Alaric retreated to his chamber, and the physician was immediately summoned to attend to him, while Rowan was taken back to the dungeon and the cell doors slammed shut behind him with a loud clang.

The king gritted his teeth in fury as they cleaned the blood from his nose, one cloth becoming soaked after another.

He still could not believe the humiliation he had suffered. His fists clenched at his sides as he breathed heavily, while the physician tending to him swallowed hard and tried not to make a single mistake.

Sweat beaded on the brows of everyone in the room, including the servant holding the bowl of water.

Alaric had intended to teach Rowan a lesson, yet the entire situation had backfired spectacularly. Worst of all, his loyal guards had witnessed him being knocked to the ground.

It was the most humiliating moment of his life. Rowan had not only proven himself strong, but he had also shown himself to be smarter, anticipating attacks and striking in ways Alaric had never expected.

He had truly been pretending all these years, allowing Alaric to believe he was superior, and that realization only made the rage burning inside him flare even more dangerously. He hissed through his teeth as the last traces of blood were wiped away.

Meanwhile, preparations for the wedding were already underway throughout the palace, since the ceremony was only a few days away. The beast inside the cage continued to growl as servants moved about carrying out their duties.

"Sit... sit," the handler commanded.

The tiger ignored him completely and continued growling, sending chills down the spines of everyone nearby.

The handler did not know why, but the beast was becoming increasingly difficult to control for weeks, but he dared not report it because Alaric would see it as incompetence.

It seemed restless and almost desperate to escape its cage.

Hoping to distract it, he picked up the food meant for the tiger and moved closer to toss it inside. However, the moment he reached the bars, the tiger lunged forward and caught his arm in its jaws.

A horrifying scream ripped through the hall as the beast bit down, and a sickening crunch echoed through the air.

The servants nearby panicked instantly. "Call for help!" someone shouted.

At least two servants ran off immediately to summon the guards.

By then, the tiger had released the handler’s arm, leaving it mangled beyond recognition. The man screamed in agony, but the beast was far from finished. It slammed itself against the bars again and again, as though determined to break free.

The servants backed away in terror.

"Isn’t there anyone else who can control it?" one servant asked, their voice trembling.

"What if it gets out?" another whispered, their face turning pale.

Yet despite their fear, nobody dared move close as the tiger hurled itself against the cage repeatedly. With every impact, the metal bars shifted more and more.

The guards finally arrived, although they looked just as shaken as everyone else. They watched as the tiger threw itself forward again, causing the bars to bend even further.

"What do we do now?" one guard asked nervously while the handler continued screaming about his shattered arm.

The guards immediately lowered their spears toward the cage, but their hearts pounded violently in their chests.

Then disaster struck.

The tiger crashed against the weakened bars once more, and this time they gave way completely.

The servants screamed and scattered in every direction.

The sudden movement seemed to excite the beast. Seeing prey running everywhere, it lunged at the nearest servant and slammed them to the floor. Its jaws closed around the person’s neck, and moments later they lay motionless.

The guards stared in horror as sweat poured down their faces.

The tiger slowly turned its head toward them.

It could smell their fear.

And it knew they were vulnerable.

With a powerful leap, it bounded over the stairs and charged directly at them.

"Run!" one guard shouted.

They scattered immediately, abandoning any attempt at bravery. Unfortunately, one of them was not fast enough. The tiger caught him instantly and pinned him to the ground.

Within moments, chaos consumed the inner palace.

Servants fled through corridors while screaming for their lives, and many guards abandoned their posts rather than risk becoming the beast’s next victim. Those who tried to stand their ground quickly suffered terrible injuries. Their cries filled the air before being abruptly silenced.

One servant eventually burst into the ladies’ quarters and hurriedly slammed the door behind her.

Verity and Thalia immediately looked up, while Claire glanced down from the upper floor.

Lily stood frozen near the entrance, shaking so violently that she could barely remain upright.

Verity and Thalia exchanged alarmed looks before rushing over to her.

"Are you alright?" Verity asked.

"What happened?" Thalia demanded.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I was just going to get something... from the kitchen... when everyone suddenly started running," she said shakily. "At first I didn’t understand... what was happening, but then I saw that the beast is loose, and it is killing people"

"It escaped already?" Verity asked in shock, her eyes widening. "What about the handler?"

"I think its dead... I don’t know... I don’t even know," Lily sobbed, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"It’s alright. You’re safe now" Verity hoped.

"We have no time to continue talking about this. The beast could come in at any moment, so we need to lock everything and find somewhere to hide," Thalia said immediately.

Verity nodded in agreement, and although Lily was still trembling for her life, they quickly moved to secure everywhere before taking Lily with them to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, bodies lay scattered across the ground. Those fortunate enough to escape had already gone into hiding, while the tiger continued rampaging through the palace without restraint. Before long, the commotion reached Alaric’s chamber.

"What the hell is all that noise?" he demanded irritably.

Since his wounds had already been treated, the people attending to him immediately lowered their heads. They were eager to leave his presence because his temper had only worsened since the fight. Bowing respectfully, they hurried toward the door, with the servant carrying the bowl of bloody water walking ahead of the others.

The door was opened, and they were met with complete chaos. People were running through the corridors in terror. The servants looked around cautiously before attempting to continue on their way.

Alaric himself stepped forward, intending to see what was happening, but he had barely moved from the doorway when the beast suddenly appeared.

His eyes widened in shock.

Even the guards stationed nearby fled immediately for their lives.

The servant carrying the bowl of bloodied water dropped it at once, and while his companions managed to retreat back into the chamber in time, he was not so fortunate.

"Your Majesty...!" he cried desperately as he ran toward the doorway.

Alaric rushed to grab his sword, intending to fight the beast off, but as the creature drew closer, the other attendants quickly slammed the door in the servant’s face.

The servant’s horrified scream echoed through the corridor as the tiger reached him.

By the time Alaric had fully grasped his sword, he was already prepared to confront the beast. "Move," he ordered the attendants sharply, but instead he was met with desperate pleas.

"Please... Your Majesty, you cannot go outside," they said as they hurried to barricade the door, shoving furniture against it while horrifying sounds continued to echo from beyond the chamber. Bone cracked loudly, followed by screams that were abruptly cut short.

"Get out of my way," Alaric snapped, his voice cold as he stepped forward, but the attendants held their ground, knowing that if their king went out there and fell, the entire kingdom would be thrown into chaos. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

As Alaric took another sharp step, a sudden pain shot through him, a harsh reminder of the wounds Rowan had given him earlier, and for a brief moment it stopped him in place.

The tiger eventually turned toward the chamber door and seemed ready to burst through it. However, its attention shifted when it spotted another servant fleeing down the corridor. The beast immediately abandoned the door and leaped after its new prey.

Through the shadows beneath the doorway, Alaric watched it disappear.

****

Meanwhile, Rosalind had just returned to the palace.

She stepped out of the carriage with the guards surrounding her and began making her way toward the palace entrance. They had barely crossed into the hall when her gaze landed on the bodies scattered across the ground.

Her eyes widened in horror.

Only moments ago, she had been consumed by thoughts of her own life and everything Beth had told her, but the sight before her forced all those worries aside and a cold shiver raced down her spine.

At first, she thought Alaric had once again unleashed his cruelty upon innocent people.

But these injuries did not look like wounds caused by swords.

Even the guards around her slowed as they stared warily at the gruesome scene.

To Rosalind, the marks looked more like deep claw wounds.

Her gaze immediately snapped toward the cage.

It had been forced open.

"No".

The realization struck her like ice water.

"We have to leave," Rosalind said immediately as fear surged through her.

She had barely finished speaking when a terrified scream echoed through the hall.

Someone had been discovered in their hiding place.

The servant came running toward them at full speed, and behind them the tiger was closing the distance rapidly.

Rosalind’s eyes widened in complete shock.

"Run!" she shouted.

The guards needed no further encouragement as they all took off at once.

Rosalind gathered her skirts and ran with them while the beast thundered after its prey. Her heart slammed violently against her ribs, and her breaths came in short panicked gasps. Every instinct screamed at her to keep moving.

She kept running.

The hall blurred around her as fear consumed every thought in her mind.

Then suddenly she looked back at the tiger.

That single glance cost her as her foot caught on one of the bodies lying on the floor, and she stumbled violently.

Rosalind crashed to the ground.

"Oh God!" she cried desperately as she tried to stand up.

Meanwhile, the guards were already gone and she watched their backs disappear without hesitation.

They had abandoned her.