"Give me a minute," Alina said.

Lady Talbot nodded and left.

Alina slowly turned back to Austin. He looked calm but she knew him well enoughl to notice his tight jaw and clenched fists.

"Explain," he said.

Alina swallowed.

"I’m...I’m in contact with Rosilyn through the Blood Ink Pact," she confessed. "I met her during my first meeting with the pact numbers. Honesty, even I was surprised to see her there," she explained calmly.

"And you didn’t bother to tell me?"

"I wanted to," she replied immediately. "But I never got the chance. When you found about the pact, you were already so angry. At the same time, we had to visit the king. Then Aracsedia happened....There was so much going on already."

Austin looked away from her with an unreadable expression.

"Moreover, I didn’t think anything about it. To me she is just another woman who is victim of the system."

Austin closed his eyes and rubbed his hand on his face. He suddenly looked exhausted rather than angry.

"Go meet her," he said finally.

Alina frowned.

"Austin..."

"Go. I need a minute,"

His voice sounded strained, as if trying his best to stay calm. Alina wanted to force him to talk to her properly instead of bottling everything inside. But she also knew pushing him right now would only make things worse.

"Fine," she said. "But we’ll talk about this in when I come back. Stay here."

She then left and walked towards Lady Talbot’s room. Alina stepped inside and couldn’t recognize Rosilyn. She was sitting on the edge of the bed looking broken. Her dress was wrinkled and dusty, one sleeve torn from the shoulder. Her face and hand were covered with dirt. Her hair was tangled and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was breathing heavily as if running for a long time.

But what scared Alina the most was fear in her eyes.

"What happened?" Alina asked, walking towards her. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Rosilyn turned, relief flashing across her face on seeing Alina. She opened her mouth to answer but her breathing was still uneven.

"My ex- husband...he couldn’t accept the divorce."

"What do you mean?" Alina asked, sitting beside her.

"He sent...men after me...to bring me back to him. He doesn’t believe I have the right to leave him," Rosilyn’s voice cracked. "He thinks I belong to him."

The words made Alina sick.

"But... didn’t you say your husband was a good man and really cared about you and agreed to the divorce without any problem."

Rosilyn shivered.

"He was... but I don’t know what happened later. Suddenly, I started recieving letters from him," she told her. "At first he begged me to come back. Then he started threatening me."

Lady Talbot who was standing by the door with her arms crossed finally spoke.

"Men are like that only," she said. "They are nice and kind to you as long as you stay in their control. The moment you step away from them, they show you their real colours."

Rosilyn quickly wiped her face as she continued speaking.

"When I ignored the letters, he sent men after me," she said. "They tried to take me by force outside one of pact’s safe houses."

Alin’s eyes widened in horror.

"They tried to kidnap you?"

Rosilyn nodded.

"If Eleanor’s people hadn’t arrived in time..." she couldn’t finish.

"Don’t worry. You’re safe here," Alina said as she took her trembling hands.

"The pact is still small," Lady Talbot said grimly. "It isn’t strong enough yet to fight powerful noblemen openly."

Rosilyn nodded and lowered her head.

"He already knows about several safe houses now," she whispered. "I couldn’t stay there anymore."

She lifted her eyes and looked atAlina desperately.

"I didn’t know where else to go."

Alina gently rubbed her back while she tried to calm her breathing.

"Can I stay here?" Rosilyn asked, after a few seconds. "Just until I figure out what to do next."

Alina hesitated. She would have said yes immediately had she been some another wowan. But Rosilyn was Austin’s former bed warmer. Her living in the castle, even temporarily could complicate everything. The nobles and servants would have something to talk again and Audrey would somehow use it to her own advantage.

But when she looked at Rosilyn and her terrible state, the complications faded into the background.

"Please," Rosilyn almost begged. "I don’t want to be alone. I’m really scared."

"Have you filed a report against him?" Alina asked.

Roailyn shook her head.

"I haven’t yet but I will. I’ll go to the duke myself and explain everything. I just..." she paused to catch a breath. "I just wanted to be somewhere safe first."

Alina looked at Lady Talbot for advice but her expression stayed neutral. She wanted Alina to make the decision herself.

"Rest for now," Alina finally said. "I’ll talk to Austin."

Rosilyn’s shoulders immediately sagged with relief.

"Thank you so much," she whispered.

Alina squeezed her hand before standing up, and then left without any other word.

When she returned to her room, she found Austin standing near the fireplace.

"So?" he asked, turning to her.

"She needs help," Alina said, walking towards him. "Her husband sent men after her. They are divorced but he still wants to force her back. She needs a place to stay."

"And she came here?"

"She came to me because of the Pact. Her husband’s men already know about the safe houses. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go."

Austin nodded, acknowledging the situation.

"So...you want her to stay?" he asked.

Alina nodded.

"What about Audrey? What about the people who will use this against us?"

"Right now, I only care about her safety."

"You know it would complicate things for us, right?"

"I know," she replied. "But she isn’t asking to stay here forever. Once her husband is caught, she can go back."

"Fine," Austin replied after a minute. "But tomorrow she needs to file an official report. I’ll ask Harrington to investigate her husband."

"Thank you," Alina smiled and threw her arms

around him, hugging him tightly.

Austin finally smiled as he held her back instinctively.

"You are always making our lives complicated," he murmured in her hair.

"And yet you still love me."

His grip tightened even more.

"That’s probably my greatest weakness."

Alina pulled back and kissed him softly.

"No," she whispered. "I think it’s your greatest strength."