Chapter 3: The Price of Disobedience

The darkness in the royal quarters was dense, barely broken by the soft glow of dying embers in the fireplace. Alexander lay there, one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a lost gaze. A few inches away, Jana slept with a tranquility that he found almost insulting.

*What is wrong with me?* Alexander asked himself in the silence of his mind. His blood boiled every time he recalled the taste of her lips. *I want to possess her, I want to consume her and make her mine right now... But I don’t want her to be afraid of me.*

That thought bewildered him. He, the "Butcher Prince," the man who never hesitated to execute traitors or enemies, now found himself keeping watch over the sleep of a stranger in odd clothes. He couldn't close his eyes. He turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand to observe her. In her rest, Jana didn't look like the talkative, brave girl who defied him; she looked like an angel fallen into a century where she didn't belong. Alexander reached out a hand, barely brushing a lock of her blonde hair, vowing to himself that any man who dared look at her would suffer a fate worse than death.

### A Stormy Awakening

The following morning, Jana opened her eyes slowly, disoriented by the weight of the canopy above her head.

"Uh... Alex?" she murmured, her voice husky from sleep. "Your Highness?"

The bed was empty. A trace of warmth in the sheets indicated he had left recently. A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Miss, His Highness is waiting for you downstairs," Liz's voice said from the other side. "He says not to delay and to come down quickly. He will see you in the dining hall."

Jana sat up abruptly, feeling a mix of nerves and hunger.

"I don’t know where that is!" she shouted toward the door.

"I will take you," Liz replied, entering the room. "Would you like me to help you get ready?"

"Yes, please. Something that doesn't suffocate me so much, if possible," Jana requested with a faint smile.

Liz worked quickly, dressing Jana in a silk gown of cream tones that brought out the blue of her eyes. However, as they crossed the threshold of the quarters to head to the dining hall, fate laid an ambush.

Leticia was there, leaning against a marble column as if she had been waiting for the prey to leave the wolf's den. Her face went pale with rage upon seeing Jana exit the prince’s private room.

"What are you doing coming out of my fiancé’s quarters?" Leticia spat, her eyes red with fury. "Who do you think you are?"

Jana felt her heart climb into her throat. *(What do I say now? If I tell her the truth, she’ll slit my throat right here!)*

"Answer me, you wench!" Leticia insisted, taking a step forward.

Liz, trembling but brave, stepped slightly in between them.

"If I may, my lady, the Young Master was the one who took her there. If you do not wish for him to be angry, please, let the lady pass in peace."

The response only fueled the fire. Leticia, blinded by hatred, swung a violent backhand.

"No one gave you permission to speak, you're just a common servant!" she screamed as her palm struck Liz's cheek with a sharp crack.

"Hey! What are you doing? Don’t hit her!" Jana shouted, stepping forward to hold Liz, who was sobbing silently.

"What is all this racket at this hour?" A masculine voice, melodic but with a touch of arrogance, echoed in the hallway.

Jana looked up and saw a young man with shimmering blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky. He was the antithesis of Alexander in appearance, but dressed with the same royal elegance. *(This must be Tomás... he’s so handsome, though not more than Alex)*, Jana thought mechanically.

"Tomás!" Leticia exclaimed, pointing at Jana. "This girl came out of Alex's quarters! Deal with her, send her to the gallows right now!"

Prince Tomás approached, scanning Jana with a curious and appreciative gaze that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Well, well... since when does my brother bring women into his quarters?" Tomás laughed ironically. "He always said he had no interest in feminine distractions. Apparently, he has exquisite taste."

"Tomás! He is my fiancé!" Leticia roared.

"Dear sister-in-law, the lady is very well dressed," Tomás noted, touching the fabric of Jana’s sleeve. "That only means my brother ordered her to be treated like a queen. I won't involve myself in this matter. I don't want to die young without having found the love of my life... though perhaps, I’ve already found it standing before me."

Jana felt invisible during the nobles' argument.

"They keep talking as if I’m not even here!" she muttered under her breath.

"Where is Alex?" Leticia asked, beside herself. "I have to tell him to throw this woman out! I’m sure he’ll kill her when he realizes she’s an intruder."

Leticia, losing all control, grabbed Jana’s arm with surprising strength, digging her nails into her skin, and began dragging her toward the stairs.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Jana struggled, feeling the pain in her arm.

"Sister-in-law, let her go!" Tomás warned, though he didn't move to intervene, seemingly amused by the chaos.

"I SAID TO COME DOWN QUICKLY!" Alexander’s voice, heavy with dark authority, made time stand still.

He appeared at the foot of the stairs, dressed in black and leather, with an expression so icy that even Tomás stopped smiling. Leticia released Jana immediately, backing away. Jana took the chance to rub her arm, where the redhead's finger marks were already appearing.

"Brother, we were just heading to the dining hall, weren't we?" Tomás said, trying to smooth over the atmosphere.

Alexander didn't look at his brother. His red eyes were locked on Jana, noticing how she held her arm.

"I told you not to speak to anyone!" he reprimanded her, though his gaze shifted quickly to Leticia with a promise of violence.

"Alex..." Leticia began with a trembling voice. "Who is this woman? What was she doing in your bed?"

Without warning, Alexander moved with the speed of a predator. His fingers circled Leticia’s neck—not enough to choke her, but enough to make it clear who was in charge.

"Do not test my patience," he whispered, bringing his face close to hers. "I warned you: do not touch what is mine."

Leticia tried to pull his hands off, terrified, her eyes wide.

"Stay out of my business!" the prince declared.

"Your Highness... let her go, please," Jana pleaded, frightened by the intensity of the scene. She didn't want anyone to die because of her.

"Yes, brother!" Tomás seconded. "It’s not that big a deal, your fiancée is just jealous."

Alexander released Leticia abruptly, and she fell to her knees, gasping for air.

"If you touch what is mine again, I will not stop," he said, ignoring her cries. "Who will stop me? The King? Let him come."

"Alex, I’m hungry... can we go?" Jana interrupted, wanting to get Alexander out of that state of fury before he did something crazy.

"Yes, yes, let’s go eat something," Tomás added enthusiastically.

"Liz!" Alexander ordered. "Take Jana back to my quarters."

Jana stood there agape.

"What? But I just said I was hungry..."

"Brother, the lady is hungry, why don't we go eat first?" Tomás suggested, looking at Jana with a flirtatious smile.

Alexander turned toward his brother with clenched fists.

"Tomás, get lost before I lose my mind!"

Jana, seeing that the situation was about to explode again, sighed with resignation.

"Fine, let’s go, Liz," she said crossly, turning around.

Leticia, from the floor, screamed with hatred:

"This won't end like this, Alex! I’ll tell the King!"

Alexander strode up the stairs, following Jana into the room. Upon entering, he slammed the door with a bang that made the girl jump.

"Get out, Liz!" he ordered. The maid disappeared in a blink.

"I told you not to speak to anyone!" Alexander roared, facing Jana.

"But I was just leaving and she saw us!" she replied, taking two steps back from the prince's imposing figure. "It wasn't my fault she was standing there like a crazy person."

Alexander continued to advance, his gaze glowing with dangerous desire and contained rage.

"It seems I have been too soft with you..." he murmured. "You think you can defy my orders and come out unscathed."

"Alex, are you listening to me?" she asked, her heart racing as her back hit the bedpost. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"I have to punish you," he said in a voice that sent a shiver down Jana’s spine. It wasn't a death threat; it was something much more intimate and unsettling.

"Alex, stop! Enough!" she exclaimed, but it was too late.

With a quick, firm movement, Alexander grabbed her by the waist and threw her onto the soft blankets of the bed, dropping over her and pinning her with his own body. Jana looked into his eyes, realizing that, in that moment, the beast wasn't angry with Leticia—he was hungry for her.

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