Claimed By The Tyrant King

Lady Evelina let the silence linger for a brief moment before turning away as though the interruption had never happened. "Now," she said, smoothing her sleeve lightly, "we have wasted enough time. Return to your positions. We will begin with posture and composure."

Rosalind remained where she was for a moment, her thoughts unsettled as she slowly turned to look at Rowan, the one who had stopped her from disgracing herself.

His hands were now lowered at his sides, his posture calm and steady as he stood there.

Something about him felt different, but she could not quite place what it was.

She thought to speak, but no words came. Instead, she held his gaze briefly before looking away, confusion settling quietly in her chest.

Her footman was behaving strangely, and Rosalind could no longer dismiss it as normal.

First, the garden. It had not gone the way she expected. The guards had withdrawn instead of tightening their watch, and that alone should have made things clearer. But it didn’t. It only left her more uncertain.

Rowan had not reported her when she had given him the chance to. Yet when Lady Evelina had gone too far, he had stepped in without hesitation, as though it cost him nothing at all.

Rosalind tried to make sense of it. If he was loyal to the king, none of this made sense. If he was not, then what exactly was he?

"Rosalind," Lady Evelina called sharply.

Her thoughts broke instantly as she looked up. All eyes were on her now, and the room felt uncomfortably still.

"You have wasted enough of our time," Lady Evelina said, her tone tight.

Rosalind said nothing. She simply turned and returned to her place.

Sabine no longer looked as pleased as she had earlier. Her expression was colder now, she was irritated that the footman had interfered and ruined what she had expected to be a humiliation she would enjoy watching.

"First, posture and composure," Lady Evelina announced, stepping forward. "Stand in a straight line."

She motioned for them to arrange themselves. "Straighten your back, lift your chin slightly, align your shoulders and place your hands properly."

One by one, they followed her instruction.

Rosalind glanced sideways at the others before taking her place, adjusting her posture and lifting her chin as instructed.

Lady Evelina walked along the line slowly.

"Good posture," she said as she passed Sabine, who smiled in response.

She moved to Claire next. "You are doing well."

"She learns from me," Sabine added quickly, and Evelina gave a small approving nod.

Then she reached Verity. "Excellent, as always."

Verity gave her a slight bow but her expression didn’t waver and Sabine clicked her tongue quietly in annoyance.

Finally, Evelina stopped in front of Rosalind.

This one, she thought, would need the most correction. "You are looking too high," Evelina said.

Before Rosalind could adjust, Evelina placed a hand on her head and pressed it down slightly, forcing her posture into position. Then she lifted Rosalind’s chin more firmly as if correcting something that offended her personally.

Rosalind held still, her jaw tightening.

"Your hands," Evelina continued. "Right over left."

She adjusted them herself, gripping Rosalind’s wrist a little too firmly before releasing her. "Better," she said at last, and moved on.

Then she paused. "Wait... I don’t see Thalia. Why is she not here?"

The room suddenly went quiet as the four of them exchanged brief looks yet none of them spoke. The memory of what had happened to Thalia hung heavily between them.

Evelina studied their expressions and she could tell something was wrong. "I see..." she said at last. "We will continue."

She straightened. "Next is walking and movement. You will learn how a lady enters a room, how she exits without drawing attention, and how she carries herself at all times."

She demonstrated it herself, walking with elegance, every step light while maintaining perfect posture.

"Now, one by one," she ordered.

They began.

"Good... good... good..." Her tone was steady as she observed each of them.

Then she reached Rosalind. "Walk normally like the others," Evelina said sharply. "Stop hurrying."

Sabine let out a snort at the side and Rosalind’s fingers curled slightly, but she said nothing. There was nothing wrong with how she walked. If anything, she had already slowed herself more than usual.

The lesson continued into sitting etiquette. They were taught how to sit properly without losing grace, how to fold their hands, and how to maintain eye contact.

And once again...

"Rosalind."

Her name cut through the room again.

"Stop leaning against the chair. You are not an old woman. Sit upright."

****

The class was draining, and Rosalind could not wait for it to end.

It felt like Lady Evelina’s attention kept circling back to her alone. Still, she told herself this was only the beginning, and whatever came after would likely be worse.

"And finally, your facial expressions," Lady Evelina continued, pacing slowly in front of them. "There should be no visible irritation or open emotion. Keep your expression controlled at all times."

"Perfect," she said, glancing at Verity with approval.

Her gaze shifted to Sabine. "No laughing. No snorting."

Sabine straightened immediately, swallowing whatever reaction she had been holding in as she forced her face into something neutral.

"Claire," Lady Evelina added with a small frown, "did you not eat enough breakfast? You look distracted... or hungry."

"I’m sorry," Claire replied quickly, lowering her eyes.

Lastly, her attention landed on Rosalind, who looked like she was already halfway out of the room in her mind.

Lady Evelina studied her for a moment, then simply looked away without comment. Rosalind almost exhaled in relief at that alone.

From there, they moved on to reading noble etiquette texts, dense books filled with rules about behavior, speech, and appearance that made Rosalind’s head feel heavier the longer she listened.

When the class finally ended, chairs shifted and footsteps began to scatter, but as Rosalind turned to leave, Lady Evelina’s voice stopped her again.

"You will need extra material to catch up," she said evenly. "Go to the library and study properly. In the next class, you will be expected to explain what you’ve learned to everyone."

The thought of the library only made the day feel longer, not better. She gave a small, restrained nod, though inwardly all she could think was that she needed to get out of this place before it swallowed her entirely.

As Rosalind left the class with Rowan just behind her, she began making her way toward the library, when a line of guards moved quickly across the corridor, passing them in hurried formation. Rosalind slowed slightly, watching them as they disappeared down the hall and she realized she would need to understand this palace first before attempting to leave.

Before she could move again, one of the guards returned and stopped in front of her, bowing quickly. "Lady Rosalind, His Majesty requests your presence in the gazebo," he said, before turning and leaving just as quickly as he had come.

Rosalind stood still, her heart starting to race.

The last time she had seen him, he had grabbed her by the neck in front of everyone and threatened her. Now he wanted to see her again, as though nothing had happened at all. The thought alone left a tight feeling in her chest, but she forced herself to breathe evenly and adjusted her expression before turning.

With Rowan following quietly behind her, she changed direction and made her way toward the gazebo.

Alaric stood by the pond when she arrived, watching the water as the fish moved beneath the surface. Only when footsteps reached him did he turn, and his expression shifted almost immediately at the sight of her. A small smile curved his lips.

"Your Majesty," Rosalind greeted, curtsying with a tight voice.

"My sweet rose," he said lightly. "Come stand beside me."

Reluctantly, she obeyed, stepping closer but keeping her eyes on the pond instead of him.

Alaric studied her for a moment. "You do not look well. What is wrong?"

"I am fine, Your Majesty," she replied quickly, still not looking at him.

His hand lifted without warning, turning her face toward him. "I do not like when you lie," he said with a frown.

Rosalind swallowed, holding his gaze for a second before looking away again. "I do not like the classes," she said quietly. "May I be excused from them?"

"Why would you be?" he asked simply. "They are meant to teach you. Especially you, Rosalind... who is lacking in many things."

There was no softness in his tone or consideration for how it landed.

Rosalind’s words died before she could push them further. She had wanted to mention Evelina, how she was being singled out, how every lesson felt more like humiliation than teaching... but the thought stopped halfway.

If she told him, what would he say? That it was necessary? That she should endure it? Or worse, that she was simply not trying hard enough?

The answer already felt clear enough. So she stayed quiet.

Rosalind couldn’t bear to stay in his presence any longer "I need to go to the library. I have books to read." she said.

Alaric’s expression softened at once.

"Go then," he said, almost pleased.

She bowed and proceeded to leave when he said, "Learn well, Rosalind. If you improve enough... I may consider making you my wife."

The words struck her so sharply that she froze in her tracks.