Chapter 5

ROSALIA

I sat in the dark cell, my sense of time completely lost. The stone floor had grown cold beneath me, and my legs had gone numb. The only sound was my own breathing until the metal gates slammed open with a harsh clang.

"Wake up, whore!" A guard's voice boomed through the cell. "You've had the whole day to grieve your old life. Now welcome to your new one."

I looked up to see a woman staring down at me. Her eyes held no warmth, just calculation. She wore a rich purple dress that seemed to mock the filth of my cell. The way she carried herself told me everything: she was from the pleasure house, one of the royal courtesans.

When the cell door swung wide, I pressed myself against the wall. "No," I said, my voice raw from crying. "I will not sell my body. I am not a whore. I am not for the pleasure house."

The sound of her palm striking my cheek echoed off the stone walls. She grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. "Hear me, girl. You aren't better than us." Her fingers twisted tighter. "If you didn't want to end up here, your father should have not broken the law and married the likes of your mother. Your blood was always meant for the pleasure house or the fields. You are not royalty nor blue blooded."

Her lips curved into a cruel smile. "If you miss that old life so much, honey trap some noble. Goodness knows they like peculiar girls with peculiar backstories. What is between your legs is the only power you have now, girl."

She loosened her grip but didn't let go. "I am here to retrieve you for proper preparation into our society. Fight me and I'll leave the guard here to handle you." Her voice dropped lower. "Once deflowered, the stubborn ones with fire in their eyes like you lose their spark."

My stomach turned to ice when I glanced at the guard. The way he looked at me made me want to disappear into the wall. I swallowed hard, tasting bile. "I'll go with you."

The woman's smile widened. "What is your name?"

"Rosalia Muller-" The words weren't fully out of my mouth before her hand cracked across my face again. She grabbed my jaw, fingers digging into my cheeks.

"There is no Muller and you are certainly not one because House Muller is dead." Her nails bit into my skin. "You are just Rosalia now." She paused, studying my face. "In fact, I much prefer Rose."

"Rose," I repeated quietly, the name foreign on my tongue. "My name is Rose."

She laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "You learn fast. I like you." She finally released my face, straightening her skirts. "My name is Madame Marie. Head of the Establishment of Midnight." Her eyes raked over me. "The Crown Prince asked that I personally induct you into Midnight, and I can see why he has taken a liking to you. Pale skin and red hair." She reached out to touch a strand of my hair. "You are a rarity."

I wanted to bite her hand, to scream, to fight - but the guard's heavy breathing behind her kept me still. The idea of what my father or mother would say in a situation like this burned into my mind. They probably would tell me: "Sometimes survival means swallowing your pride." In fact, I believe Father had said something along those lines before but he'd meant it about noble politics, about bowing and scraping to those above us. I never thought I'd use his lesson like this.

I forced myself to stay quiet as Madame Marie pulled me to my feet. My legs shook from sitting so long, and my neck burned where she'd grabbed my hair. But I held my head high - not out of pride anymore, but because I refused to let them see me break.

The guard's eyes followed us as Madame Marie led me from the cell. Each step felt like walking through mud, my body fighting against the direction it was being pulled. But I kept walking. I was no longer Rosalia Muller, daughter of a disgraced noble. I was Rose. A Lady of the night.

"Why would the Crown Prince ask for you personally?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady as we walked through the dark corridors. "To induct me?"

Madame Marie's laugh echoed off the stone walls. "You think I go around picking up new strays personally?"

My heart hammered in my chest. "What does he want from me?"

We reached a waiting coach, its black lacquered surface gleaming in the torchlight. Madame Marie pulled out a long pipe, taking her time to light it before answering. The sweet smoke curled around us like a snake.

"I do not know what the Crown Prince wants from you," she said finally, "but if I were you, I would let him make quick work and be done with me."

"I am not sleeping with him." The words burst out before I could stop them.

Marie took a long pull from her pipe, the ember glowing bright orange in the darkness. "Resistance fascinates men. They like the chase." She blew out a perfect ring of smoke. "Unfortunately, that will make things hard for you."

She gestured for me to enter the coach first. I climbed in, my legs still shaky. The velvet seats felt wrong against my dirty dress.

"Many of my young girls want something akin to royalty," she continued, settling across from me. "The only way to escape this hellish life is to get the attention of someone more powerful than nobility. Royalty." Her eyes narrowed. "One of my girls is already close to making that hers, and your presence might complicate that."

The coach lurched forward. Outside, I could hear the clop of horses' hooves on cobblestones.

"Whatever it is fascinating the Prince," she said, "burn it and make yourself as ordinary as can be. Because politics is a dangerous game." She leaned forward, the smoke from her pipe making my eyes water. "It's even worse with the runt of the litter."

"What are you saying?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.

Madame Marie's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You'll find out in due time, red rose."

I turned to look out the window, watching the shadows of buildings slide past. Her words settled in my stomach like stones. I'd grown up watching noble politics destroy or almost drstroy lives - my father's included. But this felt different. More dangerous. The Madame was right. The Prince's interest wasn't a blessing; it was a curse wrapped in silk ribbons.