CHAPTER 3

ROSE 13 ARES 17 AURORA 11 It was miraculous how the world revolved and changed with every passing moment. The meeting of Mafia Queen Alaina and Rose's parents was cut short due to the magnanimity of the event and then Sierra and Vincent had thought that this might be the first and last time of confrontation with the mafia rulers yet unknown to them it was merely the beginning. From then onwards Rose was frequently invited to the Axaina palace in Switzerland to celebrate events as common as friendship day and as profound as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Aurora also visited their home in Italy when she was traveling with Ares for he was attaining his education from the place or sometimes with her parents when they were on a vacation. Days passed into months and months concentrated into years, and over time the bond was strengthened to somewhat consider them having close ties and alliances beyond what was considered professional. Since Aurora favored Rose, it was only natural that the entire circle of her acquaintances held the innocent girl in high regard yet Rose was neither the one to boast nor the person who sought attention thus even the matter of being so close to the only princess of the empire was taken as something that was not meant to be flaunted but preserved. They were best friends and thus the angel felt her utmost love and devotion to her friend instead of any greed and lust for power. "I have packed an entire closet of teal colored dresses! A-and the bow-ties that you have suggested, those stickers that mom got from me from Spain. Ho il mio spazzolino da denti e le ciabatte di pelliccia di ciliegia.... oh Dio, sto avendo un attacco di panico." (I have my toothbrush and cherry fur slippers .... oh God, I'm having a panic attack) Rose blabbered in Italian whenever she was nervous, and right now it seemed to be the best time to lose her wits. Her bodyguards driving two cars ahead of her, while two black Phantoms were following her medium-paced car as she was visiting Axaina Palace once again. They were already within the seven-kilometer radius of the castle and due to the King and Queen being out to Russia, the place was even more tightly sealed thus it required them four check posts to pass inside this inner circle which accessed the necessary protocol of supervising each vehicle through sensors. "Come se tu fossi mio amico a causa delle tue stupide pantofole... stupido, sono in ritardo perché ci sarà una bufera di neve in arrivo, non perché il mondo sta finendo." (As if you were my friend because of your stupid slippers ... silly, I'm late because there will be a blizzard coming, not because the world is ending.) Rose whined not paying attention to the way those words slipped past the lips of the mafia princess, earlier it used to be like a miracle when Rose was most of the time startled with how many languages Aurora could converse in fluently yet now it was like winds blowing past. "Alright Rose sweety, listen to me, take a deep breath and chant 'I can do this till you reach my home since now I need to go to my hotel room. The blizzard is going to hit the city in the next seven hours and dad has given strict instructions to the bodyguards to take me to the next city so I need to get going." "Y-You remain safe alright, eat frequently and cover yourself well, don't let the winter wind get into your body, ah, and turn the heater in full blasts!" "Yes ma'am!" The phone was disconnected with a beep and then the holy chant of 'I can do this' began. The most terrifying part was not staying without Aurora, it was more about being alone with her crush. It was already one year since Rose came to know Ares through the photo in Aurora's box and since then her heart had been unable to relinquish the feeling of liking him. She was not ready at all, not ready to come to see him infront of her. She wanted him to like her, would he like her? The girl wanted to rip off her silky strands in anxiety and nervousness. Was it too late to run away? Rose took a shaky breath in when she realized that yes it indeed was, as her guards parked the car infront of Axaina Palace. She had arrived a day early in Switzerland only to find out that Aurora's flight has been delayed due to blizzards. Although the girl could afford the best hotels in the country but her best friend insisted to live in her house. And after getting a glimpse of the castle years ago, Rose knew exactly why. She was a Cattaneo princess and her safety was always at stake but not here...not even a person can breathe without getting it noticed in this place. The guards were heavily guarding the arena, not even a single car was visible in the route from miles away from here. This was a web impossible to reach unless permitted to...The underworld establishment to the most powerful mafia family, their dream home. Rose stepped out of the car trembling when a guard came forward bowing respectfully. "Miss Cattaneo, please, this way." Two bulky men followed the lead taking the suitcases from Rose's hand as their chief led the way. It was a windy day with dark grey clouds looming over, the intoxicating scent of flowers swirled around the girl whose mouth was gaped open with the magnificence she saw. White lotuses were floating in the crystal blue lake which had a small wooden bridge that connected two sides. It looked as if she had been transported to an ancient era. The little girl almost jumped when she saw a pair of black swans in the pond forming the heart shape with their crimson beaks, there were white ones as well, their icy feathers fluttering as they swam from one place to another. Last time these things were not here. Did they renovate with magic? Till the time Rose had reached the inside part of the palace grounds she wished she could go out again, Switzerland was known for its coniferous trees yet she had seen an apple orchard and strawberry creepers on her pathway to here. God knows what else was in here. If previous times were stunning then this was something magnanimous beyond comprehension.