king of slowburns and cliffhangers

After much back and forth, Ace decides to go anyway. It had to have been some form of torture because the thought of someone else marrying you was destroying him from the inside out. It didn’t help that the pulling sensation was stronger than ever. It felt like the entire universe was screaming at him to go. So, who was he to ignore the entirety of the universe? Maybe there would be some closure.

Deuce didn’t go with him this time. He was more noticeable than Ace, so someone would probably think he was there to catch the marriage ball. A very deep part of Ace almost wanted him to do that. At least if Deuce married you, he could trust that you would be taken care of and happy. And you would be in his life to some extent, but that wouldn’t be fair to Deuce. He would be putting him in the exact same situation he was in.

Surely the universe had something in mind. Why else would it reveal you to him? Have the newspaper of your marriage toss end up at his house when he happened to be there? There were too many things happening for it to be coincidence.

It was particularly warm and it sucked even more having so many people around him. He was impressed with the set up, however. The house you resided in was large. He couldn’t help but wonder why. Why were you doing this? You didn’t seem one to be part of the nobility life, so why pull a big stunt like this? Televised and everything.

Unless it wasn’t your choice, which pissed him off even more. You were only a noble, not even a royal. Why were you having to marry someone you didn’t know? Or marry someone you didn’t want to? He didn’t understand it. Well, he did. It was greed. It was almost always greed.

Once more, he was able to lay his eyes on you. His breath was taken away and he was head over heels all over again. It just fueled his fire to end up in your life somehow all over again. Only, he didn’t know how he was going to do that if you were engaged to someone else. 

Everything about this event was…odd. Everything felt like it was straight out of an old textbook. No one did things like this anymore. A marriage toss was an ancient tradition that died out centuries ago. Not to mention, the marriage ball itself even looked old. The clothes you and your family were wearing were also that of old times. He wondered why this entire spectacle was happening. 

By the look on your face, it wasn’t your decision. He grew angry all over again.

The next moments were a blur. One moment, he was absolutely captivated by your presence, the next, you were standing in front of him, the ball in his hands. He blinked, unable to even fathom that any of this happened.

It was as if you found him drifting out at sea. It was automatic, it was telepathic. You looked at him as if you had always known him.

He scrambled in his own brain. What was he going to do? Then he remembered his cover. He was playing as a man in the poverty line. Someone with nothing to his name. Surely, you wouldn’t want to marry him. You would at least want someone of your status. Besides, even if he went with it, at the end of the day, he didn’t know you. You could be awful. Never meet your dreams or whatever. He couldn’t think right now. Not when you were standing so close to him. Not when you smelled so good.

Then you stepped even closer. In all your elegance and radiance. You had the command of someone who ruled an entire kingdom. The air about you; you absolutely were more fit for a throne than he.

Everything else fell away. Suddenly, you were the only two people around. He couldn’t hear nor see anyone else. There was only you. You with a warm air about you that felt like home. A soft, analyzing expression on your face.

Then the reality of the situation hit him. He quickly bowed to you, remembering his character to play. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to catch it, i-it just ended up in my hands. I didn’t want it to end up on the dirty ground…”

He straightened back up, meeting your intense stare. It was hard to tell what you were thinking. The look on your family’s faces said enough. They were disgusted that a ‘commoner’ caught this marriage toss. Hah, if they only knew…

Though, your expression wasn’t like that. Your expression seemed thoughtful and taken aback. Perhaps just surprised that you threw it so terribly?

Then your sister piped up, speaking something about having to honor tradition. Was she really saying that you should marry him? That didn’t make any sense. He had done a bit of reading up on your family. They seemed like the typical greed type. They would want you to marry someone of a higher house. A house with a lot of money. Like the Bastille’s. 

That’s when he saw it. The hatred in your family’s eyes when they looked at you. They despised you. Why was that? You seemed so -

“I’m going to give him the choice.”

He tensed as you spoke, stopping his train of thought. A voice that seemed so kind to him, so genuine. Despite the situation you were in, you weren’t taking it out on him. You weren’t going to use him as a lifeline to get out of the entire situation. You were giving him a choice. Something he had never exactly been given before. It threw him off.

You and your sister went back and forth for a moment before Ace finally spoke up.

“Sure.”

Seeing you defend him so adamantly was honorable. Especially considering he was a commoner right now. You knew your situation and weren’t going to drag others into it that didn’t need to be dragged into. So, he figured ‘why not?’

The shock on your face when you turned around made him want to laugh out loud, but he held it in. He relaxed his posture, trying to keep himself calm. He was a prince, after all. Hiding his emotions is what he did best. He started prattling on his knowledge of the subject. How it used to be open for everyone, not just nobles. That way no one house became too powerful or whatever. Maybe…maybe he did pay attention in his lessons more than he thought he did.

He did remind them that there was nothing to his name. He needed to keep up his facade. He knew him having nothing would bother your parents. He would be bringing nothing in for the family. No prestige or anything. At least not for now. 

Once he figured out his own shit, however…

Then you laughed; a beautiful and musical noise to him. Color seemed to burst into his world. It was small, somewhat like a chuckle, but it made his heart race. Every time you looked at him. Every time you spoke. Everything you did made his heart thump so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest. 

The universe was really going to let this happen? It was actually going to give him something he wanted? He wanted nothing more than to take you away from here. Away from the family that looked at you like you were nothing more than the scum on their shoe.

He made a promise right there that when this was all over, he was going to confess everything. Then he was going to give you the royal wedding that you deserve. He was going to rub it in your family’s faces and they weren’t going to be invited.

When you spoke, it was as if angels were singing down upon him. You said that you were going to honor the tradition. You spoke so smoothly, so kindly - to him, it was clear that status didn’t matter to you. Money didn’t matter. You didn’t seem bothered in the slightest that you would have to marry a commoner. In fact, you looked relieved. What had they put you through that you were willing to give everything up like this? You would throw everything you were given away just to spite them. It was admirable.

He tried to give you one more out, telling you that he had nothing once more. That he cannot give you the life you deserve. It would be a struggle to be with him.

“I’m sure if we work hard and save our money, we will make a decent living." Then a small, little smile that spoke so safely. He was pretty sure his heart was going to explode. You really didn’t mind living with him. With the idea of possibly struggling.

He couldn’t find his voice. He just stared at you, completely taken aback by your words. He couldn’t believe it was working out like this. Not only did he happen to find you, but you were so…kind. You were so sweet.  Part of him was worried the universe would torture him more and make you an insufferable spoiled brat but that was so far from the truth.

“Pick me up in three days time if you agree to this. I will have everything ready by then.”

You were giving him three days to decide? Hell, he would take you now. Before he could even protest, you turned and walked away. You really commanded the space you were around. Regal in every sense of the word. More than the rest of your family, and you had no idea.

--

Deuce was in shock when Ace filled him in on what happened. This just made everything a million times more complicated and he was stressed beyond comparison. Irritation creeped up his spine. “What happened to having a low profile!” 

“I know, I know. It’s not my fault!”

“You should’ve said no!” 

“I can’t just say no to a noble!”

“ACE YOU ARE THE FUCKING PRINCE!” He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a harsh sigh. Ace could see the migraine popping into his head.

Okay, he was right. Technically, he wouldn’t have faced any repercussions for saying no, but he couldn’t just hand you over to someone else. Not when you were so close. Plus, it would blow his cover…kind of.

The two simmered for a moment before Ace finally sighed. “I couldn’t just hand them off to someone else. Besides, to keep up my looks as a commoner, it makes more sense to say yes.”

Deuce stared at Ace for a long moment, running calculations. “Okay, okay. This could still work out. If we are careful. The princess will leave for her kingdom soon enough and I’m sure we can say you’re away on work or something for when you have to go back to the castle.” He glared at Ace. 

The prince put his hands up in surrender. “I know, I know.” He looked around, thinking. “We’re probably going to need to actually put some furniture in this house, huh?”

Right now, it was just a run down house with a couple folding chairs and a folding table. Bare minimum as he usually held the parties in the small backyard and the kitchen so the house wasn’t used anyway. There were also plenty of holes in the floor. There was so much work to do in these three days before he brought you home.

At least there was a lot of natural lighting. Even a well lit place could hide salvation. He could see the tiredness in your eyes. The eyes of losing a battle. You had no idea just how much you had won the war and the thought made him smile.

--

Those three days sucked. From sun up to sun down and even well into the night, Ace and his crew were working on getting the house in livable condition. Its dilapidated state was worse than he had originally thought. Sure, he could’ve just hired a crew to do all the work because he was the prince, but he had to be careful. He couldn’t trust just anyone. Luckily, they had made plenty of friends on their excursions into town and one of them actually worked with a small business construction crew and so they helped out.

Limited people, limited time, limited funds. He had to be careful with his spending as to not raise too much awareness. 

The day he was set to pick you up, he was called to the palace. The entire time he was antsy, watching the clock. He was quick to finish up his work, eager to get to you. He didn’t want you to think he had abandoned you. He couldn’t risk blowing this, not when he was working so hard to make it happen.

Alas, the universe was in his favor once more. He was able to finish on time and make it to you. Even had an idea to mess with your parents a bit. You seemed amused and looked radiant as usual. He still couldn’t believe he was taking you home with him.

Though, he was nervous about you seeing the house. Maybe he should’ve just gotten a different house. One that was a little bigger. Maybe a little nicer. Nothing too extravagant. But, you deserved more than just a run down shack of a house. Even if they did work hard on making it liveable in three days.

“Sorry, I know you deserve more.” The look on your face was stoic. You were an expert at making your emotions.

And again, you provided that lovely musical laugh that he couldn’t get enough of. Warm and real. He had heard so many fake laughs in his time that yours was a breath of fresh air. You seemed unbothered by the house, in fact…you looked excited about it, claiming now you have a project.

He honestly couldn’t believe you were real. 

However, when you mentioned picking up a job, he was quick to protest. He didn’t want you doing anything. He would provide you with everything. Deuce gave him a look that was telling him to remember his role. A commoner with barely any money, but he didn’t want you to worry about anything. He could tell you’ve been through the ringer and he just wanted you to be able to take a breather for once. When it came to you, all his rules and reasoning and planning went out the window.

Only, just as quick as he was to cut you off, you were quick to cut him off. You put him in his place, telling him that you would likely go mad just sitting around doing nothing. Again, you had this demanding air about you. Truly fit for royalty. You mentioned having previous work experience and he was surprised. You were just full of them. You hated the noble life, you didn’t mind working. 

Everything you did and said made him fall more head over heels in love with you. More and more he wanted to whisk you away to the palace where he could keep you safe. Damn his father. Damn the arrangement. He just wanted you, but he had a plan and he needed to stick to it.

He knew that he wouldn’t be able to marry you anytime soon, but he knew he wanted to be with you forever. There was a ceremony that was ancient in tradition and close to his heart. It was only one that was done with the one you love. Promise that you will be together. Even if not in this one, in the next. 

He was surprised you were so willing to do it. He couldn’t understand why you were so willing. You could’ve just accepted the engagement and married whenever. But here you were, willing to go an extra mile just for some commoner.

He would need to get the backyard ready. With you going to your friend's house, it made things easier. He didn’t want the surprise to be ruined. 

While you were gone, he worked on redoing the backyard. Well, he worked on planning for the backyard. He wasn’t able to really get started on it until the next day and by then you were already home. 

--

The ceremony couldn’t have gone more perfectly. You seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it. You didn’t sound like a robot rehearsing lines either, there was meaning behind your words. Promise. It made his heart race.

That’s why he made the decision to give you his mother’s talisman. Something she had given him right before she passed. Her family had been the keepers of it for a very long time. A protector of sorts. It was the jade dragon necklace from the once powerful ruler. Only it was dormant now. It never chose another successor. His mother told him to give it to someone. Only she never specified who. She only said that he would know when the time came. 

And he knew that time was now. You were that person he needed to give it to.

Ace will never forget the moment he met you. It wasn’t at the marriage toss, no. You had no idea of this encounter, actually.

Deuce’s family hosted the ball and Ace was watching from a balcony above. He never really intermingled, he was mostly there to talk to his friend about something completely unrelated. He was never one to be serious about the noble life, so he never went to functions and his mother had wanted to keep him out of the spotlight anyway to try and give him a normal life. One that he fought hard to keep.

“They’re like sardines,” he mused, shaking his head. Watching so many people so close to each other in a space like that. He didn’t understand why everyone enjoyed those kinds of events. Too many people, not enough space.

A small crowd started to gather to one side, piquing his interest.

“What’s going on down there?” He glanced at his friend that was grabbing some things out of his study. Deuce looked over at him, walking over to glance over the railing.

“Ah that would be y/n of the l/n family. They’re a higher house but not quite part of the highest circle. Their family was actually able to get them to show up and they’re eligible for marriage…you know how the rest goes.”

Ace made a face. He knew that all too well. Most marriages among noble houses were all political gain and never of love. Hell, his father had just told him he’d be marrying a princess from a neighboring country just to strengthen the bond. He didn’t care about much of anything and knew it was pointless to fight it, so he just accepted his fate.

That was, until the crowd cleared just enough to reveal you. 

For a moment, time stood still. There was something familiar about you that he couldn’t quite place, but one thing was for sure: He needed you. He needed to know you. What you liked, what you disliked, what you did in your free time - everything. He was so caught up in the absolute radiance that was you that he forgot about one small detail.

He was already engaged. To someone he didn’t even know.

Sure, he didn’t know you either. The difference was; he actually wanted to know you. He didn’t care about some princess. He wanted you. The universe was especially cruel to reveal you to him now not even a week after being betrothed to another.

“I have to go down there.”

“Ace wait-”

It was too late, he was on the move. Only, by the time he had reached the ballroom floor, you were nowhere to be seen.

Deuce had been hot on his heels, hissing under his breath. “Ace, we need to get you away from here lest you somehow end up recognized.” There was enough resemblance between him and the king for people to make the connection. Why else would there be some unnamed noble at a ball? One that wasn’t even dressed for the occasion. It wasn’t a secret that the prince hated these events.

“Not until I meet them.”

There was a soft breeze from the balcony to his left. Ah, you went out for a breather. He didn’t blame you. Nobility life could be suffocating. Besides, from what Deuce had said; you didn’t seem to go to a lot of these things. That was even more intriguing to him.

However, when he went outside, you had already scaled the side of the building and were running across the lawn to escape. He stared after you, mouth agape. How the hell did you cover that much ground in that little time? There was no way he was going to catch up to you!

The universe really was torturing him.

“Deuce, I have to meet them.”

Deuce sighed, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, that’s near impossible. Between them always disappearing from their home and you being betrothed already, it wouldn’t be wise.”

Ace frowned deeply. He would meet you. He had to. Why else would the universe bring you into his life? He had never wanted anything so much. Maybe he’d talk to his father about you. Surely, he would be fine with it.

--

“Absolutely not.”

Ace’s heart shattered into a million pieces. “But-”

“The arrangement with Princess Tate is already made. We cannot go back on it. I told you to get your act together and you did not and now you must pay the price of irresponsibility.”

“But this is my whole entire life we are talking about! This isn’t a punishment - it’s a life sentence!”

King Roger let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ace, you are a prince. You must marry either another royal family or someone very high up in the noble houses. Y/n’s family is not high enough.” Almost, but not quite.

“Who fucking cares about status!” Ace never once cared about his own social standing nor has he ever cared about the standing of others and he doesn’t understand why he needs to start now.

The look on the king’s face softened for a moment. “Ace…” He took a deep breath, collecting himself. “I am sorry, but this is something we had already agreed to. That you already agreed to. Going back now would look very terrible on our kingdom and our family. Have you just-”

“It’s only been a week! And I’ve never met the girl! It should be fine!” Ace was heated and clearly not wanting to listen to reason. This was the only thing he had ever asked for. He never asked for anything else besides staying out of the spotlight and having some privacy. 

“This is what you agreed to, Ace.” Roger’s voice was more firm, clearly over his tantrum. “You will carry out this engagement and marry the princess. You will forget about the noble in due time. Besides, you never met this noble either. You’re wanting to throw away a country alliance for someone you saw from across the ball?” He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

Ace went silent, biting his tongue. His father was right. He hadn’t met you. He had just seen you. But, with the way everything felt…it just felt right. As if you were made for him and all he had to do was…go for it. There was an invisible string connecting the two of you and it was tugging at him violently.

At the end of the day, his father was right. He was a prince. He had a duty. He agreed to this engagement because he didn’t care about the noble life. Hell, he wasn’t even sure why he was still playing this game. He wanted out of it. Forever. There was nothing for him here. He wasn’t exactly close with his father. His mother was gone. The only thing he had within these walls were a few friends that he held dear.

If he was going to be forced to marry this princess, he absolutely was not going to be sticking around. She could have the damn kingdom for all he cared.

“Fine.” He turned on his heel, ignoring his father’s calls. He headed out and didn’t look back.

--

The princess and her father were…bland. Ace didn’t care for either of them. He could tell neither of them were acting their true selves but his father was eating up all the flattery. Whether he could see through their ruse or not, he wasn’t sure. 

Personally, he hated it when people acted like this. Over the top and sickly sweet just because they wanted something from him. Always, if someone found out he was the prince, their demeanor would always change. It was ass kissy and he hated it. Especially if it was someone he was already getting along with.

If he was already getting along with them, despite having disagreements, then why kiss ass so hard just because someone finds out he’s a prince? He just didn’t understand it. Well, he did. It was greed. It was always greed. People always wanted something from him. Money, fame, status, the connection to his father - anything. They no longer saw Ace as a person but as some kind of ATM to get whatever their heart desired.

And he hated it.

He knew what the princess and her father wanted. They wanted this engagement, naturally. To have direct ties to his father and a powerful kingdom. It was just…sickening.

“You know, father,” the princess began. Ace had just stepped out onto one of the many balconies to clear his head. The princess and her father must’ve been below. He stayed quiet, listening to their conversation below. Might as well see them for who they really are.

“I think we have this one in the bag.” She chortled. Ace made a face. He hated her laugh. It was gaudy and annoying. Her voice was too. Everything about her was just…blegh.

“Oh do you?” Her father was slimy all over. The way he looked, the way he spoke. Ace hated it. He just hated them.

“That I do. That prince is clearly smitten with me.” It took every fiber in the prince’s being not to react and blow his cover right then and there. In what world did he seem interested in her!?

“How can you be so sure? He seems…lackluster.” Her father sounded confused. He wasn’t wrong either. Ace went out of his way to show that he wasn’t interested in any of this arrangement.

“He’s just playing hard to get. It’s what men of his status do. Men who think they’re hot shit and have people fawning over them all day.”

“Language.”

“Apologies.” She cleared her throat. “Anywhom. Ace is clearly playing games. That means he’s completely smitten with me. I can also see it in the way he looks at me.” The giggle that followed her statement sent a chill up Ace’s spine.

In what fucking world…What planet was she on? She clearly watched too many movies. Or perhaps…Ace just didn’t know. He never really hung around other nobles besides Deuce and he was kind of like him. An outlier. Neither of them really cared about dating or impressing others. At least not nobles. Sure, he was a huge flirt with just about anyone but that was always at parties where no one knew who he was. It was all fun and games.

Her father hummed in amusement. “I suppose that just means it’ll be easier to get rid of him. He won’t see it coming.”

What?

Ace’s heart stopped. The air knocked right out of his lungs. They were going to what?

“Exactly! Everything is going to plan and once I take over, we can merge the two countries. No one will be able to say no to us any longer.”

The feeling in the air tensed, darkening. Ace couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. They were going to kill him and take over…? But that…that didn’t…

His feet began moving before his brain did. He ran off the balcony and into the palace. Deuce was hot on his heels, trying to demand answers but he couldn’t even answer him. His mind was still trying to catch up.

It caught up once he was finally in his father’s chambers. He finally took a note of his own surroundings, seeing his shocked father sitting at his desk and looking at him. “Ace?” 

The prince was shaking, trying to find his words. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “They’re going to kill me, dad.”

Roger blinked, completely at a loss. “What? Who?” He stood up, concern stretching over his features. He stood up from his desk, striding over to his son. “Who is going to kill you?” 

Ace looked up at his father as the man put his hands on his shoulders. “The princess and her father.” 

Whatever concern Roger had immediately dissipated, replaced with anger. “Gol D. Ace. I cannot believe you would stoop so low as to lie about something so serious to get out of an agreement you made.” He turned away from him, heading back to his desk.

One blink. Two. His father…didn’t believe him? “D-Dad! I’m not lying!” He followed him, shaking his head. “I just heard them talkin-”

“Ace. I have had enough of your childish behavior. You are to marry Princess Tate. I don’t want any more lies or tomfoolery. It is time you started acting like the crown prince you are. I have let you do what you wanted long enough.”

Ace stared at him in disbelief. He really didn’t believe him. He thought he was lying. 

He watched as his father sat back down at his desk, resuming whatever he had been doing before he came in.

“You honestly think I’m lying?” His voice was small as he stared at the man he had dared call a father all this time.

“Of course I do. I am making you deal with your consequences and you are acting out. Typical child behavior.”

“Father, I am an adult. You think I would fucking lie about something like this!?” His voice was getting louder the angrier he became.

“You’ll understand when you have children.”

Something snapped deep within Ace. If that’s how it was to be. Fine. He would eat his words. Eat them over his cold, dead body. “As long as I am marrying that woman, I will never continue this bloodline.”

With that, he left, ignoring his father once more as he stormed off.

--

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Deuce looked tentative and unsure, but Ace knew that no matter what, the man would follow him to the end. 

“Absolutely.” 

His best friend sighed, nodding. “Then, I have your back. As I always have and always will.” 

“Never doubted that for a moment.” Ace and Deuce had been inseparable almost their entire lives. They clicked immediately and the rest is history. Deuce was one of the few people Ace trusted wholeheartedly.

“Well, that’s your plan then?” 

“We’re going to need a team…” Ace delved into his entire plan. He decided since his father didn’t believe him, he wasn’t going to just roll over and let himself be poisoned. He wasn’t going to surrender that easily. 

Honestly, it was because of you. If he hadn’t seen you at that party, he would’ve just let the princess poison him. Let his father eat his words. He hated the noble life anyway and he supposed death was one way to escape it. Now that he met you, he wanted to stick around. Without the princess in the picture, his father would probably have no issues with it.

And something told him that having you by his side would make the noble life a little more tolerable.

He was going to make the princess confess to her plans and beg for forgiveness. He had slipped out of the castle for the rest of the princess’ visit so he could plan without being interrupted. He already knew he was going to really get it from his father, but he accepted his fate. His father yelling at him now would be nothing compared to the look he was going to have on his face when he realized he was going to let his only child die.

The two were currently on the outskirts of town, in a small house. One that you would later be residing in but they had no idea of that yet. This was the place he always stayed at when he wanted to keep a low profile, prowl about the town, and maybe throw a couple of parties. When he wanted to pretend to be normal and escape his life for a little while.

Now, it was his headquarters. His living room now a war room. Schedules, connections, backgrounds, everything. He was going to have it all. He was going to leave no stone unturned.

In the middle of their planning, there was a thump on the door. Both men tensed, staring at the direction of the front door. A moment passed, two. Nothing. They glanced at each other before Deuce headed towards it.

He glanced out of the window next to it. “Oh, it’s just a newspaper. They must’ve thrown it.”

Ace sighed with relief, running his hands through his hair and laughing. This was the most stressed out he had ever been in his entire life. And he was a fucking prince. He had completely forgotten that he opted to have the newspaper delivered here so he could keep up with more commoner events. Or events of lower houses…

Or maybe he might find out more about you and your family.

“Uh oh.”

The prince let out a long sigh as he slowly turned around. “What could it possibly be now, Deuce?”

The man had the paper in his hands, looking at whatever the headline was. He was silent as he stared at it.

“Well?”

Deuce looked from the paper to Ace to the paper again. He sighed, turning it around. The prince’s heart dropped.

It was the announcement for your marriage toss. You were going to be getting married.