Rosalind had been caught by the beast.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest as she slowly turned around and found herself staring directly into its eyes.

Fear coursed through her body while she stood frozen in place, unable to move.

The tiger was only a few feet away, its white fur gleaming beneath the light and its blue eyes fixed entirely on her.

For a brief second, she thought it looked strangely familiar to the one she had seen at Merovia... at the Queen’s... but that wasn’t the problem now.

The problem was that she was standing in front of a beast that had effortlessly killed countless people, and if she made the wrong move, she would be next.

Rosalind wondered what she had done in this life to deserve this. She had only just returned from having her heart shattered, and now she was facing death. She simply couldn’t catch a break.

Her pulse hammered against her ribs while she remained rooted to the spot, yet instead of growling, the beast merely chuffed as it took in her scent.

Why wasn’t it doing anything!?

Perhaps she could use this chance to run... but what if it chased her?

It could outrun her without effort and catch her long before she reached safety.

Taking a careful breath, Rosalind slowly stepped backward.

The movement didn’t escape the tiger’s notice because it immediately took a step forward as well. She froze at once, but the beast didn’t stop moving.

A silent prayer formed in her heart as it slowly closed the distance between them. No one came to help her. No guards. No servants. No miracle. Yet the tiger wasn’t behaving the way it had moments ago. The murderous frenzy seemed gone, replaced by something she couldn’t understand.

When it was only a short distance away, panic finally broke through her composure.

"No..." she blurted out stupidly, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

The words sounded ridiculous the moment they left her mouth.

She was standing before a wild beast. Why would it listen to her?

She was supposed to be its next meal!

Yet to her complete shock, the tiger stopped.

Then it chuffed again.

Rosalind stared in disbelief...

What in the world?

She quickly looked around as if expecting someone else to be standing nearby, but there was nobody. It was only her and the beast.

Did it just listen to her??? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Unknown to Rosalind, the tiger did not sense her as a threat. Instead, it sensed something entirely different which was why it had stopped.

"Good..." Rosalind said carefully.

She slowly began putting distance between them, but the moment the tiger noticed her moving away, it started walking toward her again.

"Hey... sit."

The tiger sat.

Rosalind nearly forgot how to breathe.

"Good girl... don’t come unless I say so."

Even as the words left her mouth, she was convinced she had lost her mind. She was talking to a wild beast, and somehow it was obeying her. Nothing about this made sense.

She had never dealt with animals before, let alone one capable of killing armed men, yet it was listening to every command she gave.

The shock running through her body was overwhelming, but she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. While the tiger remained seated, she slowly increased the distance between them, glancing behind her in search of a corner she could sprint toward if necessary.

The white tiger simply watched her.

And then it let her go.

Suddenly, a thick rope flew through the air and landed around the beast’s neck. It tightened immediately.

The tiger roared and the sound shook the hall.

Rosalind stopped moving and even took a step forward as men rushed in from behind. Before the beast could turn and attack them, something was plunged into its side. The blade had been coated with a powerful drug, and the effect was almost immediate.

The tiger growled in pain, its strength rapidly fading.

Rosalind watched helplessly as it struggled before finally slumping to the ground. A gasp escaped her lips.

The men then dragged it away while fighting against its enormous weight, and only when it disappeared from sight did she finally lift her gaze.

Alaric stood there.

His expression was dark, and the moment their eyes met, Rosalind swallowed.

"It rather makes me wonder why you haven’t been torn apart by now," he mused, amusement flickering across his features, though there was nothing warm about it.

Then his expression hardened. "What did you do?"

Rosalind immediately shook her head.

"You dare lie to me?" His eyes flashed dangerously.

He and his men had seen everything. They had watched her speak to the beast, and somehow the tiger had obeyed her instead of tearing her apart like everyone else.

Rosalind swallowed again. "I just asked it to sit," she said.

Alaric’s gaze narrowed further, making it obvious he didn’t believe her.

But what else was she supposed to say?

She didn’t understand it herself. Perhaps it had been luck. Perhaps someone, somewhere, had finally decided to watch over her. Or perhaps there was another explanation entirely.

Whatever it was, it had worked. And Rosalind had no idea why.

"Only I get to control it," Alaric said sharply.

Rosalind lowered her head in a small bow. "Of course, Your Majesty."

It wasn’t as though she had wanted to find herself in that situation. Only God knew how terrified she had been. For a moment, she had truly believed it was the end of her, that she would become another lifeless body lying across the palace grounds. Even now, as she thought about those blue eyes staring directly into hers, a cold shiver ran through her body.

Alaric let out a bored sigh afterwards, "How did your mother-daughter talk go?" he asked casually.

Rosalind’s lips parted slightly, and immediately her mind drifted back to Beth, to the trembling voice, the tears, the truth she had spent her entire life without knowing. Her chest tightened again, but she refused to let any of it show.

"Good," she answered simply.

"How unfortunate."

Rosalind looked at him sharply.

Alaric’s expression remained completely indifferent as though he had merely commented on the weather.

"You should know that was the last time you’ll be visiting your parents," he continued. "Once you marry me, you won’t be seeing anyone again."

Her stomach dropped.

"Only I get to see you."

What?

Rosalind nearly gasped aloud...

Did he truly expect her to spend the rest of her life trapped within that chamber like some decorative object he owned?

The thought made her skin crawl.

But Alaric knew exactly what he was saying, There was no hesitation in his voice, no sign that he considered it unreasonable. To him, this was simply how things would be.

Rosalind wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him he had no right to decide such things for her. She wanted to scream that she wasn’t some possession to be locked away and displayed whenever he pleased.

Instead, she said nothing.

Experience had taught her that arguing with Alaric was often pointless.

He simply looked at her once more before ordering, "Take Lady Rosalind back to her chamber."

The guards from earlier immediately stepped forward and bowed.

Rosalind recognized them at once.

The very same men who had abandoned her.

Without a word, they moved to escort her away.

Alaric watched them leave with narrowed eyes before turning his attention elsewhere.

The beast had been secured once more, and Alaric had personally ensured that the cage would not fail again. Orders were issued throughout the palace. The dead were to be removed. The injured were to be treated. Damages were to be repaired.

And preparations for the wedding were to continue.

As if people had not just died, as if servants had not watched friends and loved ones torn apart before their eyes and as if tragedy had not struck the palace only moments ago.

The surviving servants were ordered back to work immediately.

There was no mourning, rest or time to process what had happened.

Only work.

Alaric eventually found himself standing before the beast’s cage.

The tiger lay inside, weakened from the drugs but still dangerous. Its blue eyes locked onto him as a low growl rumbled through its chest.

Alaric stared back coldly.

The drug administered earlier had worn off, which explained why it had become violent enough to break free. However, the cage had now been reinforced.

It would not escape again.

"This is my palace," Alaric said sharply. "And you’ll do well to stay exactly where I put you."

The beast responded with another low growl.

****

Meanwhile, Rosalind finally arrived outside her chamber.

The guards stopped behind her and she slowly turned around and looked at each of them.

"Thank you for saving me back there," she said sarcastically.

The men exchanged uncomfortable glances.

One of them cleared his throat. "We were scared for our lives, my lady."

Rosalind stared at him. "And I wasn’t?"

The guard immediately lowered his eyes.

She couldn’t believe they were actually trying to justify it. Had the beast reached her before whatever miracle had stopped it, she would have died while they fled.

The second guard forced an awkward smile.

"But you’re fine now, my lady. That’s all that matters."

Rosalind’s eyes narrowed.

That was all that mattered?

Not the fact that they had failed at the very job they were assigned to do?

Not the fact that she could have been killed?

She simply shook her head. There was no point continuing the conversation.

Without another word, she entered her chamber and locked the door behind her.

The moment the lock clicked into place, she leaned heavily against it. For several seconds she simply stood there.

Then she released a long breath. "I’m crazy," she muttered to herself.

Because truly, what had possessed her back there?

What sane person would tell it to sit?

And what sane person would actually expect it to listen?

Yet somehow it had.

The events of the day refused to leave her thoughts. Neither did Beth’s confession. Neither did Calder’s words. Neither did the realization that the life she had believed in for years had never truly existed.

Sleep felt impossible.

Eventually her gaze drifted toward the chain and pendant resting nearby.

The only thing that belonged to her past. The only thing connecting her to whoever she had been before arriving in Eryndor.

Rosalind reached for it carefully. The metal felt cool against her fingers.

For a long moment she simply stared at it...

Her thumb brushed against the pendant mindlessly before she suddenly noticed something unusual.

Her eyes narrowed at it. There appeared to be a tiny mechanism built into it.

Rosalind immediately sat upright.

At first she thought she was imagining things. But upon closer inspection she became certain.

It was some kind of lock design...

’A puzzle’ she thought to herself as excitement stirred inside her chest.

Rosalind wondered if she could find anything meaningful from this... Anything that could give her a clue about herself or her family. So, she carefully examined every corner of the pendant and attempted to open it.

But nothing happened.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

Perhaps she was pressing the wrong place...

Perhaps there was another way.

She continued experimenting, rotating it in her hands and testing every possibility she could think of.

Minutes passed, then more minutes. Again and again she failed.

Eventually frustration began replacing excitement and she let out a tired sigh.

No matter what she did, the pendant refused to open.

At last she slumped back against the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Whatever secrets it held would remain hidden for now.

Rosalind clutched it tightly in her hand as one thought lingered stubbornly in her mind.

If this pendant had survived all these years with her, then perhaps the answers she was searching for had survived too.

And one way or another, she was going to uncover them.

A/N:

Hi guys,

I just wanted to let you all know I’ll be quite busy for a while because of my exams, so updates won’t come as often as they usually do. I’ll probably only be able to post once or twice a day until I’m done.

Please don’t stop supporting the book in the meantime, it really means a lot to me. And honestly, congratulations to us!!!

We actually won the last Win-Win event! I’m so grateful for that, and I really hope we can achieve even more this time around together.

Once my exams are over, I promise I’ll make it up to you all with massive Chapter releases.

Thank you so much for reading and sticking with the story <<<3