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Chapter 20 : Scaling
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 21 : New Mornings
*Genevieve*Even though I had barely gotten more than a few hours of sleep last night, I woke up feeling more rested than I had in weeks. My fingers and toes stung, and my arms and legs were sore from the climb, but I felt an overwhelming sense of pride at having been able to survive the climb in the first place. I was rusty, but I wasn't ruined.I rolled over as I tried to convince myself to get up for the day. Something cream-colored caught my eye.I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and reached for my pillow. There was a note left on cream linen paper, with beautifully scripted writing in black ink. I picked it up and read it, feeling my mood instantly brighten.'I enjoyed being with you last night, minus the murder stuff. When can we meet to make a plan? Leave a response note in the planter outside of your room by nine this morning.'The note was signed 'Just R'. I smiled and set it aside. Just Rowan. I should dispose of the note somewhere, destroy it so that no one would f
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 22 : Passing Time, Passing Notes
If I had to listen to one more presentation about flowers for the wedding, I would probably lose my mind. At first, I was enjoying sitting with Aurora as different florists presented their ideas for the wedding. I started to get bored after the sixth one. I had lost count at this point."How many florists are on the island?" I asked Aurora during a break."Only three. But the king and queen wanted to bring in some other options from the surrounding areas. There have been two from Spain, three from Portugal, and I don't know if you noticed, but one of those florists was Scottish. I'm not sure where most of the others were from," Aurora answered."I did notice the Scottish one. I've sort of been tuning the rest of them out. I don't know how you do it. I would go crazy if I had to be the one making the decisions."It was hard to pretend like nothing had changed between the two of us. I couldn't let her know that I knew, but I was having a hard time interacting with her as usual. I
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 23 : Getting Ready
"Listen, I'm flattered, but I'm old enough to be your dad," Budge whispered."What in the world are you talking about?" I hissed back."I mean, we both know what's going on here. You were looking for me the other day, without really having a good reason. Now, you're asking to meet me in old abandoned hallways… Really, I think you're a lovely girl, but I'm way too old for this kind of thing," Budge continued."Will you shut up for a second? I don't want to be with you," I retorted with a grimace.Budge's mouth snapped shut, his dark eyes narrowing as he waited for what I was going to say next."I need to know that your number one concern is Rowan's safety," I continued."Of course it is. Honestly, just what the hell is this about? You mope around the castle for weeks and now all of a sudden you care about something?" Budge snapped back.I looked around the dim hallway of the lower corridor, confirming that we were fully alone before answering. "First off, I haven't been mo
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 24 : Explosive Advice
*Rowan*I felt like there was some sort of countdown to the moments I had left on this earth. I found out only yesterday that Jonah and my fiancée were plotting to blow me away, literally, at the dinner table tonight. It started a clock in my head, a stopwatch to my own death.I wasn't going to die. I reminded myself of that over and over. Sergeant Duvall, Budge, Genevieve, they all were working to make sure I survived the attack. It was as simple as not being in my chair at seven tonight. That should be easy. Still, it felt too easy, as if the bomb was only a distraction and I was going to really be killed in some other horrible fashion.The clock kept ticking though, as the day went on. It was getting closer and closer to seven, and I was running out of time.What would you do if you only had hours left to live? I hated to admit that my answer would be to act like it wasn't happening. I mean, sure, the circumstances were a little different. I was going to survive this. I wasn
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 25 : Homeward Bound
*Genevieve*"I want to go home," Aurora cried.If I wasn't sure that Aurora was involved, I would genuinely feel bad for her. She seemed frazzled. I couldn't decide if this was a genuine reaction to realizing what she had done, or if she was just that good of an actress. Either way, she put on a good show."I'm sure that can be arranged," I answered calmly."Well, then we should arrange it. I want to go home. I'll come back. I'll marry whoever they tell me to marry. I just need to see my parents first," she sobbed."I'll get that arranged now," I promised.I got on my phone, sending out a handful of texts and emails. I let more of the guards, a few diplomats, and some of the Boldovan contacts I had know that Aurora wanted to go home. I told them that in light of recent events, she would be going back to Reyna a little sooner than expected. I also made sure that they knew she was safe, and that the visit would be brief at best. They helped me set up accommodations before lea
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 26 : Resignation
*Rowan*The palace was cacophonous. The massive halls echoed with the sound of busy footsteps. People hurried from place to place, and repairs were taking place as quickly as possible in the dining hall. I walked down the hall to the temporary area where they were serving breakfast. I got some fruit and piled a few pieces of sausage onto my plate and carried it back to my room.I wasn't feeling very social. I hadn't felt very social in a while, so it should be no surprise, but today was especially bad. Aurora and Genevieve had left early this morning for Reyna and left me behind.The palace was empty without her. Empty and torturously loud and busy. Genevieve brought a sort of peace with her that I had come to rely on. She didn't get rattled by much, and she always had a plan. That was part of what I missed. After surviving the bombing, I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder.Jonah was becoming insufferable. He felt the need to constantly check in with me. We had ne
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 27 : A Warm Welcome
*Genevieve*Bradley had confirmed what I knew I needed to do. I would do my best to keep Aurora safe, but saving Rowan's life would be my new priority. Saving his life would probably save Budge's life too, if what Jonah and the other man had said about Budge was true. I fully believed that Budge would give his own life to save Rowan. So, that was at least two people I could save by not letting Aurora get away with this.She seemed different this time around. She'd been guilty of spending money a little frivolously before, but she was carrying trunks full of things she had bought while we were back at Reyna. Aurora's comment about setting herself apart from the common people started playing on repeat in my head. In a matter of a week and a half, Jonah had convinced her to waste money the way the king and queen did. It made me sick.Rowan was waiting on the steps of the palace when we pulled up. I was thrilled to see him, but I contained my joy. Aurora barely looked up from the mag
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 28 : Romance with Rowan
“You wore it,” Rowan breathed, gesturing to the pendant around my neck.“I won’t get many opportunities to wear it for a while. I wanted to take the chance. I was really taken by your note,” I answered kindly.Rowan had me in his arms in an instant. This was different from our usual, hurried episodes. He touched my cheek gently, the tenderness almost surprising. Our eyes met, the spark between us almost palpable. I couldn’t stand the tension, and the few inches of distance between our lips felt like a canyon. I leaned into him, pressing my lips to his.It's amazing how a simple pendant and a heartfelt note can bring two people together in such a profound way. The way Rowan embraced me made it feel like time stood still. This kiss felt more intense than anything we had experienced yet. The depth and commitment made me feel like I was living out some Nicholas Sparks book.Rowan held my face to his, tongue running along my bottom lip. I breathed him in, his breath like holy incens
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Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 50 : Happily Ever After
Rowan wanted to watch this movie. I wanted to be a good wife and watch it. I wanted to show that I was interested in his interests. But war movies were just so boring, and I could think of something much better to do with my time.In the few days between his proposal and our wedding, I'd had time to do a little shopping in town. I hadn't exactly needed lingerie our first few days here because we'd been too ravenous for each other, but now, I thought it would be a nice touch. And useful in convincing him to ignore this awful movie.Crawling into the bed, I pulled the covers up over my lap and settled in next to him. He turned to me and gave me a little smile before returning to watching the movie. Someone on screen threw a gun at someone else.I stroked his arm, trying to put on a convincing show that I was watching the gray planes on the screen drop bombs on the towns below. He absentmindedly scooted closer to me. Rowan's hand found my thigh, and he ran his finger along the skin,
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 49 : Tintinnabulation
*Genevieve*The good thing about the fact that there was a massive wedding planned to happen in a week and a half was that it took little to no time to throw together our wedding.I didn't want the elaborate wedding that Aurora had planned, but I did want something romantic and beautiful. I had helped the palace staff make some adjustments to the current decorations, rearranging some of the decorations and florals and everything else to make the wedding more fitting to Rowan and me.Finding a wedding dress had been a little more complicated, but a dress shop in town had been willing to accommodate me.As I stood and studied my reflection, I found myself wishing my mother hadn't abandoned me. I wished my father wasn't an alcoholic. I wished that I hadn't thrown my entire personality into my military training, keeping me from having any time to make friends my own age.The dress was sleek ivory satin. It stood out against my tanned skin, but it didn't overpower me. It had a sco
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 48 : Adjusting
I awoke the next morning in Genevieve's bed. She was curled around me in a warm embrace. I debated over whether or not to just close my eyes and go back to sleep. If I could just stay in this moment, wrapped in her arms and not having to concern myself with what I knew was waiting outside the door.Aurora's room was next door. Jonah's room wasn't far either. Those rooms would be empty today, no longer inhabited by traitors. I wondered what my mother was doing. What did she think? How was she feeling?It was thoughts of her that drug me from bed. Genevieve barely stirred. I knew she must be exhausted from the events of yesterday. I scrawled out a quick note to her and set it on the pillow next to her.Slipping out of her room, I hurried to mine. I needed to find some clean clothes. After hurrying to put on my clothes from last night as quickly and quietly as I could, I was disgusted by how wet and cold they were. The ocean water didn't smell very nice either.I took a quick show
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 47 : Follow Up
*Rowan*I thought that if I heard my father say it himself, it would feel more real.My father had been the one to take the shot in the dining hall.He had tried to shoot me and had successfully shot Genevieve. When I finally put the pieces together and realized what was happening, I had prayed that somehow I would be wrong. I knew that my father and I didn't get along. It wasn't a surprise that he didn't exactly have warm sentiments when it came to me.But for it to be confirmed that he wanted me dead?To know for sure that he would have killed me himself if I had just been a little less lucky?I should be groveling at Genevieve's feet. How many times had she saved my life? A woman who had been in my life for a matter of months cared more about keeping me alive than my own father. I owed so much to her.She pulled out a chair for me to sit on. Budge flopped down on her bed, muttering about wanting to get a few kicks in himself. The people in this room were the people who
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 46 : Troubled
For fuck's sake.We just couldn't catch a break tonight. They were ahead of us at every turn. I expected my heart to race, my knees to go weak, for some sign of the distress I knew I should be feeling to make itself known, but there was nothing.I was numb. I felt defeated. I let the ice-cold anguish wash through me and back out to the ocean. Maybe it traveled down those same damned drainage pipes we crawled through. Wherever the feelings went, I found some well of strength deep inside and pulled from it to stay standing.The king smiled, his yellowed teeth showing from underneath his salt-and-pepper mustache. "Am I interrupting something?""What do you want, Dad?" Rowan demanded."I don't want you to take this personally," the king began. "It's just that the blonde ruined things this afternoon, so I've had to expedite my plans.""Do we have to do the monologuing?" I sighed.I was soaking wet. I'd been falsely accused of attempted murder, imprisoned, and had to scramble f
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 45 : Escape Route
*Genevieve*It was impossible to tell what time of day it was. The handful of dim lights in the dungeon were on all the time, so telling time was impossible. I felt like it had to be nighttime, but I couldn't be positive.Hurried footsteps trampled down the stairs, echoing against the rock walls of the wet basement."Genevieve," Rowan hissed.I stood, hurrying to the edge of the cell, grasping at the bars."What are you doing down here?" I demanded, though the relief at seeing him nearly swept me away like a tidal wave."Getting you out of here," he answered, racing from the base of the stairs to my cell door.He fumbled with the keys, jamming several different ones into the keyhole before finding the right one. He twisted it and yanked the door open."Let's go," he urged.I followed him out and down the hall. Rowan held his hand behind his back and I reached up and took it. He guided me away from the stairs he had used to come down here, and instead, toward a door at
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 44 : Mixed Signals
*Rowan*There were two guards posted outside of my room. Luckily, they allowed Budge to be the guard inside my room, but we were effectively prisoners."You know, it seems a little stupid to have a fireplace in a bedroom," Budge pointed out, kicking at the ash in the fireplace. It made a little gray puff in the air."I mean, if we lived somewhere cold, it would be nice," I excused."We live on an island. It's stupid," Budge insisted."I won't disagree with that."I was on my laptop, scrolling through articles online trying to see what I could do about all of this. The problem was that there wasn't a whole lot of information online about Boldovan law."We'll get her out," Budge assured me, coming to rest a massive hand on my shoulder."I know we will. I won't survive if we don't."I wouldn't survive without her. Not just in the way that she seemed to be the only one keeping me alive, but I didn't think I could live without her by my side.It was like I had gone all m
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 43 : Rotting
I didn't realize the palace sat on top of an old prison.It wasn't exactly a prison. At one time, it had technically been a dungeon, but now, it served as holding cells for political prisoners.There were no windows. It had been cut straight into whatever rock made up the island. It was wet, water constantly dripping down the walls. There was some sort of mold growing along the walls too, and it smelled like dead fish.I was the only one in the entire holding area. There wasn't even a guard down here at the moment. A few incandescent bulbs lit the area, but it didn't do much to light it.Old-style prison bars constructed two walls of my cell. I gripped them and rattled them, but they wouldn't give in. I contemplated throwing myself at them a few times to see if I could work something loose, but I was sore enough that I didn't want to risk any further injury.Purple and blue bruises were starting to bloom around my wrist, and I had barely managed to staunch the bleeding from m
Prince Rowan's Treasonous Love Chapter 42 : Twisted
*Genevieve*This was uncomfortable. Aurora's eyes darted between the two of us, her brow furrowed. I could tell that she was suspicious."Hey, Aurora," Rowan greeted, sounding much more casual than I felt."What's up, guys?" Aurora pasted a smile on her face, but I knew her well enough to know it was a fake smile."Just getting Genevieve's arm patched back up. Would you like to help?" Rowan offered."I'll come watch." Aurora shrugged.We all entered the room. I felt like the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, but I just breathed in deeply through my nose. Something was definitely off, but I couldn't decide what."Here, have a seat," Rowan instructed, gesturing to the edge of his bathtub. I went into the bathroom and sat down as instructed, watching Aurora and Rowan in the room. Rowan handed first aid supplies to Aurora and then the two of them joined me in the bathroom.Rowan turned on the water, letting it get hot. He pulled the showerhead off the wall an
