Chapter One

There was a kind of excitement in the air that Jonina wasn't feeling. Couldn't feel no matter how she tried. Happiness was a foreign feeling to her and even if it hit her in the face, she wouldn't know it.

The kingdom of Mercia was abuzz with excitement. Why? The Crown Prince was coming home after being away for years and yes the citizens were very happy for the Royal family, which was why they had decorated everywhere in anticipation of his arrival.

Eleven years ago, he'd been in a fatal accident that had left him paralyzed and the King had sent him away to get better treatment or maybe he hadn't wanted King Elroy of Havindelle to work his charm a second time thus ending the Prince's life for good but either way the announcement was that the Prince was coming home and that was that.

"Oh Joni!". A high pitched scratchy voice called from around the side of the house making her shut her eyes. 

She was currently sitting at the back of her father's house washing a pile of very dirty disgusting clothes that had caused her to puke in the first place.

She was serving a punishment for something she knew nothing about but as usual, no matter how she defended herself, it all fell on deaf ears so she stopped trying.

"God please! Not now." She pleaded.

A tall and slender fair skinned girl of about Joni's age came strutting around the back with more clothes but this time in a laundry basket. Lauretta Samuels wouldn't be caught dead holding her own dirty clothes in her hands.

Joni could swear that she had a robot in her room that helped her remove her clothes. After all Joni was the maid of the house and not the actual biological daughter of Joachim Samuels. But who cares right?.

"Here." Lauretta let the basket drop from her hands with a look of disgust on her face and it landed on Joni's injured foot.

"Hey! What gives?!". She snarled, wincing in pain.

"Oh shush." Lauretta ordered. "I'm sure it didn't hurt."

Joni opened her mouth to rebuke her with some heavy cuss words but stopped herself in time. She didn't want her stepmother to rain hell on her head. Not when she was still recovering from the injuries she'd sustained from the previous beating.

"See?". Lauretta smiled maliciously when she didn't say anything.

"There's a laundromat right down the street. Why don't you go and give them your expensive clothes?." Joni asked. "I'm not worthy of such remember?".

"I don't have any problem telling Monica to come and pick them up but it's the money I do not have." Lauretta studied her nails. "Or are you willing to pay for me?". She arched her brow.

"I do not know why I keep exchanging words with her." Joni sighed inwardly.

"Are you doing that thing where you're plotting my death in your head? You know what mom did to it the last time." Lauretta glared venomously at her. "Unless you want her to remind you." She grinned evilly.

A shudder ran through Joni unconsciously but Lauretta's sharp eyes didn't miss it and she smiled triumphantly.

"Wash, wash." She ordered. "I'm going to get ready to go to the palace. I heard the Prince is on his way home from the airport so I need to look extra lovely." She admired herself on her phone. "Maybe he'll notice me."

"If you look anymore "lovely", my eyes will go blind." Joni mentally rolled her eyes.

"Don't make me call mother on you." Lauretta snarled.

Joni pursed her lips as she realized she'd spoken her thoughts out loud and said nothing then watched as Lauretta flounced off pouting like a big baby and her lips curled up in a half smile.

"Silence is the best answer for a fool." She thought. She continued with her washing humming to herself.

An hour later Celestina came out of the house through the back door and growled when she saw that the pile of clothes Joni was busy washing hadn't moved one inch and she angrily stomped over to where Joni sat and then she smacked her upside her head hard.

"What have you been doing?". She demanded. "These clothes are not reducing."

"The clothes are way too dirty, ma." She replied stiffly. "I have to scrub really hard before the stains will come off."

"Since morning?". She barked. "Is this what you want to do all day? Look at the time." She pointed to her wrist even though Joni didn't see any watch strapped to her wrist. "You know you're still going to the market right?!".

"Yes ma." She mumbled. "I'll be fast about it."

""Don't wash them very well and you'll see what I'll do to you." Celestina hissed and sashayed back into the house. 

Joni's shoulders slumped as tears glistened in her eyes and a fat one dropped on her hand but she angrily wiped it away as her face hardened.

"You're made of steel baby." She chanted in her head. "No tears. Too old to start bawling like a baby now." She shut her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it out then she opened her eyes. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and Celestina has not killed you yet."

She wondered when she'd be free from this personal prison she found herself in. Possibly never.  Faith, hope and the likes meant nothing to her. Whereas Lauretta was hoping that maybe one day, one of the Princes would notice her and eventually fall for her, which was very unlikely, Joni was taking everything life threw at her with her poker face on.  

If she were a girl with no backbone, she could cry to her mother to save her if she'd ever known the woman but she didn't. Not even a single picture of her was in the house and Joni had never dared to ask her father for her mother's pictures but she knew that she was the exact replica of her mother from what so many people had told her and then they'd look at her with pity in their eyes as if they knew what she was going through.

They didn't even know the half of it!.

~~~~~~~

Prince Leonidas Sebastiani felt like he'd landed in another alternate universe that looked so much like the one he used to know but that universe didn't have this sprawling jaw dropping castle that he was currently staring at.

Oh! he'd stayed in one of the best penthouses America could offer but it was nothing close to this gorgeous man made work of art that he couldn't believe he was going to be living in.

"Welcome home baby." His mother Queen Anna said.

He turned to look at her. "We own this." He was in awe of the place.

"Your father had it renovated two months ago pending your arrival. You like it?". She smiled.

"It's... beautiful." He said.

"Come on then. They're all anxiously waiting for you." She stepped out of the car.

Leonidas hesitated before he put one leg out and then the other and he slipped out of the car and the guard closed the door.

"Leon!!". He saw his sisters Annaliese and Andreina rush down the stairs and basically throw themselves at him excitedly, making him laugh. 

"Hey." He said. "Look at you. The last time I saw the both of you, you were this short." He lowered his hands.

The girls laughed. 

"You weren't any taller than we were smart ass." Ina playfully punched his arm. "I'm so glad you're back home Leon."

"Me too." Liese said. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah." He nodded distractedly when his gaze locked onto his twin brother's. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing himself, not as a reflection but in the flesh.

"Hey bro." Jaxon greeted, when he got to them. "It's so good to see you again."

"Same here." It felt strange hugging Jax but after a minute, they both relaxed and hugged each other tighter. It was good to be home.

Andrei watched as his children reunited with their brother and though he felt the tears gather in his eyes, he blinked them back as Anna walked up the stairs to meet him.

"Hey champ." He hugged her tightly. "I've missed you."

"You saw me last month." Her voice was muffled against his throat.

"Too long." He growled, pulling back. "You're never leaving me alone with these guys ever again."

Anna laughed. "Okay." She nodded.

"Mom!". Her son and the baby of the house Andres came running out to greet her. He was fourteen going on fifteen but he still acted like a baby sometimes and no one called him out on it. They were too invested in themselves to do so.

"Hey baby." She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "Did you miss me?".

"Very much. Don't go away again Mom."

"I'm not going anywhere." She promised him and released him. "There's your older brother Leon. Go say hi."

"Which one is Leon?". He feigned ignorance staring at the two boys who looked so identical, you couldn't tell one from the other if you weren't family.

"Silly boy." Andrei ruffled his hair making him laugh and watched him run to meet his siblings before he put his arm around Anna's shoulders. "Now my family is complete again."