The clouds covered half of Dominic's upper face as his eyes glowered to gold when he looked down on the man whose hand was now tied with a rope. Cain stood beside him with a quiet expression, saying nothing and accompany Dominic with his hands crossed together.
Dominic offered the man a smile, "Once I thought you would be a good serviant after saving your life but it appears that you're the type of the dog who would bite his own master's hand, is it?"
The man sitting in front of Dominic became scared seeing how slowly Dominic's eyes turn brighter in the golden color. It had started that Dominic was ordered by his father and third step mother to fetch them the finest quality of pelt due to Lady Ashely's wishes.
Being one who was good at picking a facade, Dominic had went along with his mother's whim, wanting to see what the woman had this time only to find out it was another attempt to kill him by using one of his guards
Rose's breaths was cut off as shocked paralyzed her hands, causing her to let her hands hanging on the air. She blinked while looking at who it was."You," Rose said. At first startled, now she pulled her eyebrows together into a frown."Yes me, if you don't remember, I do have a name, you know," Dominic chuckled while looking at her green eyes before his eyes narrowed, "How strange, you look frightened, like a cat who drowned on a river, what's wrong?"Rose looked at him with an accusing look. "You're asking me why I'm scared? How about not following me around like that! I was scared."Dominic tilted his head and his frown begin to form as he hold her wrist which he noticed was trembling. "Following you? Who? Me? I came from your front not your back. We were walking at the opposite direction, Rose."Rose opened her pink lips only to close it again. She looked back and forward be
Silence ensued between them with Dominic looking at her. His smile was falling off his handsome face and the darkness of the shadow covering half of his face made him appeared as if he was brooding on whether or not to eat her."It was a figure of speech. Think of it, look at my hands," Dominic saw how Rose was unconvinced and pulled out ahis hand to show her. "Do I look like someone who could either snap a wolf's neck barehanded and see? If I had fought with that wolf, it would have bitten my hand, leaving some sort of wound from the struggles and those wound won't heal quickly. You surely don't think a wolf wouldn't try to protect themselves in midst of a fight, won't you?"Rose admitted how Dominic's words made more sense than her own suspicions and finally gave up. "You're actually correct. But the day before, when we first met, what happened to you that made you to be chased by those people?""Ah, that?" Dominic loo
The time they spent was short but Rose got to know that Dominic was more of a down-to-earth person than his look and behavior suggested. Unlike her cousin, Gabriella whom she know to live in the high class society, who always complain about the road they took in the market and how terrible the situation was where she couldn't stand it, Dominic was extremely comfortable on his own pace.He didn't even hesitate to buy the food from the vendors that Gabriella once mentioned as "dirty" that ended up with Gabriella and Josie fighting.Perhaps, she had judged him too early, thought Rose."It's not festive but it isn't too terrible or gloomy considering the incident that occurred in this village," said Dominic and Rose nodded to agree. "Do you have any question for me?""Me?" Rose pointed one hand to herself. "I don't think so," at least not the ones which is not intrusive."You said th
Morning came and Rose first pushed herself from the bed to look at her sister's bed, finding it empty. Had Josie left already? Last night her older sister had slept early and now she had risen from her bed earlier.As Rose changed her clothes and tie her hair to a low bun, she heard a loud crash from the bottom floor. The noise was a blast, startling her and causing her to drop her hairbrush. Rose quickly run down the stairs to find her mother and father sitting around the dining table while her sister was running away from the backdoor of the house.Rose looked at her parents who appeared helpless and quickly chase after her sister who left the house. But Josie was quick on foot that Rose wasn't able to chase after her.She immediately runs back to the house, "What happened?" She asked her parents who remain silent this whole time. "Papa, mama?"Her mother had shame washing over her face. "Your aunt
Rose went back to the house while trying to have her smile on her face the entire time. She looked at Josie who looked less paler than before and thought it was alright.Although she would have to marry a person whom she doesn't like, Rose tried to think on the better side. She still cling to the hope that her mother won't agree to her aunt's proposal but at the same time she wondered. If her mother had rejected Aunt Marie's request, wouldn't it burdened her mother even more?That wasn't all. Seeing how Aunt Marie had tried to guilt trip her mother. If her mother rejected Aunt Marie's request, she would come again with another impossible request. Something that could even kill them.Rose shuddered at the thought.On the bright side, Rose knew she wasn't interested to anyone and she was still single unlike Josie who was in love with Mr. Harding. She was worried about the man she was about to marry bei
Rose dashed toward her house when she saw her older sister and cousin on the chair, both of them had a few scratched on their arms and cheeks that shocked her.But she couldn't waste time to ask her sister of what had occurred as she rushed inside to where her father was located in. Her mother slumped on the chair, crying while her father appeared unconscious on the bed, covered by the blanket."Father?" Rose's heart dropped at the sight of her father's pale complexion. "What happened?!" She quickly looked at her mother, her voice shaking when she asked."Your father was attacked," her mother said to her, "There were men who harassed your cousin and your sister. When your father tried to protect them, he was—" her mother cannot complete her words in distress and Rose didn't need further words to understand what happened.She carefully placed one hand on her mother's back and worriedly look at h
The room went silent as the physician took his leave. Rose cannot comprehended what had occurred, feeling as if she was on clouds where this was a dream to her— a nightmare. But being a realistic person, it was quick for her to pull herself from her daydreams, understanding that the grim condition was real."We don't have that much money," Josie was the one to start the conversation. She didn't raise the opinion of asking funds from her aunt, as all of them knew the pettiness that the woman had."I will think of a way," Mrs. Maury said, "If I take a work, we should have enough fund—""Mama, it's forty gold!" Josie raised her voice, shaking her head, "We will never have that much money not even if we save up for a year. The physician mentioned we only have one month to gather forty gold. From where can we find that much money in such a short amount of time?""Calm down, Josie
While Rose prepared herself after breaking the news to her mother of her soon departure, Josie was busy to finish her birthday present to Mr. Harding.Rose was standing near the window of their room which located on the second floor. She stared at the sky, once again thinking over her choices and the new life she would have to adapt to.As she had been staring at the sky, from the corner of her eyes, Rose noticed a swift shadow shifting behind the trees. As she leaned forward to once again confirm what she said, a hand landed on her shoulder, startling her.Rose's green eyes darted over her sister. "What's wrong?" Josie questioned when seeing Rose's shocked face.Rose felt that due to her choice which seen as a selfless sacrifice, her sister and mother had been tiptoeing around her feelings as if they were afraid to hurt her. To be treated like a piece of glass, Rose didn't know how she should feel a