Page 54 of Legacy of Roses

It was too late to get anything out of Daphne, though. Rosalie’s curiosity would have to wait until Daphne’s return—whenever that might be. Rosalie hoped Daphne would come back to deliver both an update and supplies at some point, but they hadn’t actually made a fixed arrangement.

Realizing what Daphne’s departure meant, Rosalie turned slowly to face Dimitri. They were alone.

“So,” she said awkwardly. “What now?”

“I can carry your case up to your room.” He picked it up and looked at her expectantly.

Rosalie nodded. She had abandoned the case in the entryway at the first firework and promptly forgotten all about it.

She followed Dimitri up the stairs for the second time, wondering why she was suddenly so tongue-tied. It wasn’t like her.

“That’s my room.” Dimitri gestured at the second closed door on the left as they passed it.

Rosalie looked from his door to hers, only two doors down.

“That’s your room? Right there?” she asked, glad her voice didn’t squeak.

He paused with his hand on her doorknob and looked back. Once again, she couldn’t read his expression.

“I thought you might be uncomfortable being in the room right next to me,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s safe for us to be too far apart. This way if anything happens overnight, we should be able to hear each other calling.” He paused. “Just in case. I’m sure nothing will happen.”

He was clearly afraid something would happen, despite his words. Rosalie just wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure himself or her. She couldn’t blame him for his anxiety, however. She had been too worried about her brothers and the debt to put much thought into what would happen after it was paid, and it was dawning on her that she hadn’t sufficiently considered all the risks.

Dimitri put her case down just inside the door. “I’ll leave you to get settled. Did you need anything else?”

He looked hopeful, but Rosalie quickly shook her head. She needed some space to think.

“I packed myself some food for today,” she said, “since I wasn’t sure about the state of your supplies. But I suppose we should meet for the evening meal.”

Was Dimitri disappointed? It was hard to tell, and he didn’t say anything either way.

“The shared evening meal seemed like a big feature of the original history,” he said, “so that would probably be wise.” He looked around the elaborately decorated and furnished room. “If this room is anything to go by, we may not have to worry about supplies.”

Rosalie’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! I hadn’t even thought of that!”

What sort of delicious meals could they expect from the Legacy’s power? Would they be even better than the ones at the Mortar and Pestle?

Suddenly the evening meal seemed too far away. She glanced at her case, remembering the unexciting food she had packed for the midday meal. But she didn’t suggest they alter the arrangement. Since her brothers’ confession the afternoon before, everything had been moving at breakneck pace. She needed a few hours to catch her breath and make a plan, and Dimitri’s presence was unsettling in a way she couldn’t define.

“So I’ll see you this evening, then,” he said, and she nodded.

When the door finally closed, she collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. She had meant to only lie down for a moment, but the mattress was deliciously soft—without being too soft—and the pillow was like floating on a cloud. Before she knew it, she was waking from a nap.

“Goodness!” She yawned and stretched, forcing herself off the bed. “I’m turning into Daphne.”

Thank goodness she hadn’t let her friend trial any of the beds in the manor. She never would have managed to pry her away from the place.

She ate the unappetizing food she’d brought and unpacked her things slowly. It seemed unnecessary given all the luxuries the room had already supplied, but she didn’t know what else to do. And besides, there were some items you didn’t want supplied by a magical entity—whether it had consciousness or not.

When she had everything arranged and rearranged to her liking, she peered out the large window at the lush gardens behind the manor. She would have liked to explore them, but she guessed Dimitri would disapprove.

Sighing, she turned back to the room and noticed a book she could have sworn hadn’t been on the bedside table earlier. She picked it up, exclaiming in delight at the beautiful gold foil and edging.

It was a book of Sovaran tales, and she opened it with interest. She had heard a lot about Oakden from Daphne, but she knew far less about Sovar. But ever since Avery had been past with her cart full of Sovaran glass wonders, Rosalie had been wanting to learn more about the neighboring kingdom.

The chair beside the window proved as comfortable as the bed, and before she knew it the sun was sinking below the trees, sending shadows stretching across the floor. Rosalie stretched, glad it was finally time to leave the room.

She hurried out, not bothering to close the curtains or light the fire. She would worry about those details later.

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