Chapter 26: King's Dog

*A/N: I thought of giving some insight into the minds of people other than Rose and Vincent! Those two are always so deeply wrapped up in their own little worlds, they forget the other details of reality... Rose is just a bit of an airhead in some ways, so she doesn't think to deeply on things outside of her circle.

So here is Gerald! He makes me laugh so I like him*

Age: 15

Gerald Bel Cowell (POV)

I learned a lot of things when I turned 5.

I learned that my cute looks meant I could act however badly I wanted, and people would forgive me.

I practiced on a maid first.

Her name was Penelope, she came from a poor Baron household, she was educated but... just barely.

I loved watching her. She always moved so silently and kept so still in the presence of others.

She liked to steal when she thought no one was looking.

I caught her one night, trying to take from my father's office.

"Y-y-young master!" When she saw me, she was frozen with fear. Then, as if realizing I was but a child, she relaxed.

"I was just doing some cleaning. Shouldn't you be in bed?" They always treated me like a stupid child.

"Whatcha got there~" She became nervous when I asked what she was holding behind her back.

"N-Nothing-!"

"Ya know~ Papa told me he loves liars and thieves... he liked to take their fingers first. He says they always scream really cute"

She looked so pale and cute. Trembling like a bunny when caught in a trap.

Penelope was easy. She was completely at my beck and call...

She got boring when she broke.

Reality isn't so kind to nobles.

I knew the name "Cowell" meant "King's Dog".

My father followed the King's word like religion. If the King said kill your wife- then he would easily slit my mother's throat.

People became more like toys to me when I began to follow in my father's footsteps.

My favorite toy was Phillip De Lionel. A crybaby, who longed to be acknowledged by his Father as a knight.

He was desperate in everything he did, always so honest too.

He was tough to break, whether it was because he was too stupid or not was undetermined.

The only person unwilling to be my toy was another boy... who was like me in some ways.

The adopted son and heir of the Vermillion house: Vincent.

He saw through me immediately, which gave me quite the shock. My smiles fell on deaf ears for the first time in forever. In fact, the kid was just as good at being a manipulative mastermind as I was.

Though his target even made me wonder.

His sister, though not by blood, Rosalia. She was technically the true heir, but for a time, she was engaged to the Crown Prince of Frare.

My future King.

Due to our ties with the throne, I was often around the Prince.

He was as expected, extremely excellent in everything he did. Whether drinking tea, speaking on politics and reforms, or deciding punishments.

I remember the first time he told me about his fiancé.

"She's utterly insane, though well skilled at pretending to be somewhat of a normal noble lady. She drank the poisoned tea a maid brought, then proceeded to add commentary as if it was a cake at a shop"

It made me genuinely laugh. Not because of what she did, but because I couldn't believe it despite hearing it from a kid so boring you'd wonder if he even could tell such a lie.

When I approached the young miss of the Vermillion house, I doubted the Prince's words even more.

She was so boring, well mannered if not a bit childish. Just like every other.

When I made friends with Vincent, she made me a bit interested as to how she made such a person like him, become so utterly obsessive. So when I visited to mansion under the disguise of swordsmanship practice, I followed her around one day.

Hiding and information collecting was a skill very much known to my house, behind the scenes of course.

...

She was not what I first assumed.

She firstly often spoke to herself, or stared off in to space like a possessed madman.

She didn't touch dolls or go to lessons in etiquette, but instead hide in the garden playing with deadly chemicals. Though her precision was admirable, it would normally disturb someone to see a child acting like that.

Then she really did drink her own concoctions, before jumping around triumphantly and chanting "I'm a genius!"

...

She then went to the kitchen of her household- another taboo in noble society. To bake cookies.

I would've been a bit worried she poisoned them if I hadn't watched her make them myself.

Then she presented them to Vincent. Who smiled cutely and acted like a normal little brother would.

He was a foul mouthed and rude individual if it was just us though.

Certainly more two faced than me.

Then she would stay in the library and read books. Not romance novels, but real text books. Then she'd roll around on the floor and complain she couldn't find it.

The hell was this crazy person looking for?

Her pretty doll like image was smashed into such small pieces, you'd never even find the shards.

Vincent would look at her like a love struck puppy despite all this.

When I visited with the Prince, she would behave extremely well though. As if the insane person who rolled in grass never existed. She was patient, cordial, and well balanced when she spoke.

Then this interesting child just... ran away.

Just like that. Escaped like we didn't live in the most well guarded Kingdom in existence.

Even my family couldn't locate her. Like she dropped off the face of the earth.

Vincent became more violent and unreasonable.

The Prince didn't seem upset by her absence but by her fairy's absence. Very much like him.

He commented, "She can handle herself... probably"

Heartless bastard, but I kept my mouth shut as always.

Phillip wasn't one to pay attention, but he seemed concerned for Vincent who became an even harder sis-con.

When I reached 14, my father completely integrated me into the family business.

Complete obedience to the crown.

I never questioned it. I made that mistake when I was 6, and being bratty.

My father whipped my back until I nearly bled to death, before leaving me to starve for a week in our underground prison.

I was a quick learner.

When I killed someone for the first time... it wasn't as exhilarating as I imaged. They died so quick it was nearly boring.

It was a palace spy I was sent to interrogate.

They admitted everything once they lost a foot.

Then they just... bled to death.

It was at 14 I realized why Vincent loved that strange sister.

She wasn't boring at all.

Strange, a bit crazy, but funny in a sense.

She returned after I was 15, and nearing my entrance to the Academy.

The Prince requested I get her caught up on her lessons.

I gladly accepted, as the future King's loyal aid and dog.

Rosalia...

was more beautiful than I expected her to become.

A soft and delicate looking girl sat before me. Yet...

She was more relaxed around me, if not annoyed at my presence.

Of course, to keep seeing her make amusing expressions, I called her 'Rosie'.

This was two birds with one stone, as Vincent also showed his distaste for the nickname.

Though Rosalia enjoyed the nickname 'Vinnie' more than I thought she would.

Teaching her was easy. She was intelligent and good at memorizing. I spent most of my time trying to distract or tease her though.

Most women were as tall or taller than me. Rosalia was short though, and surprisingly it didn't take away from her femininity. It just made the girl look cuter.

Delicate white skin...

I attempted to touch her only once.

She shocked me with how much physical strength she possessed.

Brute strength hit my stomach hard enough to make me want to throw up.

She was a bit poisonous despite her looks.

For the first time I thought the Prince was a fool. To allow the engagement he had with her to be dissolved.

It wasn't my place to talk though. My own fiancé was becoming more useless by the day, so maybe I was simply jealous.

Such a precocious and bothersome bug.

I willed the day I could finally lay the evidence against her family down, and cut her measly neck.

My engagement was a mission to dig up the human trafficking her house was involved with.

Simple enough to get information out of such a blabbering child.

I would happily put in a request of engagement to house Vermillion for Rosalia's hand after the current vermin was disposed with.

I wondered what Vincent's face would look like...?

Likely amusing.