Chapter 102: Explanation.
The words lingered in the cool evening air.
"...Why didn’t you at least let her heart be broken for something that truly mattered?" She continued her questioning to Xandros.
Xandros’ brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
He slowly turned to face Christophine, his grey eyes narrowing as they settled upon her.
"...Breaking whose heart?" He asked, his voice remaining very calm.
Too calm.
It was the sort of calm that usually came just before he began pulling answers out of people whether they wished to give them or not.
Christophine merely looked at him.
For a brief moment, something flickered across her golden eyes and then it vanished as it came.
She shrugged one shoulder with practiced indifference.
"...Figure it out." She told in sharply and without offering another explanation, she turned on her heel and began walking away as though the conversation had never happened.
"Christophine."
Xandros called after her.
She didn’t stop... Nor did she acknowledge that he had spoken.
She wasn’t going to be the one to tell his cheating self what was going on and more to her pleasure, she was enjoying the misery that he was about to face because she knows what had happened in the room that Rosaline saw and she was very sure that it wasn’t cheating.
But then who was she to help that narcissist.
With a slight chuckle, Christophine promised herself to enjoy every bit of what was about to go down just as he had blocked her abilities.
The steady rhythm of her footsteps echoed across the stone terrace until she disappeared into the corridor beyond.
Silence settled over the balcony once more.
Xandros remained where he stood, his gaze lingering on the empty corridor through which she had vanished.
Only then did he turn toward Kiel.
The latter met his gaze with the same composed expression he always wore.
"...Do you know what she’s talking about?"
Kiel frowned ever so slightly.
"No."
His answer came without hesitation.
"I followed her because I was trying to stop her from causing trouble." He said folding his arms across his chest.
"Whatever happened before that..."
"I wasn’t there."
Xandros studied him for another moment and came to the conclusion that he truly didn’t know.
A faint crease appeared between Xandros’ brows.
Something had happened.
Something involving Rosaline.
And whatever it was...
Christophine clearly knew more than she was willing to say... She was a thorn.
Without another word, Xandros turned away from the balcony.
"I’ll find out myself."
Kiel watched him leave before releasing a quiet sigh.
"...This is going to become troublesome."
The evening breeze carried his words away as the terrace gradually fell silent once again.
Meanwhile...
Christophine walked through the quiet corridors of the mansion with considerably less enthusiasm than before.
The dramatic energy that had accompanied her earlier confrontation with the butler had all but disappeared.
Instead, she found herself replaying Rosaline’s tearful smile over and over again.
"...Hopeless woman."
She muttered beneath her breath.
She had met queens who would burn kingdoms for less.
Vampires who had slaughtered entire bloodlines over betrayal.
Yet Rosaline...
Rosaline had been making excuses for the very man she believed had broken her heart.
Christophine clicked her tongue irritably.
"...Pathetic."
She wasn’t entirely sure whether she was referring to Rosaline... Or herself for allowing the matter to bother her this much.
Eventually, she reached the room.
Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was quiet.
The fire burned low within the hearth, filling the chamber with a gentle warmth.
The drink she had intended to bring back herself had somehow already been delivered by one of the servants and rested untouched upon the small table beside the couch.
Christophine’s gaze slowly moved across the room before finally settling upon the bed.
Rosaline was asleep.
Curled gently beneath the blanket, one hand rested beneath her cheek while the other lay loosely upon the covers.
The tear tracks that had earlier stained her face had already dried.
Her breathing was slow.
Peaceful.
As though exhaustion had finally claimed her.
Christophine remained standing near the doorway.
For several long moments... She simply looked at her.
"...You really cried yourself to sleep."
The usual sarcasm in her voice was strangely absent.
She walked quietly toward the bed, careful not to make enough noise to wake the sleeping woman.
Standing beside her, she studied Rosaline’s face in silence.
"...You’re far too soft."
She murmured.
"...People like you don’t survive very long."
Yet...
Instead of turning away immediately...
Christophine reached out almost absentmindedly and gently brushed a loose strand of silver-white hair away from Rosaline’s face.
The movement was so natural that even she paused afterwards, staring at her own hand as though wondering why she had done it.
A faint scowl crossed her features.
"...What a troublesome woman."
She muttered before dropping her hand and stepping back.
For reasons she couldn’t quite understand...
She suddenly felt an unfamiliar urge.
To make sure...
No one ever made Rosaline cry like this again.
The night had long since swallowed the mountains.
Beyond the towering windows, darkness stretched endlessly across the forest, broken only by the pale glow of the moon peeking through drifting clouds. The mansion, so lively during the day, had fallen into a peaceful silence. The servants had long since retired to their quarters, and only the occasional crackle of the fireplaces and the distant chirping of crickets disturbed the stillness of the night.
Rosaline stirred uneasily.
A thin sheen of perspiration clung to her forehead, and her breathing came slightly faster than usual as she slowly opened her eyes.
The room was dark.
Only a handful of candles burned quietly upon the bedside table, their golden flames dancing gently whenever the night breeze slipped through the half-open window.
"...Hot."
She murmured softly.
The blanket suddenly felt unbearably heavy.
With a small frown, she pushed it away from her body and sat upright, lifting a hand to brush the damp strands of silver-white hair away from her neck.
Her heart still beat a little too quickly.
She wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps it had been another dream.
Or perhaps...
Her thoughts from earlier simply refused to leave her alone.
Rosaline lowered her gaze and quietly exhaled.
"...I need some air."
Carefully, she slipped her feet onto the floor.
The polished wood felt pleasantly cool beneath her bare feet, sending a welcome chill through her overheated body.
She adjusted the folds of her nightdress before making her way toward the chamber door, intending to step outside for a few moments.
Just as her fingers reached the handle... The door opened from the other side.
Rosaline instinctively stepped backward.
Xandros entered the room.
The candlelight caught the sharp lines of his face as he quietly closed the door behind him. His long black coat had already been removed, leaving him dressed in a simple dark shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms. A faint scent of the cool night air still lingered around him, as though he had only just returned from outside.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment... Neither of them spoke.
Rosaline was the first to break the silence.
"...Were you the one who brought me back?"
Her voice was calm.
Soft.
Xandros gave a small nod.
"You fell asleep."
"I didn’t think it would be comfortable leaving you there."
Rosaline lowered her eyes.
"...Thank you."
The gratitude was sincere. Yet it ended there.
Without waiting for another reply, she quietly turned away from him and walked back toward the bed.
"I think..." She spoke while pulling the blanket over herself once more. "...I’ll go back to sleep."
She settled against the pillow, turning slightly onto her side with her back facing him.
Her eyes remained open.
She had no intention of sleeping. Not while he was in the room.
Not after everything she believed she had seen that afternoon.
If she stayed quiet... Perhaps he would simply leave.
Behind her, Xandros remained standing where he was.
His grey eyes rested silently upon her unmoving figure.
Something... Was really wrong.
Ever since they had left the Royal House, Rosaline had been unusually quiet.
She had smiled when necessary, answered when spoken to, Yet there had been a distance between them that hadn’t existed before.
He had noticed it.
He simply hadn’t known the cause.
Until now.
"...Rosaline."
His low voice broke the silence.
She stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"...Did something happen?"
Rosaline’s fingers tightened faintly around the edge of the blanket.
For a heartbeat, she considered telling him.
Asking him.
Demanding an explanation.
Instead...
She slowly shook her head.
"...No."
A quiet silence followed before she turned her face slightly, just enough to look at him over her shoulder.
Her expression remained composed.
Almost too composed.
"...Did something happen?"
she asked in return.
Her voice was gentle.
Natural...As though she were merely making conversation, yet behind those calm green eyes...
She waited.
Not for his answer alone, but for the truth she feared she might never hear.