Chapter 25: It Hurts
Rose was getting down from the horse when the doors opened. Suddenly, a hand yanked her by the wrist and pulled her forward. It was one of the knights that had rode with her. He pulled her unnecessarily hard even though she wasn’t resisting. He let go, and she fell to the floor, hitting her elbow on the hard ground.
A cry of pain escaped her lips. It was the elbow of the shoulder that hurt. She lifted her arm and was about to inspect it when she felt pain in her scalp as someone pulled her hair upwards, lifting her off the ground. Rose grabbed her hair immediately, tears pooling in her eyes as she fought the urge not to scream right in the crown prince’s face.
His gaze was dark as he locked eyes with her. The scar on the side of his chin gave him an ominous look in the dark. Rose felt chills all the way to her toes. The tears that had been hanging on her lashes fell down her face.
Caius smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and his smile was even scarier. Rose opened her mouth, but she found that she couldn’t speak. It didn’t help that his grip around her hair tightened. Unable to contain the pain anymore, Rose tried to free herself from his grasp, but his grip only tightened.
"I told you the next time you’d pull such a stunt, you should be ready for the consequences," Caius said and tossed her onto the ground.
Rose landed on the side of her face. She couldn’t move her hand in time to protect herself. Her head bounced as it hit the floor, and she tasted blood. She had cut herself.
"Whip her in the courtyard. I’ll say when to stop."
Rose’s eyes widened, and she turned around to look at him, but she didn’t get any words out before she was dragged into the castle. Rose kicked and tried to pull out of the guard’s grip, but she failed. Her robe had come undone at this point, but she couldn’t even retie it as she struggled.
"Yer Highness," she cried, but she could tell it was futile. She whimpered all the way.
She was placed on a table, bound hands and feet. Her legs were tied to the table legs while her torso lay across, and her hands were tied to the front. Rose had fought so hard it had taken four men to tie her up.