Damned by Him

Thank you so much, @Jennifer_Goliah for the Golden Ticket.

*******

Rosaline remained rooted to the spot as the world around her seemed to lose its sound.

The laughter echoing from distant corridors, the footsteps of servants passing somewhere behind her, even the breeze slipping through the open windows of the palace...

Everything faded into silence.

Only the sight before her remained painfully clear.

Xandros stood with his head lowered into another woman’s neck, his broad shoulders hiding most of his face from Rosaline’s view. The woman stood so close to him that there wasn’t the slightest distance separating them. Her slender arms rested naturally against him, as though they belonged there.

It was a picture so intimate...

So natural...

That Rosaline felt like an intruder merely looking at it.

Her feet unconsciously moved.

One step.

Then another.

She didn’t even realize she had started walking toward the doorway until she found herself only a few paces away from entering the room.

Her fingers slowly reached toward the door.

Just one more step...

Then— She froze.

Her hand stopped in midair.

"...No."

The whisper escaped her lips before she even realized she had spoken.

Her fingers slowly curled back into her palm.

What was she doing?

Why was she about to walk into that room?

What exactly was she hoping to accomplish?

Rosaline lowered her trembling hand, her breathing suddenly becoming uneven.

A bitter smile slowly found its way onto her lips.

"...Who am I?"

she asked herself quietly.

The question echoed painfully inside her heart.

She was his wife.

Yes.

But only in name.

The marriage had never been born from love.

It had been arranged.

A duty and nothing more.

She was the one who had entered his life unexpectedly.

If anything...

Wasn’t she the outsider?

Wasn’t she the one standing where another woman should have been?

Her chest tightened until even drawing another breath became difficult.

She slowly lowered her gaze to the polished marble beneath her feet.

"...You have no right to be jealous."

She whispered the words firmly, almost as though she were trying to convince herself.

"You barely know him."

"You’ve only been here for a few days."

"So why..."

Her voice cracked.

"...Why does it hurt so much?"

The question lingered unanswered.

Rosaline instinctively pressed a trembling hand against the center of her chest.

The pain wasn’t physical.

No wound had been inflicted upon her body.

Yet something deep inside her felt as though it had been split apart.

It hurt so much that she couldn’t understand it.

She had lived her entire life believing she understood loneliness.

She had accepted arranged marriages.

Accepted sacrifices.

Accepted disappointments.

But this...

This unfamiliar ache spreading through her heart...

She had never experienced anything like it before.

It frightened her.

A single tear escaped despite every effort she made to stop it.

It slid silently down her cheek before falling disappearing.

Rosaline hurriedly wiped it away.

"No..."

she whispered shakily.

"I shouldn’t cry."

Not over this.

Not over someone who had never promised to belong only to her.

Another tear followed.

Then another.

She quickly covered her mouth with both hands as though afraid someone might hear the quiet sob threatening to escape.... though no one should even see her.

"...How embarrassing."

She laughed softly.

The sound was hollow.

Almost broken.

"What am I crying for?"

"You’ve only just met him."

"You don’t even know whether he loves that woman..."

"So why are you acting like this?"

Every word she spoke to herself only made the ache inside her chest grow stronger.

She wanted to leave.

She wanted to run as far away from those doors as possible.

Yet her feet felt unbearably heavy.

It took everything she had just to force herself to take a single step backward.

Then another.

And another.

She never looked toward the room again.

She couldn’t.

If she did...

She feared she might truly lose control.

The palace corridors stretched endlessly before her.

Several times she turned the wrong corner.

Several times she found herself standing in unfamiliar hallways before quietly retracing her steps.

Normally she would have admired the paintings decorating the walls or the beautiful flowers arranged beneath the windows.

Today...

She saw none of them.

Her eyes had become clouded by tears she stubbornly refused to let fall.

She didn’t know how long she wandered before she finally recognized the sitting room where Seth had left her.

Pushing the door open, she immediately saw herself.

Her body remained seated gracefully upon the embroidered chair, looking exactly as though it had merely drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Rosaline stood staring at herself for several long moments.

"...I want to go home."

The words slipped from her lips so quietly that the empty room almost swallowed them.

She didn’t want to remain inside the palace another minute.

She didn’t want to see anyone.

Most of all...

She didn’t want to see Xandros.

Not while the image of another woman in his embrace remained so vividly burned into her mind.

Slowly, she stepped toward her sleeping body.

The familiar silver shimmer surrounded her once again.

The instant her fingers brushed against herself, a powerful force pulled her inward.

Her vision blurred violently.

For a brief second, everything dissolved into darkness.

Then—

She gasped sharply.

Air rushed back into her lungs as her eyes flew open.

She was sitting in the chair once more.

Rosaline remained completely still.

Her hands rested quietly upon her lap while she stared blankly at the floor.

After what felt like forever, she lifted one trembling hand and gently touched her cheek.

It was wet.

She hadn’t even realized she had continued crying after returning to her body.

A weak smile appeared upon her lips.

"...Pull yourself together."

She whispered softly.

"Don’t let anyone see you like this."

She took one deep breath.

Then another.

Each breath steadied her heartbeat little by little.

She removed her handkerchief and carefully wiped every trace of tears from her face before smoothing the wrinkles from her dress.

Then she pinched her cheeks lightly, hoping to restore some color to her pale complexion.

Finally...

She smiled.

The same gentle smile she always wore.

The same smile everyone expected from Rosaline.

Only this time...

It didn’t reach her eyes.

A knock sounded upon the door.

"Your Grace?"

Seth’s respectful voice came from outside.

"We’re ready to depart."

Rosaline closed her eyes for the briefest moment.

When she opened them again...

Nothing remained on her face except quiet composure.

"I’m coming."

she answered gently.

No one who looked at her now would ever imagine that only moments ago...

Her heart had quietly broken behind a pair of half-open palace doors.

Seth immediately noticed that something was different.

From the moment Rosaline stepped out of the room, she wore the same gentle smile as always, yet somehow it felt... empty.

It was there.

But it never quite reached her eyes.

He walked beside her through the long palace corridors, occasionally slowing his pace so she wouldn’t have to hurry. Hoping to ease the silence between them, he cleared his throat lightly before speaking.

"Did you enjoy looking around the Royal House, Your Grace?"

Rosaline turned to him and offered a polite smile.

"I did." ..... though she regretted it now.

Her reply was soft and short.

They said ignorance was bliss...now she understood it.

It would be better if she didn’t see it at all.

Seth waited for her to continue.

Normally she would have excitedly asked questions about the palace, the paintings, or even the flowers decorating the corridors.

Today...

Nothing followed.

The silence returned once more.

Seth rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before trying again.

"The western garden is especially beautiful during spring. His Grace once—"

"It must be."

Rosaline interrupted gently, still smiling.

"I’m sure it’s beautiful."

Her voice wasn’t rude.

If anything...

It was too polite.

Seth frowned almost imperceptibly.

Something had clearly happened while she was waiting alone.

He simply couldn’t figure out what.

The remainder of the walk passed in silence until they finally stepped outside the palace.

The afternoon sun had begun its slow descent, painting the sky with streaks of gold and amber. Palace guards stood at attention on either side of the stone pathway, while servants hurried quietly about their duties.

Waiting beside the black carriage...

Was Xandros.

He stood exactly where they had departed earlier, one hand resting casually against the carriage door as though he had only just arrived. His neatly tied hair swayed gently beneath the evening breeze, and his grey eyes instinctively searched for only one person.

They landed on Rosaline.

"There you are."

His voice remained as calm as ever.

"Were you waiting long?"

Rosaline shook her head.

"No."

Her answer was brief.

Almost distant.

Xandros’ brows drew together for only the briefest moment.

He had expected her to tell him about the palace.

To excitedly recount everything she had seen.

Instead...

She simply stood there with her hands folded neatly before her.

Quiet.

Without another word, Xandros extended his hand toward her.

"Come."

Rosaline stared at his outstretched hand for a heartbeat.

A memory flashed across her mind.

Another woman’s arms around him.

His face buried against her neck.

The image struck her heart once again.

She swallowed quietly before placing her hand into his.

The instant his fingers closed around hers...

Her entire body stiffened.

It was only for a second.

A single heartbeat.

Yet Xandros felt it.

His grey eyes shifted toward her.

"...Rosaline?"

She quickly relaxed her shoulders and forced another smile onto her lips.

"I’m sorry."

"I was just distracted."

Before he could question her further, she gently withdrew her hand after stepping into the carriage.

Xandros followed soon after.

The carriage began its journey back toward the mountains.

Inside...

Silence settled between them.

Rosaline chose the seat beside the window.

She rested her cheek lightly against the carriage wall as endless forests rolled past outside.

Normally...

She would have pointed excitedly at every village they passed.

She would have asked Xandros about the people living there or wondered aloud what lay beyond the distant mountains.

Today...

She didn’t utter a single word.

The rhythmic sound of the carriage wheels echoed softly through the enclosed space.

Xandros watched her from across the carriage.

His instincts told him something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Yet every time he looked at her, she continued staring outside as though completely captivated by the scenery.

After several minutes, he finally spoke.

"Did something happen while I was away?"

Rosaline’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around the edge of her shawl.

"...No."

"Nothing happened."

"You seem quieter than usual."

"I’m only tired."

Her answer came so naturally that anyone else would have believed her.

But Xandros didn’t.

He knew enough about Rosaline to recognize when she was hiding something.

Still...

She clearly had no intention of speaking.

The rest of the journey continued beneath a heavy silence.

Even Seth, seated opposite the coachman outside, found himself glancing back toward the carriage more than once, sensing the strange atmosphere within.

By the time the towering mountains surrounding the mansion came into view, the evening sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon.

Golden light stretched across the valleys, bathing the entire estate in a warm glow.

The carriage finally rolled to a stop before the grand staircase.

A servant hurried forward and opened the door.

Xandros stepped down first before turning toward Rosaline.

This time...

She accepted his hand without hesitation.

But she never once looked into his eyes.

The distance between them felt strangely larger than it had that morning.

Rosaline stepped onto the stone courtyard and released his hand almost immediately.

She covered her mouth as a small yawn escaped her lips.

"I’m feeling a little tired."

She smiled faintly.

"I think..."

"I’ll go and check on Lily first."

Without waiting for a reply, she gathered the skirts of her dress and quietly walked toward the entrance of the mansion.

Xandros remained standing where he was.

His eyes followed her retreating figure until she disappeared beyond the large wooden doors.

Only then did he slowly narrow his gaze.

Something had happened inside the palace.

He was certain of it.

He then called Seth.