Claimed By The Tyrant King

It was past curfew, and Rosalind was still awake, waiting for Rowan to return. She had stayed up for an hour, but he still hadn’t come back.

Rosalind decided to give it a few more minutes before retiring for the night, and after some time had passed, her eyes lit up as she saw him approaching.

"Come in," she said quietly and he stepped inside to find the room dimly lit, Rosalind closed the door behind them.

She moved toward him, her eyes searching for any sign of injury. "What happened? Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No," he replied, and she paused, studying him carefully.

"Nothing happened where you were taken?" Rosalind asked.

She had imagined all sorts of things he might have faced just because he was trying to protect her reputation, and it struck her again that it was always because of her. She was the one bringing this trouble to him, every single time.

"It was handled," he said, but Rosalind didn’t believe him. Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, she chose not to press further.

In some way, he was still holding himself back, and she wished he would open up more.

"Why aren’t you asleep yet?" he asked, trying to shift the attention away from himself.

Rosalind’s gaze drifted around the room, anywhere but him. She had been about to say she was waiting for him.

"Having trouble sleeping again?" he asked, and her lips parted slightly before she nodded.

"You should get some jasmine or lavender tea," he muttered, almost under his breath, knowing it would help calm her and make sleep easier.

Rosalind crossed her arms. "Or we can go somewhere else," she offered.

He looked down at her, and for a moment, she thought he would refuse and tell her to stay where she was safe, but instead he said, "Go grab your cloak."

Rosalind beamed, just as she hurried to retrieve it. She slipped it on quickly and returned to stand before him, giving a small nod. He reached out to adjust it properly, then gave a brief nod of his own before they slipped out of her room together.

Since the arrival of the Lord Regent, curfew had been moved earlier, forcing everyone into their quarters. His control was far stricter than the king’s had ever been, with guards stationed at almost every point, watching and reporting anything suspicious.

Rowan led Rosalind carefully, avoiding the guards with ease. She could see how smoothly he moved, how quickly he navigated the corridors, and her pulse quickened with both excitement and fear.

They turned into narrow passages before they eventually reached a spiral staircase and began to climb. The space was tight, and as they moved higher, Rosalind realized it led to the tower. There was no light, only the faint glow of the moon guiding their steps until they finally came to a stop.

Rosalind removed her cloak as she stepped forward, her breath catching at the sight before her. The sky stretched wide above, filled with thousands of stars, the moon shining bright. From this height, the palace looked entirely different, quieter, distant. It was a beautiful view, and more importantly, it was a place where security was scarce.

She turned to see him already seated on the open railing, and her eyes widened immediately. "Isn’t that dangerous?" she asked as he leaned back against the wall.

"Do you want to sit?" he asked.

She shook her head at once. It was far too high, and one wrong move would send her falling.

"I thought you were strong," Rowan teased.

Strong? Rosalind frowned slightly before remembering what she had said earlier at the tournament, and she let out a soft laugh, the sound light and melodic. "Not strong against something like this," she admitted.

She hadn’t even realized he had been paying attention, and for a moment, she wondered if she had looked foolish.

As she observed the side of his face, she noticed a fresh mark. Her expression shifted, and she stepped closer, her gaze fixed on it. "You said you didn’t get hurt," she murmured, running her finger across the line.

He turned his face slightly away. "Rosalind, I can man...," she cut him off as she leaned in and pressed her lips gently against the mark.

He stilled.

When Rosalind pulled away, brushing lightly against the stubble of his jaw, she looked up at him. "Does it still hurt?" she asked softly.

He shook his head, though she could tell he was still in pain.

"You liar," she said quietly.

His lips curled just slightly before returning to normal. Anyone would have thought he hadn’t just tried to smile. "I was humoring you," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn’t know you could joke," she replied, considering how serious and disciplined he always was.

"I didn’t know you could be so bold," he countered, and Rosalind smiled. It wasn’t that she was bold all the time. She could be shy too, especially now as she averted her gaze when he looked at her.

"I think I’ll just go take my seat," Rosalind said, wanting to escape the intensity of his gaze. Carefully, she moved to sit on the railing, facing him, pulling her legs close together. "If I fall, it’s all on you," she added.

"You won’t," he said immediately, because he was there and he wouldn’t let her fall.

"Well then," Rosalind said, tilting her head slightly. "What was your childhood like?" she suddenly asked, wanting to know if he had always been this closed off about his emotions.

"Normal," he answered, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. She had thought he must have gone through a lot. "It was better than most," he added.

"Oh," Rosalind thought. "Do you mind telling me what it was like?" she asked again, then quickly added, "You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m just curious."

"It’s alright," Rowan said, and then he began, "As an only child, I had very loving parents who always looked out for me. I didn’t have many friends, and I wasn’t allowed to go wherever I wanted. I used to sneak out most of the time and get into trouble. Though I always tried to hide it from them, they always found out"

"Then I was monitored, told to study and be responsible... that was my life until, some years later, my mother passed away."

"I’m so sorry," Rosalind said softly, not expecting it to take that turn.

He shook his head. "My life hasn’t been the same since then, but it only worsened when my father died. I guess that’s it."

"Oh..." Rosalind fell quiet. She hadn’t expected that either. He was alone now, and from what she could see, he missed them deeply. "I believe they’re together, happy, and watching over you," she said, hoping to comfort him in some way.

Rowan didn’t respond to that sentiment the way she expected. "Thanks," he said simply.

"Then how did you come to serve in the palace?" Rosalind asked, because from what he had said, he must have lived a noble life at the beginning before everything fell apart.

His jaw tightened slightly at the memory. "I was captured and forced to," he answered.

"I’m sorry," Rosalind said again.

"You shouldn’t be. It’s in the past now," he replied.

"What was your childhood like?" Rowan asked.

Rosalind swallowed before answering. "It’s pretty much almost the same... I’m an only child too and was always inside. I used to sneak around sometimes as well, and my father would always punish me for it."

She paused for a moment, her gaze lowering. "But he and my mother were loving towards me... until she became paralyzed and couldn’t walk again. Since then, my father hasn’t been the same. He started gambling, trying to find money to take care of her, but things only became worse."

Rowan didn’t interrupt but just listened to her. "He changed... especially towards me. He would blame me for everything that happened. He never really cared about me again."

She let out a quiet breath, her voice softer now. " I miss the times when our family was whole... when we were happy."

There was a brief silence before she continued. "Then he brought me to the palace, hoping I would be chosen by some nobleman..." Rosalind frowned. "They were all jerks... and unfortunately, I ended up in the hands of the biggest one."

"The king," Rowan said.

She nodded. "I wish to go home, but he wouldn’t welcome me. If anything, he would capture me and send me back here. And if I tried to live somewhere else, my family would suffer. I don’t want to bring any harm to my mother," she said quietly.

Rosalind knew she needed to find a way to save herself and her mother, and then they could leave the kingdom entirely. She no longer cared about Calder because he had already shown he didn’t care about her.

Rowan watched her in silence. Deep down, he knew there was more to her than she realized. She had a connection to Merovia, and if she truly wanted to leave, she could go there and be protected. But he couldn’t reveal any of that. It was something far more dangerous, and until the right moment came, he would keep it to himself and protect what needed to be protected.

They both lifted their gaze to the sky. "Do you think we should sneak out more often?" Rowan asked.

"Huh?" Rosalind blinked in surprise at his question, but then she agreed. "Yes, we should."

Rowan gave a slight nod. "There are other places around the palace you might want to see."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he said. "I’ll show you next time."