Claimed By The Tyrant King

The king left, and the class continued after his departure.

Lady Evelina carried on with the lesson for a while before it finally came to an end. "Thank you, Lady Evelina," they chorused as they bowed, and she returned a slight bow before turning to leave.

The moment she stepped away, Sabine let out a quiet huff and followed soon after, unable to remain there any longer. Claire left shortly after her, while Rosalind and Verity made their way out of the garden together.

It was later, after lunch, that Rosalind returned to the garden with Verity to get some fresh air.

As they walked in, Rosalind’s gaze drifted toward a swing tucked away in one corner, slightly hidden beneath creeping vines. "Do you think it’s broken?" she asked, glancing at Verity.

"I’m not sure," Verity replied.

"You’ve never tried it?" Rosalind asked, turning to her with curiosity.

Verity shook her head, and that alone made Rosalind pause in surprise.

She could not imagine being here for so long and never once using the swing or finding something as simple as that to enjoy, yet Verity had not come here by choice.

She had been forced into this place, and for a long time, grief had clouded everything around her. Fun had not existed for her then, and even now, it was not something she reached for easily.

"Then let’s try it," Rosalind said, linking her arm with Verity’s and pulling her gently toward the swing. They lifted their dresses slightly as they walked, while Rowan followed behind them without a word.

When they reached it, Rosalind took a closer look. The vines had wrapped themselves around the frame, the iron showed signs of rust, and the seat looked as though it had not been used in a long time.

"I don’t think this is a good idea," Verity murmured with a shake of her head. The thought of sitting on it, only for the metal to give way and send her to the ground, did not seem far-fetched.

"Don’t be boring, Verity," Rosalind teased lightly as she stepped closer.

Before she could do anything else, Rowan’s voice came from behind her. "Allow me to check if it’s safe, my lady."

Rosalind turned to face him at once. Right. If anything were to go wrong, her footman could deal with it first.

"Go ahead," she said, stepping aside.

She watched as he inspected the iron frame and the seat, testing its weight and removing the vines that had tangled around it. The metal let out a faint squeak under his touch before he stepped back.

"It can be managed," he said.

"Did you hear that, Verity?" Rosalind turned back to her with a smile.

"Managed does not mean safe, Rosalind. There could still be a problem," Verity replied, a slight frown forming on her face.

Rosalind clicked her tongue and moved forward anyway. She found something nearby to wipe the seat before sitting down, then she pushed herself gently at first before gaining rhythm, moving back and forth until she lifted higher into the air.

"You see?" she called out, her voice light. "This is fun."

The wind caught her hair, sending it flowing behind her as she smiled. Rowan had been watching to ensure she was safe, but for a brief moment, his attention shifted. It was no longer about his duty, but her. The sight of her like that, laughing as she moved through the air, made his heart skip, and the feeling caught him off guard.

He looked away at once, his brows drawing together.

Verity found herself smiling as she watched. "Alright, let me try," she said, waiting for Rosalind to slow down so she could take a turn.

From the window of one of the mistresses’ chambers, Sabine straightened from where she had been resting when Rosalind’s voice reached her.

What could she possibly be so happy about? she thought with a frown as she moved toward the window and looked out into the garden.

Claire, who had been reading, set her book aside and walked over as well. "What is it?" Claire asked as she joined her.

"As expected of a lowly viscount’s daughter," Sabine said, irritation clear in her voice. After everything they had been taught about composure, Rosalind stood there laughing and throwing herself into the air as though none of it mattered.

"It looks fun," Claire admitted quietly as she watched. "It’s been a while since we used the swing."

Sabine turned sharply toward her. "Do you want to go and join her?"

"No, that’s not what I meant," Claire said quickly, shaking her head.

"Then go back to reading," Sabine replied curtly as she pulled the curtains shut. Claire let out a small breath before returning to the couch, picking up her book again without another word.

Outside, Rosalind slowed the swing and stepped off, and Verity took her place.

Rosalind stood behind her and gave a few steady pushes until Verity began to move higher, her earlier hesitation fading as she found the rhythm.

Verity now slowed down and looked back at her. "Come on, Rosalind, get on. Let’s do it together," she said with a smile.

Just as Rosalind was about to sit on the swing beside Verity, who had shifted slightly to make space for her, Rowan’s voice cut in and stopped her.

"It would not be advisable, my lady. Two people might cause it to weaken and fail," he said, his tone calm but firm.

Verity let out a small sigh as she stepped off the swing. "That’s unfortunate. I was hoping we could ride together."

Rosalind shook her head with a light smile. "It’s not that bad. At least we had some fun," she said, and Verity nodded in agreement. For a moment, the garden felt lighter than it had in a long while, and they both held on to that brief sense of ease.

After standing there for a while, they decided to head back to their quarters and they had barely taken a few steps when Verity suddenly paused, her expression shifting.

"What is it?" Rosalind asked.

Verity lifted a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. Rosalind stopped speaking at once, and when they both listened carefully as a faint sound reached them.

Someone was crying.

"I think it’s coming from over there," Verity said, turning toward the direction of the sound.

They moved slowly, following it deeper into the garden until they came upon a figure seated on the ground, her head buried in her knees as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

It was Thalia.

They had not spoken to her since the incident, and Thalia had made sure to avoid their gaze the entire time. When they left the garden, they had assumed she would have done the same, yet here she was, hidden away in a quiet corner, crying where no one would see her.

Rosalind frowned slightly, and Verity leaned closer to her. "You don’t need to feel guilty," she whispered.

Rosalind said nothing in response. Instead, she stepped forward and approached Thalia, stopping just in front of her.

Sensing someone’s presence, Thalia slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face damp with tears, and the moment her gaze met Rosalind’s, it widened in shock. She glanced to the side and saw Verity, and then Rowan standing behind them.

"I’m sorry, I wasn’t..." she began, hurriedly wiping her tears as she pushed herself to her feet.

"It’s alright," Rosalind said gently, her voice softer than expected. "Why are you here alone?"

Thalia hesitated, but the question seemed to break something in her, and fresh tears spilled over. "Because no one is going to talk to me again," she said, her voice trembling.

Verity stepped forward, her expression hardening. "You should have thought about that before doing something like that," she said, folding her arms. "You made us believe you were on our side, and all the while, you were deceiving us and planning something evil behind our backs."

Thalia shook her head weakly. "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry," she said, her gaze shifting between them. "I never meant to hurt you, Rosalind. I would never do that to you."

"But you did," Rosalind replied quietly.

"I didn’t want to," Thalia said quickly, her voice breaking. "I swear, I didn’t. I have no ill intentions toward you"

"Then why?" Verity asked.

Rosalind’s eyes stayed on Thalia as she spoke. "Tell us what happened. What made you do it?"

She could not ignore the way Thalia had spoken that day, insisting that she had not meant to hurt her, and she was saying the same thing now. If that was true, then there had to be something more behind it, something that had forced her into making that choice.

Thalia fell silent, her breathing uneven as they both waited. After a moment, she swallowed and spoke in a low voice.

"I will tell you... but you cannot tell anyone."

Rosalind and Verity exchanged a glance before nodding.

Thalia drew in a deep breath and stepped closer, lowering her voice as she spoke.

"If you fail to do this, I will tell the king exactly who you’ve been spending your nights with."

Sabine’s words echoed clearly in her mind.

Thalia had never understood how Sabine found out. She had been careful about it.

There had only been a few nights, stolen moments where she slipped away to meet him, where they spoke in hushed tones and exchanged nothing more than glances. They had done nothing wrong, nothing that should have condemned them, but the truth remained that they cared for each other, and that alone was enough to destroy them.

Sabine had used it against her.

Thalia was a mistress, bound to the court and subject to the king’s authority, and that meant her conduct was no longer her own. A relationship with someone beneath her status would be seen as disgraceful, as disobedience, as betrayal. The punishment would not stop with her. The man would suffer far worse.

The thought of that alone had been enough to break her.

Fear had taken hold, and instead of choosing what was right, she had chosen what would protect him. She had panicked, and in doing so, she had made a terrible mistake of acting under Sabine’s orders.

Her voice trembled as she finished. "I should not have done it. I should have found another way instead of hurting you. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I can’t forgive myself for what I’ve done."

Rosalind stood there, her jaw tightening, but not out of anger toward Thalia. It was toward Sabine.

Sabine had not only targeted her, she had used someone else to do it, twisting fear into a weapon and leaving Thalia to bear the weight of it alone.

Thalia had suffered just as much, if not more.

"I forgive you, Thalia," Rosalind said at last.

Thalia froze, her breath catching as she looked up at her, and even Verity turned toward Rosalind in surprise. She understood the situation, but she had not expected Rosalind to forgive her so easily.

"But I don’t think I can trust you again," Rosalind added, her voice steady. There was no anger in it, only honesty. "Not yet."

Thalia nodded quickly. "I understand. I will prove it to you. I will make you trust me again," she said, her voice filled with determination.

Rosalind gave a faint smile in response.

And for the first time since it had happened, the weight in Thalia’s chest began to ease. Saying it aloud had been difficult, but now that it was done, she could finally breathe again.

And as the moment settled, the thought of going to the king and telling him the real truth crossed Rosalind’s mind.

Because If Sabine was allowed to walk away from this, there was no telling what she might do next.