A faint nod followed from Rowan. "Good."

He looked toward the guards standing behind him. "Take him to the dungeon. He is to be questioned as soon as he regains consciousness."

The guards stepped forward immediately to carry out the order.

"And make certain he is watched every moment," Rowan added firmly. "No one is to see him, speak to him, or be left alone with him until I arrive. If someone sent him here, they may very well try to silence him before he can tell us anything."

The guards bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"There’s something else," Cedric said as he opened his hand.

Resting in his palm was a small pill. "I found this hidden beneath his tongue. He intended to swallow it if he was captured."

Rowan studied it for a brief moment before looking back at Cedric. "Excellent work," he said with quiet approval. "You prevented us from losing our lead."

Only then did his attention shift to Rebecca.

Meanwhile, Rosalind had already crossed the room and stopped beside the bed. "I hope you weren’t badly hurt," she asked gently, her voice filled with concern.

Rebecca looked from Rosalind to Rowan before quietly asking, "Why was he trying to kill me?"

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around Julian’s hand. "For someone to come all the way here just to murder me... someone must desperately want me gone."

Rosalind let out a quiet sigh.

"I believe it’s connected to the people who abducted you," Rowan said with certainty.

"This wasn’t a random attack. Whoever ordered your kidnapping has every reason to make sure you never speak."

The room fell silent.

Rebecca lowered her eyes, her expression tightening.

After a brief pause, Rowan continued, his voice noticeably calmer this time. "Did anyone visit you while you were being held? Even the smallest detail could help us understand who we’re dealing with."

Rebecca’s brows knitted together, but instead of answering, she suddenly blurted, "Julian and I have to leave. We aren’t safe here."

Rowan looked at her, his concern immediately giving way to frustration. "Where would you go?" he asked.

"Do you believe leaving the palace would make you safer? Whoever sent that assassin found you once already. If you leave now, you’ll be far easier to reach."

His voice had risen more than he intended, and the room fell quiet again.

Rosalind turned toward him, her eyes silently asking him to ease his tone.

Rowan drew a slow breath, forcing himself to regain his composure before looking away for a moment.

He wasn’t angry with Rebecca. He was angry because someone had nearly murdered her inside the palace despite every precaution he had taken. As long as he didn’t know who was responsible, everyone under his protection remained at risk.

Rosalind gently turned back to Rebecca.

"I know you’re frightened," she said softly, "and after what happened, you have every reason to be. But outside these walls, there will be even fewer people to protect you. Here, we can still keep watch over you."

Rebecca met her eyes. "But someone still tried to kill me here."

Rosalind fell silent because she couldn’t deny the truth in those words.

Julian stayed close to his mother, quietly listening while the adults spoke around him.

"You’re right," Rosalind admitted after a moment. "What happened should never have happened, but leaving won’t end this. Whoever is behind all of this will continue searching for you, and we don’t know how far they’re willing to go."

"They’re after something only you and julian can give them," Rowan said steadily. His gaze shifted to the little boy before returning to Rebecca. "Until we know who is responsible and why they’re willing to go this far, the danger won’t disappear. If you can remember anything at all, no matter how insignificant it seems, it could help us stop this before anyone else gets hurt."

She drew a slow, shaky breath before finally speaking. "Fine," she said quietly.

"I remember that some people came to my house. While the guards remained outside, two men came in to speak with me. They said my son should become king because he carried Alaric’s blood, but I refused because I didn’t want any part in their plans. I only wanted to live peacefully with my son, just as we always had."

Everyone in the room listened without interrupting her.

"After that, I started believing they would return and force me to agree, so I decided to leave the village before they could. But their guards found us first, abducted us, and locked us away. Those two men came back later with another person to threaten us again, but I couldn’t just stay there waiting for whatever they had planned. I tried to escape with my son, but we didn’t get far..." She lowered her eyes for a brief moment before continuing. "...and now we’re here."

Silence settled over the room as everyone absorbed her account.

"Do you remember hearing their names?" Rosalind asked gently. "Perhaps they called each other by name at some point."

Rebecca slowly shook her head. "No. They never mentioned their names"

"What about their faces?" Rowan asked. "Can you remember what they looked like?"

Rebecca closed her eyes, trying to force herself to remember, but a sharp pain immediately spread through her head and she winced.

"It’s alright," Rosalind reassured her softly. "Take your time. Don’t force yourself."

Rebecca swallowed.

"I..." she began, her mind drifting back to the day they had entered her home and later to the dungeon where they had threatened her again. The memories were there, but the faces remained frustratingly blurred.

Rowan spoke again, this time in a calmer tone. "Did either of them have any distinctive features?"

Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut and let out a quiet hiss as another wave of pain struck her.

Cedric looked toward Rowan before speaking. "Your Majesty, I believe she should be allowed to rest first. She has only just regained consciousness, and pressing her now may only make it harder for her to remember."

Rosalind gave a small nod, as she had been about to suggest the very same thing.

After a brief silence, Rowan finally relented.

"Very well," he said. "Let her recover first, but this information is critical. Whoever orchestrated all of this has already infiltrated our protection once, and every moment we remain in the dark gives them another opportunity to strike. We cannot afford to lose any more time."

Cedric inclined his head in understanding. Rowan’s impatience was not born out of cruelty toward Rebecca but from the weight of the danger surrounding them all. He intended to uncover the truth beyond any doubt, and once he did, those responsible would answer for every life they had endangered.