Rosie's Games

"We probably do not have the time to absorb everything in just two nights," Lucas said just as they finished absorbing the darkness of the second object.

"I can still do one…" Rosalind said. While she did not do anything physical or tiring, the anguish and despair that she felt in the past hour was enough to suck away all the energy that she had left. Yet, she had to do it.

"Whoever did this…" whoever did this to all of those innocents, needed to fail. Rosalind swallowed. Her heart felt heavy and, strangely enough, it was affecting her body. She thought of everyone who suffered to create that dark explosive.

Rosalind would never claim that she was a good person. She had made mistakes and even faced some consequences for her actions. However, after seeing the things that those people suffered, she realized she needed to at least try to make the one who did this pay.

"We will eventually find out," he reassured her. Just like her, he had been silent since the first object. He must have known its effects on her. "But you needed to rest."

"No," Rosalind said, stubbornly. "Let's go to the next location."

"Alright." This time, he stopped convincing her to take a break and just accompanied her to the next store. They immediately found the circular object, and she started absorbing it. There were only two days before the crowning, so Rosalind wanted to absorb as much darkness as she could.

It took her a few more minutes to absorb the darkness this time, yet the memories inside of it were still as heavy as the first one; all she could see was death and cruelty. However, this time, she did not stagger and cried. She stood there as still as a statue, intending to delve deeper into the memories.

She thought by doing this, she would be able to see some clues about the location or the ones who did this. Something in those memories must have contained the faces of the people who did this to them. However, all the memories showed nothing that would point her to the culprit.

All she could see was a cave, a room made of rocks, and the sound of what seemed like flowing water or rain, perhaps a river or a stream. The memories were no longer reliable, as most of them were blurred.

After the third bomb, the two of them then went to the inn that they were renting. To avoid suspicion, they only rented one room in the poorer area of Siluria. They did not want to have any problems, and choosing the most expensive room near the plaza would definitely raise eyebrows.

"We have to go back—"

"Sleep." Lucas interrupted her before she could finish her words. "We can do that after you sleep."

Rosalind's lips thinned. She wanted to tell him that they would go back once she recovered her strength.

"What do you think will happen if you absorb too much darkness?" he asked.

"I—" she did not know. In the past, she hid her dark abilities, thinking it would disappear if she ignored it. She never used it to do things.

"You will burst." He was sitting on the only chair in the small room. This room only had a bed, a wooden chair, and a circular table. There were only two pillows on the bed and a blanket and it was clear that this place was only made for sleeping. The inn looked old and small, however, many hunters and travelers who could not afford the accommodations near the plaza frequented this place.

Rosalind's face turned unsightly. She was sitting on the bed across him, slowly massaging her temples. Her head started hurting after she finished absorbing the third object's darkness.

"You should rest."

"What about the other circular objects? I counted. There were only four left. We need to make sure that— I can only do three in one night. I have to absorb the last one on the day of the coronation."

He said nothing. Instead, he opened the window.

"Come…"

Almost immediately, two shadows jumped inside. One of them was Magda and the other was a man — no— It was another woman. A bald woman with a large tattoo on her head that ran to the right side of her face, making her look fierce.

"Your Grace." Magda and the other woman bowed at Lucas.

"Tell us everything."

"The King… is dying," the bald woman said. "Earlier, Prince Baltazar went to see his father only to stab him in the leg, making him bleed as he told him how much he hated him."

While listening, Rosalind could not help but shiver. She wondered how Baltazar was raised by the King. How could someone hate their father to the point of doing that, even when their father was already on their deathbed? Rosalind thought about her own family and wondered what they were up to now.

Because of their current circumstance, Lucas did not tell her any news about Dorothy.

Rosalind could not help but wonder if Dorothy had died or suffered a fate worse than death. Surely, the pain that she felt should be enough for her to lose her sanity.

"There is an urgent matter," the Duke said. "I have to leave and see the King."

"But Your Grace!"

"Your Grace, we know that a trap is waiting for you in the King's room. Why must you—"

"I am going to buy everyone time," Lucas said as he turned his attention to Rosalind. He was not asking her anything, but she felt compelled to answer him and assure him that everything will be alright. In the end, she chose to keep her mouth shut. In fact, she was not that confident that everything would turn out well after this.

When he did not take his eyes away, Rosalind lowered her gaze.

"What do you think, Rosie?"

"What?" Her eyes sprang back to his. She found him giving her a handsome smirk.

"What do you think about the king?"

"What do you mean?"

"Should we save him?" he asked.

Rosalind blinked. What does this have to do with her? She was only here because he dragged her here! She — she was rendered speechless.