Rosangela: The Runaway Princess (Book #2)

“Get your hands off her!” A voice suddenly boomed out from behind us.

Everyone looked around to see who it was. A little smile crept across my mouth when I knew King Bellamy was the one who had just arrived. A group of soldiers stood in lines behind him. Boy, never in all my life had I been so happy to see my grandfather like this!

King Joaquin let go of my hair. Yet he kept a firm hold of my arm.

“Ah Bellamy, it’s a pleasure to see you here. You know, I was just about to write to you to tell you that I am holding your beloved granddaughter prisoner and I will demand a large ransom from you. But fortunately, you came to my kingdom of your own accord. It saves me from having to post the ransom letter to you,” he blabbered.

“Joaquin, let my granddaughter go this instant!” my grandfather demanded furiously.

King Joaquin had a sardonic smirk on his face. “And if I say no?”

“If you refuse to release her, I’m afraid you leave me no choice but to kill you,” my grandfather threatened.

King Joaquin unexpectedly grabbed me around the throat and squeezed. “If you think you can kill me, just let you try! But I assure you before you can take my life, I will strangle her to death first.”

I tried to pry his hands off my neck, but it was pointless for King Joaquin was much more stronger than me. “Grandpa, help me,” I implored, gasping for air.

“If you lay a finger on my granddaughter, I’ll have your guts for garters, Joaquin,” my grandfather let out a bellow of rage.

King Joaquin tightened his grip on my neck, obstructing my airway more. “Oh yeah? Do it if you can!” he challenged.

I struggled for breath as tears poured down my cheeks.

King Bellamy clenched his fists in anger.

Seeing an expression of defeat on my grandfather’s face, King Joaquin finally loosened his grip on my throat, so I was able to gulp for air.

Suddenly, King Joaquin ordered his soldiers to advance on my grandfather.

King Bellamy’s troops were about to move in on them, but my grandfather held them back.

“This is my fight, so stay out!” he hollered.

Willy-nilly, my grandfather’s soldiers obeyed.

As King Joaquin’s soldiers closed in on him, King Bellamy raised a hand, and magically, those soldiers were lifted into the air. With a wave of his hand, my grandfather then flung them to the ground.

“Cool!” I whispered in awe.

King Bellamy afterwards marched over to King Joaquin and I. But a group of soldiers moved to block his path.

“Mind out!” my grandfather roared.

Frightened, those soldiers reluctantly parted to make way for King Bellamy.

As my grandfather stalked towards us, King Joaquin drew out a gun and he pulled my hair, yanking my head back as he placed the gun to my temple. “Don’t come near us or I’ll shoot her!”

Ignoring King Joaquin’s threat, my grandfather kept bearing down on us.

King Joaquin pushed the gun harder into my temple, making me cry out in pain. “I’m serious, Bellamy. If you dare to come closer to us, I will definitely shoot her. You know what? This gun is loaded with silver bullets. A single bullet is enough to blow her brains out.”

Quick as a flash, King Bellamy was in front of us. He wrested the gun from King Joaquin’s grasp and dropped it on to the ground.

With a firm grip still on my arm, King Joaquin bent to retrieve his gun from the ground. However, before he could reach it, King Bellamy kicked away the gun.

My grandfather then grasped me on the arm, wrenching me away from King Joaquin, before he tossed me aside. Lastly, I fell to the ground with a thud.

Straightening up, King Joaquin shot out his right arm and landed a punch on my grandfather’s nose, sending him reeling backwards.

King Bellamy began to fight back. He took a swipe at King Joaquin’s face with all his force. The punch sent King Joaquin flying. He hit a tree before landing heavily on the ground.

King Joaquin regained his feet and wiped a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth before running at King Bellamy. He tried to swing a punch in my grandfather’s direction, but fortunately, King Bellamy was able to parry the blow.

Before King Joaquin had a chance to charge at King Bellamy again, my grandfather gripped King Joaquin’s neck and lifted him in the air. King Joaquin’s legs were thrashing wildly as he was violently struggling for breath.

‘Oh no, if King Bellamy keeps choking King Joaquin like that, he will surely die. Prince Xavier must be devastated if he finds out that his father’s killed in the hands of my grandfather. I have to stop King Bellamy now!’ I thought.

Quickly, I picked myself up and sprinted for my grandfather’s side.

“Stop it, Grandpa! You can kill him,” I warned him.

“That’s exactly what I want, Mirabelle. I’m going to kill the man who has hurt you,” King Bellamy growled.

“No! Please don’t do it, Grandpa! I don’t want my grandfather to be a murderer. Please let him go, for my shake,” I pleaded.

King Bellamy grudgingly loosened his grip on King Joaquin’s throat and let him go.

King Joaquin fell to the ground with a groan and he began grasping for air.

“You’re lucky, Joaquin! Because of my granddaughter, I can’t finish you off right now. But I’m definitely going to kill you later,” King Bellamy spat.

King Joaquin suddenly got to his knees and pressed his hands together. “Please spare me, King Bellamy! I admit what I have done is wrong. I swear I will never do that ever again. Forgive me, I beg you!”

I looked at King Joaquin with contempt. ‘A few minutes ago, King Joaquin bravely said that he wanted to call my grandfather out. But now, the king displays cowardice in the face of my grandfather by pleading for his mercy. How pathetic!’

King Bellamy glared at King Joaquin for the longest time before saying angrily, “Fine. For the sake of our old friendship, I will forgive you. But I’m warning you, Joaquin! Don’t you dare to touch a hair of my daughter’s head ever again, or else I will give you a fate worse than death! Do I make myself clear?”

King Joaquin gave a gulp. “All right. I understand.”

After that, King Bellamy wheeled around and pulled me into a warm embrace. Slowly, I hugged him back.

“Thank goodness I finally found you, Mirabelle,” he said with a sigh of relief. “You know, I’ve been worried sick about you.”

I burrowed my face into his chest, and then started to sob, “Thank you for saving my life, Grandpa. I was so scared when King Joaquin managed to capture us. If you didn’t come to our rescue on time, maybe I, along with Maximilian, Sigmund, and Jasper would have been dead by now.”

King Bellamy detached himself from our embrace and stroked away my tears. “It’s okay, Mirabelle. You’re safe now. From this day forth, I’ll make sure no one can hurt you again,” he said reassuringly.

I only replied with a nod and a smile.

“Come on, it’s time to go home.” King Bellamy took my hand in his firm warm clasp and pulled me forwards.

I relinquished his hand and said, “No, Grandpa. I don’t want to go back to the Kingdom of Clanbella.”