Chapter II : A Potion and a Proposal

Rebecca's POV 

“This… smells like a love potion!” 

A gasp rippled through the crowd. People recoiled, pressing closer to glimpse the scandal. 

Lady Kalali thrust a jeweled finger toward me, her voice slicing the silence. 

“Her. Rebecca Rosewyn. Isabelle Rosewyn’s daughter—the Crown’s old potion maker. She runs her own shop now, doesn’t she? Of course she’d know how to brew something forbidden.” 

Heat prickled under my skin. My entire body felt like it might collapse. 

Gideon said nothing. He merely watched me, his glacial eyes narrowed, like he was deciding whether to crush me or protect me. 

Maddie, breathless, elbowed her way through the crowd. “Hey! Leave her alone, Lady Kalali! It was just—” 

Lady Kalali spun on her, lips curling. “Silence. You’re nothing but her accomplice!” 

Maddie faltered under the weight of noble eyes, her voice dying. She tried again, softer. “She didn’t mean any harm. It’s just… Becca’s—” 

Lady Kalali slapped the air dismissively. “Save your lies. The Queen must hear of this at once.” 

Before I could blink, Lady Kalali grabbed my wrist in a clawlike grip and dragged me toward the dais. She bent close to the Queen’s ear and whispered furiously. The Queen’s eyes flicked to me. They were sharp with fury. A chill swept the room.

The Queen lifted her arms and called out in a voice that carried over the entire ballroom: “My beloved guests, I must attend to a private matter of state. Please continue your revelry. Drink and dance in honor of our knights. I shall return shortly.” 

She turned, robes swishing, and disappeared behind the velvet curtains at the rear of the dais. 

Lady Kalali yanked me along. Maddie scrambled to follow, trembling. Gideon strode after us in silence, his boots echoing against the marble floor. 

The moment the curtains fell closed behind us, royal guards sealed the entrance. 

We were ushered into a private chamber. There were banners on the walls and a long wooden table in the center. The Queen took the seat at the head of the table. Her presence was intense.

Maddie tried to speak, but a guard blocked her with an armored arm. 

"Quiet," the Queen commanded. Her voice was soft and deadly. She glared at me. "Rebecca Rosewyn. Daughter of Isabelle Rosewyn. I remember your mother well. She was a potion master who served the Crown."

I swallowed hard. “Yes, Your Majesty.” 

Lady Kalali slammed her palms on the table. "Your Majesty, this is treason! She brewed a love potion and intended it for your own knight commander. The law is clear. The penalty for such witchcraft is death."

My vision blurred. I tried to speak, but Lady Kalali cut me off every time I opened my mouth.

“She must be executed!” Lady Kalali cried. “This is no petty crime. She was plotting to manipulate a royal knight!” 

The Queen looked at me with ice in her stare. “Do you deny it?” 

I opened my mouth again. “I—I didn’t mean—” 

Lady Kalali screeched, “She admits it!” 

My knees nearly buckled. I felt myself sinking into hopeless silence. It was useless. Every word I tried to say was torn apart before it could even leave my lips. 

The Queen sighed. “Lady Kalali speaks the truth. The penalty for creating and administering a love potion is death. Especially when it targets one of my own knights.” 

My mouth was dry as dust. I tried one last time. “Please, Your Majesty, I didn’t mean for—” 

“Enough,” the Queen snapped. She turned to Gideon. “Commander Malik. You drank the potion. Are you… under its effects?” 

Gideon finally stepped forward, calm as ever. His voice was low, but carried through the chamber like thunder. “No, Your Majesty. I am not affected. It seems the potion was either too weak… or poorly brewed. Perhaps Miss Rosewyn’s skills do not match those of her mother.” 

Lady Kalali hissed. "So what? She meant to enchant you. She should hang for it."

But Gideon continued, undeterred. “If I may, Your Majesty… I propose a solution.” 

Everyone fell silent. Even Lady Kalali froze, her mouth half-open. 

Gideon’s jaw tensed. “Rather than executing her, Rebecca Rosewyn… I will marry her.” 

My ears roared. The room tilted. I blinked rapidly, convinced I must have misheard him. 

Lady Kalali shrieked, “What?!” 

Even the Queen seemed momentarily stunned. “Explain yourself, Commander.” 

Gideon spoke with calm measurement. "Executing her will cause a scandal. The people will talk of corruption and secrets. If I marry her, we can frame this as a secret engagement. We will say we kept it quiet until my return from the border. The people will rejoice. There will be no reason to investigate further."

The Queen studied him. Her brows were tight.

Lady Kalali let out a strangled cry. "This is absurd! How can you choose a lowly potion maker over me? I have waited years for you, Commander."

Gideon barely spared her a glance. “My decision is final.” 

Lady Kalali’s face twisted with rage. “How dare you throw me aside for this… this nothing girl!” 

But the Queen leaned back slowly in her chair. “A political marriage would indeed keep the matter quiet.” She considered me, eyes sharp as knives. “So be it. The marriage shall take place in two weeks. We will announce your engagement as a joyful union long desired. The kingdom will believe it was planned all along.” 

Lady Kalali reeled back like she’d been slapped. “No! Your Majesty, you can’t—” 

The Queen raised a single finger. “Enough, Lady Kalali.” She stood. “Prepare yourselves. The announcement will be made before the people tonight.” She swept from the chamber, silk hissing against the floor. 

Gideon didn’t move at first. He stood rooted, like stone. Then he turned and followed her without a word. His jaw was tight and his back was stiff. He did not look back at me.

Not even once. 

I stood there, frozen, my pulse pounding in my ears. 

Lady Kalali’s laugh slithered through the silence, low and sharp. “Well,” She said, circling me like a vulture, “you must be proud of yourself, little shop rat. One love potion and you’ve snared the most powerful man in the kingdom. Truly, your mother would be ashamed.” 

“Leave her alone!" Maddie snapped. She stepped in front of me again, trembling with rage. 

Lady Kalali sneered. "The pet mouse speaks. Is that loyalty or stupidity?"

Maddie’s hands curled into fists. “At least I don’t claw at men who’ve already made their choice.” 

Lady Kalali’s expression twisted. “He didn’t choose her. He sacrificed himself. Can’t you see it? This marriage is pity. It’s damage control. No one with real power would ever want a girl who plays with kitchen herbs and illegal spells.” 

The words hit like stones. I tried not to flinch. 

Maddie’s voice cracked. “You don’t know anything about her.” 

Lady Kalali leaned in, eyes glittering. “I know she’s nothing but her mother’s faded shadow. And now she’ll spend the rest of her life locked in a palace she doesn’t belong in, married to a man who looks at her like a risk, not a wife.” 

That landed. Hard. 

Because deep down… a part of me wondered if it was true. 

But Maddie stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “Say whatever you want. You lost. And that’s what really burns, isn’t it?” 

Lady Kalali’s smile sharpened. “Oh, darling.” She stepped back, smoothing her gown. “This isn’t over. Not even close. You think palace nobles will welcome a potion-making nobody as their Commander’s bride? There are games you haven’t even begun to understand.” 

She turned to me, her voice like poisoned silk. “You’ll choke on every flower in your wedding bouquet.” 

Then she swept from the chamber with a flourish of violet silk, the guards parting to let her pass. 

Silence fell. 

Maddie slumped beside me, breathing hard. “Gods,” She whispered. “She’s a demon.” 

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. 

Everything felt far away. Unbelievable. 

“I’m sorry, Becca,” Maddie said, softer now, her voice tight with guilt. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” 

I shook my head numbly. “It’s not your fault.” 

"It is," Maddie said. "I pushed you. Now you are trapped with him."

My breath caught. 

Trapped. 

The guards moved like shadows, silent and firm. One of them stepped toward Maddie. “By order of the Queen,” He said, “you are to be escorted from the palace grounds immediately. You are not to return unless summoned.” 

Maddie flinched. “But she’s—” 

“I’ll be fine,” I said, voice barely a whisper. 

Maddie turned to me, eyes wide and wet, lip trembling like she might protest anyway. 

“I mean it,” I said. “It’s better if you go before they drag you.” 

Maddie threw her arms around me. Her voice was muffled against my shoulder. “I’ll find a way to fix this, Becca. Somehow. Just hold on, okay?” 

I nodded, even though I didn’t believe it. Her warmth was the last real thing I felt before the guard peeled her away. 

Silence returned. Cold and suffocating. 

I stepped back into the ballroom. My heart thudded. The music had started again. The nobles were laughing. The Queen stood on the dais in her red robes. She held a goblet high.

The guards didn’t let me hesitate. I was escorted forward, toward the dais, where I was meant to stand beside— 

A hand reached out. Caught mine. 

Gideon. 

His grip was steady. Infuriatingly warm. 

I looked up at him, startled. He didn’t glance at me, didn’t smile or frown. He just held my hand like it was a formality. Like he didn’t know it had just become the most confusing moment of my life. 

Then the Queen's voice soared above the murmurs of the crowd. “Noble guests,” She declared, her tone honeyed but cold beneath it, “tonight we celebrate more than a victory. We rejoice in love long hidden and at last revealed.” 

A murmur rippled through the crowd. 

“The Knight Commander of the Crown, Gideon Malik,” the Queen said, “has returned from the border victorious. And with him… a long-awaited secret.” 

She gestured toward us. 

“Tonight, I am honored to announce the betrothal of Commander Malik to Rebecca Rosewyn, daughter of Isabelle Rosewyn. Their union, forged in devotion and years of silence, shall bring strength and unity to the realm.” 

A wave of applause rose, hesitant, confused, some forced. But I didn’t hear any of it. Because someone had just walked through the ballroom doors. 

Rhys. 

He stood frozen mid-step on the marble floor, like the air had turned to glass around him. His gaze found mine through the crush of silk and whispers—shocked. Then unreadable. Then something deeper… a flicker of pain, gone before I could name it. 

He didn’t say a word. Just turned. Shoulders drawn tight, head high. And walked away like the sight of me burned. 

I felt something split in my chest. I didn’t even realize I was shaking until Gideon tightened his grip. Just a little. Just enough to steady me. 

The Queen lifted her goblet again, and the crowd resumed their polite clapping, none the wiser to the mess unraveling beneath their feet. 

Then it was over. The Queen stepped down from the dais with a rustle of silk and a smirk like she’d won. 

“Commander,” the Queen said smoothly, “Since you're so eager to protect her... then protect her well. She’ll be moved into your quarters. As of this moment, she answers to you.” 

I couldn’t breathe. His quarters? 

Gideon bowed his head. “As you command.” 

Then without waiting for permission, he led me away, our hands still joined. 

His hand was warm, even though the rest of him was ice.