Chapter 10
Roland stood at the gates of Rosewing Court, a warin parcel of candied almonds in hand. The
parchment bag was damp with steam, the sweet scent clinging to the au like a promise
He pressed a palm to his chest, where her name was still etched Cecily, carved in pain. The
wounds had not yet healed, they throbbed with every breath
But it wasn’t the pain that disturbed him it was the thrum beneath it, the wild rhythm of his heart
as if something inside him were unraveling.
He furrowed his brows, brushing the unease aside. It must be excitement, he told himself. After all,
he was about to see her
He stopped through the courtyard gate just as Lord Baldwin Viremont was speaking in low, urgent
tones Cecily stood with her back to Roland, her shoulders trembling with fury
“One million gold crowns? Father, have you lost your mind?!”
Baldwin’s voice dropped further “We must live to fight another day, sweet girl I had no choice. The
Wolvestons demand a bride. I couldn’t send you this was the only way. Eleanor agreed but her price was steep Think carefully, would you rather be sent to a sickbed or accept this sum?”
Cecily bit her lip hard, her voice sour with resentment. “Of course I won’t marry him! That heir’s
half-dead already what would that make me, a living widow? Besides, the prince has his eyes on
ine now
She turned mid-sentence, catching sight of Roland
In a flash, her angel melted into a sugary smile: “Roland, you’re here!”
He hadn’t heard what was said before. Only her voice now, warm and bright
“Here” He offered a soft hum and held out the warm parcel “They’re best hot
Cecily took it, her fingers brushing his palm, eyes twinkling. “Still warm Just how thike t
He smiled faintly “As long as it pleases you, my lady.
He should’ve been glad
But the strange gnawng sensation in his chest only worsened I felt like something inside hin was shipping beyond his grasp
totteredt she wifi. Pil take my leave now
She caught his sleeve: “No need to go
Roland paused. “What do you mean?”
Cecily blinked innocently. “Didn’t Eleanor tell you? She’s assigned you to my service
His inind went blank
Cecily’s service?
She leaned in conspiratorially: “She traded you, Roland Took the Wolvestons’ offer She’s gone
west to Westmarch Married Lord Edmund for that one million”
The breath caught in his lungs
Married?
To Lord Edmund Wolveston?
That crippled her who once outshone all in Crownspire, now a dying shadow?
Suddenly, the words Eleanor had spoken that morning moving house-took on their true weight
Not a change of residence. A farewell
His mind reeled Unbidden, it conjured the memory of the first time he saw her when the Viremonts were selecting personal guards.
He’d come for Cerily
But the one who did the choosing was Eleanor
three years ago,
He had planned to leave But then, she looked at him-poised, radiant in her Gold-Threaded Peony Gow, with the sun lighting her like fire and said. “That one,” she pointed at him with a sly smile “He’s pretty enough.
He stayed Told himself he could still be near Cecily this way
And yet, it was Eleanor who toyed with him in her brash, awkward ways
She ofike a twisted ankle to fall into his arms, only to sneeze violently from her overdone perfunte
She’d insek on his door in the dead of night in nothing but sheer linen, stammering. “Would you
like to come do do
She our even pretended to drown, and when he jumped into the lake to save her, he nearly drowned himmett she couldn’t swin at alt
Roland swallowed hard
A woman like her proud, untamed and she had sold herself for gold?
His chest clenched, sharp and sudden, like steel slicing through flesh
Cecily tugged his sleeve again. “Don’t you want to stay with me, Roland?”
He blinked, forced himself to breathe
#No.
he said quietly Then, louder, “It would be an honor to protect you, my lady.
But even as the words left his lips, all he could see was Eleanor’s final gaze. Calm Detached As it
she no longer recognized him
“Wonderful!” Cecily beamed, clutching his arm. “Let’s go shopping-I saw the most darling rose-hued gown at Jewel Hall!”
Roland followed numbly.
This was what he’d always wanted: to walk beside Cecily in the open, no longer hiding behind his
role as Eleanor’s guard.
And Eleanor?
She had always been cruel to Cecily.
Now she was gone.
Maybe it was for the best
