The cart of food was taken away from the chamber shortly after it arrived and Rosalind’s stomach grumbled immediately in protest.

"Lady Rosalind will be observing a fast today. There will be no need for food," one of the Veiled Sisters, Catherine, informed calmly before the doors were shut once again.

The sisters had now instructed her to pray while they continued their endless humming and chanting around her like some strange ritual was being performed.

Everything about this was beginning to frustrate Rosalind, yet she knew she could not throw them out because Alaric would certainly punish her for it.

So instead, Rosalind closed her eyes and tried to pray silently.

She prayed for herself.

She prayed for mother.

She even found herself praying for Rowan.

Yet every single time she was close to completing a thought, the loud humming of the sisters interrupted her concentration and she found herself sighing inwardly in annoyance.

When Rosalind finally finished praying, Lady Ophelia stepped forward once more.

"You will now remain silent so the prayers may take effect alongside the fasting," she announced calmly.

Rosalind’s brows immediately furrowed. Despite wanting to protest loudly, she was forced into silence.

The entire thing no longer felt like cleansing in the slightest way. Instead, it felt like punishment, carefully designed to suppress her, humiliate her and remind her that she no longer had control over herself.

By then, word had already begun spreading through the palace.

The people around the chambers had heard about the rites and whispers quietly travelled from servant to servant.

"What’s done is already done," one of the maids whispered quietly. "I don’t think there’s truly a way to cleanse something like that."

"Then why doesn’t His Majesty simply marry another woman instead?" another maid responded in hushed disbelief. "I know she’s beautiful and everything, but what she did was filthy."

"That’s exactly why she’s being cleansed," another added.

Even the servants downstairs had begun speaking about it and eventually the rumors reached Lily through her friend, Kira.

That was when Lily realized the truth. "She’s the one he likes," she thought bitterly to herself while scrubbing the palace floors harder than before. Her grip tightened around the cloth in her hands.

Now she finally understood why Rowan had never looked at her the way she wanted him to.

But then another thought followed immediately afterward.

Rosalind was also the reason Rowan was in trouble. If he had not gotten involved with the king’s mistress, he would not have been dragged away like that and now the entire palace was already whispering that the king intended to execute him.

He could have chosen someone else.

He could have chosen her.

"Are you sure you’re alright?" Kira asked carefully while continuing to mop beside her.

Lily quickly lowered her head. "Yeah. I’m fine," she answered quietly.

Kira nodded slowly, though she clearly did not believe her.

Deep down, Lily already knew there was no chance anymore. The king would certainly get rid of Rowan and afterward she would simply have to forget about him and move on with her life somehow.

Meanwhile, Rosalind spent the entire day without food because the Veiled Sisters restricted her completely from eating. It was only after sunset that they finally announced the fast had been accepted and she was permitted to eat again.

A tray of food was brought into the chamber shortly afterward and Rosalind stared blankly at the small bowl of plain porridge sitting before her.

She slowly looked up at the sisters.

"This is what I’m allowed to eat?" she asked in shock.

Lady Ophelia offered her a cold smile. "Yes. You are to have only light meals and after tomorrow’s final rite, you may eat as you please."

Rosalind stared at the woman in disbelief.

She then suddenly realized something. Earlier that morning, before the food cart had been taken away, she distinctly remembered smelling all kinds of rich meals coming from it.

Which meant they had done it intentionally.

They allowed her to smell the food only to deny it to her afterward.

The realization annoyed her even more.

Her stomach already hurt from going the entire day without eating and so, Rosalind unwillingly picked up the spoon and began taking small bites of the bland porridge. She swallowed quickly each time, trying not to focus on the taste as it slid down her throat until eventually the bowl was empty.

Yet, she still felt hungry afterward.

The tray was removed before the Veiled Sisters lowered their heads politely toward her. "We hope you rest well and prepare yourself for tomorrow’s final rites," Lady Ophelia said calmly.

Rosalind smiled back at them, though the smile never reached her eyes.

The women eventually left the chamber and silence finally returned again.

The moment the doors closed, Rosalind fell backward onto the bed with a loud groan. Her body felt weak and drained from everything she had endured since morning while her head ached faintly from the chanting, the fasting and the constant humiliation.

Then her thoughts drifted to Rowan...

There was no way for her to see him now that she was locked away inside these chambers. Worst of all, their conversation had never properly ended and the thought of him being down there alone troubled her... Even after everything, she still cared about him.

Rosalind slowly sat up afterward before slipping off the bed. Her bare feet padded softly against the cold floor as she walked toward the divider across the chamber. Her eyes narrowed slowly at the opening there which had now been covered securely.

She remembered Rowan dropping down from there that night.

And suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

What if this passage somehow led back to him?

More importantly...

What if she could get there without anyone noticing?

Rosalind glanced toward the chamber doors one final time before turning back toward the opening hidden above the divider. A cupboard had been placed beneath it and she carefully climbed on top of it despite how weak her body already felt from not eating the entire day. Her stomach still ached from hunger and her head felt light and dizzy, but she ignored it as she stretched herself upward.

Once she finally reached the opening, she removed the cover carefully and stared into the darkness above her.

She swallowed nervously.

Then, after taking a deep breath, Rosalind pushed herself up into the narrow space and began crawling slowly through the ceiling passage.

In her hand, she held a small candle placed inside a simple holder, its weak flame flickering softly, lighting the darkness just enough for her to see ahead while she squeezed herself through the cramped spaces.

The deeper she went, the more uneasy she became.

She silently prayed there would not be rats hiding somewhere because she knew she would scream if one suddenly brushed against her, yet only moments later she heard faint squeaking somewhere close by.

Rosalind immediately held her breath and froze briefly before forcing herself to continue moving forward.

She had already gone far from her chambers and was now wandering carefully through the hidden passages above the palace. She tried to keep track of where she was mentally so she would not become completely lost inside the walls.

Soon she noticed another opening ahead.

Rosalind slowly crawled toward it and realized there was still light beneath it. Curious, she carefully peered downward only to immediately hear heavy breathing accompanied by soft sounds that made her stomach tighten awkwardly.

Her eyes widened.

Two servants were beneath her desperately kissing each other.

"Oh..." Rosalind thought immediately in embarrassment. "Sorry."

She quickly crawled away from the opening while beneath her, the servants briefly paused at the sound coming from the ceiling before returning right back to kissing each other again.

Rosalind continued crawling through the passages afterward and slowly she began recognizing parts of the palace beneath her. A small smile even tugged at her lips because she could now tell exactly where she was heading.

She moved carefully past several chambers before eventually arriving above Alaric’s own room.

It seemed he had already retired for the evening because voices drifted upward through the opening beneath her.

"Are you certain you wish to execute him on the wedding day?" the advisor asked carefully.

Alaric answered without the slightest trace of emotion in his voice.

"Yes. I want him to watch her marry me first and afterward I’ll present his corpse to her as a wedding gift."

Rosalind felt her entire body go cold. Her grip tightened around the candle as she realized immediately that he was talking about her and Rowan.