Rowan’s face was pale from exhaustion, and visible burns ran across his legs and lower skin, red and angry from the heat he had been exposed to. Even the way he sat made it obvious he was uncomfortable. Rosalind’s chest tightened as she looked over the injuries covering his body. "What did he do to you?" she asked softly.

"It’s nothing, Rosalind," Rowan answered quietly, and she immediately looked at him in disbelief, her brows pulling together.

"What do you mean it’s nothing?" she asked. "You’re hurt, you can barely sit properly, and you still say it’s nothing?" Her lips parted slightly as she stared at him.

Even after all this, he was still trying to act strong, still bottling everything inside himself instead of simply admitting he was in pain.

"It has been treated already, so it doesn’t hurt as much," Rowan said.

The guards had poured water over the burns afterward and applied ointment and rough bandages here and there. It was not because the king cared about his condition in the slightest. Alaric simply enjoyed prolonging suffering rather than ending it quickly, and even with the treatment, Rowan still felt miserable.

"That wasn’t what I asked, Rowan," Rosalind said, "Why can’t you just tell me the truth?"

Even if he told her everything, there was nothing she could do to change it, and Rowan had no desire to relive the experience again. But Rosalind kept looking at him, waiting for him to finally say what he had gone through.

He sighed quietly. "I was chained above steaming water for a while," he admitted at last. "That’s all."

Rosalind stared at him. Steaming water?

Slowly, horror creeped into her chest. How could anyone do something like that to another human being?

"It was the lightest punishment he could’ve given," Rowan added calmly. "You don’t have to worry."

The lightest punishment.

Rosalind’s stomach twisted at the thought. If that was considered light, she could not even imagine what Alaric’s worst punishment looked like.

Still, Rowan could admit he had been both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. Each candle had burned out after several minutes before he was lowered closer again, and in total he had spent close to twenty minutes suspended there. Luckily for him, the man with information about Rosalind had arrived before things became worse. Once Alaric learned she could possibly be in Merovia, he ordered the punishment stopped immediately.

But Rowan had not been freed.

He had simply been thrown back into the dungeon afterward while the guards treated his wounds carelessly. His body still ached from being restrained, his arms and legs sore from being forced apart against the chains, and the heat had left blisters scattered along his lower body. He had sweated so much that fever and dehydration followed soon after.

"This is all my fault," Rosalind whispered, her eyes turning glossy with tears as she looked at him. "If I hadn’t done this, nobody would’ve suffered because of me. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this."

And that was exactly why Rowan had not wanted to tell her in the first place.

He had endured worse before and would survive this too, but his body still betrayed how much pain he was in no matter how calmly he acted.

"It isn’t your fault, Rosalind," he said gently. "I chose to stay behind."

"But..."

"And I helped you escape willingly," he cut in before she could continue. "Because I can’t watch him ruin your life by forcing you into a marriage with him."

Rosalind lowered her gaze bitterly. "Well, look where we are now."

At this point, there was no escaping the marriage anymore. Too many people had suffered already because of her, and she no longer knew how to fix any of it except by stopping more damage from happening.

Rowan swallowed quietly as Rosalind reached out and touched his face carefully.

"I’ll get you out of here, alright?" she whispered. "I can’t keep doing this to you."

He remained silent for a moment before finally asking the question that had been weighing heavily on him. "Are you going to marry him?"

Rosalind bit down on her lower lip. Even saying the words felt painful. "If I have to," she admitted quietly.

She was tired of watching others suffer because of her decisions. At this point, she would rather bear everything herself than continue carrying the guilt of innocent people being punished in her place.

****

Later that evening, when Alaric returned to his chambers, his gaze immediately fell on Sabine waiting inside the room. His eyes narrowed at once. "I did not send for you," he said coldly.

"I know," Sabine answered softly.

"Then why are you here?" he asked sharply. "I specifically said you shouldn’t come near me unless I called for you. Have you forgotten already?"

The harshness in his voice sent a chill down Sabine’s spine. "Do you need another visit to the dungeon to refresh your memory?" he asked darkly.

Sabine shook her head immediately. "No, Your Majesty."

She swallowed nervously before stepping forward slightly. "I have something important to tell you," she said carefully. "If you allow me, I’ll be quick."

Alaric watched her suspiciously, wondering what exactly she was planning now. Any sensible person who had just escaped the dungeon would avoid lingering near him out of fear, yet here Sabine was before the day had even ended, waiting in his chambers with information she clearly believed was valuable enough to risk his temper for.

Out of everyone around him, Sabine was the only one who never truly seemed shaken by him. Even when fear was obvious in her eyes, she still refused to stay away from him. Sometimes Alaric thought she was perhaps the only person capable of matching his madness, and that irritated him deeply because he wanted to be feared by everyone without exception.

"This information better be worth my time," he spat coldly.

"It will be," Sabine assured him quickly, and then he motioned for her to continue.

"While you were away fighting the war for Eryndor, your favorite mistress was having an affair of her own," she said carefully.

Rosalind.

The name flashed through his mind instantly, and his eyes darkened.

"You said you intended to marry her..." Sabine added.

"Get to the point," Alaric cut in sharply.

Sabine swallowed before continuing. "During your absence, she and the footman became closer... and one night he entered her chambers and stayed there until morning before leaving." She paused briefly, watching Alaric’s expression harden. "When I questioned the maid who serves Rosalind, she confirmed they had slept together, and I brought proof."

Alaric said nothing.

The silence unsettled Sabine far more than anger would have because there was no visible expression on his face, only that frightening coldness in his eyes.

"Do you understand what you’re accusing her of?" he asked quietly as he slowly closed the distance between them.

"Yes," Sabine answered in almost a whisper. "Fornication."

Alaric could believe they had feelings for one another. He had already suspected as much himself. Rowan helping Rosalind escape had only strengthened those suspicions. Rosalind clearly cares about him. But this? This was entirely different.

He could not imagine Rosalind lowering herself so far as to give herself to another man while he was away fighting for Eryndor, especially after he had already declared his intention to marry her. The thought alone made something dark twist violently inside him. He had intended for her to belong to him alone.

"I don’t believe you," he said coldly at last. "You would say anything if it meant ruining her."

"Then what is this?" Sabine asked as she carefully brought out a folded sheet from a small box nearby. The cloth was stained and carried an unpleasant odor from being hidden away for too long.

Alaric grimaced immediately at the sight of it. "What exactly is that supposed to be?" he demanded with visible disgust.

"It is proof, Your Majesty," Sabine said earnestly. "Proof that he deflowered her and that they slept with each other."

She had expected rage from him, perhaps even immediate orders for Rosalind’s punishment. Instead, Alaric only looked more disturbed by the cloth itself.

"Take that thing away from me," he said sharply.

Sabine hesitated before lowering it again, but before she could speak further, Alaric suddenly grabbed her arm tightly enough to hurt. "If you ever play this kind of foolish game with me again, I will erase you from existence myself," he warned darkly.

Sabine stared at him in disbelief. "You don’t believe me?"

"This proves nothing."

"I can bring the maid," she insisted desperately. "She can testify to everything."

"Enough." His voice turned colder. "Leave my sight, Sabine, and pray I do not see you again after tonight."

Shock flashed across her face.

She had thought...

How could he not believe her?

"Do you truly think Rosalind is innocent?" Sabine demanded sharply, her voice rising despite herself. "You would believe that wench over me?"

"Sabine." The warning in his voice froze her immediately.

But her frustration had already overwhelmed her fear. "Your Majesty, I swear you can investigate it yourself," she rushed out. "You’ll see Rosalind is the liar. She’s the wh..."

The slap landed before she could finish.

Sabine’s head snapped violently to the side from the force of it, her ears ringing painfully. Before she could recover, Alaric seized her by the collar and forced her to look directly at him.

"Get out of my sight," he growled.

Then he shoved her away from him roughly.

Sabine stumbled but still refused to leave. Tears now slipped down her face as she stared at him.

"How can you do this to me?" she demanded shakily, and genuine shock crossed Alaric’s face for the first time. She was completely losing her mind.

"Why would you marry her instead of me?" Sabine cried. "What do you expect people to say about me afterward? I have always been here for you, yet you would cast me aside for someone like her?"

"Guards," Alaric barked immediately.

The doors opened at once as guards rushed inside.

"Take her away," he ordered harshly. "Lock her up and give her a punishment severe enough to straighten her mind."

The guards immediately restrained Sabine despite her struggling.

"You cannot marry her!" she screamed as they dragged her toward the door. "No, Your Majesty..."

Alaric turned away from her completely, jaw tight with irritation.

He could hardly believe Sabine had truly lost herself this badly.

"Alaric!" she cried desperately as they dragged her farther away, her voice echoing through the halls long after she disappeared from sight.