Claimed By The Tyrant King

They were already planning to leave?

Cedric wondered inwardly as his gaze settled on Rebecca, who was quietly clearing away the bowls and arranging everything she had used.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he turned to Julian, who was still nearby with an excited smile on his face.

"Looks like you’re already prepared," Cedric commented, his voice still weak but carrying a hint of amusement.

Julian nodded eagerly. "Mother already promised that we’ll go," he replied with a grin that made Cedric smile faintly in return.

Rebecca, however, simply gathered the empty bowl and turned to leave the chamber, and Cedric’s gaze unconsciously followed her until she disappeared through the doorway, remaining fixed there for a brief moment even after she was gone.

Not long afterward, Julian wandered outside to play, while Rebecca returned carrying the medicine Cedric was supposed to take.

This time, the chamber was quiet with only the two of them inside, and the silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, yet it carried an unfamiliar weight that neither of them seemed willing to break.

Rebecca carefully helped Cedric with the medicine, patiently waiting while he drank every drop. She barely spoke, only reminding him to take it slowly whenever he paused, and once he had finished, she set the cup aside before gently helping him lie back down again as there was nothing else he needed at the moment.

She adjusted the blanket over him one last time and was about to turn away when Cedric moved almost on instinct. Before he had even realized what he was doing, his fingers had closed gently around her hand.

Rebecca stopped immediately.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she turned back to look at him, surprise flickering across her face, while Cedric himself seemed just as startled by his own action.

The warmth of her hand against his lingered for only a moment before he slowly loosened his grip and withdrew his hand, swallowing quietly as though embarrassed by himself.

"I apologize..." he said softly, lowering his gaze for a brief second. "I didn’t mean to..."

Rebecca felt her heart leap inside her chest as though it had been caught completely off guard by that simple touch, and for a moment she could only stare at him before gently shaking her head.

"It’s alright," she murmured, trying to keep her voice steady even though she wasn’t entirely sure why her heart was beating so quickly.

A short silence settled over them again before she looked at him properly.

"Do you need anything?" she asked, believing there had to be a reason he had stopped her. "Was there something you wanted?"

Cedric hesitated for a moment, as though wondering whether he should ask at all, before finally lifting his eyes to meet hers.

"Actually..." he began quietly, moistening his lips before continuing, "I was wondering if you and Julian... are already set on leaving the palace."

His words made Rebecca blink in surprise.

She studied him for a brief moment before a faint smile touched her lips. "Don’t mind Julian," she said gently. "I know I told him we would visit Merovia, but I didn’t mean that we would leave immediately."

Cedric listened and he slowly nodded before parting his lips. "But sooner or later..." he said quietly, allowing the words to settle between them before asking, "...you do plan to leave, don’t you?"

Rebecca lowered her eyes at that question and quietly pulled a chair closer before taking a seat beside his bed because she no longer wished to remain standing.

Her fingers rested loosely in her lap while her thoughts wandered back to everything that had happened since she first stepped into the palace.

He was right.

When she had first come to the palace, she had fully intended to leave as soon as Griswold was captured because there had never been any reason for her to remain once everything was over. Then the rebellion had broken out, making it far too dangerous for her and Julian to travel, and before she realized it, weeks had turned into months.

Now that the kingdom had finally regained its peace, there was nothing stopping her anymore.

Yet somehow...

The thought of leaving no longer felt as simple as it once had.

Julian had become genuinely happy here. He had made friends, laughed more than he had in years, and had grown especially close to Rosalind, Rowan and Cedric. Rebecca herself had never expected to become so comfortable within the palace walls either. Rosalind had treated her with nothing but kindness from the very beginning, and the others had slowly begun to feel less like people she served and more like people she trusted.

For the first time in a very long while, life no longer felt like a constant struggle.

She had found peace here.

That realization alone made answering Cedric far more difficult than she wanted it to be.

The truth was... she didn’t even know where she would go if she left.

Returning to Westmere felt less like going home and more like reopening wounds she had spent years trying to heal. Every road, every street and every familiar face there carried memories she no longer wished to relive, and she wasn’t certain she had the strength to step back into that life again after finally finding a place where both she and Julian could smile without fear.

Perhaps...

Perhaps it would be better if she and her son simply started over somewhere else.

A quiet town... A peaceful life.

Somewhere untouched by the past that had followed them for so many years.

Yet despite thinking that, Rebecca couldn’t explain why the idea of leaving the palace suddenly made her chest feel unexpectedly heavy, as though there was something here she wasn’t quite ready to walk away from.

"I think I would wait for a few more months... perhaps until after the queen puts to bed," Rebecca said softly after a moment of thought. "It’s been good here in the palace, and I think it would be nice to stay until then and help her in whatever way I can."

Even if Rosalind might not truly need her help.

Now that her family had arrived from Merovia, she was surrounded by people who loved her, and there were countless maids ready to attend to her every need.

Even so, Rebecca felt she could remain until the baby was born. It wasn’t very far away now, and somehow it felt right not to leave before such an important moment.

Then her gaze drifted back to Cedric.

"Besides... I’m still looking after you for the time being, and I suppose that’s another way of helping Their Majesties," she continued quietly before offering a small smile. "Perhaps after all of this is over, Julian and I can leave and find somewhere to begin again."

Once she had finished speaking, Cedric simply nodded to himself.

He couldn’t explain where the thought had come from, but the moment Julian had spoken about leaving for Merovia, something inside him had tightened unexpectedly.

He had assumed they would always be somewhere within the palace.

That if he wished to see Julian, he only had to walk into the courtyard.

That if he needed Rebecca... she would be nearby.

Yet now he realized that none of those things were guaranteed.

One day they would simply leave.

Julian would no longer come running into his chamber with endless stories to tell, and Rebecca would no longer appear each morning carrying his medicine with that quiet expression she always wore.

The thought settled strangely in his chest.

Huh...?

What was that supposed to mean?

He frowned to himself before quickly dismissing it.

He simply meant that he would miss the little boy’s company.

And Rebecca...

Well, she had been taking care of him for months now. Naturally, the palace would feel different once she was gone.

That was all.

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