Rosalyn clasped her hands like a well-trained prisoner and waited calmly for him to hand over the tray. The soldier, however, seemed to have no intention of relinquishing the food so easily.

“Are you that hungry?”

Rosalyn’s eyes slowly lifted from the floor at the ambiguous question. But it seemed as if the soldier wasn’t really expecting an answer – he suddenly leaned a hand against the doorpost and subtly moved his body closer to Rosalyn.

“If you’re so desperate for food, why don’t you give us a chance?”

“What?”

The absentminded question slipped out before she could even think, and the soldier let out a rough, mocking laugh.

“Come on, miss. No need to play innocent. Word has already spread about how cheaply you threw yourself at Sir Robein.”

“Oh, perhaps it has already reached the ears of His Majesty the Emperor.”

For some inexplicable reason, even the man standing behind them burst into laughter and eagerly joined in. As their crude mockery continued, Rosalyn’s face slowly drained of colour, turning an ashen, deathly pale.

“So you’re willing to sell your body to the Emperor’s knight just to stay alive, but we’re not good enough for you? Well, what now? The knight may keep you alive, but the food you eat? That’s up to us.”

Their vulgar eyes roamed shamelessly up and down Rosalyn’s body. Though her face was pale and haggard, the curves of her figure were more than enough to arouse their filthy desires.

As their greedy eyes lingered on her hips, the soldier gripping the doorjamb tightened his grip and swallowed in a dry gulp.

“If you want to eat real food, why don’t you try putting something else in your mouth? I promise it won’t taste bad.”

The voice, laced with heavy, agitated breaths, was utterly repulsive. With a face drained of warmth, Rosalyn wordlessly snatched the tray and slammed the door.

Beyond the door echoed their vulgar laughter, filled with crude jokes.

Filthy scum.

Her hands, clutching the tray, trembled with humiliation and anger. But even more shameful was her own helplessness – unable even to respond properly to such vile taunts.

In this castle, where all her retainers and servants had already fled, Rosalyn was completely defenceless.

A woman who lost her family and status in an instant – wasn’t it obvious what fate awaited her? The fate of a woman caught in such circumstances was always the same.

Since two Lombard knights stormed into Delmart with over a dozen common knights and many times that many soldiers, Rosalyn was no longer the lady who once stood at the pinnacle of high society.

Now, trapped in this lavish castle, she was no different from a prisoner awaiting her last day.

Especially with two of the Emperor’s knights in the castle, her death was inevitable.

The Emperor’s Imperial Guard – the Lombard Knights – were considered the greatest warriors on the continent, the finest of all living knights.

The Lombard Knights were carefully selected, as if through a fine sieve, to ensure that only the most skilled swordsmen were chosen. For this reason, they became a symbol of admiration and respect for all knights.

Even those unfamiliar with the principles of knighthood were no exception – they too regarded and revered the Lombard Knights as the embodiment of honour and greatness.

Many knights were already stationed at the palace to protect the royal family, and countless others had sworn allegiance to the Emperor. But from the very beginning, the Lombard Knights were on a different level, incomparable to the rest.

But…

“Word has already spread far and wide about how cheaply you throw yourself at Sir Robein.”

As Rosalin remembered the soldier’s words, her gaze darkened, sinking into a cold abyss.

She knew the reason for the gossip.

Frederick Robein was one of the Lombard knights who had come here. In the past, they had exchanged few words, but since Rosalyn had been imprisoned in this place, he had begun to have unnecessary interactions with her.

The lingering touch of his hand left little to the imagination – his intentions were unmistakable and there was no way she could misinterpret what he wanted. Though the degree of explicitness varied, Rosalyn had become all too familiar with men’s desires over the years.

To make matters worse, her own brother, trapped with her in this wretched place, offered her no protection. Instead, he urged her to win the knight’s favour, desperately hoping it would be her ticket out of this terrible situation.

She lacked the courage to refuse the man who controlled her destiny, but at the same time she couldn’t bear the thought of following Vincent’s suggestion and offering her body to any man.

Caught between two impossible choices, she could do nothing but let each day pass aimlessly, trapped in helpless indecision.

And that wasn’t all. Enduring such treatment, under constant pressure from her own brother, only added to her overwhelming exhaustion.

Rosalyn sat by the window, clutching weakly at a spoon. She had gone all day without eating.

Yet her hands moved with practiced familiarity as she carefully pushed aside the grains of sand mixed into the porridge.

Having removed as much of the dirt as possible, she scooped up the cleaner part and brought it to her mouth.

Despite her best efforts, she could still feel the fine grains of sand grinding between her teeth.

But even that sensation had become commonplace for Rosalyn by now, so there was no change in her expression as she scooped up some of the mash with her spoon.

At that moment, a black cloak slipped past the corner of her vision.

Rosalyn hesitated slightly before slowly moving her gaze to the window.

When she saw the red hair, the brief flicker of concern that appeared on her face quickly vanished, replaced by her usual cold and indifferent expression. She barely raised her eyelids as she watched Frederick accept a letter from the courier.

But when she saw another man, something inside her shifted. Without thinking, she abruptly rose from her seat.

She hesitated for a moment, pacing back and forth by the window, clearly unsure of what to do.

The weight of the situation pressed down on her, but before she could fully process her thoughts, her feet moved of their own accord. Without a second glance, she quickly descended to the lower floor, driven by something beyond her control.

She hurried down the stairs and found herself at the entrance to the garden in an instant. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Before stepping forward to face them, she checked herself once more, composing her expression before continuing.

Almost as soon as she rounded the corner, a sharp, greyish eye turned towards her. Their gaze locked for a moment. Rosalyn barely managed to keep her expression neutral as she walked on, her steps light on the gravel, as if unaware of the imminent danger looming over her – like someone who hadn’t yet realised how easily her life could be taken.

It was only then that the red-haired knight, who had noticed her, greeted her in a cheerful tone.

“Good morning, miss.”

“Good morning, Sir Robein.”

She replied with a gentle smile, her eyes lifting as she spoke. The man who had been watching her earlier gave a small nod as their eyes met. His silver hair swayed slightly with the movement.

Rosalyn barely acknowledged him, not daring to meet his gaze directly. Instead, she simply nodded in acknowledgement and quickly made her way to Frederick.

“The courier seems to have passed. It looks like the letter is for me.”

“Ah, if that’s the case…”

As he spoke Frederick glanced briefly at the man beside him. The man then reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. Despite the short distance, Frederick deliberately took the letter from the man’s hand and handed it to Rosalyn. But as she took the letter, the subtle brush of his hand against hers was unmistakably deliberate, lingering just a moment too long.

The words the soldiers had spoken echoed in her mind, but all of Rosalyn’s focus was not on Frederick, but on the man beside him, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Why was that? It wasn’t the uncomfortable sensation of his hand brushing against hers that she found hard to bear, but the way his eyes were fixed on hers, watching her with unnerving intensity. The mere awareness of his presence made her stomach churn.

She had no problem showing Frederick the letter, but the thought of giving it to him, of letting him see it, filled her with a sense of dread. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was somehow connected to the uneasiness she felt inside.

Rosalyn withdrew her hand slowly after giving Frederick enough time, careful not to make him uncomfortable.

” Did you look at the contents?”

At her question, Frederick burst out laughing, the sound warm and sincere.

“Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I doubt you, my lady, but I want to be prepared for any possible situation.”

“Of course. I understand, Sir Robein.”

Rosalyn replied, her lips curling into a brighter, more enchanting smile as she whispered the words.

No matter how appealing it may seem, the outcome remains the same – imprisonment. The letters going in and out of the castle are, of course, under the watchful eye of the Emperor’s representative. She don’t want to make things worse for something that cannot be changed. But it seems her foolish brother can’t even come to terms with this harsh reality.

“There was nothing problematic about the content. Isn’t that right, Sir Moore?”

Frederick asked, looking for agreement as he nudged the man next to him. The man, who had been glancing sideways at Rosalyn, subtly curled his lips into a smile as their eyes met again.

“This is unexpected.”

For a moment, Rosalyn’s eyelashes fluttered slightly in surprise.

“At first I thought it was a letter from your brother.”

“What do you mean…?”

Rosalyn asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

“Even if it wasn’t,” he said with a slight shrug, “it seemed like unnecessary trouble.

As if to prove that her attention was of no particular importance, the man quickly looked away. But Rosalyn’s face slowly grew pale. Her lips, on the verge of making an excuse out of habit, immediately tightened, as if the words had caught in her throat.