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Movement drew her eye to one side of the drive. Her mouth dropped open as she saw a tall young man bend toward the closest rose bush, his hand extending toward the brightest ofthe blooms. Apparently there was someone in Glandore foolish enough to pick the castle’s roses.

But if the Legacy had anything to say about the matter, it wouldn’t only be him embroiled in whatever mess followed. Which meant Rosalie had to act and act fast. She was going to have to step onto the castle grounds after all.

Chapter 2

Dimitri

“Stop!”

Dimitri froze with his hand on the rose’s stem. The voice called again, sounding even more desperate, and he straightened. He had stepped outside for a moment of fresh air and couldn’t even remember what had drawn him to pluck a rose. He had no use for one.

He scanned the surrounding garden. The cry had come from a young female, and she had sounded distressed. He hadn’t seen another soul in the building or grounds since his arrival that morning, but he had been on edge the whole time. An abandoned manor seemed like an open invitation to rogues and misdeeds.

He turned toward the drive, his eyes still searching for the owner of the voice. His hand strayed to his waist, but he hadn’t strapped on his sword when he stepped outside, intending to only go a few steps. He would have to attempt assistance without a weapon.

A young woman appeared, dark hair flying and fire in her eyes as she slid to a stop in front of him. He glanced behind her for pursuers, but there was no one else in sight.

When he refocused on her, his words of reassurance died on his lips. The force of her outraged expression was almost enough to send him staggering backward. He had caught a glimpse of surprise there as well—as if she were taken aback to see him—but it had been immediately swallowed by her ire.

The girl’s chest heaved as she struggled to regain her breath and talk at the same time.

“What are you doing? Are you out of your senses?” She glared at him as if expecting an answer, but all coherent words had deserted him.

He glanced from side to side, looking for something that might explain the girl’s indignation. But there was still no one else in sight, and the grounds looked just as they had moments before.

“I’m…sorry?” he said when the silence stretched out, her glare continuing full force.

He could have turned the question back on her. She was the one trespassing on his lands, after all. But he had only just arrived in Glandore to claim possession of his unexpected inheritance, and he didn’t want to antagonize the locals.

On first arrival, he had been concerned that they might be justifiably resentful of him for leaving the building so long abandoned. His family had clearly failed in their duties when they allowed the large grounds to become a wilderness and the building itself to sit empty. It had been an invitation to those who operated in the shadows.

But thankfully, a closer inspection had revealed that neither the building nor the grounds were half as dilapidated as they had appeared at first sight. He was even starting to wonder if his initial impression of long abandonment was wrong. So surely that could not be the cause of this girl’s indignation.

The girl’s head tipped slightly to the side, her expression softening into one of confusion. He watched her expressivecountenance with fascination. As much as he wanted a positive connection with the locals, his response to her was more than neighborly goodwill. The flash in the girl’s gray-blue eyes reminded him of a lightning storm, and he couldn’t look away. He had been momentarily struck by the beauty of the roses, but they were nothing to the living, burning beauty of this girl.

“Were you really about to pluck a rose?” she asked at last, disbelief in her voice.

He frowned. She was worried about a flower? From his own garden? Did Glandorians hold plants to be so precious?

He couldn’t believe it—not when greenery in Glandore grew the moment it was planted. The kingdom fed not only their own populace but half the surrounding kingdoms as well. They must harvest their plants many times a year.

But the girl was still staring at him, clearly waiting for an answer.

“They just looked so beautiful,” he said with a note of apology.

He added his most charming smile, hoping to coax her into a better mood. He had seen several expressions from her, but not yet a smile. A girl who looked so captivating when angry had to be breathtaking when those eyes were filled with laughter instead.

But the girl shook her head in response to his effort, pity filling her eyes instead of the smile he had hoped for.

She patted his arm, almost as if he were a child. “It’s a good thing I was here, then. The unwary can easily fall prey to the Legacy without even realizing. Next time you should ask yourself why these roses look so particularly bright. They’re trying to lure you in.”

“Lure me in?” he repeated, his original confusion back in full force. The girl was treating him as if he was simple, but was she the one addled in the brain?

Looking at her eyes again, he couldn’t believe it. And yet her words made little sense.

The girl continued, unheeding of his confusion. “You must be from a distant part of the kingdom if you don’t know about this place. It’s been empty for more years than I’ve been alive, you know. But look.”

She pointed dramatically at the manor’s front door which he had left open in an attempt to air out the large entryway. He blinked at the unmoving door for a moment before looking back at the girl.