Though The World Fail, I'm Still Here

-Chapter Thirteen- Dante

(Dante's POV)

I sit at my desk my shirt unbuttoned and hair a mess. I was up until 3:00 partying at a popular club in the city called Euphoria with Zeroth, Clovis, and Quinn, my closest friends. We had a lot of fun but the drinks and late night is taking toll on my responsibilities.

Ring ring.... my phone.

I check my phone and see Zeroth's caller ID.

"Hey, what's up?" I answered.

"Uh...hey listen...I don't really want to tell you this..." Zeroth stuttered and stalled.

"Spit it out Zero." I snapped. I headed him loudly sigh.

"I saw Cornelia..." There was a huge silence for the longest time.

He. Saw. Cornelia....

My mouth hung open in surprise. He found her! And that made my heart flutter and my lips curl into a huge grin.

"Where?! When?! I'm coming!" I said way to excitedly.

The girl that has not left my mind since that day. She has always had made me giddy whenever I saw her. I had a soft spot for her.

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Memories
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"Who's that girl?" I asked one of the maids as I pointed at a girl with white hair that brushed her hips as she set the table for dinner with some nobles later this evening.

"That is Cornelia Hartfell of the Hartfell noble family of De Torra. She's a slave of war. She's 15 sir. Your uncle is the one who brought her to the palace. She's been here 4 years now." She informed.

I furrowed my brows. She was 15 to my 22 years.

"She's really striking isn't she?" I heard someone say from behind me. I turned to see my uncle Jarvis with a smile and his hands behind his back.

"When we raided De Torra I came across a noble family and she was a sight to behold with her natural pure white hair and doe eyes and her milky gold speckled skin. Her mother was the same with her white hair and milky skin but she was very much a fighter and I would have taken her too but she was to much work." He said to me.

I scowled at him. He was as bad as my father when it came to women. They both sickened me. I'd didn't mater how old they were they still objectified them as if they were an accessory and good pastimes.

But ever since I knew of her existence i ignored her. Why? Cause I knew she was just another plaything to many of the people here. I didn't want to involve myself with that. That was until....

"Prince Dante may I enter? I have your tea and cakes." Asked a small gentle voice threw my door.

"Come in." I said as I sat in my chair facing the window for me to see the city and the garden as I wrap my wounds. Previously I was out in the front lines and got some cuts on my back and chest. I managed to bandage my chest wounds.

She came in and she set a tray down on the table next to me and I looked over to see the girl with the white hair and gold eyes. She barely made eye contact with me and turned to leave. But then she stopped in her tracks and came back surprising me. She held out her hand. I looked at it dumbfounded.

"I..I'll b..bandage your back." She nervously stuttered avoiding eye contact. I handed her the medicine and bandages and she dressed my wounds for me.

"Where did you learn to dress wounds?" I asked her.

"I .. my brother would get hurt a lot." She replied.

That didn't seem like a genuine answer to me so I turned around to face her to see her expression. What I saw made my heart ache. She had cuts and bruises on her face and arms and some on her neck from the looks of someone strangling her. I frowned and she avoided eye contact but I grabbed her chin roughly and lifted her head for me to see her.

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Sadly even I wasn't the nicest to her. I had a lot of anger issues and took some of that out on her but never physically. I mostly just yelled a lot and I do regret it. It scared her and looking back at it all, she was already scared enough for me to make it worse by always yelling at her. I didn't find out about what happened to her until recently how Serat would hold fights with the prisoners and some soldiers, Cornelia being apart of it. Then Zeroth sneaked her out from under my nose which made me really mad at him and we got into a really bad fight but mended our relationship and both agreed that if she ever came back into our lives we would never put her in danger.

Now she's back. And I want to make amends for what she went through. I hope she can forgive me.

"Uh, Dante. I don't think it's the best time she went to work just now. But I said I'd take her for luck tomorrow why don't I see if she's okay with you being there?" He asked me.

I leaned forward into my seat.

"Yeah! Let's do that." I said excitedly.

I really hope she forgives me.