Rosalind’s POV
We entered the council meeting hall where I had once stood outside to eavesdrop on the conversation about the prospective brides.
They were in session and I saw Cillian and Killian seated before the guards tossed me to the ground and I landed on my hands and knees. Instinctively I knew I should not raise my head. I should not draw notice here. It could be the end of my life.
I heard the outraged cry of one of the council members, his name might have been Gaius from all my eavesdropping sessions.
“What is the meaning of this interruption?”
Adelyn was elegance incarnate as she simpered.
“I apologise dear esteemed council members. I have brought a case of theft for your judgement. Brought here as a part of the incoming brides, I was assured I would be treated like royalty.”
The room was silent and I wondered if just anyone could bring a case of theft to the Goddess damned council or if it was because she was Arthur’s daughter.
Her soothing voice continued to hammer nails into my coffin.
“Today, I ask for a royal judgement of the servant who dared to steal my family heirloom.”
“What are you saying, Adelyn?” It might have been me mishearing but Cillian sounded beyond shocked. “Rosalin would never steal from you.”
Adelyn’s voice was cloyingly sweet and dripping with respect and honorifics but the implicit meaning might have as well been a slap.
“With all due respect, my prince, you are too biased to give an opinion on this matter. Everyone knows of the affection you hold for the girl. Besides, we have evidence of her theft.”
I heard Cillian’s shocked intake of air. He had made that same sound when I ended things. I could single it out anywhere. Anytime.
I heard the thump of the bags of gold hitting the ground. I heard the gasps from the council members and I felt hot tears run down my cheeks.
She had warned me what would happen if I stood in her path and now I was seeing exactly what she meant.
“Adelyn.” This time there was no doubt that Cillian sounded betrayed and even if I was the one technically on trial, I ached to stand and comfort him.
Council member Arthur’s voice of reason took centre stage now trying to offset his daughter’s words.
“Prince Cillian, there is no need to bother yourself. This is a small matter for the council to see to.”
I felt his gaze on me as his tone turned scathing and became filled with disgust.
“These sorts of behaviours must be curtailed at once to ensure other servants don’t follow this path. In accordance with the laws of our land, I sentence her to death.”
There was a terrible band followed by a resounding crack and a wave of dominance that very nearly flattened me completely on the ground.
“Enough!” Killian growled.
What was his plan? I hoped he wouldn’t get into trouble for whatever it was. No, I prayed.
Adelyn sounded dumbfounded.”Prince Killian?”
Killian’s voice was cool like a balm across the wound in my heart.
“You can’t kill her because she didn’t steal it.”
Adelyn’s voice hardened.
“Prince Killian, the evidence”
“Is mine.”
My head shot up at his words.
**********
Killian’s POV
I saw Rosalind’s head come up for the first time since they had tossed her on the ground like she was trash.
My chest grew tight in anger as I considered how far Adelyn had gone.
I laid on my careless smirk that all but screamed that I didn’t give two fucks about Adelyn or anyone else.
“I gave her the gold to sponsor the treatment of her brother.”
I saw Rosalind’s jaw drop in shock as well as that of at least half of the council.
I knew what she had been planning all along. After bashing Cillian in and receiving a fair amount of bruises myself, I realized that Adelyn was the main culprit and she wouldn’t stop until she successfully married one of us.
So I sent my trusted aide to follow her around and listen in on her conversations in order to ascertain my doubts only to discover what exactly she had planned. Then I prepared for her precisely as she prepared to frame Rosalind.
“Prince Killian,” Adelyn sputtered. “Perhaps you are mistaken”
I lifted an eyebrow and I laughed, interrupting her.
“Are you saying I am lying or that I am daft?”
Adelyn shook her head quickly refuting her words. Good. She was stupid but not that stupid. “Of course not, Prince Killian.”
I knew her next step would be planting the heirloom itself in Rosalind’s room so I was prepared for that possibility as well.
I reached into my suit and procured the necklace with her family’s emblem that she had given her maidservant to hide.
I held it out for her to take and an angry red colour suffused her skin.
“Adelyn, here is your heirloom. I found it on the ground during one of my strolls. Perhaps you should have asked around before throwing around dangerous accusations.”
She looked at me and the hatred was clear as daylight in her eyes. Cillian really needed to learn how to pick his ladies.
“My apologies, Prince Killian.”
I waved off her apology knowing it would annoy her even more.
“You may all leave. We have important matters we are discussing.”
Rosalind stood up on shaky legs. She looked at me then at Cillian with an indescribable look in her eyes then she was out of the room.
Cillian shot me a grateful look that I promptly ignored. I hadn’t done it for him. Not completely.
Arthur’s neck was red and if I had to guess, Adelyn would receive a stern talking to or more today because of the stunt I had just pulled.
I smiled at the thought of her being humbled.
On the flip side, everyone in this room now knew that I cared for Rosalind. That she was my weak spot and nine of them would forget.
It was a good misdirection. I didn’t care about her like Cillian did. Did I want to fuck her? Definitely. I preferred my women with a side of fire. Did I want to keep her? No. Fuck no. No woman would hold power over me.
Arthur spoke. “Due to the interruptions in the proceedings, we will adjourn till afternoon to properly consider the proposal of the princes.”
A fucking adjournment. Of course. And with the entire scene that just played out, I couldn’t even dispute it. Adjournments were bad. Why? It gave those geezers a chance to sit with themselves and look for a way around our demands.
But there was nothing I could do as they filed out leaving Cillian and I still seated.
Cillian spoke up, surprising me. He acted like he was biting on nails every time we spoke since I told him I liked Rosalind.
“Thank you for earlier.”
I didn’t know what to do with that apology so I replied gruffly.
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do it for you.”
Cillian was quiet for a few seconds then he said something stupid. “You really like her.”
I growled standing up from the chair.
“Fuck off.”
I would have my own goddess-damned break in my room taking a really long hot shower or maybe I could go out and
I opened my room door only to see Rosalind sitting on my bed.
If only she knew how much she had featured in my fantasies on that bed, she wouldn’t be so relaxed on it.
Her voice was low and soft. “Hey.”
I stepped into the room.
“Hey.” Goddess what sort of weird conversation is this as though we had aged without even noticing it. “What are you doing here?”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and raised her head to look at me. Only her head lowered back down almost immediately, as though she couldn’t maintain eye contact with me anymore. “I wanted to thank you. For earlier. For comforting me. For that day, you killed those men for me.”
Flashing back to the times before this and I almost couldn’t imagine how much the relationship between us had evolved.
I coughed feeling weird about the strange feeling in my chest.”Anytime.”
Rosalind nodded and glanced around then at me then she bit her lips.
I crossed my hands.
“You have something to say. Spit it out.”
Rosalind still seemed hesitant but at least she began to speak.
“Prince Killian I…I know you had a fight with Cillian.”
Was that why she was so bothered? I thought it had been something else. Something serious.
“That has nothing to do with you.” Mostly.
Rosalind stared at me with wide eyes. Then her expression cleared out and her voice was cool and contemplative, almost curious.
“It didn’t? This thing between us, you feel it too, don’t you?”
That had been the last thing I expected her to say. Rosalind stood up and began to walk towards me, and I found myself getting hard as she settled in front of me looking at me so innocently.
“This spark when we touch, when we look at each other from across the room… we have off-the-charts chemistry.”
I couldn’t disagree about this thing between us but I wasn’t sure chemistry was enough to quantify this thing between us.
I reached out and touched the smooth skin of her cheek, tracing my fingertips along her skin. Rosalind shivered her eyes drifting shut before she suddenly stepped out and away from my touch and finally finished her speech.
“And that’s all it will ever be. I can’t let it be anything else.”