Chapter 31 CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
ROSALINDA
"That's a lie, father!" I screamed, the door to his private office slamming against the stone walls with a violent bang, but I couldn't care less. I didn't care about the guards who stood outside hearing our conversation. "Cyrus is innocent! You can't trust Valerius! He's a snake, and he's playing you for a fool! You and everyone else!"
The moment Mira informed me that Cyrus was behind tagged the culprit, I knew it was a setup. By the time I dashed to the throne room, the judgment had been passed. He was to stay in the dungeon for seven days until his death. What's worse? Valerius was the one who brought the evidence and had him searched. Zade, on the other hand has been oddly silently, he just watched them brand Cyrus a traitor and drag him out like a rag doll.
It's a trap.
It's obviously a trap.
I don't give a damn about the evidences or witnesses they found. It's all a lie.
I know it.
I could feel it.
My father didn't even look up from his scrolls. When he finally did, his face was a mask of cold, regal exhaustion. "The man- the actual kidnapper, the one who tried to kidnap you, testified that it was Cyrus. There were pieces of his gear found near the ignition point of the fire. The evidence is staggering,"
"That's rubbish! You think he would be that stupid to leave evidence?!" I shouted, my voice cracking as I stormed closer. "You can't trust Valerius or anyone of those men!"
"Neither can I trust Cyrus!" He boomed, standing up. His presence filled the room, heavy and suffocating.
"He's the head guard of my fiancée! How can you not trust him?!"
"He could have his own motive."
"But father-" I felt the strength leave my legs. I fell to my knees on the cold rug, my fingers digging into the fabric. "You're punishing the wrong man. Cyrus saved me, he jumped off a cliff to keep me alive, he's innocent!"
"It was definitely an act," he said, his frown deepening. "I'm sorry Rosalinda. But as king, I must do what is right by the law, not by my daughter's whim," He walked around the desk, his cape trailing behind him like a funeral shroud. He stopped and looked down at me, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "He dies in seven days. I'm only giving him that grace because he's Prince Zade's guard. If I don't see any evidence that proves otherwise, the execution proceeds. That's the only mercy I can spare."
With that, he turned and walked out of his office, leaving me shivering on the floor in the silence.
\-
"Zade, you seriously don't believe that Cyrus is behind this, right?"
He stayed silent. He was standing by the window in his guest quarters, his back to me. The tension in his shoulders was so thick I could have cut it with a blade.
"Zade!" I pushed off the chair and went to him.
He still stayed silent, staring out the courtyard where the gallows were already being prepared. I fell to my knees beside him, grabbing his arm, my nails digging into the fine fabric of his sleeve. "You said he was your best friend. You said you trusted him more than anyone. You also said you hated Valerius and couldn't trust him.... So why... Why are you just standing there doing nothing?!"
"I don't believe Valerius," he finally said, his voice low and jagged. "But this is above my power, Rose."
I scowled, shoving his arm away and looked up at him. "What the hell do you mean? You're a prince! You have a voice!"
"That's not the point!" He yells making me flinch, when he notice my sudden shock, he sighed, turned and let out a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. But this is above me, okay?"
"How? He's your guard."
He said nothing and reached into his pocket. He pulled something out and threw it onto the floor. It hit the stone with a metallic clink. I looked down, my eyes widened as I stared at the familiar silver pendant.
It was the same one Cyrus had.
"When I talked to Valerius some days ago, this fell from him," Zade said, his eyes finally meeting mine. They were filled with a dark, simmering confusion. "Cyrus has exactly the same pendant. I've caught sight of it a few times, at first I suspected it looked familiar, but now I understand. I can tell a family heirloom when I see one. The craftsmanship is identical, there's no denying that-"
"Zade, what are you-" My throat went dry as I just stood there staring at him. He was right, the pendants are the exact same.
"Cyrus is connected to Valerius somehow," He continued as he began to pace around the room. "I don't know what the link is, or why my guard is carrying the crest of a rival kingdom, but the optics are god-awful. It makes him look like a plan. An infiltrator. If I was to try to help him and somehow this gets out, not even my kingdom will be at rest. He may even be branded for something far worse than this,"
I felt the blood drain from my face as his words sunk in. The realization of his words shook my very being, making my knees weak.
"Careful," I heard him say as he held my hand to prevent me from falling. "I do want to save him, Rosalinda. I really do, I know he's being set up. But what I'm fighting against...I don't know..."
I said nothing and just looked down at my feet. "So what do we do? Let an innocent man die while the villain lives? Is that it?"
He let out a weary sigh and let me go, then turned back to the window. "Valerius purposely dropped this pendant. He wanted me to see it, he wants me to make a move. He's smug, too prefect, even if he's going to be roped in whatever chaos this may cause, Cyrus will be the first to get hit," he shrugged then let out another sigh, one that sounded like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Whatever the case may be Rosalinda. In order to protect you and our marriage, if Cyrus has to die. Then so be it. Valerius can get this victory, but I'll get him back for it, I know that."