Rosalind loosened the braid in her hair, running her fingers through the strands until they fell loosely around her shoulders. Beneath the dark dress she now wore to blend into the shadows of the palace, she already had a thinner piece of clothing prepared for when they reached the water.

There was not much she could take with her anyway but after a brief hesitation, she picked up the Merovia perfume she had grown attached to over time and slipped it into her pocket.

Her gaze then drifted toward the pearl necklace resting on the table, the one the king had given her.

Ever since he had left for the battlefield, she had stopped wearing it around her neck, and now she was leaving it behind completely. He had once told her she would never leave him or this castle, yet tonight she intended to prove him wrong. The irony almost made her laugh softly to herself. The very person Alaric had assigned to watch over her was now the same person helping her escape the palace.

Rosalind walked toward the necklace slowly before picking it up in her hands. For a moment she stared at it, thinking of everything the king had put her through, then without another thought, she snapped the strand apart.

The pearls scattered across the floor instantly, rolling in different directions. She quickly bent to gather them before disposing of them, not noticing the single bead that rolled beneath the bed and disappeared into the shadows.

Just as she finished, the door opened quietly and Rowan stepped inside.

The sight of him immediately softened her expression and a small smile crossed her face.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

Rosalind moved toward him and nodded.

His eyes moved over her carefully, making sure she was properly dressed and prepared before he reached for her hand. "Don’t worry. Everything will go well. You just have to follow my lead," he told her.

Rosalind swallowed as she looked at him. Quickly, she forced herself to push every terrible thought from her mind because she knew if she kept imagining something going wrong, fear would consume her completely.

They had been sneaking around the palace for long enough to know its routines almost perfectly. They knew which guards switched posts, which corridors remained empty at certain hours and which corners stayed hidden in darkness. Nothing was supposed to go wrong tonight.

"Rowan, are you sure you won’t change your mind?" she asked again, still hoping there was a chance he would leave with her. "Do you think you can truly survive whatever punishment he gives you?"

Rowan raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek. "Don’t worry about me, Rosalind. I’ve survived more punishments than you can imagine," he said quietly.

She sighed softly because once again he refused to reconsider. No matter how much she tried to convince him, he remained determined to stay behind, and the worst part was that she still did not fully understand why.

Rosalind had waited for this moment for what felt like forever, and now that it had finally come, time seemed to drag painfully instead. Before leaving, she took one last look around the room she had spent so much time in. Most of her memories within the palace were terrible because of the king, yet not all of them were bad. She had met people she cared about here. She had grown close to Verity, become friends with Thalia and somehow, against all odds, she had fallen for Rowan.

So perhaps the palace had not been entirely cruel.

Rowan held her hand firmly before leading her through the quieter corners of the palace. They moved carefully through dim corridors, slipping past towering pillars and freezing whenever guards passed nearby carrying torches. At times they hurried together through the shadows before stopping again to listen.

As they moved deeper into the palace toward the abandoned area, Rosalind’s heartbeat grew faster and louder inside her chest. Every step sent adrenaline rushing through her body because she knew if they were caught this time, Alaric would never spare them again. He had shown mercy once before, but she doubted there would be mercy a second time.

Just as they crossed into another corridor and approached the darker path leading down toward the abandoned place, Rosalind suddenly froze.

Her heart jumped straight into her throat when a voice called out behind them.

"Where are you going?"

Rowan barely reacted as if he had not heard the voice at all and tried to pull Rosalind along with him instead. He already knew the abandoned area well enough to disappear into it if necessary. There were hidden corners where they could avoid being seen entirely.

But Rosalind stopped moving because the voice was familiar.

"Rosalind," the person called again.

She turned immediately and found Verity standing there.

Rosalind’s heartbeat quickened while Rowan finally paused beside her because she had stopped. "Uh... Verity, what are you doing here?" Rosalind asked with a nervous little laugh.

"I just came from the library," Verity answered calmly. "I couldn’t sleep, so I kept myself occupied with books for a while. I was about to return when I saw... you two." Her gaze shifted briefly toward Rowan, who looked completely unbothered that they had been caught together.

"We were just taking a walk," Rosalind said quickly.

Verity’s eyes narrowed slightly because from the way they looked, this was clearly more than just a walk.

"At this hour?" she questioned.

Rosalind folded her arms lightly. "And visiting the library at this hour isn’t strange either?"

"I already explained why I was... " Verity started to say before all three of them suddenly heard a voice nearby.

"Who is there?" one of the guards called out as he approached with a torch raised in his hand.

Rosalind’s eyes widened instantly, but Rowan reacted faster. He swiftly pulled her into one of the dark corners before the light could reach them, while Verity remained standing where she was because she had no reason to hide.

The guard approached cautiously and the moment he recognized Verity, he bowed his head respectfully. "Lady Verity... what are you doing out at this hour? You should be in your chamber," he said.

"Yes... I just came from the library. I was about to head back now," Verity answered calmly.

The guard lifted the torch slightly, letting the light move around the corridor behind her. "I heard voices," he said slowly. "I thought I heard someone else. Was anyone here with you?"

Verity’s eyes narrowed slightly as she remembered seeing Rosalind and Rowan disappear into the shadows moments ago, but she kept her composure as she looked back at him. "No. It was just me."

The guard still looked unconvinced. "But I clearly heard another voice. It sounded like another woman was here."

"I was talking to myself," Verity replied quickly.

His expression shifted with suspicion, so before he could question her again, Verity suddenly spoke in a different pitch before answering herself in her normal voice, making it sound like two people were having a conversation.