𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄 | ✎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

He hurt her, and it's all because of me. Those are the words that keep repeating themselves in my mind. I shouldn't have left her in that room alone with Prince Marco. I should have done better. I failed one simple duty: to protect the princess.

I will never let her out of my sight again.

I stand on the threshold of her doorway as she sits in her room, brushing her silky hair. For a moment, the princess didn't seem to acknowledge my presence. That changes when she suddenly whips her head around.

"You know you don't have to watch me like a creep, right?" She arches an eyebrow and gets up from the fuzzy stool she was sitting on.

I can't help but glare at her. I'm just doing my job. And she should be grateful that I saved her ass earlier.

"I'm not being a creep; I'm being your bodyguard." I responded so curtly that it might have come off as rude. "You've shown that you clearly can't handle yourself, so now I'm never letting you out of my sight."

She drops the hairbrush she was holding and looks at me as if I had just told her the world was ending. The faint smile she usually has on her face is long gone, replaced by a frown with eyes that stare hard into my soul.

"The hell is your problem?" she snaps. "He was being forceful! I tried my best to get him off of me."

I roll my eyes and lean against the doorframe. "Princess, you need me. You're a strong girl, but you can't always protect yourself from men like Prince Marco."

I'm not trying to be an asshole to her or make her feel as if I'm putting her down, and yet, that's what she seems to think I'm doing. The look on her face says it all.

"You're way in over your head," she retorts, raising her hand to gesture to the door. "I don't need you at all. You can go now; I'd prefer to be in my room alone."

I stare her down, not willing to give in to her demands. I stand taller than her, even though she's wearing heels. She doesn't scare me with her words, and I'm not about to let her run all over me.

"You don't have a choice," I reply, my voice firm. "You're not going anywhere without me."

"For fuck's sake!" she shouts irritatedly. "Are you going to watch me while I sleep, too? While I eat? Might as well watch me get ready, Alex."

I know I should try to calm the situation down, but my emotions get the better of me. I can feel the tension mounting, and I know it's only a matter of time before we both explode.