Claimed By The Tyrant King

Slowly, the carriage rolled to a stop as they arrived at their destination, and one by one, the ladies began to disembark elegantly. Rosalind stepped down, and the smell of fresh air, along with a faint sense of freedom from the palace hit her at once.

Her gaze moved around slowly as she took in the surroundings. The streets were noticeably cleaner, and there was a calmness in the atmosphere that made it clear this place was reserved for people of status. Well-dressed nobles walked by, their appearance refined and composed, blending seamlessly into the environment.

As she continued to observe, Rosalind began to notice the guards. They were there, but not in ways that were obvious.

Her eyes caught one stationed behind a pillar, and it made her more alert. Security here was just as tight as within the palace, only less visible. Alaric did not take chances, and that realization caused a faint sense of unease to settle in her stomach.

Even outside the palace walls, nothing truly seemed free. Everything was still under his control, and she would have to be careful.

Evelina cleared her throat, drawing their attention as she turned toward them. "We are in a public space now," she began, her tone firm but controlled. "You must be aware of yourselves and everything around you."

"Do not stare, do not raise your voices, and keep your expressions composed. Be mindful of how you carry yourselves," she continued. "Are we understood?"

"Yes, Lady..." Sabine started, but Evelina’s pointed look cut her off immediately. The rest of the girls simply nodded, while Sabine’s expression faltered for a moment before she quickly regained her composure.

"Good," Evelina said, turning smoothly.

"Follow me, and remain in a single line."

As she moved forward, the others fell into place behind her... Sabine first, then Claire, followed by Verity, while Rosalind remained at the end with her footman.

They walked past rows of noble estates, and Evelina made sure they paid attention to how people interacted. There were no unnecessary words, only small gestures and brief exchanges.

When a noble approached and greeted Evelina, clearly familiar with her, the girls gave a slight bow as expected and the greeting was returned. Evelina exchanged a few words with the noble, her tone polite, before they parted and the noble continued on their way.

"You are all doing well so far," Evelina remarked, and the girls seemed pleased with the acknowledgment.

Rosalind, however, was barely focused on the lesson. Her attention had shifted entirely to the surroundings. She took note of the paths, the turns, and the narrow alleys, carefully observing the placement of guards as she tried to fix everything in her memory. Because of this, she lagged behind without realizing it.

Rowan had already noticed the shift in her pace, his gaze following where hers lingered, though he said nothing as he adjusted his step to remain close behind her.

By the time Rosalind shifted her gaze, the others had stopped, and their attention had turned to her.

"Rosalind!" Lady Evelina started. "When I said walk, I did not mean at your own pace. Even a snail would be ahead of you at this point. Keep up, or you will be sent back to the palace," Evelina said sharply, though she kept her voice low enough not to draw attention.

Rosalind lowered her head slightly in acknowledgment, and Evelina turned away with a small huff.

Still, Rosalind had no intention of stopping what she had started.

She adjusted her pace just enough to close the gap before continuing her observations.

"Ladies... that is how one handles urgency without raising their voice," Evelina continued from the front, and Sabine let out a small giggle at the remark.

They moved on until they stopped in front of a line of refined shops. "Here, you will learn how to interact with merchants," Evelina said. "How to examine items without appearing eager, and how to refuse them without offense."

The ladies nodded as she stepped forward and rang the bell at the entrance. Moments later, a middle-aged woman appeared, greeting them with a welcoming smile.

"Lady Evelina, what a surprise," she said warmly. "I wasn’t expecting you."

Evelina returned the smile, though hers remained controlled. "I’ve brought my students with me. We’ll be needing a few items."

"Of course," the woman replied quickly, clearly pleased. "Please, come in."

She then stepped aside to let them enter. "Feel free to look around and choose whatever you like."

Evelina led them toward the display of silk gloves and handkerchiefs as she was particular about them. She began choosing a pair for each of them.

"I’ll take the pink one," Sabine said without hesitation.

"A lady does not rush to claim what catches her eye," Lady Evelina said. "Compose yourself before choosing. Besides the midnight blue glove is more appropriate for you"

Sabine looked at the glove with a mixed expression, clearly unsure of it, while Claire reached forward to pick up the pink gloves as she seemed to like it.

"It looks perfect on you," Lady Evelina remarked when she saw Claire slip it on correctly.

Claire lifted her hand, smiling at how the pink glove fit her. However, when her gaze shifted to Sabine, she noticed the darkened look on her face.

"Do you want it?" Claire asked, already beginning to pull it off.

"Keep it," Sabine replied sharply, reaching instead for the midnight blue pair. Now that Claire had worn the pink one, it no longer seemed appealing to her.

Verity, on the other hand, selected a pair of black gloves and put them on with ease.

"Excellent choice," Lady Evelina said, and Verity responded with a small bow, a faint smile resting on her lips.

Sabine put on the blue gloves, her expression still tight.

"Is that all? We’ll need another pair," Verity pointed out, noticing that Rosalind had not been given any.

"Seems Rosalind won’t be getting any after all." Sabine said with a smirk, no longer bothered about her own choice now that Rosalind had none.

The shopkeeper glanced at Rosalind in slight surprise, but Rosalind simply shook her head. "There’s no need, madame," she said calmly, as she didn’t particularly care for gloves.

"What do you mean there’s no need?" Lady Evelina corrected immediately, her tone sharp. "Gloves are essential for a proper lady."

She then turned to the shopkeeper. "Check if you have any more. Anything suitable will do."

"Right away, Lady Evelina," the woman replied before hurrying off to search.

"In the meantime, let us look at the handkerchiefs and other items," Evelina said, moving further into the shop. Sabine and Claire followed closely, while Verity lingered, browsing more quietly.

Not long after, the shopkeeper returned, carrying a box. "I thought I had none left, but there was this one," she explained as she approached them. "It is one of the finest pieces... I had forgotten it was even here."

The group paused and turned toward her as she opened the box, revealing a deep red pair of gloves with a matching handkerchief.

"No way... why wasn’t this displayed before?" Sabine blurted out from where she stood.

The shopkeeper looked flustered, unsure of how to respond.

"Sabine," Lady Evelina warned, her tone firm.

Sabine swallowed her complaint, though irritation still lingered. She could not understand why Rosalind, of all people, would be the one to receive something so fine.

"Please, my lady," the shopkeeper said, offering it forward.

Rosalind accepted the gloves carefully, along with the matching handkerchief. "They are lovely," she said, her voice low but genuine.

Sabine huffed and turned away, immediately focusing on the other items so as to choose the best ones before Rosalind could even glance at them.

The shopkeeper gave Rosalind a polite smile before stepping away to put the box aside.

Rosalind began to put on the gloves, but her movements were slightly off, and it was clear she wasn’t doing it properly. Rowan, who had been observing her all this while, found himself wondering how she struggled with something so simple.

Rosalind looked down at her hands. The gloves were beautiful and fit her perfectly, as though they had been made just for her, yet something about it still felt off. She tilted her head slightly, trying to figure it out.

Rowan glanced briefly at the others and saw that their attention was elsewhere before stepping closer. "Pardon me, my lady" He said, taking her hand and adjusting the glove carefully with precision.

Rosalind’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected contact, her gaze lifting to him in confusion, but he didn’t explain himself.

They both seemed to think the moment had gone unnoticed.

However, Verity’s gaze shifted toward them, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she took it in.

Was she the only one noticing this?

She had been about to call Rosalind’s attention to a hairpin earlier, but now this... and it wasn’t the first time either. Her gaze lingered on them a moment longer, as if searching for something beyond what was visible, and this time, Rowan noticed.

His eyes met hers briefly...unreadable and steady... before he looked away as though nothing had happened.