89 – Rules

89 – Rules
Maybe it’s the cold air in the room, or maybe it’s the way he looks at me as he steps closer. Whatever the reason, my entire body breaks into goosebumps.
I take a step back and bump into the cushioned bench, my toes curling against the carpet. Damien holds out the envelope to me.
My hands stay where they are, one clutching the towel, the other gripping the edge of the bench.
“What’s in there?” I ask.
“See for yourself. It’s time you start taking your place, Leonor. I’ve got to stop trying to protect you. You always choose the hard way. Open it,” Damien orders.
No matter how much I try to resist his command, my body obeys that tone of voice.
I take the envelope between trembling fingers and open it slowly. Inside are photographs, organs, people, weapons, machines I’ve never seen before.
I drop them all to the floor. It’s a useless attempt to get rid of them; they’re burned into my eyes the moment I close them.
“What does this mean, Damien? Why are you showing me this? Do you want me to go somewhere where what’s in those pictures actually happens? I don’t understand. Why are you doing this to me?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You were meant to learn about it gradually. Today’s just a meeting, about the position I’m taking. These photos are proof of the work my administration’s done. I was supposed to show them when I took my father out of power, but things changed,” he says.
I don’t fully understand what he means, but honestly, I’m not even surprised anymore. Of course Damien is behind things this horrific.
“I don’t want to be part of this world. I don’t want to be part of your world. And if you force me, I swear I’ll throw myself off this ship and let the sea take me.”
He steps closer, gripping my chin and tilting my face up toward his. His gaze locks me in place.
“This is your world, your legacy, my love. You can’t run from it. The sooner you understand that, the easier it’ll be.”
Damien offers me his hand. Reluctantly, I take it, and he leads me back to the bedroom.
“I’m asking you not to jump off the ship. I’d have to jump after you, and we don’t have time to deal with pneumonia. Am I clear?”
“I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand, Damien. I don’t want to be a monster like you. I just want my life back, that’s all. I’m not like you, or my grandmother, or our parents. I’m just me.”
“I’ll make it clearer for you, then. I’m taking my father’s place. And when you’re ready, you’ll take yours as heir. If we don’t, you’ll be hunted. I need you with me in this, Leonor. I’ll train you myself. And believe me, you’d rather it be me than your grandmother.”
I swallow hard at the mention of her. That pull she had on me, magnetic and terrifying all at once. I’ve never felt so intimidated by anyone in my life.
Of all the blurry memories from that night, one thing remains sharp: the feeling of danger that came with simply being in the same room as her.
“You’re going to hand me over to her, aren’t you?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“You know I won’t, Nor. But I have an agreement with her, and I intend to honor it.”
“The agreement to train me?”
“To protect you. To prepare you so you don’t crumble. So you’ll know how to survive in this world. Because it is your world,” Damien says, then walks back into the closet.
I sit silently on the bed. He returns with a few pieces of clothing. I pull the dress over my head, no energy, no hope.
Wiping away the tears, I stand. He watches every movement I make.
Damien sits on one of the armchairs and taps his leg. I obey, walking over and sitting on his lap, waiting for whatever comes next.
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
“Do I have a choice?” I reply.
“Do you trust me?” he repeats, more firmly.
Just being on his lap, held in his arms, even knowing what he’s capable of, makes me feel safer. Deep down, I know Damien would never hurt me.
I take a breath, giving in. “With my life.”
The answer pleases him. He smiles, wicked and proud.
“Be a good girl tonight, my love. Follow the rules, and you’ll be well rewarded. Do we have a deal?” His fingers trace the length of my spine, sending another shiver through me.
“What rules?” I ask, and that’s exactly what he wanted.
I’m lost, completely at his mercy. It’s foolish of me to think I ever stood a chance against him. Even my own body betrays me; it listens to him before it listens to me.
“Tonight you’ll stay quiet. Watch and learn how things work. Don’t smile at them. Don’t lower your gaze. If someone makes eye contact, hold it, then look at me. I’ll handle whoever needs reminding of their place. And most importantly, don’t speak. Let me do the talking. Keep that proud posture of yours. We’re royalty here, Nor. You’re my lady on this board, a lady learning to become a queen.”
His words hit somewhere deep, twisting something inside me. Damn him, he knows exactly what to say. Just when I’m about to protest his domineering tone, he calls me a queen.
“I should hit you for telling me to follow those rules.”
He smirks, stands, and sets me on my feet. Then gives me a playful smack on the ass.
“Save that for later, Nor, or we’ll be late for the meeting.”
Damien grabs a pair of high heels and kneels to slip them onto my feet. Every gesture, every word of his is a contradiction, tenderness wrapped in power. The perfect confusion to leave me trembling.
Before leaving the room, I grab a scarf and wrap it around my head. Damien raises a brow. I tell him I want to keep my identity hidden. He just smiles and opens the door.
We walk through the corridors, and for the first time, I see the ship’s deck. The night is beautiful, the sky full of stars, the kind of infinity that makes my problems feel small. Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved the night sky.
We reach the room before I can really take in where we are. It doesn’t matter.
Several people are already there, mostly men. Damien’s presence dominates the room. He tells me to wait a moment while he speaks with his brothers. We’re only a few feet apart.
I try to listen in on what they’re saying, they don’t sound happy.
Someone brushes past me lightly.
I turn, and a man murmurs an apology, his hands briefly catching mine between his. It’s fast, so fast I barely register it before he’s gone.
He disappears before I can even see his face. A waiter, maybe... I don’t know. I don’t pay attention to him, not at first, until I realize he left something in my hand.
“Look later,” he’d said.
I clasp my hands together, hiding the small folded piece of paper he slipped to me.