Mafiaso Series: Fragile. Book 2

A small, peony flower-like delicate figure sat at the very corner of the banquet that was being held for the 10th birthday of mafia princess Aurora.

There were various groups of people that were chatting amiably with one another, almost like an illusion of harmony that was being established after being in a cold war for so many years, it was almost like they finally came to their own perception of being united under the rule of Waylons and pledged their loyalty to them.

Rose Cattaneo was the shy girl of merely twelve seasons that looked so out of place despite being the only daughter of the Cattaneo mafia clan’s leader Vincent and the young princess carrying the legacy of a century-old crime branch.

Nibbling onto a pink macaroon, she observed her parents talking to the Emperor himself and could not help but feel intimidated by the man who was accompanied by a beautiful woman by his side.

She looked at the couple in confusion before realizing that the woman was the beloved Queen of the Mafia emperor. Thus for now only by sitting there, she had already encountered half of the royal family. Then her eyes searched for the one for whom the entire party was being held for.

Wasn’t the princess required to stay with her parents all the time? Also, where was the prince?

“Hey! you there...” Rose almost tumbled down from her seat, wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights before she looked behind herself to see the purple curtains of velvet fur being parted by small fingers and a brown head peaked in between the curtains.

“Pass me the plate of cupcakes.” The girl was smaller than her own but had a fiery attitude of staring at her without blinking, which made the fragile Rose nervous. With careful hands, Rose picked up the plate and looked all around before passing it to the hand that came out to clutch it.

“Y-You should try the jelly sandwiches too, t-they are my favorite.” Honey eyes looked deep into Rose’s brown ones before the girl nodded.

“Alright.” But this time when Rose handed her the plate of sandwiches, her whole body was snatched forward and the delicate visage of both the girls disappeared behind the violet-decorated pillars.

Rose pouted, twiddling her fingers in embarrassment, she tried to stop the girl from venturing into strange places, she was sure that she had come way out of the banquet venue and was now heading towards another building that looked more like a palace, thus she was somewhat sure that it was a place that she was not allowed to enter.

“A-Am I being k-kidnapped?” She stopped in the middle of the flower field and could see a few white fluffy clouds running on the ground…were they dogs? Shaking her head off to focus on the present situation, Rose simply stood pouting.

“So you will behave cutely if someone kidnaps you and then what? Ask them for a cup of hot chocolate?”

“N-No!” A pink hue covered the cheeks as the beautiful precious angel whined in the complaint.

“Then simply follow me, scaredy cat.”

“Hey! I am older than you and I-I am taller than you too!”

“You are more naïve than me.” The girl walked ahead and unknowingly Rose nodded twice in blank affirmation before the thing registered in her mind.

“No! I am a smarter person!”

“It’s more smart, not smarter.”

***

“On that side of the room is magic.”

“Magic? Really?” Rose got pretty excited to see the place with her newly found friend. Till now they have roamed half of the mansion and Rose saw a room full of musical instruments, the other had a sleek gym. The guards passing them seemed to be weird though.

They looked half confused and a little apprehensive but why did they not speak anything or stop them? Was it okay to roam inside the personal space of the mafia king and queen…

“Have they made it like a museum to see?” The innocent angel had whispered only for the girl beside her to clutch her stomach and laugh heartily before smacking the back of her head.

Rose had no idea how silly she sounded to her younger friend then, and now when she said there was magic behind closed doors Rose was a spectacle.

“We should not breach certain boundaries, some mysteries and secrets are close to the hearts of royals and they would not wish for us to interfere, we are already so deep inside… let’s head back or our parents would be worried.”

“You are pretty smart for your age.” The girl tilted her head as if observing Rose for the nth time that day.

“But I am older than you, I will be wiser of course.” The soft words were simply facts that the girl stated while she looked around for anyone to come to guide them back.

“No you cannot be, there isn’t anyone more intelligent of my age than me, I am a genius.” the little brown-eyed cutie simply whispered the words under her breath before she opened the doors of the room and the person sitting inside made Rose freeze in terror.

Green irises meeting her brown chocolate pools were warm and considerate yet fear made Rose unable to stand still and she staggered back.

“Dad…this is Rose, my best friend. Rose, this is my father.” The magnificent man who sat inside was the King of all but if Ajax Waylon was this girl’s father then she was… “Princess Aurora!”

“M-My a-apologies, I am so s-sorry.” Ajax held the little girl’s shoulder to prevent her from falling but Rose was too astonished to see him right in front of her to even feel fear.

“Careful, daughter.” The innocent girl wished to cry at how warm the emperor was to her despite her thinking the opposite but her confusion got the best of her as tears started streaming down her face.

So that was how the one child who was sitting in the corner of the banquet was found wrapped up like a burrito with Aurora, drinking hot chocolate on a frozen winter night as Ajax read the two children the book of neverland pirates.