Claimed By The Tyrant King

Thalia’s gaze followed the three pairs of eyes now fixed on her, and she swallowed. She hadn’t meant to knock the vase down at all. She had only been passing by when she noticed them inside the dance room, and out of pure curiosity, she had paused to watch. Unfortunately, in the process, she had carelessly brushed against the vase and sent it crashing to the floor.

"Pardon me," Thalia said quickly as one of the maids hurried over to begin cleaning the shattered pieces.

Then the maid lifted her head to look at her. "Are you alright, my lady?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Thalia replied, and once the maid had gathered the broken pieces, she gave a short bow before quietly leaving.

Now Thalia turned back to face them, verity and Rosalind were both watching her while Rowan had shifted his gaze as if it didn’t concern him anymore. "Is it alright if I watch?" Thalia asked.

Rosalind and Verity exchanged a brief glance before slowly nodding, and then Thalia walked toward the door, opened it, and stepped into the room before settling herself in one corner.

Verity turned her attention back to Rosalind. "Next, we do the spin," she said.

Rosalind gave a small nod before continuing exactly as she had been instructed.

As the two of them practiced side by side, Thalia remained where she was, silently watching. Dancing had always been something she genuinely loved. Aside from food which she openly adored, dance was the one thing that truly interested her, and she was good at it...perhaps even better than the other mistresses. That was exactly why she couldn’t help but stay and watch, even though the memory of clumsily knocking over the vase still made her face burn with embarrassment.

After Rosalind had tried the steps over and over again, she finally came to a halt, panting as though she had just run a race.

She placed a hand on her hip and sighed. "This is harder than I thought."

"It really isn’t that hard," Verity told her.

But Rosalind couldn’t agree, because to her, it was difficult.

She wasn’t used to dancing because back at home, she had never exactly mingled or danced at gatherings. And even when she did attend events, men rarely approached her for long because she was always quick to put them in their place, which usually earned her the label of being rude. So it was obvious why she lacked confidence in this area.

"Isn’t this the Moonveil Reverie?" Thalia was the one who suddenly asked, and both women turned to look at her.

Rosalind nodded. "It is."

"It’s the easiest of all the dances," Thalia said.

Rosalind had to fight the urge to roll her eyes because she had heard enough already about how "easy" it was.

Then Thalia’s gaze shifted to Verity. "But I thought you would be teaching her something else because the Moonveil Reverie is quite popular, and I don’t think the king would want to see that at the ball, considering the fact that he specifically asked her to present a great

dance." But she is yet to even learn the basics, Verity thought to herself.

There were other dances she could have shown Rosalind, but she had deliberately chosen the shortest and easiest one so that by the time Rosalind danced that day, the music would near its end quickly and everyone would simply applaud.

"What are you implying?" Verity asked, her eyes narrowing at Thalia.

Thalia hesitated for a moment before walking closer to the two women. "I’d suggest teaching her something entirely different," she said. "Perhaps something that isn’t popular."

"What dance would that be?" Verity asked while crossing her arms. Deep inside of her, suspicion had already started to rise. What was Thalia up to?

Was she trying to take the chance to teach Rosalind herself, or was she attempting to ruin the dance for her?

Verity knew Thalia had never exactly liked Rosalind, especially since she had always sided with Sabine in everything, so now that she suddenly seemed eager to help Rosalind impress the king, it naturally made her suspicious, though she tried not to let it show.

Rosalind noticed Verity folding her arms and gently placed a soft hand on her shoulder.

For a brief second, Thalia’s eyes narrowed before she finally answered. "I think it was the last dance the governess taught us before she went on her break," she said slowly. "I’m trying to remember the name, but she said it wasn’t popular at all, and most people wouldn’t know it. Still, anyone who watched it would be completely left in awe."

Verity and Rosalind exchanged yet another glance, and it did not go unnoticed by Thalia.

She could already tell what they were thinking. After all this time of standing with Sabine, why was she suddenly speaking to them now? Was it only because Sabine was gone?

"Why are you trying to help me?" Rosalind finally asked.

Thalia took a moment before answering. "Because I’ve been in that position before," she said quietly. "The king once asked me to dance as well. He already knew I liked dancing, so he told me to perform for him, but I danced something everyone already knew, and he wasn’t exactly impressed."

A faint frown settled on her face as the memory resurfaced. "And he made me dance until midnight."

Rosalind’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and her lips parted slightly but for a moment no words came out.

Verity was not exactly surprised by Thalia’s words because she had already heard about it, directly from Alaric himself when he had still been all over her. The king had a habit of recounting the cruel things he did to others as though they were amusing stories and expected people around him to laugh, but Verity had never found any of it funny. It was simply another reason why she hated him.

No one in the palace truly matched his madness except Sabine, because Sabine shared that same dark and cruel sense of humour. Whenever he did something questionable, she would laugh only to please him.

"That’s sad to hear," Rosalind muttered under her breath.

Thalia gave a wave of her hand as though to say it was all in the past now, but the memory had not truly left her. She still remembered how badly her legs had swollen afterward and how she had been forced to remain in bed for several days before she could walk properly again. And this was the same man who claimed he fancied her and would give her everything. To Thalia, aside from the dresses and the endless food, it truly sucked being here, but she had no other choice. There was nowhere else for her to go.

"I think I remember the name now," Thalia suddenly said, and both women turned their attention to her. "It is serpent’s lullaby... A dance with swaying hips, twirls, and a leap in the air, if I remember correctly," she explained.

Leaping? Rosalind immediately caught on that word.

Maybe this one would actually be better for her because she could do something like that. Rosalind had always known how to do things that were considered a little too daring for women.

"Do you know this one, Verity?" Rosalind asked, turning to her.

Verity gave a slight shake of her head. "I can’t really remember it," she admitted, "but I believe Thalia can teach you. She’s a very good dancer."

At that, Thalia’s lips curled into a small smile, and for a moment, she seemed genuinely pleased that someone had acknowledged her skill.

"Well then, I suppose..." Rosalind began, turning toward Thalia.

Without wasting any more time, Thalia stepped forward and began to demonstrate the dance exactly as she remembered it.

Rosalind and Verity stood to the side, watching carefully as she moved, and Rosalind could not help but notice just how beautiful Thalia danced. Though she was plump, every curve sat beautifully in the right place, and the way her hips swayed while even the soft movement of her waist followed the rhythm made the entire dance look almost hypnotic.

By the time she was done, both Rosalind and Verity found themselves clapping.

After they had clapped, Rosalind couldn’t help but stare at Thalia. She hadn’t expected Thalia to be this good and now the thought of having to do the same thing in front of everyone made her stomach twist.

"Now come and try," Thalia said, turning to Rosalind.

Rosalind, who had been smiling only moments ago, immediately felt the smile vanish from her lips as she slowly stepped forward.

Then Thalia began instructing her carefully, guiding her through each movement and correcting every stiff turn of her body.

By the time it was finally over for the day, Rosalind could not help but let out a long sigh as she felt every bit of the dance lingering in her limbs.

As Thalia had already gone her own way, Rosalind and Verity slowly began heading back toward their chambers.

"Go and get some rest, Rosalind," Verity said softly. "We’ll continue practicing tomorrow."

Rosalind swallowed before giving a reluctant nod, and soon Verity disappeared into her own room while Rosalind continued toward hers with her footman following at his usual distance behind.

As they walked, her gaze dropped to the floor, where she noticed his shadow trailing behind hers, and that was when she suddenly realised something. Rowan had been there the entire time...

Had he seen her embarrass herself?

The thought alone made heat rush to Rosalind’s cheeks.

She slowed her steps and as expected he slowed down as well. Then she turned sharply on her heels to face him.

He lowered his head slightly, just as he always did.

Rosalind cleared her throat before speaking.

"Do you also think I’m not good at dancing?" she asked. "Did I look that bad?"

Then after a pause, she added, "Am I too stiff?"

His expression remained unreadable while she asked.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "You have been watching, haven’t you?" she asked again.

"I don’t know, my lady," Rowan answered.

Rosalind squinted at him before letting out a sigh. She turned away and continued walking.

****

As night slowly settled over the palace, Rosalind prepared to take her bath, and her hand instinctively rose to the pearl necklace around her neck. For most of the day, it had almost slipped her mind that Alaric had gifted it to her that morning.

It was a reward for her.

The thought alone made her fingers curl around it, and without hesitation, she pulled it off and set it down on the table.

She did not want it around her neck.

After finishing her bath, Rosalind changed into a nightdress that brushed the floor. Her hair was still damp and carried the scent of roses from the soap she had used, and she carefully tied it up so that by morning it would fall into soft curls.

She was just about to slip into bed when a sharp knock suddenly sounded at the door.

What is it now? The irritation rose immediately within her.

She had danced enough for one day and all she wanted was to rest, so being disturbed at this hour only ruined her mood.

Then the servant’s voice came from the other side of the door. "The king requests your company, my lady.

When Rosalind registered the words, her hands clenched into fists at once.

Alaric!

He had said that he would ask for her company, but she had not imagined it meant he would summon her so often, almost as though every night now belonged to him. And refusing was not exactly an option.

With gritted teeth, Rosalind wrapped her cloak around herself and stepped out of the room, beginning the walk toward his chambers while Rowan silently followed behind.

The closer she got to his chamber, the more yesterday came back to her and it made her steps feel heavier. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest the entire way there, and all she could hope for was that this was truly only to keep him company and nothing more.

When they finally arrived at his door, Rosalind took in a deep breath as the guards stepped aside and allowed her through.

She had barely entered and closed the door behind her when she turned...

...and jumped in fright.

Alaric was standing right there with one hand against the wall beside her head, while the other rested lightly against his lips, implying that she keep quiet.

His eyes gleamed as they fixed on her, and that familiar wicked smirk curved across his mouth.

She swallowed.

He took in her expression with visible delight, and the warm fragrance clinging to her skin seemed to stir something within him. But it was not only that. It was the way his gaze slowly trailed over her, as though he was memorising every line of her face, before it moved lower toward her neck.

Then, at the realisation of what was missing there, his gaze darkened and Rosalind’s heart sank at once.