"No," Rosalind shook her head at once.
He was lying to her.
He had to be lying!
Her father could not be that heartless.
"Yes," Alaric replied calmly, "which means he will not come for you, and you have nowhere else to go. You will remain here… where you belong. With me."
"You are lying," Rosalind said with a voice of uncertainty.
His lips curved into a smirk as he crouched down to her level, something he never did for anyone before.
Sabine's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight, confusion flickering across her face. She had expected Alaric to do something harsh towards Rosalind and not... Whatever this is. She was getting furious and jealous.
"By all means, Rosalind," Alaric said softly, holding up the letter, "I will send this to him, and if he returns asking for you, I will let you go. But if he does not…" his smirk deepened, "…then you will accept that you are staying here permanently."
She could not even imagine remaining here for another day.
Alaric reached out once again, his hand coming up to cup her face, and even though Rosalind tried to pull away, he did not allow it. "I do admire your spirit, Rosalind… and I will enjoy teaching it some manners," he said, and she shook her head as a single tear slipped free before she could stop it.
She hadn't wanted to cry but the weight of the betrayal, the shattered hope that her father would come forced it out of her.
Oh, She hated this. This was not how she had imagined any of this ending.
"Shh… do not cry, my sweet rose, I hate it when you cry," he murmured, wiping the tear away as his hands lingered on her cheeks, his smile was soft in a way that only made her more uneasy, because she could not tell if there was any sincerity in it at all.
Alaric held her gaze while forcing her to look at him. And for the briefest second, Rosalind failed to see his eyes shifting to her lips.
Before she could react, he leaned in.
Her eyes widened the moment his lips touched hers.
The contact startled her as she froze for a second before instinct took over, she jerked back from him and without thinking, her hand came up and struck his face.
A loud gasp echoed through the hall, even Rosalind herself was shocked by what she had done. She hadn't planned it, it had just happened.
There was a heavy silence in the hall.
Time seemed to slow as Alaric's head remained turned from the impact and the mark of her fingers were visible against his cheek.
He said nothing, instead his tongue pressed lightly against the inside of his cheek as if he was testing the sting, and then a low chuckle slipped past his lips.
[Now she was dead]
Alaric turned his gaze back to her, and to her shock, his smirk only widened. He seemed rather pleased. "So this is how you respond…" he murmured in a low and thoughtful voice as though he had just discovered something interesting about her.
Her expression shifted into confusion, because this was not the reaction she had expected.
"I did not know my sweet rose preferred it rough," he added, and before she could react, he pulled her forward by the arm without giving her even a second to recover from what she had done, making her stumble into him as he claimed her lips again.
Alaric claimed her lips like he was trying to assert all of his dominance in her, leaving no room for her to pull away easily as he held her in place. Rosalind struggled against him, her hands pushing at him, but he did not let go. He simply held her there as if he had all the time in the world.
Across the hall, Sabine's eyes widened as her hands clenched at her sides. This was not what she expected. She had wanted him to punish her... but this? This only confirmed what she had begun to fear. He was far too interested in Rosalind.
When Alaric finally pulled away, Rosalind gasped for air, her lips trembling slightly as it tingled with pain, while his own lips curved into a satisfied smile.
He grabbed her hair and pulled her close to make her wince. "Since you like to run," he said, his voice lowering, "you will no longer move freely within my palace. I am not foolish enough to leave you unattended when you are clearly eager to escape."
The thought of being trapped here broke through whatever strength she had been holding onto. Was there no chance of escaping at all?
"I will give you everything," he continued, his gaze fixed on her face, "all you have to do is stay."
"I do not want to," Rosalind protested in a strained voice, her eyes watered as she looked at him pleadingly.
Alaric pulled her into a firm embrace and ran his fingers through her hair "You will learn to stay," he said quietly.