A whirl of emotions filled Roselyn when she saw Alexander and Isadora climb the dragon. And the way he was holding her waist, it just brought a strange feeling to her being. Why was the world always against her?

The whole journey to the Crescian capital was filled with silence. Newton, who had been watching Roselyn closely all the time, could see something was bothering her all the time. From the way she was fighting back tears that had filled the brim of her eyes to the way she was shifting uncomfortably, one thing was for sure; she was not alright.

When they finally arrived at the Crescian castle, Newton followed Roselyn behind and offered to show her to a room which she gladly accepted with a faked smile.

He led her to one of the many guest rooms in the palace and was surprised when she asked him to stay with her. He accepted and waited for her patiently as she freshened up in the bathroom.

When Roselyn finally closed the doors to the bathroom, she let the tears flow, crying her heart out until no more of it was left. She just sat on the cold floor staring blankly at the distant. Everything in the world seemed to have closed in on her. She touched her bruise which drew her to the mirror making her gasp in surprise. Her once beautiful face looked like a boiled egg that it nearly made her to throw up. If this is how she felt about herself, what about the others, especially Alexander. Were they masking their disgust with their sweet words?

She washed away the tears and took a shower before proceeding to the bedroom. Surprisingly, Newton was still waiting. A fresh set of clothes had been brought by a maid already.

"Did I take long?" She asked, masking her face with her hand.

"No," he replied curtly. A frown settled on his face when he saw her masking her face but he said nothing about it.

"You can tell me anything if you want."

A maid walked in holding a tray of tea and some snacks, nearly hitting a table while looking at Roselyn’s burnt face. This made her embarrassed and her will to badmouth the maid dissipated. Who was she anyways?

"You can put the tray on the table and leave," Newton said saving her the shame. The maid nodded abruptly and fled out of the room.

"Do you prefer coffee or tea?" Newton asked lifting the awkwardness that had developed in the room.

Roselyn looked at him calculatingly for a minute. Didn’t he feel disgusted by her face? He smiled at her and she could tell it was genuine. Maybe she could trust him?

"Coffee will do," she replied with a staged smile. Newton expertly took a cup from the tray and poured some coffee in it. He added two spoonfuls of sugar and stirred so gently that it made Roselyn smirk for once. It was like he was afraid he’d break the cup.

"Have a seat," he gestured her to sit down and handed the cup to her. He also poured himself some coffee.

"Why did you accept to stay?" Newton paused midway from drinking his coffee. "I mean you could have gone somewhere else." She shrugged her shoulders.

"What if I wanted to?" He asked her instead.

"Aren’t you... disgusted by my face?" She asked clutching the cup’s handle tightly.

"Believe me, I’ve seen far much worse," he casually replied as if it was normal for him.

For a moment, Roselyn thought he was trying to fit in her shoes but she saw the genuinety in his eyes. He was honest, and she liked it. And who was he in the first place? From the way he was dressed, she could tell he was a senior person in Crescia.

"What’s your name?"

Newton placed the cup on the table. "I’m Lord Newton, and you are Princess Roselyn, right?"

She quickly averted her gaze from him at the mention of that. Even she didn’t know what she was right now. She was neither a princess nor Alexander’s betrothed. She was just a nobody! Just a normal person with the privileges of being treated like royalty.

"I’m Roselyn. You can just call me Roselyn, I’ll be fine with that."

Newton could tell how much weight those words carried. This woman seemed to have gone through a lot. The Princess Roselyn he had heard of before was the complete opposite of the one in front of him. Rumors had it that she was the most spoilt princess in the kingdom. But if that was the case, she should be at Arcadia right now enjoying peace, far away from war. Kindness was also not her virtue but here she was, being honest with a Lord Newton!

"Tell me about yourself," she said placing her fingers around the cup. The warm feeling gave her a sensation and a feeling of security by having him around.

"There isn’t much to know about me." He said with shrugged shoulders. "I’m just a normal Crescian who follows orders from the Royalties."

"I... " ’like you’ was what she wanted to say but quickly shook the thought of her mind. "I guess I’ll be fine by myself now."

"If that is the case, I’ll take my leave," he said, already standing up. "It was nice meeting with you." He added holding the hilt of his sword. He stood gracefully, towering above a seated Roselyn who had almost forgotten she only had a towel wrapped around her body. And though she had not looked at him, she could tell he was drooling over her curves. The thought alone made her cheeks flush pink. She was just but a maiden and his masculine energy around her made her think wickedly.

She felt him move after a fleeting couple of seconds headed for the door, and for some odd reason, her heart raced.

"Will you come see me some other time?" She found herself asking. He halted in his tracks by the door and when he smiled at her, she felt her knees weaken. God! What was he doing to her? Her heart momentarily stopped as she anticipated for the answer.

"I’ll see if I can," he said and closed the door without giving her space to ask further.