The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 173: A Bigger Game

Despite everything, breakfast felt strangely normal in the morning."

"For the last time," Alina said, cutting a piece of bread, "Evelyn has definitely changed the recipe."

"She didn’t," Austin replied without looking up from his plate. "You are just being dramatic."

"You think I can’t tell the difference between rosemary and thyme?" Alina glared at him.

"Alina, stop arguing and eat your breakfast."

"She has added more butter too," Alina was in no mood to stop.

Austin sighed as if the conversation was exhausting him.

"Tragic. We must alert the king immediately."

Alina kicked his shin under the table, making him pause mid-bite.

"Violence?"

"You deserved it."

Before he could respond, everyone went silent in the hall. Austin and Alina turned and saw Rosilyn standing near the entrance.

Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, fingers twisting together. She kept her eyes down while her shoulders were hunched slightly, as if she regretted walking in there.

"I’m sorry," she said softly. "I know I shouldn’t be here."

She swallowed before continuing.

"I tried eating in my room, but..." Her voice faltered. "I couldn’t eat alone."

Around the table, several nobles exchanged knowing glances. The nobles who had been in the castle when she was brought here as Austin’s bed warmer remembered.

Alina looked at Austin. He was already looking at Rosilyn. He turned and gave Alina a small nod.

"It’s okay. You can eat here," Alina said, turning to her.

Marguerite immediately gestured towards the empty chair beside her.

"Come sit here, dear."

Rosilyn hesitated for a moment, then walked over. But even after she sat down, she looked tense. Breakfast resumed but Alina kept glancing at Rosilyn instead of eating.

Rosilyn barely touched her food. She cut her bread into tiny pieces and arranged them neatly on her plate but didn’t eat them. Even when tea was poured, she didn’t drink it immediately.

She looked around. Only when she saw Lady Pemberton drinking her tea did she took a sip. A few minutes later, Marguerite ate eggs. And that’s when Rosilyn ate her own as well..

Alina’s gaze sharpened as she noticed Rosilyn only ate after someone else ate it first.

Then, an old memory resurfaced. She remembered her very first meeting with Rosilyn in the garden when she had just arrived at Ravenmoor. She remembered Rosilyn warning her not to eat food prepared only for her.

She remembered Audrey telling her that Rosilyn hardly spoke to anyone and thought the people in the castle were trying to harm her. Even Austin had told her the same when she had thrown the pastries Audrey had given her.

Alina looked at Rosilyn again. She noticed how nervous she was and how much she was hesitating before taking each bite.

So they were right. Audrey was not exaggerating when she said Rosilyn was paranoid?

After breakfast, Austin left for his meeting with Harrington while Marguirete took Rosilyn with her to the sewing circles. Alina headed towards the east wing, her mind still stuck on Rosilyn’s strange behavior.

She had taken only a few steps when someone called her.

"Alina."

It was Audrey. Alina turned and saw her standing behind her with her arms crossed.

"Was I not enough?" Audrey asked, walking closer to her.

Alina frowned.

"What?"

"That you had to bring Rosilyn too."

"I didn’t bring her. She needed help and I...."

Audrey laughed, forcing her to stop mid sentence.

"Are you seriously that naive that you still don’t understand anything?"

Alina was done with the cryptic talks.

"Yes, I’m," she replied. "Care to explain what I did?"

Audrey sighed in disbelief.

"Do you remember what I told you about Rosilyn when you were still new in the castle?"

Alina knew. She in fact was just thinking about it but she chose to stay silent.

"Rosilyn was terrified of everyone in Ravenmoor," Audrey said. "Be it servants, guards or nobles. She thought every person in the castle wanted to harm her. And guess what? She still thinks that way."

"She is scared right now," Alina replied. "Right now she has..."

"She is dangerous," Audrey cut her off.

Alina stared at her in shock.

"Dangerous? What do you mean?"

"Just keep her away from Austin," Audrey replied instead.

"Stop talking like you care about me and Austin," Alina said. "If you are really worried about him then say it directly rather than talking in riddles."

"Find out yourself," Audrey smiled. "We are not friends, Alina. I don’t owe you explanations."

With that she turned but then she stopped and turned again.

"There is one more thing I want to tell you," Audrey said.

Alina waited for her to continue.

"My father has already started preparing for my wedding to Austin."

The words hit her like a slap.

"Since you refused to be recognised as an Arcasedian princess, you have failed the condition. My father believes the remaining two months are just a waste of time and will pass just like that," Then she held her hand softly. "Get ready."

She tapped her hand once and walked away with a smile while Alina stood frozen in the corridor.

Meanwhile, in the study, Harrington stood across Austin’s desk while rain clouds gathered outside.

"Your Grace, the men following Miss Rosilyn have no connection to her ex-husband," Harrington informed him as he put papers in front of him.

Austin immediately began reading the papers.

"He’s living alone in the eastern provinces. He has no contact with any mercenaries, informants, or criminal groups," Harrington explained. "It seems he has moved on."

"So either Rosilyn lied," Austin said, thinking about the whole situation. "Or someone else wants her scared enough to believe he’s behind this."

Harrington nodded in agreement.

"Someone may have pushed her towards Ravenmoor deliberately."

"Keep investigating," Austin ordered. "And don’t talk about this to Rosilyn or Alina for now."

"Understood," Harrington collected the papers and left the study.

Austin remained sitting, staring at the closed door. He tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. He was finally beginning to realize that this game was much more complicated than he thought.