Alaric’s blank gaze rested solely on Rosalind as she stood before him in the throne hall, and after a brief silence he finally spoke, "Now that you’ve come to me yourself, I’m assuming you have something to say?" he inquired, one of his brows lifting sharply, and Rosalind swallowed under his stare.

"Yes," Rosalind breathed, her voice heavy with tension.

Alaric shifted his gaze lazily as he took a slow sip from his glass of wine, as though she was of little importance, before speaking again. "If you’re here to talk about the marriage, it has already been decided, and if you’re here for..." His voice trailed off briefly as his eyes flicked toward her. "Rowan... it has also been decided that he will be executed," he said without the slightest trace of warmth in his expression.

A chill ran down her spine even though she already knew, but hearing it spoken so casually and directly made it feel more real, and she swallowed hard as her chest tightened. "I’m not here for either of that," she responded quickly.

His gaze shifted back to her with a faint spark of interest, while beside him the beast inside its cage let out a low growl and stood, though Alaric barely acknowledged it. "What is it?" he asked sharply.

Rosalind took a steadying breath before speaking. "I want to visit my mother before the wedding," she said truthfully.

For a moment, Alaric only stared at her in silence, that cold look fixed on her face, and then suddenly he chuckled, the sound sharp enough to make her stomach tighten. "And why do you think I would ever allow that?" he asked as he rose from the throne and descended slowly, his eyes darkening with suspicion.

"Because you, Rosalind, can be quite the crafty little girl. You must have other intentions, and I cannot trust you... You have proven countless times that you are not to be trusted," he said as he stopped directly in front of her.

"I just want to see her for the last time," Rosalind said, lifting her gaze to meet his, though his expression did not soften in the slightest as he studied her like she was concealing something.

"You can see her on the wedding day," Alaric said dismissively. "After all, a mother is expected to be present at her daughter’s wedding."

Rosalind already knew that, but her reasons went beyond that, especially after what Calder had revealed. "But there are important things a mother discusses with her daughter before marriage," she insisted, trying to push him slightly, hoping he would relent.

"You don’t need them," he replied flatly, brushing her words aside again, and Rosalind slowly realized this was going nowhere as his gaze remained sharp and unyielding.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Perhaps this is yet another attempt to escape or help your lover escape, and I would not be foolish enough to hand you the very key to your freedom," he said coldly.

"This isn’t about Rowan," Rosalind replied quickly, and his gaze sharpened on her again. She quickly lowered her gaze.

Alaric watched for a moment before letting out a low dark chuckle. "So now you’ve finally seen that your Rowan is not what you believed him to be," he said, holding her gaze as he continued, "we share the same blood after all, and whatever evil exists in me exists in him too, so do not think I am the devil while he is your knight," he added dismissively.

Rowan was nothing like him, she thought inwardly.

But Rosalind had said it for a reason. "I... I understand now," she said softly as if she had come to a painful realization, and Alaric’s smirk deepened slightly at her reaction.

"That is settled, you may leave," Alaric said, turning on his heels as if the matter was already closed.

"Am I still allowed to ... ?" she asked after him.

"No," he answered immediately without hesitation. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Rosalind paused for a moment, then pressed further, "What would people say if they find out you are refusing your future wife something as simple as seeing her own mother, while keeping her locked away?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly despite the guards standing at a distance and the low growl of the beast still echoing in the hall.

Alaric stopped mid-step and turned slowly to face her again, his expression darkening. "Since when did anyone else’s opinion matter to me?" he asked coldly, and she swallowed, knowing he truly did not care about anyone but himself.

Rosalind’s eyes narrowed slightly as she shifted her tone. "Perhaps he would have let me go if he were king... he wouldn’t have refused me," she said carefully.

Alaric’s expression darkened instantly at the comparison, offended that she would place him beside Rowan in any form.

"And I am refusing you?" he asked.

Rosalind knew that was exactly what he was doing, but she chose her words carefully instead. "You are not agreeing... so how exactly will you treat me when I become your wife?" she asked, watching him closely as she noticed a slight twitch in his eye.

He quickly regained his composure, returning to his calm exterior. "Of course I will treat you well," he said smoothly.

Rosalind almost scoffed at his words.

His own blood brother was locked in the dungeon and treated as though he was nothing, so there was no doubt he would treat her even worse than that, especially when he had already been doing so from the very beginning without hesitation. "Then you’ll allow me to go visit my parents... I may never get to see them again and I need one last chance with them," she explained again, her voice steady but firm, though deep down she knew convincing Alaric was never going to be easy.

It felt like a difficult battle every single time, and now she was seeing it clearly with her own eyes, which was exactly why she had even brought Rowan into the conversation in the first place, because she knew Alaric’s jealousy and insecurity would eventually surface from it.

"This is your last chance," he said finally, and Rosalind nodded immediately as relief briefly crossed her face, after which he turned on his heels and allowed her to leave.

****

Rosalind left the palace under heavy guard, with soldiers positioned around her as though she were not a guest but a prisoner.

She was helped into the carriage alone while the guards positioned themselves inside and outside the carriage, and soon it began to move. A heavy silence filled the space as the carriage rolled forward, and Rosalind sat quietly, her thoughts spiraling in every direction as it felt like everything in her life was slowly turning worse by the day.

She wished Calder had been lying, even though she could clearly tell that he wasn’t, because if she didn’t truly belong to the people she had always called her family, then who was she, and why had they hidden it from her all these years?

Eventually, all those questions would have to be answered, and by the time she arrived at the house, she stepped down and walked straight to the door before knocking firmly.

Mallory came to open it, and the moment she saw Rosalind, her expression shifted. "Rosalind," she said, her gaze scanning her carefully.

"Hello, Mallory. I would like to speak with Mother," Rosalind said without hesitation, getting straight to the point.

Mallory studied her for a moment before narrowing her eyes slightly. "Is this another one of your tricks?" she asked cautiously.

But even as suspicion lingered, Mallory noticed the guards positioned around Rosalind and quickly realized she could not possibly be there to cause trouble. With a slow exhale, she stepped aside and opened the door wider, allowing Rosalind in while the guards remained outside to ensure she did not leave.

Fortunately, Calder was not at home. Beth, however, was, and the moment she saw Rosalind, she immediately understood why she had come.

Especially after hearing everything from her husband earlier. She had been angry with him for the way he handled it, but more than that, she had been deeply worried for Rosalind, knowing how painful the truth would be for her. Beth had even wanted to go to her herself, but her condition would not allow it.

Rosalind’s eyes quickly turned misty as she rushed forward and embraced her mother, and Beth welcomed her warmly, holding her close as she gently ran her fingers through her hair. "oh, child," she whispered softly.

Rosalind sniffled, quickly wiping her tears before looking up at her mother. "I want to know everything," she said, her voice breaking slightly, and Beth gave a slow nod, because she knew it was finally time for the truth to be revealed.