After He Chose My Adopted Sister, I Bought A Wilder Beast

I had the doctor prepare supplements for Lucas according to the highest standards.

"I don't need anything," Lucas said, gripping my wrist tightly. "It's enough that I've survived this long. Don't waste your money on me, Principessa."

This was less than the monthly upkeep on Kevin's suits.

"It's fine," I said, stroking the side of Lucas's neck as I pulled out the new gear I got for him.

"Like it?"

It was a black tactical vest custom-made for an elite bodyguard, equipped with the most advanced protective systems.

There was also a professionally crafted mask, lightweight but indestructible.

I had originally planned to completely unshackle this beast, but the doctor was firmly against it.

"Don't be fooled by his current obedience," he warned me. "If he loses control, he could snap your neck in a second."

So, I had to settle for the most comfortable replacements I could find.

I unlocked his cuffs myself, then I tore off the humiliating mask and threw them both in the trash.

"Were you a punching bag or a deathmatch fighter in the ring?"

Lucas buried his head even lower, his voice muffled. "Both."

"Just as I thought." The doctor handed me the old mask to inspect. "Look at the leather strap at the jaw, it's almost chewed through. It's soaked with dark bloodstains. He must have bitten down on it when the pain was unbearable."

Lucas was silent for a moment. "Those are from last night."

I went completely still.

"In the deathmatch ring?" the doctor pressed.

"No." Lucas shot me a sideways glance, the tips of his ears turning bright red. "In bed."

...

It wasn't until dawn that I dragged my exhausted body back to the Marino family estate.

My parents were long asleep. Kevin was most likely in Eva's room, diligently providing "close protection."

Only the cold crystal chandelier in the foyer was there to welcome me, the true heiress.

"Come with me." I kicked off my heels and looked back at Lucas.

The dim light cut across his strong brow bone, casting shadows over his angular face.

He stood perfectly still, his gaze fixed on a single cufflink on the floor.

I bent down and picked it up. "Kevin's."

I was three when I was taken, and thirteen when I was found. For the ten years since, I had been training Kevin.

I remember when I first returned to the family. I was surprised to find that my parents had long since adopted a younger girl from an orphanage and named her Eva Marino.

She was seventeen now, raised and spoiled like a real "princess."

Eva's reaction to my return was extreme. She couldn't accept the fact that she was merely adopted.

She threw everything she could grab at me, shrieking, "Get out! I'm the daughter of this house! What right do you have to come back and take everything from me? You filthy stray, crawling back from the slums!"

My mother rushed over to hug Eva, cooing softly, "Don't cry, baby. Your sister coming home doesn't mean we love you any less. We love you both the same."

My father stood in front of me with a guilty look. "Your mother spoils Eva, so she can be a bit willful. You're older, so try to be more tolerant of her."

I should have been heartbroken, but at thirteen, after years of surviving on the streets, I had learned how to get by in any environment.

I was long past craving affection. Back then, I understood the value of money far better.

I lowered my eyes, wiped away a tear, and said, "I understand, Father."

Showing weakness has always been the most effective weapon. From then on, the monthly "compensation" I received grew more and more generous.

At the homecoming dinner the family threw for me, my parents gave me a young bodyguard who had been through an elite training camp. That was Kevin.

"You're so withdrawn and insecure," my parents explained. "We chose the best bodyguard for you."

"He's about your age. We hope that with his companionship, you'll be able to open up again."

Back then, Kevin was a quiet, reserved teenager.

This only made Eva cry harder. "Why does only Alessia get one? You said you'd treat us the same! He should be mine!"

She grabbed Kevin and ran out of the estate gates, completely ruining my birthday party and taking my precious gift with her.

My parents were frantic, crying day and night, sending out all the family's underground networks to find them.

And at the time, I was wracked with guilt. "It's all my fault, Mom, Dad. I'm sorry, I'm the reason Eva ran away."

It wasn't until five days later that a dusty and disheveled Eva and Kevin showed up at the front door. "Mom, Dad, I'm so hungry and tired. I'm sorry, I'll never be so willful again."

"I can't leave this family."

My parents rushed forward and hugged Eva tightly, the three of them weeping in each other's arms.

I stood to the side, a complete outsider.

At a later family dinner, my mother, supposedly to punish Eva for her willfulness, publicly announced that Eva would be confined to her room for a week to reflect.

But I knew the truth. They had simply remembered that I still existed.