Last night had been the best, or could it be the worst, night for Roselyn. Never for once in her lifetime had she ever spent a night in a man’s room. Newton was the first.

What she had imagined would have happened didn’t. He never touched a strand of her hair let alone sleep in the same bed with her. He had pretended to be reading a book but when she turned to look at him, he had already slept in the chair.

Concerned, she took the book from him and placed it on the table. She took the blanket and placed it around him to only curl on the bed shivering in cold. She could have opted to head for her room but for some odd reason, she didn’t.

The cold air bit her skin raising goosebumps but she eventually fell asleep. Only after that did Newton raise a brow looking at her side. He had not slept a wink! He saw her curled in a foetal position on the bed while he was wrapped comfortably in the blankets. Earlier on when she had placed the blanket around him, he thought she was leaving only to hear her walk back in the bed.

He stood from his chair holding the blanket. The window was slightly open contributing to the cold in the room. He closed it and covered her small frame with the blanket. For a fleeting minutes, he just towered over her hypnotized by her face. Apart from the bruise on her left cheek, Roselyn was overly beautiful. It came as a surprise to him to conclude such a thing.

He had met many beautiful women, even more beautiful than her, but there was this alien feeling he felt whenever they spent time together. After what seemed like eternity, he finally drew a long sigh and headed back to his chair. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before drifting off to sleep.

A knock was what woke him up. He narrowed his eyes at the sudden light before lazily yawning. Lord! His muscles hurt! It must be the chair. With wobbling feet, he made for the door only for his eyes to widen at who stood there. He had to rub his eyes to confirm he was not dreaming.

"Yo... Your Majesty? What are you doing here?" He asked stuttering. It was already very early in the morning. He let his gaze travel her length. She was wearing a simple dress that revealed most of her features but nothing lustful was in it before his eyes travelled back to her face.

"I came to see Roselyn," Isadora said gripping tight the paper in her hand. "Is she in?"

Newton rubbed the back of his neck avoiding her gaze all the while, something that Isadora was quick to notice. A smile lit her face on the thought but with the news she was about to deliver, the smile faded as quick as if it was never there in the first place.

"Yes," Newton said, his gaze darting everywhere else but her. This was the weirdest of situations he’d ever found himself in. What would she think? His eyes surveyed the hallways, a sigh silently escaping his lips when he was certain there was no one else.

"Come in," he said stepping aside for her to walk in.

Isadora walked past him with Newton clenching his fists. Damn it! He had not cleaned his room and two women were in already! But the letter she was holding, he was curious.

Roselyn was still sleeping when Isadora walked in. Her face glowed in the morning sun yet Isadora felt a tinge of sympathy at the innocent soul. Just a few days, Roselyn had gone through the worst yet more devastating news awaited her already shredded soul. She couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

"Should I wake her?" Newton asked. He was more than confident that with how she was dressed and safely tucked in his beds, no one could suspect something fishy had happened between them.

"No," Roselyn said caressing Roselyn’s hair that was spread on the pillow. "Let her rest."

"If I may ask Your Majesty, what is that letter you’re holding?"

Isadora surveyed the paper in her hands before looking at him. "King Henry is dead, and he wrote this to his daughter."

Newton’s face turned all shades of dark, a mixture of surprise and misbelief written on his face. It was then that it dawned on him. Now everything made sense!

"Henry is dead!?" He said in a whisper as to not wake Roselyn. "But how? I mean I saw him yesterday several times and he was okay."

"Suicide," Isadora said. "It’s what everyone believes right now."

The two didn’t notice a tear break from Roselyn’s face that moment. She had been feigning sleep from the moment the knock sounded on the door. But this! Her father committed suicide?! How... why? If there was a reason why Henry would commit suicide, then it had to do with her or her mother.

She could imagine how broken her mother would be when she learned of the news. Either way, Roselyn didn’t feel as devastated as she would have been as before. This world had hardened her heart like steel yet she couldn’t help but cry silently. She turned in the bed to face the other side which had Isadora and Newton stiffen. They both sighed when they thought she was still deep in sleep. Little did they know....

"I’m going to see Felista," she heard Isadora say and the door open. "I trust you with her." And with that Isadora left. The door closed and Newton walked but he sat on the bed this time. She felt the soft material sink and his hand caress her hair. It brought a tingling sensation to her but with the news, it quickly dissipated to be replaced by the hollowness.

"Poor thing!" She heard Newton say. That only acted to break her even more and before she knew, the room was filled with her loud sobs.