Even after two days, Rosalind was still imprisoned with Rowan. The cell was dim and damp, the air heavy with silence broken only by distant footsteps from the corridor.

Rowan leaned against her shoulder as if it were the only stable thing in the world, while Rosalind gently ran her fingers through his hair, humming under her breath to help him sleep. It had become a pattern over the past two days, whenever exhaustion or pain kept him awake, she would hum softly until his breathing slowed, and slowly it seemed to work.

Rosalind kept wondering how long the king intended to keep them there, because at this point she was ready to agree to anything if it meant Rowan would be moved somewhere safer, somewhere more comfortable than this cold cell. And another thought crossed her mind, why had Alaric placed them together in the first place? Knowing him, it did not feel like an accident. It felt deliberate. As if he wanted her to see Rowan suffer, and wanted Rowan to witness the consequences of helping her. Either way, it was meant to break them both.

But Rosalind refused to let it continue.

Rowan stirred suddenly, his voice low and alert. "Someone’s coming."

Rosalind immediately withdrew her hand from his hair, and Rowan shifted away from her shoulder just as footsteps echoed closer. The faint scent arrived before the presence itself. Alaric’s perfume, sharp and unmistakable and Rosalind’s stomach tightened instantly. She had told herself she was ready to face him, but the moment he appeared at the cell entrance with guards behind him holding torches, all that preparation disappeared.

"Have you been well these past few days?" Alaric asked calmly, his gaze fixed on her.

Rosalind did not answer.

A slow smile formed on his lips anyway. "I’ve come to release you."

Just like that? Her eyes narrowed slightly. There had to be a reason because Alaric never acted without one.

At his subtle gesture, the guards stepped forward, unlocking the cell. They brought Rosalind out and left Rowan behind. Once she stood in front of Alaric, she swallowed hard. "I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson," he said quietly, his tone almost satisfied. "You won’t be causing trouble anymore."

Then suddenly, he reached out and touched her face. She flinched immediately, stepping back as his cold fingers brushed her skin. His expression did not change but only one brow lifted slightly as if amused by her reaction.

And then he spoke. "Our wedding will take place in three days."

Her breath caught.

Three days?

Her heart pounded violently as the reality sank in. He had promised to marry her, but this quickly? This soon?

"I would have preferred it sooner," Alaric continued calmly, "even today, but royal procedures cannot be rushed. And I want it known clearly that you belong to me so no one will dare think otherwise." His gaze shifted briefly past her, toward the cell, where Rowan was watching in silence before returning to her with a faint, almost satisfied smile.

Rosalind felt her chest tighten.

In three days she would be bound to him permanently. The thought made her feel sick, trapped between panic and helplessness. She wanted to run, to disappear, to undo everything that had led her here but there was nowhere left to go. Not when so many lives were already hanging by a thread.

Alaric would destroy everyone if she kept resisting him.

And that was why, after a long silence, she finally spoke. "I’ll marry you."

A pleased smile returned to his face immediately.

"But..." she added quickly.

His expression darkened in an instant.

"With a condition," she said firmly.

"What condition?" he asked, his voice colder now.

"You’ll release him from all punishment," Rosalind said, glancing toward Rowan. "And let him go."

Alaric let out a quiet, almost mocking laugh. "That cannot happen."

Her breath caught. "Why?"

"Because he betrayed me," Alaric replied flatly. "He was meant to serve me, and instead he helped you escape. That alone deserves punishment."

"You’ve punished him enough," Rosalind snapped before she could stop herself, her voice rising with anger.

Alaric’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying her reaction with cold interest. "I won’t marry you unless you release him," she said more firmly, forcing herself not to break under his gaze. "Or do you not think I’m worth that?"

Silence followed.

Alaric’s dark gaze shifted between her and the footman inside the cell and the air between them felt heavier than ever.

Sabine’s words echoed in Alaric’s mind even after she was gone, and it was not that he trusted Rosalind completely, he did not trust her at all, but between her and Sabine, Rosalind had always been the easier choice to believe. Still, something about this situation felt different now. It no longer looked like simple attachment between her and the footman. It looked deeper, more personal. For Rosalind to go this far, to agree to marry him just to protect Rowan, there had to be something more than she was admitting.

"If I release him and free him from his punishment," he said slowly, his gaze locked on Rosalind, "you do not expect him to continue serving you as a footman."

Rosalind met his eyes in silence. She already knew that was impossible because Rowan had broken too many rules to simply return to his position as if nothing had happened.

"You will have no further contact with him from this day onward," Alaric added.

The words made Rosalind’s heart drop to her stomach. No contact with Rowan? She shouldn’t see him or speak to him?

It felt less like a condition and more like a sentence of its own. Slowly, she turned her head toward Rowan, and just seeing him there bruised, worn, still recovering from everything made it seem as if someone was stabbing her a thousand times.

But if this was the price to ease his suffering, she would pay it. "I won’t," she said quietly, turning back to Alaric.

"And if you do?" he asked, watching her closely.

"Then you can do whatever you want," Rosalind replied without hesitation, her voice steady despite the fear underneath it.

A satisfied smirk pulled at Alaric’s lips. "Deal," he said simply.

"Release him," he ordered without taking his eyes off her.

The guards immediately moved, unlocking the cell and helping Rowan out. As he was led past, Alaric’s voice followed coldly, directed at him without even a glance.

"You will have no further contact with her from this day onward."

Rowan paused briefly, his eyes shifting to Rosalind. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching heavily between them. Rosalind’s expression softened as she looked at him, and Rowan remained quiet, his answer not immediately coming.

"Please..." she whispered softly, just enough for him to hear.

Silence lingered in the air...

Rosalind felt her heart thumping loudly in her own ears. If Rowan refused... then all of this would be for nothing.

"Fine," Rowan said at last.

Rosalind let out a quiet breath she had been holding.

Alaric clenched his jaw tightly, a flicker of irritation crossing his expression. Somewhere deep down, he had expected refusal, something he could use as further justification to punish the footman. But now that it had ended this way, he simply let it be. Still, he knew this was not the end. Mistakes always revealed themselves sooner or later, and when they did, he would be ready.