Damned by Him

Darian’s grin lingered as he leaned back in his chair, studying Xandros with the satisfaction of a man who had finally discovered the answer to a question nobody had asked him to solve.

"So..." he began, tapping one finger against the polished surface of the desk, "what exactly did you do to her?"

Xandros lifted a brow.

"Nothing."

Darian’s smile faltered.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Xandros picked up the parchment again, though his attention had not yet returned to it.

"She simply became angry with me after we returned from the Royal House."

His grey eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the previous evening.

"She barely spoke to me. When I asked what was wrong, she insisted that nothing had happened. Then she walked out of the room and slammed the door."

He paused.

"That was all."

Darian studied him thoughtfully.

For once, the Emperor did not immediately make a remark.

Instead, he leaned back and folded his arms, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling as he considered the matter.

"So..."

His eyes returned to Xandros.

"Let me understand this properly."

Xandros gave him an impatient look.

"What?"

"Tell me everything you did that day."

Xandros’ expression tightened.

"I went to the Royal House."

"I know that."

"I attended the meeting."

Darian nodded.

"And?"

Xandros sighed quietly.

"Afterward, I went for a drink."

Darian’s eyes immediately sharpened.

"What kind of drink?"

Xandros answered without thinking.

"Our drink."

The silence that followed was almost comical.

Darian slowly stared at him.

Xandros stared back.

The Emperor’s expression said everything before his mouth did.

"...That."

Xandros frowned.

"What about it?"

Darian pointed at him.

"That is the problem."

Xandros’ brow furrowed.

"It cannot be."

"Why not?"

"Because Rosaline never left the place where she was waiting."

Darian’s finger lowered.

Xandros continued, his voice calm and certain.

"She remained in the guest room. If she had left, I would have known."

"How?"

"I would have heard her footsteps."

Darian stared at him.

"You’re certain?"

"Completely."

Darian’s expression became thoughtful once again.

He drummed his fingers against the table.

"Then that can only be the issue."

Xandros looked at him skeptically.

"You think she somehow knows?"

"I think your wife saw something."

Xandros said nothing.

Darian leaned forward.

"Tell me something else."

"What?" Xandros asked puzzled.

"Has she been avoiding you?"

A faint crease appeared between Xandros’ brows.

"...Yes."

"Has she stopped giving you the same attention she used to?"

Xandros remained silent for a moment before giving a reluctant nod.

"Yes."

Darian leaned back with an expression of absolute triumph.

"There."

Xandros stared at him.

"There what?"

"She’s jealous."

The words hung between them.

Xandros’ expression became unreadable.

Darian smiled.

"That’s why she’s angry."

Xandros looked down at the parchment before him, but for once, he wasn’t reading it.

Jealous.

The thought settled somewhere in his mind, and despite himself, something strangely pleasant stirred within his chest.

Rosaline was jealous.

Because of him.

The realization should not have pleased him as much as it did.

Yet...

It did.

Very much.

Darian watched the subtle change in his expression and immediately recognized it.

"Oh."

His grin returned.

"You like that."

Xandros slowly raised his eyes.

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to."

"I don’t."

Darian laughed.

"You’re terrible at lying."

Xandros gave him a cold look.

Darian raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine. Fine."

He leaned back.

"Regardless, you should go home and apologize."

Xandros’ eyes narrowed.

"Apologize?"

"Yes."

"To her?"

"Obviously."

"For something I didn’t do?"

Darian shrugged.

"You don’t have to confess to anything."

"Just apologize for making her upset."

Xandros stared at him as though the Emperor had suddenly lost his mind.

Darian continued, entirely serious now.

"Go home."

"Find your wife."

"Tell her you’re sorry."

"Perhaps hold her hand."

Xandros’ expression darkened.

"And then?"

Darian smiled innocently.

"Beg."

The look Xandros gave him could have frozen water.

Darian immediately laughed.

"That face!"

Xandros ignored him.

He picked up the parchment again and returned his attention to the document.

"I have no intention of begging."

"Of course."

Darian smiled.

"You’d rather fight an entire army."

Xandros turned a page.

"At least an army can be reasoned with."

Darian snorted.

"Your wife can probably hear you."

Xandros’ fingers paused.

Only for the briefest moment.

Then he continued reading.

This time, however, he actually read the words.

The numbers.

The reports.

The financial records.

Everything that had escaped his attention earlier suddenly became clear.

He wanted to finish quickly.

He wanted to return home.

Not because Darian had ordered him to apologize.

Not because he feared Rosaline’s anger.

Certainly not because he believed himself guilty.

He simply wanted to see her.

And perhaps...

He wanted to see that look in her eyes again.

That wounded, jealous expression she had tried so desperately to hide.

A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched the corner of his mouth.

Darian noticed.

His eyes widened.

He really is enjoying this.

The Emperor shook his head inwardly.

He had never thought Xandros capable of being pleased by something as simple as jealousy.

Yet there he was, pretending to concentrate while looking suspiciously satisfied.

Darian leaned back in his chair.

Perhaps telling him to apologize had been a mistake.

No.

It had definitely been a mistake.

Because knowing Xandros...

The man would probably walk into his wife’s room, stare at her with that emotionless face of his, say three words, and somehow believe he had done enough.

Darian sighed.

Perhaps I should have told him to grovel.

Across the desk, Xandros turned another page.

His expression remained cold and composed.

Inside, however, his thoughts were entirely different.

She was jealous.

And for reasons he refused to examine too closely...

He liked it.

Very much.

*************

The afternoon had already begun to wane by the time Rosaline awoke.

For several moments, she remained perfectly still beneath the covers, staring blankly at the canopy above her. The room was warm, almost oppressively so, and a thin layer of sweat clung to her skin, making the dress beneath the blanket feel damp and uncomfortable.

She frowned and slowly pushed herself upright.

The simple movement left her strangely breathless.

"...Why do I feel so weak?"

Her voice came out hoarse.

She lifted a hand to her forehead and found it unnaturally warm. Perhaps she had slept too long. She could barely remember falling asleep after returning from breakfast, only that she had wanted to rest for a little while.

A little while had apparently become several hours.

Rosaline swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but the moment her bare feet touched the floor, dizziness washed over her.

She gripped the mattress.

"Ah..."

She waited until the room stopped spinning before forcing herself upright.

She needed a bath.

She felt sticky from the sweat that coated her skin, and the unpleasant heaviness in her body made her desperate for the coolness of water.

Moving slowly, she crossed the chamber and entered the bathing room.

The large marble bath had already been filled with water by the servants, steam rising faintly from its surface. Rosaline approached it and dipped her fingers into the water.

It was warm.

She sighed softly.

"That should help."

She leaned over the basin first, scooped some water into her palms, and splashed it against her face.

The cool sensation brought momentary relief.

She closed her eyes.

For the first time since waking, she felt as though she could breathe properly.

Then—

Her stomach twisted violently.

Rosaline’s eyes flew open.

She covered her mouth.

"Ugh..."

The sudden nausea came so fiercely that she barely managed to turn toward the basin.

She retched.

Nothing came.

She remained bent over it, breathing unevenly while another wave of nausea rolled through her.

"What’s wrong with me?"

She whispered, wiping her lips with the back of her trembling hand.

Perhaps she had eaten something that disagreed with her.

Or perhaps the cold she had caught from sleeping on the rooftop had finally worsened.

Whatever it was, she only wanted to wash herself and return to bed.

Rosaline straightened carefully.

She turned toward the bath.

Her vision blurred.

For a heartbeat, she stood completely still.

Then the floor seemed to shift beneath her feet.

"Wait..."

Her hand reached instinctively for the edge of the bath.

She missed.

Her heel slipped against the wet marble.

The world lurched.

Rosaline gasped.

Her body fell backward.

With a loud splash, she plunged into the bath.

Water surged over her head.

Her eyes flew open beneath the surface.

Panic seized her immediately.

She tried to push herself upward.

Her palms struck against the smooth sides of the bath, searching desperately for something to grip.

Nothing.

She kicked violently.

Her dress twisted around her legs, dragging her downward.

Rosaline opened her mouth instinctively...

Water rushed in.

She choked.

Her hands flailed against the surface.

I need to get out.

She tried again.

Her fingers finally caught the edge.

For one brief moment, hope flashed through her.

She pulled.

Nothing happened.

Her arms trembled violently.

Why couldn’t she move?

She gathered every ounce of strength she possessed and tried to lift herself again.

Her muscles refused to obey.

The dizziness she had felt earlier returned with terrifying force, turning the water above her into a wavering blur of light.

Rosaline’s chest burned.

She kicked harder.

Her foot struck the side of the bath, but the impact only sent another wave of pain through her already weakened body.

She tried to scream.

Only bubbles escaped her lips.

Her lungs screamed for air.

Her vision began to darken around the edges.

Someone...

She stretched one trembling hand toward the surface.

Her fingertips broke through the water.

For a fleeting second, she could see the bathing room beyond it...the candles flickering upon the walls, the open doorway, the silent chamber beyond.

So close.

Yet impossibly far.

Her arm sank again.

Rosaline’s eyes widened as terror replaced every other thought.

She didn’t want to die.

Not here.

Not alone.

Not when there were still so many things she hadn’t understood.

Her mother.

Her memories.

The strange power within her.

Lily.

And, despite everything that had happened...

Xandros.

A final breath escaped her in a stream of trembling bubbles.

Her body grew heavier.

Her hand slipped beneath the surface.

The strength drained from her limbs until even struggling became difficult.

The water closed over her completely.

And the last thing Rosaline saw before darkness began swallowing her vision was the faint shimmer of silver light beneath the skin of her trembling hand.