Chapter 38

The damp chill of the dungeon pressed into my bones as I sat on the rough stone floor, my mind was racing. It felt like hours since Maria visited, yet she had not come back. Neither Maria nor Rowan. He must have noticed my absence by now. He must be looking for me by now. I heard the sound of footsteps again and rushed to look. 

But it wasn't Rowan. Nor was it Maria. It was the Royal Concubine Lady Elana.  She entered with an air of casual disdain, letting her gaze sweep over me as if I were some sordid creature caught in a trap. I straightened my back, determined not to give her the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.

"Oh, you poor thing," she sneered, folding her hands in front of her silk dress. "You've come so far from scrubbing floors haven't you? You know? I sort of admire you."

I glared at her, refusing to acknowledge the icy thrill of fear creeping up my spine.

"You tried," she continued, letting the silence drag. "You tried so hard to escape the shadows of your cursed life, but you've failed. You failed so miserably at it. Perhaps you should have just stayed in your place in the first place."

"Stayed a little slave all your life and never aspire to be anything else."

"I didn't. I always stayed in my place. And I was fine in the castle as a castle maid before you gave me to the Carstairs as a gift. In hindsight, all this happened because of you."

I could see the surprise on her face, then her eyes widening as it hit her. I was the little castle maid she gave out years ago. She didn't even realise that it was me. She never did. 

"Oh... I knew those eyes were familiar. So this is what you became? If I knew you were an Otsayak then I wouldn't have hesitated in killing you."

I swallowed hard. Yes she wouldn't. I would have been dead if she found out. 

" And as for that little handmaiden of yours, Maria—she'll be paying dearly for her indiscretion. I had the perfect plan, I was going to reveal it all at the Wolf Clan meeting. But she had to go running her mouth to you, forgetting the walls had ears. I hear she was here too.  Did you think you'd get away so easily?" She laughed, a vicious, gleeful sound.





My heart squeezed painfully. Maria, despite her betrayal, had risked everything to warn me, to protect me. She was innocent; her only crime was listening to the Royal Concubine. "Leave her out of this," I hissed, hating the way my voice shook.

"Oh, but she is very much in this." Lady Elana leaned down, her mocking smile sharpening. "You see, she meddled in matters far beyond her station. I won't tolerate disloyalty."

I held her gaze, biting back the bile rising in my throat. "Rowan knows I'm here," I said quietly, resolutely. "He won't stand by and let you do this to me."

For a split second, a flicker of something unreadable crossed her face, before it was replaced with a smug, twisted smile. "Ah, Prince Rowan," she cooed. "Men can be so disappointing sometimes—you see, Prince Rowan is only loyal to the kingdom. He knows of your arrest, but, poor thing, he won't be coming for you. The only thing he cares about now is becoming the Crown Prince. And he will do anything in his power to become the crown prince. He is not coming for you."

Her words stung, each one slicing deeper, but I shook my head. "You're lying. Rowan would never abandon me."

She threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "Believe what you like, but even now, he's preparing for his engagement to Lady Isabelle, the woman he should have married instead of you. And as for you..." She smirked. "You'll be quietly executed outside the kingdom's walls, and the curse you have brought upon our castle will finally end."

I clenched my fists, my anger building in a sharp heat within me. "I have brought no curse upon this castle!" I spat, meeting her cold eyes with defiance. "You're the only poison here, Lady Elana. Not me."

But her face twisted in a cruel smile as she took a step closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You are the curse, Otsayak. Your very presence here, your meddling ways, your... unnatural blood. If it weren't for you, my grandson would still be alive. Delilah wouldn't have lost her baby." She leaned closer, her voice laced with venom. "When you're gone, I'll see to it that Rowan is next. I will take back everything the two of you have taken from me."

"You won't win." My voice was low, shaking with the effort of containing the fury coursing through me. "The truth will come out and Rowan will expose you and your son and everything you have done!" 

She tilted her head, her lips curving in a dark smile. "Keep telling yourself that, darling. It won't change a thing."

With a final, mocking laugh, she turned on her heel and swept out of the dungeon, her footsteps echoing as she vanished. The cold silence settled around me, but despite the darkness, despite her words, a small, unbreakable spark of hope remained.

Rowan would come. He had to.

.........

Rowan did not come. 

Nobody came for me. 

I was barely conscious when they dragged me up from the dungeon, my wrists bound with heavy chains, digging into my skin with every step. The cold metal bit into my flesh, leaving marks I knew would scar, but my mind was beyond feeling pain. I was being herded like an animal, bundled in coarse cloth and pushed forward by the executioner's iron grip. The road we took was hidden from the eyes of the townsfolk, winding down the barren paths that led to the outskirts of the kingdom of Zaire.

Every step made it clear that this was no mere punishment. They weren't just banishing me—they were erasing me. I would be killed off somewhere far away from the kingdom where my body would never be recovered. I tried to keep my mind from drifting to Rowan, from wondering if he even knew. But with each passing mile, hope seemed more distant, like a forgotten dream that left only a hollow ache.

The journey dragged on in silence, except for the heavy breathing of my captors and the clanking of my chains. The path became harsher, lined with jagged rocks that scraped my ankles as I stumbled along. Finally, as we reached the borderlands—a desolate place near a lake where no one would find a body—the executioner stopped. His shadow loomed over me as he reached into his belt, pulling out a gleaming dagger, its edge sharp and ready. My heart hammered in my chest, but I was beyond struggling now.

I took a shaky breath, preparing myself for the end. I looked past him to the lake, wondering if Rowan would remember me, if my story would be told, or if I would simply vanish into the cold waters. The dagger glinted as he raised it high above his head. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness settle over me.

And then I heard it—a sharp, blood-curdling cry.

My eyes flew open just in time to see the executioner fall to his knees, his face contorted in shock. An arrow protruded from his back, and before I could even process it, he slumped forward, the dagger falling from his grip. The two guards beside him turned, barely able to pounce before they too fell, collapsing like lifeless marionettes.

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. It was as if the world had stilled around me, and for a moment, I was unsure if this was real or the delirium of my final moments. Then, instinct took over. I scrambled to my feet, my chains rattling, but the heavy iron links tangled around my legs. I took a shaky step forward, trying to flee, but the weight of the chains pulled me down. My foot caught on a rock, and before I could catch myself, I was falling.

My head hit the ground with a sickening thud, and stars exploded in my vision. The last thing I saw before the world faded into darkness was a shadowy figure approaching, swift and silent, as everything slipped away.