I Reborn to Save Her, She Loved Him

Chapter 6

Alistair was suddenly hit by a flood of memories from his past life.

The exact same request had come up back then, only Rowena hadn't come to beg him for help. She'd gone straight to the royal palace on her own to plead with the king for a pardon in person.

When he'd found out what she'd done, they'd gotten into a screaming, knock-down-drag-out fight.

What a weird, cruel twist of fate. On the surface, everything looked totally different this time around, but at the core, nothing had changed at all.

Rowena was still dead set on bailing Cedric out of the pleasure salon.

Alistair froze for a long, heavy moment, then spoke in a low voice, "Why?"

In his past life, he'd never bothered to ask for the reason. He'd only heard the gossip swirling around the royal city, all of it claiming she and Cedric had fallen for each other in secret. Back then, the second she'd gotten the pardon, she'd moved him straight into a private lakeside manor on the outskirts of the city.

After that, their marriage had hit rock bottom, and they'd fought constantly about just about everything.

Seeing that he was staying calm and hadn't blown up at her yet, Rowena went quiet for a few seconds before she finally spoke up to explain, "Cedric and I have been close for years. I can't stand to watch him trapped in that pleasure salon forever, getting humiliated by all those awful people."

Alistair's chest clenched so tight it hurt. He fought back the sharp, stabbing pain in his heart, his voice cracking as he pressed her, voice trailing off. "You and him... do you have feelings for each other in secret?"

Rowena lifted her eyes to meet his, and instead of answering, she shot a question right back at him, "What kind of answer do you want to hear, Ninth Prince?"

Those words doused most of the warmth in his chest like a bucket of ice water. His voice dropped to a dangerous, heavy rumble, "I want the truth."

"There is nothing between us."

His emotions had swung so wildly in the last few minutes, he was reeling from a messy mix of giddy relief and sharp, leftover heartache. But he still couldn't stop himself from pushing further, "If there's nothing going on, why are you going to such lengths to help him, no matter the cost?"

After a long, loaded silence, Rowena spoke slowly, her tone softening as she explained, "Before the Langley family fell from power when they were convicted of their crimes, they saved my life and my entire family's lives. I've been going to the Nightingale Pavilion so often just to keep Cedric safe, but since he's stuck in that pleasure salon, I can't be there to watch over him all the time. The other nobles keep bullying and humiliating him..."

She paused for a second, and Alistair already understood exactly where this was going.

"That's why I want to get him out of there. He shouldn't have to be stuck in that seedy, mixed-bag pleasure den any longer."

When she finished explaining, she looked Alistair straight in the eye, like she could see every last one of his doubts swirling around in his head.

Her voice was open, honest, and completely sincere. "Ninth Prince, Cedric and I have a perfectly innocent relationship. We have never once crossed a line."

Her promise was firm and unshakable, not a shred of hesitation or ambiguity to it.

The tight, bitter knot in Alistair's chest loosened considerably. He gave her a firm nod and agreed to help her secure the royal pardon.

The very next morning, before the sun had fully climbed over the palace spires, Alistair headed straight for the royal palace to request an audience with the king. It barely took any time at all for him to walk away with the official royal pardon edict in hand.

Right before he left the audience hall, the king ordered his attendants to bring over a flask of fine wine.

"Alistair, this is a rare deer-infused wine tribute from the neighboring kingdom. You won't find another drop like this anywhere in the world. Take a flask back to your castle to enjoy."

Alistair's gaze fixed on the exquisitely carved silver flask, his expression twisting into a complicated frown.

"The neighboring kingdom has always hated our nation. They've never voluntarily sent tributes in all these years. Why would they send us fine wine now?"

The king threw his head back and laughed loudly, his chest puffed up with obvious pride. "We crushed them completely in that battle a few years back! Ever since then, they send us fine wine and noble women every month to curry favor. They're as meek and obedient as lambs now!"

Watching his father preen like a puffed-up peacock, Alistair's face darkened further with every passing second.

He hesitated for a long moment, but finally couldn't hold back his warning. "The neighboring kingdom is full of snakes in the grass. This tribute looks like a peace offering on the surface, but I'd bet they're secretly building up their armies right now, just waiting for the right chance to strike back. You must not take their word at face value, Father. We need to keep our border defenses on high alert at all times."

He'd hoped to jolt his father awake, thinking there might still be time to avoid the tragedy of the kingdom falling.

But that well-meaning warning only made the king fly into a rage.

"How dare you! That neighboring kingdom is terrified of us after that defeat. They don't have the guts to invade again!"

The king swiped a hand hard across the table, sending the deer-infused wine flask crashing to the floor.

Clang!

Silver and spiced liquor splattered everywhere as he roared, "All this fearmongering just so you can help Rowena get her cavalry command back, huh? How long have you been married to her, that you're already taking her side over your own family? Your loyalties are completely backwards, aren't they?"

"Your son would never dare harbor such intentions!" Alistair immediately knelt into a deep bow to beg forgiveness, even as a thick, cold wave of despair settled deep in his bones.

After he left the palace, Alistair headed straight for Nightingale Pavilion with the royal pardon in hand, formally revoking Cedric's performer status and buying his freedom.

When he returned to the prince's castle, he'd just finished making arrangements for the estate staff to settle Cedric in when Rowena walked right through the front doors.

Word that the Ninth Prince had gotten a harsh dressing-down from the king for bringing up border defense issues to advocate for the princess consort had spread like wildfire through the royal capital, and it naturally reached Rowena's ears too.

Rowena's brows knitted tightly together, her tone icy as she warned him, "Stop bringing up anything related to the neighboring kingdom's border defense to the king again, Your Highness. It's totally unnecessary, and you'll only end up angering His Majesty."

He'd had nothing but the kingdom's best interests at heart when he'd spoken up, only for his father to dismiss his advice out of hand. Now even Rowena thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

A tidal wave of bitter, stinging hurt washed over Alistair.

When he said nothing in response, Rowena had no interest in arguing further. She turned on her heel and walked straight out of the bedroom.

After she left, she didn't return to the master bedroom once, not even by 11 o'clock that night.

A gnawing unease settled in Alistair's chest. He threw a velvet robe over his shoulders and headed out to look for her.

The prince's castle was pitch-black in the dead of night, the entire estate swallowed by darkness, except for the small courtyard where Cedric was staying. Warm candlelight spilled out through its half-open gate, and Cedric was holding a glazed lantern as he walked Rowena to the door.

Alistair lifted his foot to step forward and call out to the two of them.

The next second, Cedric suddenly let go of the lantern in his hand.

Clatter!

The flickering candle flame tumbled onto the stone paving, the small fire dancing unsteadily on the cold surface.

Alistair watched, stunned, as Cedric lowered his head, wrapped an arm around Rowena's waist, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.