Damned by Him

For several moments after Xandros’ fist connected with Lucien’s face, the marketplace seemed to fall into a stunned and unnatural silence, as though the people surrounding them had collectively forgotten how to react to what had just happened before their eyes.

Lucien staggered backward from the force of the blow, one hand immediately rising toward his face while his expression changed from surprise into something considerably more guarded, and Rosaline, who had still been standing near the archery stall with the bow lowered in her hand, stared at Xandros in complete disbelief before his name suddenly escaped her lips.

"Xandros!"

She had not intended to call him so loudly, yet the shock moving through her made it impossible to control the sharpness in her voice, and when Xandros finally turned his head toward her, Rosaline could see that the cold anger she had noticed in his expression moments earlier had not disappeared.

"What was that?" she demanded as she quickly moved toward Lucien. "What is wrong with you?"

Xandros’ gaze shifted toward Lucien, and Rosaline immediately noticed the way his expression darkened when she stopped beside the younger man rather than beside him.

Lucien lowered his hand from his face and straightened slowly, although the force of Xandros’ punch had clearly left its mark.

Rosaline’s brows drew together as she looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

Lucien glanced toward her before giving a small nod.

"I have survived considerably worse."

The attempt at humour did little to improve Rosaline’s mood, and she turned sharply toward Xandros again.

"That isn’t the point."

Xandros folded his arms across his chest.

"You appear to be taking this rather seriously."

Rosaline stared at him.

"You punched him in the middle of the street!"

"He is still standing."

"That does not make what you did acceptable."

Lucien’s gaze moved between them, and although he remained silent, Rosaline could sense the uncomfortable tension gathering around them.

Seth had stopped smiling entirely, while Christophine stood nearby with her arms folded, watching Xandros with an expression that suggested even she did not understand what had provoked him.

Before Rosaline could continue questioning him, however, the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the stone road interrupted the confrontation.

A carriage stopped near the edge of the marketplace.

The door opened.

A young man stepped down.

Rosaline immediately noticed the resemblance between him and Lucien, although his features were softer and his expression carried a far more relaxed quality than the one she had come to associate with the Warden’s eldest son.

Lucien looked toward him.

"Alessa."

The young man stopped before them, his eyes moving first toward Lucien’s face before travelling toward Xandros, and one of his brows lifted slightly.

"I see I have arrived at a rather unfortunate moment."

Lucien’s expression hardened.

"Don’t."

Alessa’s lips twitched as though he was struggling not to say something else, but he wisely turned his attention toward the rest of them instead.

"Father sent the carriage," he explained, lowering his head respectfully toward Xandros. "He asked that everyone return to the residence."

Rosaline glanced toward the carriage.

For the first time since the outing had begun, she wanted nothing more than to leave.

She handed the bow back to the man running the archery game and walked toward the carriage without waiting for anyone else.

The journey back to the Warden’s residence was quiet.

Painfully quiet.

Rosaline sat beside the window with her hands folded inside her lap, watching the Western District disappear behind the glass as the carriage moved through the busy streets, while Xandros sat close enough beside her that she could feel his presence without looking in his direction.

She refused to acknowledge him.

Lucien remained seated opposite them, and Seth and Christophine sat nearby, though neither seemed willing to become involved in whatever argument was clearly waiting to happen once they returned.

No one spoke.

The silence stretched throughout the entire journey, interrupted only by the movement of the wheels and the occasional sound of horses moving through the streets.

Rosaline continued staring outside.

The outing had begun as an attempt to explore the Western District and escape the awkward atmosphere surrounding Seth and Christophine, yet somehow it had ended with Xandros punching the Warden’s son in front of half the marketplace.

She still did not understand why.

What made the situation worse was that Xandros had offered her absolutely no explanation.

By the time the carriage arrived at the residence, Rosaline had reached the end of her patience.

She stepped down immediately.

Christophine called her name.

Rosaline did not stop.

She walked through the entrance, moved quickly through the familiar corridors, and eventually reached the chamber she had been sharing with Xandros.

The moment she entered, she walked toward the window and lowered herself into the chair beside it.

Outside, the gardens stretched quietly beneath the afternoon sunlight.

Rosaline stared at them.

She did not want to speak.

At least, not yet.

The door eventually opened behind her.

She knew who had entered without turning around.

Xandros closed the door.

The silence between them lasted several moments before his voice finally reached her.

"Rosaline."

She continued looking outside.

Xandros remained where he was.

"Are you ignoring me?"

Rosaline’s fingers tightened slightly against one another.

For several seconds, she said nothing, but when she finally turned toward him, the anger she had been holding throughout the journey was already visible in her eyes.

"What were you thinking?"

Xandros’ brows drew together.

"What?"

"What were you doing when you punched Lucien?"

His expression immediately became guarded.

Rosaline stood from the chair.

"No matter how powerful you are, Xandros, you cannot simply walk into the middle of a crowded marketplace and strike someone without an explanation."

"He knows why."

Rosaline stared at him.

"And I don’t."

Xandros remained silent.

That silence only fuelled her frustration.

"Lucien is the Warden’s son," Rosaline continued as she moved away from the window, her voice becoming sharper while she spoke. "He is someone important in this district, and you humiliated him in front of everyone without giving him, or anyone else...a reason."

Xandros’ expression slowly darkened.

"You appear very concerned about his humiliation."

Rosaline paused.

"What does that mean?"

He began walking toward her.

"It means you have spent the entire afternoon defending him."

"Because you punched him."

"That isn’t what I asked."

Rosaline folded her arms.

Xandros stopped several steps away from her, his grey eyes fixed steadily upon her face.

"Are you taking his side now?"

Rosaline stared at him in disbelief.

"Taking his side?"

"Do you like him?"

The question caught her completely off guard.

For a moment, Rosaline simply looked at him.

Then her frustration finally overwhelmed her patience.

"Yes!"

Xandros became still.

Rosaline immediately regretted the sharpness of her answer, but she was already too angry to take it back.

She continued before he could speak.

"Yes, I like him! I like Seth, and I like the people around me. Is that suddenly a crime?"

Xandros’ jaw tightened.

Rosaline pointed toward him.

"I like everyone, Xandros."

His expression changed.

The anger in his eyes became something darker and far more personal.

Rosaline noticed it immediately.

"Don’t look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I’ve said something terrible."

Xandros took another step toward her.

"You like everyone."

"That is what I said."

"And Lucien?"

Rosaline threw her hands slightly into the air.

"Yes, Lucien too. I don’t have to be in love with someone before I can care that they were punched for no reason."

The moment the words left her mouth, the silence inside the chamber changed.

Xandros stared at her.

Rosaline stared back.

Neither of them moved.

Then Xandros spoke, his voice quieter than before.

"For no reason."

Rosaline’s brows drew together.

"What?"

"You believe I punched him for no reason."

"You haven’t given me one."

Xandros looked away briefly, as though struggling against whatever he had wanted to say.

When he looked back at her, the frustration was still there.

Rosaline could see it clearly.

She had never understood how much emotion Xandros could hide behind that calm expression until moments like this, when something managed to push him far enough for the restraint to begin slipping.

"You’re impossible," he muttered.

Rosaline’s eyes widened.

"Me?"

Xandros stepped closer.

"You."

She took a step backward.

"And what exactly did I do?"

"You stood beside him."

Rosaline stared at him.

"I asked if he was alright."

"You defended him."

"Because you attacked him."

"You looked worried."

Rosaline opened her mouth before closing it again.

For several moments, she simply stared at him.

Then she slowly understood.

Her expression changed.

"Oh."

Xandros’ eyes narrowed.

"Oh?"

Rosaline’s anger remained, but something else had suddenly appeared beneath it.

A realization.

"You are jealous."

Xandros immediately looked offended.

"I am not."

Rosaline’s lips parted slightly.

"You are."

"I punched him because he lied."

"And yet you haven’t told me what he lied about."

Xandros’ expression hardened.

Rosaline stepped closer.

"You’re jealous."

"Rosaline."

Her lips curved despite the position they were,

"You really are jealous."

The look he gave her immediately made the smile disappear from her face.

Xandros moved closer again, and Rosaline instinctively stepped backward until the edge of the window was behind her.

He stopped.

There was still space between them.

Enough space for her to move away if she wanted.

His voice lowered.

"Do you enjoy provoking me?"

Rosaline swallowed.

"I wasn’t provoking you."

"You were."

"I was defending someone you punched."

Xandros leaned slightly closer.

"And now you’re defending him again."

Rosaline looked directly into his eyes.

For the first time since the argument had begun, neither of them seemed to know what to say.

The anger was still there.

But it had become tangled with something else.

Something warmer.

Something Rosaline had not expected to feel while standing there.

Xandros looked at her for several seconds before lifting one hand toward her face, but he paused before touching her.

Rosaline noticed.

She could have moved away.

She didn’t.

"Tell me to stop," Xandros said quietly.

Rosaline’s heart began beating faster.

Her eyes remained fixed upon his.

Then, before she could find the words she wanted to say, Xandros closed the remaining distance between them and kissed her.

The kiss was sudden and intense, carrying the remnants of the argument between them, but it did not last long before Xandros drew back slightly, leaving enough distance for Rosaline to look at him.

She stood there completely still.

Her mind seemed to have stopped working.

Xandros watched her expression.

The anger that had been present in his face moments earlier had softened.

Rosaline’s fingers slowly curled against the fabric of her dress.

She should have been angry.

Perhaps she was.

But another thought had suddenly become impossible to ignore.

He was jealous.

Not simply irritated.

Not simply protective.

Jealous.

And the realization of that fact somehow made her remember her own words.

Yes, I like him.

Her face immediately warmed.

Xandros noticed.

Of course he did.

His lips curved faintly.

Rosaline immediately looked away.

"I didn’t mean—"

A sharp knock against the door interrupted her.

Both of them became still.

Rosaline immediately stepped away from Xandros, lifting one hand toward her face as though she could somehow hide the warmth that had already reached her cheeks.

The knock sounded again.

"Who is it?" Rosaline called, though her voice came out slightly sharper than she intended.

For several seconds, there was silence outside.

Then a familiar voice answered.

"Lady Rosaline."

Rosaline froze.

Xandros’ expression immediately darkened.

She slowly turned toward him.

Neither of them needed to ask who was standing outside the chamber.

Lucien.

And judging from the way Xandros’ jaw tightened, whatever explanation Lucien had come to offer was unlikely to make the afternoon any less disastrous.

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