Page 37 of Trapped with the Beastly Duke

The Point Of No Return

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Rose regretted them. In an instant, all the warmth of the moment before vanished. Alexander withdrew his arm, turning away from her but not before she saw the fury on his face.

“I do not wish to speak of that night. Iwillnotspeak of that night.” He spat the words as though they were poison, every muscle in him seemingly rigid with tension.

Rose felt her chest constrict.

Fool. You should not have been so careless.

She moved towards him, not sure what she meant to do. But the sound of voices stopped her.

“The twins,” Alexander murmured, his voice flat, his back still to her. “I will hide there and await them. The treasure is just through that archway. I suggest you wait there for the final confrontation.”

Without another word, he disappeared into a small alcove, obscured from view. Rose hesitated a moment before turning and walking in the direction he had pointed at.

As she walked through the archway, she saw a small table with a small wooden box on it. She moved towards it, seeing the intricate designs on the wood.

Did Alexander make this? Or did his father?

“You shall go no further!” Alexander’s voice drifted towards her, and she turned to face the archway. “You may have defeated the Black-Haired Maiden, but her skill is nothing compared to my own.”

“He does think a lot of himself, doesn’t he?” a voice murmured in Rose’s ear, making her jump.

She whirled around to find Olivia standing beside her, smiling mischievously. “Goodness, you scared me half to death. I thought the others ‘killed’ you?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, I simply led them on a merry, little goose chase before disappearing into the woods. Then I made my way here. I confess, I had expected Alexander to be waiting with you.”

Rose flushed, unsure how to explain what had happened moments ago.

Olivia tilted her head, opening her mouth as if she were going to ask more, when four figures appeared in the archway.

“You are no match for us, you fiend!” Marie swung her sword towards Alexander, feinting left and stabbing right.

The wood connected with his stomach, and he put a hand over it. “Agggghhhh! The pain!”

“Take that.” Natalie’s sword struck his shins, and he collapsed to the ground, crying out dramatically as he clutched at his invisible wounds.

“And that.” Peter brought his sword down on Alexander’s back.

Alexander tumbled forward. “Aaaah! I. Cannot… The pain… It. Is. Too. Much. I have. Failed. My Queen. I die.”

He clutched theatrically at his chest, curled into a ball, and feigned death. Rose watched the entire scene unfold, marveling at his exaggerated acting. At the way he let the children stab him and win the game.

How can he be so warm towards them?

As the three made their way towards her, Rose raised her sword and stood in front of the treasure, with Olivia at her side. Together, they cried out, running towards the children, allowing themselves to be cut down a moment later.

“You have killed me,” Rose yelled, clutching at her side and crumbling to the floor with a gurgle.

“You may claim your treasure. You have beaten us all.” Olivia slid to the ground, clutching Peter’s sword, and pretended to die.

Peter, Marie, and Natalie let out a cheer, laughing and hugging each other as they opened the treasure chest and exclaimed in delight. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw Alexander stand up and walk over to the celebrating trio.

“Well done! Why don’t you return to the house and show Mother your spoils?” Alexander smiled at the children, but Rose could see a hint of brittleness in his expression that had not been there before.

“I bet I’ll find Mother before you do!” Natalie yelled as she began to run out of the maze.

“You cheat!” Peter called after her.