, gaze settling on the front gates of the castle. He could just barely see them from the side of the balcony, but it never ceased to amuse him when foolish humans tried to scale the tale, wrought iron fences to gain entrance to attempt to assassinate him and his brother. They were always caught the second they jumped down from the top and executed the following evening. Luciano couldn't have the babbling about the location of the castle after all. Although his castle wasn't exactly hard to find. Most people knew where it was, but if he'd let them go, they'd mostly try to kill him again. He couldn't do that to you though. His plan was formulating well in his mind, King inputting ideas every so often. He just had to wait a little to see if he had to put it into action or not.

        His gaze never wavered from the gates as he heard the sound of a door opening, then followed by footsteps. "Yes, Lutz?" he questioned in the pissed off tone he hadn't quite gotten rid of.

        "Where's the girl?" Lutz asked.

        "She ran off."

        "Was zum Teufel?! And you didn't send guards after her?!"

        "Sì. I had no need to."

        "What do you mean you didn't need to?"

        "The castle is big. She'll most likely become lost and run into someone who will bring her back to me. My scent should be recognizable on her with all the contact we had."

        "But what if she does make it out? It's almost day break, and you can't leave the castle."

        Luciano smirked. "That's true. I can't leave the castle, even at nightfall, but I know someone who can."

        "You don't mean who I think you mean, do you?"

        "Indeed I do Lutz. Indeed I do."

        "He'll kill her even if you say not to! That or the bastard that follows him around will."

        "No he won't, and he has a good control over his friend. I have full faith that no harm will come to (y/n) if I send him out after her. Plus, he can leave now if I tell him to. He knows the shady paths of the forest so he'll be fine." He watched as you jumped down from the top of the fence, dashing into the thick forest after stumbling less than gracefully. "Looks like plan B needs to be put into action," he muttered to himself. "Lutz?" Luciano asked in a commanding voice to gain his friend's attention.

        Lutz tensed and stood straight. "Yes?" he responded, glancing over at the shorter male.

        "Arrange a short meeting with The Hunter in the throne room in ten minutes. See to it that the curtains in there are closed by some of the human servants. I don't want an ounce of sunlight to seep in while I'm situated there."

        "Yes sir."

        Lutz left to attend to his orders, leaving the prince alone once again. He yawned as he walked into his room, music box catching his eye. He traced over the hollow of the heart with his index finger, smiling at its smoothness before returning to the French doors to close both sets of curtains, effectively blocking out the small rays of light dawn began to produce. He then made his way to the right of the fireplace, moving a painting of the castle ever so slightly so a small button appeared. The prince pushed it and let the painting swing back into place to conceal the button once more. A secret passage opened in between the painting and the fireplace soundlessly. Luciano stepped in the entrance and began walking down the dark corridor, the passage door closing behind him as silently as it opened.

        He effortlessly navigated the multitude of secret halls that he had been through so many times before, following the twists and turns to the throne room. When he reached a dead end he pushed another tiny button to have another passage door open. His pupils grew into slits as his eyes slowly readjusted to the lighter area. The passage closed, and Luciano walked to his throne. His magenta hues glowed slightly in the dimly lit room, giving anyone who would enter an ominous feeling. He sat just as the doors were opened by two human maids, both becoming skittish as they accidentally made eye contact with their soon-to-be ruler. Luciano decided to pardon them just this once since he was dead tired and didn't feel like scheduling two executions at the moment. Another set of dimly glowing eyes entered the room, except they were of a violet shade with specks of light blue.

        "You wanted to see me?" a masculine voice asked.

        "I did. I have a job for you," Luciano said, leaning his elbow into the armrest.

        "What kind of job?"

        "A hunt and capture job."

        "Did one of the human servants try to escape again?"

        "No, rather my future wife did and succeeded."

        "So, I shouldn't kill this one then, eh?"

        "Sì, don't kill her. All you need to do is find her, capture her, and bring her back here."

        "Sounds easy enough."

        "Don't be too quick to judge her. She may be a young woman, but she is feisty and determined."

        "Is she what happened to your nose?"

        "Sadly yes. I've learned to keep my mouth shut when she tells me to, even though I've only known her for a few hours. Her actions will not go unpunished though."

        "Even if she is how you say she is, I can still take her down. I'll find her and have her back before midnight."

        "Bene. I'll hold you to that."

        With that said and done, The Hunter left, and Luciano went back to his room for some much needed sleep and to dream of the future to come.

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! Sorry for the delay in this update! I've been busy working on some side projects and I wasn't too sure on what to change with this chapter besides rewriting some parts and revamping Luciano's bedroom and bathroom. We also get a little bit more of an interaction between King and the Reader, although it's very minute. And Luciano realized that needs to change because he knows his behavior is toxic! I don't think I have much else to say for this update. Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!