White Rose by Gao Yang (best ebook reader for ubuntu .TXT) 📖

the black figure in front of her. She squirmed and struggle out of the man's arms. The man standing in front of them noticed how she reacted to the man who was holding her.

 

"Do you know her or not?! Answer me!" The man shouted.

 

"I don't know this man! He came up to me and tried to convince me into leaving with him!" She screamed but only loud enough for the unknown man to hear her.

 

"So, this young lady claims that you tried to convince her to leaving with you? What exactly are you planning to do with her?" The man looked at her and the person in front of him.

 

He looked frightened but wouldn't accept the fact that he didn't know the girl.

 

"Let me go!" She shouted as she struggled to move out of his grip.

 

"Shut up!" He hissed as he held her even tighter around her small and fragile body. She whimpered as if he were crushing her body.

 

"Please-" She said as she started lose conscious again. Her eyes were closing as her head fell, hanging over her body.

 

"I warned you, sir." The black figure zoomed up to the man and smacking him on the back of his head, making him loose his grip from her.

 

The man lets her go and the stranger walked up to her to catch her from falling. She barely opened her eyes, but all she remembered before she passed out was seeing a pair of brown eyes.

 

"You cruel man! Have you got no respect for a woman?" Another voice was heard from behind the man; he picked her up and carried her bridal-style.

 

"I'm one of the Courtiers in court. I can do anything I want to any woman as I wish." The drunk man said as he stumbled back to his feet.

 

The man just looked at him as he carried the girl in his arms, then it started raining.

 

"My lord, we need to get out of here." One of the guards said as he was coming down the alleyway to man who was carrying Isabella.

 

He looked at the girl, he recognized her. He's seen her before, not 2 days ago.

 

"We need to get back to the castle, let this girl get some rest and eat. She shall stay in the palace for the night." He said as he carried her out of the alleyway in the rain.

 

"Yes, m'lord." The guard obeyed as he opened the carriage for his master.

 

He carried her inside the carriage, positioning her in a comfortable position. He took out his handkerchief and wiped off the rain droplets on her forehead and cheek, but kept his distance from her.

 

During the carriage ride, he noticed that she kept moving around, which made him wonder what she dreams about in her beauty sleep. He smiled as she was trying to find a position to for herself to be comfortable in.

 

He moved closer to her, placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She then stopped moving and laid her head on his shoulder. He looked at her and smile as she rested on his shoulder.

 

Little did he know, she was smiling too as she rested on his shoulder with his arms wrapped around her.

PART 2 - FINDING BEAUTY

"Nothing makes a woman beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." ~ Sophia Loren

Chapter 5

 

Valet's Residence

 

"Where did she go again?!" Mr. Valet shouted as he searched Isabella's room.

 

"This is why you should've never yell at her." Jack said, crossing his arms and stood in the doorway and saw his father searching her room. "Plus if she really was to hide, she wouldn't hide in her room. She'd be smart enough to hide somewhere more secretive, somewhere we don't know about, somewhere we all may never know."

 

His father turned around to face his son who was standing in the doorway. "You wanna explain why she would run away?" He asked his son as if it wasn't obvious to see it.

 

"Don't you understand? She can't deal with her life and having you telling her so many different things. She's got a lot on her mind." Jack said, frustratedly.

 

"Well what else could I do?" He gritted through his teeth. "She never learns her lesson."

 

"Because she was depressed for the past 4 years!" Jack shouted over his father's words, which he had never done in his life.

 

"What are you trying to say to me, Jack?" He said as he shot his son a look.

 

Jack wasn't frightened like his sister is with their father. He was strong, and never done anything wrong out of his mother and father's favor. But now, his sister is missing; he started acting intense, especially towards his father.

 

"She couldn't stand the fact that she had to stay away from Colin for more than 4 years. I thought you would've already taken notice of that but it looks like you never saw what she was really going through." He watched as his father was only amused. "You've watched her break down into pieces for four years. Staying away from Colin nearly cost her life!"

 

Mr. Valet let out a soft chuckle. "That was on her. She didn't do as I asked, so I had to punish her that." He said, lying to his son's face. "She deserved it."

 

"No, you yelled at her. You asked if she ever slept with Colin. You raised your hand above her head and slapped her." Jack said as he repositioned himself.

 

"I raised my hand above her head?" He looked like he just wanted to laugh. "Like I said, she deserved it. She didn't do as I asked."

 

"I've watched you do it, multiple times when I could've stand up for her but you always had the power to put her down like she was a lower class!" Jack took in a deep breath and told his father again. "She never slept with Colin. Does that answer satisfy you a little bit now? And you dare say that she deserved it when she lied?" Jack said, not losing his guard. "She lied because she felt cornered and she feared that she didn't have any way out of her troubles." Then a tear fell from Jack's eye as he told his father the next thought he's been thinking about for a while. "You wanna know something else? Sometimes, I don't know whether you're still the father who raised me or whether you're someone who fell for a false rumor from the village." His words were like a venom for him to say because he really loved his father so much.

 

Jack turned around, walking away and left his father, standing in her room. He stood there, guilty, regretting his words he's ever yelled at her, how many times he raised his hand on her. A teardrop fell from the corner of his eye as he thought about it.

 

He looked around her room, observing what she's done in her room. He caresses her bed as he wept over her bed. "Oh Isabella, I'm terribly sorry."

 

 

Royal Palace

 

"My lord Bryce." The guards greeted him as he carried Isabella in his arms.

 

"No need to bow down, I need bring this girl to the guest room chamber, now." The guard obeyed and led him to the guest chamber.

 

"This way, my lord." Bryce followed the guard down the long hallways.

 

Finding the guest chamber took a while because it was west in the palace, towards the seaside. Finally they made it, there were maids present in the room.

 

"Greetings Lord Bryce." They all curtsied.

 

"Hurry, help her to bed now." The maids walked up to him and carefully helped him put her in bed. "Thomas, go get the doctor to come and check on her."

 

Thomas bowed, obeying his order and left.

 

"You all may leave." All the maids curtsied and left the room, closing the door behind them. He watched them as they left.

 

He turned his head back to the girl who he just helped. He observed her features, he then thought to himself. This mistress is no prostitute or a girl who roams the village at night.

 

He took out his handkerchief from his front pocket, folding it and set it next to the pillow beside her.

 

He grabbed her hand and held it. It was cold. He held her hand, warming hers with his. He carefully moved a strand of her hair behind her ear without waking her up.

 

"Why would you wander in the night by yourself?" He murmured under his breath. She continued to sleep, so peacefully and beautifully.

 

Then he heard a knock on the door.

 

He quickly released her hand from his and placed it back where it was before.

 

"Come in!" He said.

 

"My lord, the doctor is here." He nodded.

 

"Oh my, first it's the young prince, now a young mistress. Okay let's check on what's the problem here."

 

Bryce stood up from the bed, letting the doctor do his job.

 

The doctor looked at the mistress, skeptically, and nodded. He took her hand and took her pulse.

 

"Doctor?" Bryce said as he was taking her pulse.

 

"Ah, I see what's going on." The doctor stood back up. "Her pulse is seems to be weak. She may be dealing with an internal conflict. She also caught herself a cold."

 

"How could that be? I brought her here as soon as possible." The doctor looked at her and back at Bryce.

 

"My lord, I believe she's had the cold for quite a while." Bryce's mouth dropped.

 

"Do you know what she may being conflicting with?" The doctor looked puzzled. "You said that she may be dealing with an internal conflict. What conflict could it be?" Bryce was desperate to know.

 

"Judging by her pulse, I believe she may be dealing with some kind of depression." The doctor told him and he was in shock. "I'll tell the maids to make a medicine soup for her when she awakes in the morning." Bryce nodded. "I'll take my leave."

 

The doctor bowed and left the room.

 

He looked at her and sat down on beside her.

 

"What's troubling you? I know we haven't known each other for long, but you can tell me anything if you want. I really do hope I get to know you." He watched her as she slept. He smiled as he stood up and walked towards the door, letting her get some rest and closed the door.

 

Next morning

 

Isabella moved around and woke up in a whole new different setting. She looked around the room, it was indeed big and much bigger than her own bedroom.

 

She saw a handkerchief on the pillow next to her; she grabbed the handkerchief and