Rosalind’s POV.
I left the infirmary shortly after a shell-shocked Adelyn left. I didn’t feel safe sleeping when Adelyn, who had tried to kill me how many times in front of everyone, could be allowed to hover by my bedside like some evil spirit of death.
The doctors had protested but in truth, they were glad to see me go. They didn’t know how to address me. I might have become a crown princess but I was also an omega so I had no idea if they would actually accept me as a crown princess because I had never seen something like this done before.
There was a knock on my door and I froze wrapping my robe around me. I had been in the bath for hours and no matter how long I washed I didn’t think I would be able to remove some things.
I opened the door only to see Cillian.
The world stopped and I found tears running down my cheeks. He was alive. Of course, he was alive and he would remain so for a very long time. That mirror had wanted to break me and it nearly had.
“Cillian!”
He wrapped me up in his arms, his arms tight around me. “Rosalind. My Rosalind.”
I buried my face in his chest and I found myself crying. I was so happy that I got another chance at this. At him. I wouldn’t waste this opportunity.
Cillian pulled away from me to place a kiss on my forehead. “I missed you, Rosalind.” He whispered hotly against my skin.
“Me too.” I could barely see him properly for the amount of tears that escaped me and I felt him wipe them again.
Then Cillian kissed me. At first, it was a gentle union after a long time without each other. An extremely long time without each other.
Then it turned hungry as his lips devoured me so much that I lost all sense of myself. I lost myself in the slide of his tongue against mine. In the tightening of his hands by my side but not so tight that he hurt me.
I moaned into the kiss, my fingers sliding up into his hair pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. I could kiss him forever. I wanted to kiss him forever.
He pulled away, his eyes completely dark but for a bit of hazel.
“You are injured. Besides we shouldn’t not any”
I kissed him before he could finish his sentence. I wanted to hide forever in this kiss, I didn’t want to know what was going on. Not yet. I didn’t want to know if I would become his crown princess or Killian’s because either option would break my heart.
He was still at first then responded with an intensity that made me moan against his lips. I wanted more. Needed more.
It seemed like his desires mirrored mine because he tugged at the ties of my robe as I tore off the jacket he was wearing, our lips never leaving each other. The tie of my bathrobe came loose and his hands found their way up my body capturing my breasts.
His hands moved between my legs as his lips explored my nape. My hips moved in time with his touch without my permission wanting and needing more.
The door slammed open, jolting us out of our make-out frenzy.
Killian entered the room, a tight smile on his face.
“How is my darling fiancee doing today?”
My eyes widened.
“Fiancee?”
“Oh, my brother didn’t tell you before you started eating each other’s faces off?” Killian smirked arrogantly and I flipped him the bird.
Was it truly Killian? Truly? It was one thing to know it would be between both of them. It was another thing to realize that if that crazy bitch hadn’t tried to kill me and we hadn’t swapped flags, I would be with Cillian.
I would be his crown princess. What sort of fate was this?
I retired my bathing robe and turned to Cillian, understanding why he had tried to stop our kiss earlier even if he had been the one to initiate it.
“You have a fiancee now. And it’s not me.”
It felt wrong. It wasn’t fair. After everything was this how Cillian and I ended?
“I’m sorry.” He wiped the tear on my cheek. I was a fountain of tears today it would seem.
I could feel the burn of Killian’s gaze on us. He was silent giving us privacy but not privacy. Perhaps he worried we would jump each other again the moment the door was closed.
It was a valid worry.
“Don’t be. There is nothing you could have done.” If I had been stronger this wouldn’t have happened…at least not with Cillian. I would have been feeling like this for Killian. There was no good conclusion to our story, was there?
“I love you, Rosalind. Now and always.” He hugged me and kissed the side of my head.
I felt my heart breaking all over again.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, please stop.” But I refused to break apart the hug as my shoulders shook with silent sobs.
“It matters to me.”
**********
Turns out the reason Killian had even bothered coming at all was the fact that our engagement ceremony was slated to be held today immediately after the trials.
Crazy shit. But it explained why Cillian had been desperate to see me one last time before we bound ourselves up.
Killian dropped the dress on my bed the moment Cillian left the room then he followed his brother out.
The fact that Cillian being the good person that he was would be saddled with someone as crazy as Adelyn as his life-long mate was just gross injustice. Now I understood why the Princess’ trials had been cancelled because even though they were gruelling it didn’t guarantee that it would be a good person that passed them…
I wondered how long it had taken them to make it on such short deadlines since no one had expected me to win. Not like Adelyn who I was extremely sure had at least a dozen changes of outfits for today.
My dress was nice for something taken in at the last minute for me.
“You look stunning.”
I turned to see Killian. He had changed as well into a more official outfit still in his colours of black and gold but his jacket had more gold embellishments than usual. He took my breath away so easily. I was also in black and gold.
We matched. And as Killian stepped closer and I could see us through the mirror, we made an extremely cute couple. I felt like I was betraying Cillian by just thinking about both of us looking like a couple even if that was what we would be by the end of today.
It was unreal.
But while we would become a couple, we also wouldn’t because that was the last thing we were. I would bet my whole life insurance that Killian would prefer being win over by a car to mating with me.
I found my voice.
“This is wrong, you don’t even like me. We don’t like each other.”
Killian raised an immaculate brow. How could he be so hot even now that I was pining after Cillian?
“We are literally getting engaged today. What do you think you can do?”
I folded my arms to show how serious I was to take this thing. Yes, I had won the trial but in the end, I deserved to be happy ever after that happened.
“I’m going to say no. Getting engaged to each other would be the worst mistake either of us would ever make.”
Killian’s face became closed off and I wondered if I had annoyed him or done something he doesn’t like. His voice was soft as he asked. “Is that how repulsive you find being mated to me?”
Oh, Goddess. He misunderstood me. I didn’t want him to stay in a relationship where he didn’t even like his mate. I tried to explain.
“Killian”
Killian cut me off before I could finish what I had to say. “You love Cillian blah blah. But you also want me. Fine. You can deny your feelings all you want but this engagement is going through.”
The air of finality with which he spoke for some reason sent chills up my spine.
“Killian. You can’t force me to be engaged to you.”
Killian faced me fully and gripped my forearm.
“Force?” His hazel eyes were on fire. “I am trying to save your life, you idiot. Do you think the council will let an omega that single handedly won the Princess trials live-we all know that Adelyn doesn’t count?”
Killian wasn’t right. He couldn’t be but it made so much sense. The nobles never liked it when they were outsmarted or proven they weren’t as good as you remember it. But at the same time would they go as far as trying to kill a nobody like me?
“No. That is impossible. They wouldn’t”
“They would,” Killian said. “Before you were even up, we were already debating your death.”
I was shaken but maybe I shouldn’t have been. These were people who had more in common with Adelyn than anyone would care to admit and they were the ones running this world.
Killian erased the space between us, our bodies inches from touching and looked straight into my eyes as he spoke.
“So either accept this engagement as it is and let my influence protect you or die and leave your brother an orphan. Take a pick. I really don’t care.”