Damned by Him

Chapter 48: Letting Go.

Thank you so much @MyGiveAFkfairyDied and @Simona_Ursache for the Golden Tickets.

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"Some hearts move on quietly...without asking permission."

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Rosaline stood beside him helplessly for several more seconds after his last cough faded into silence.

The room remained dim beneath candlelight while rain started tapping softly against the tall windows overlooking the sleeping estate outside. Xandros still lay near the edge of the bed, one arm resting lazily against his laps while heat continued rolling from his body in slow waves.

Yet despite looking unwell...

he still somehow appeared terrifyingly composed.

Rosaline frowned harder.

She dipped the towel back into the cold water before carefully wringing it with both hands.

"You should lie down."

"I’m fine."

"You are definitely not."

Xandros watched her quietly afterward as she moved closer again. Her silver-white wings remained hidden carefully behind her back now, folded tightly to avoid brushing against furniture or drawing attention beneath the door.

She still thought the butler didn’t know.

That thought alone almost amused him.

Rosaline pressed the cold towel gently against his forehead this time. The coolness eased the burning slightly, though not enough.

The poison still lingered stubbornly inside his system.

But the witch’s mistake had been believing she could actually kill him.

No.

At best...

she had only inconvenienced him which now turned out to be an opportunity for him.

Rosaline adjusted the cloth carefully while muttering beneath her breath.

"You really scared me."

The quiet honesty in her voice made his gaze shift toward her immediately.

Rosaline didn’t notice.

She remained focused entirely on fixing the towel that kept slipping because of his hair.

Her brows furrowed softly in concentration.

Xandros stared at her silently.

Strange.

In a long time now...somehow this woman had become the first person to look at him like this without fear hidden beneath it....but then she didn’t know what he was yet.

Another cough rose suddenly in his chest, though this one came weaker.

Rosaline instantly moved closer again.

"See?" she accused softly. "You are still sick."

"It is just poison."

"That does not make it better."

"It does for me."

Rosaline looked unconvinced.

She finally sighed afterward before pointing toward the bed firmly.

"Lie down back."

Xandros raised one brow.

"Was that an order?"

"Yes."

"...Interesting."

Despite the dry response, he obeyed anyway.

Rosaline looked mildly shocked when he actually laid back against the pillows without argument.

"You listened."

"You sound disappointed."

"I am suspicious."

A faint smirk touched his lips briefly before disappearing again.

Rosaline adjusted the blanket around him afterward, trying very hard to ignore how unfairly attractive he still looked while half-poisoned and exhausted.

That alone felt insulting.

"You should sleep," she murmured quietly.

Xandros closed his eyes afterward.

Not because he intended to sleep.

But because hearing the softness in her voice while she fussed over him was becoming increasingly addictive.

Rosaline remained beside him for a long while afterward.

Changing the towel.

Checking his temperature.

Watching anxiously whenever he coughed.

At some point, exhaustion finally caught her too and the night had already grown deep.

Her eyelids became heavier little by little until eventually she rested carefully beside him atop the blankets, intending only to stay awake a few minutes longer.

That decision failed quickly.

Within moments...

Rosaline fell asleep beside him.

Peacefully.

Xandros opened his eyes sometime later.

The room had gone completely silent now except for the soft rhythm of rain outside that intended to cover the faint sound of her beating heart.

His fever had already begun fading.

Carefully, he turned his head slightly toward Rosaline.

She had fallen asleep close to him without realizing it, one silver wing loosely curled toward his side while strands of pale hair rested across her cheek.

The sight quieted something inside him instantly.

For several seconds...

he simply watched her.

Then slowly, very carefully, Xandros pushed himself upright.

Rosaline stirred faintly but didn’t wake.

He adjusted her properly onto the bed afterward, pulling the blankets higher around her shoulders while making sure her wings rested comfortably beneath the sheets.

Gentle movements.

Unnaturally gentle for him.

Once satisfied she wouldn’t wake easily, Xandros finally stood.

The moment he stepped outside the chamber doors, the butler appeared from farther down the corridor almost immediately.

As though he had been waiting.

The older man bowed respectfully.

"Your grace."

Xandros closed the chamber door quietly behind him before answering.

"Is it ready?"

"Yes."

The butler hesitated briefly before lowering his voice.

"Would you prefer it brought to your study?"

"No."

Xandros’ gaze lifted toward the upper levels of the mansion.

"The rooftop."

The older man nodded immediately.

"Understood."

Several minutes later...

Xandros stood alone atop the mansion roof beneath the night sky.

Cold wind swept through his dark hair while endless clouds drifted slowly across the moon overhead. From this height, the capital stretched endlessly beneath him like scattered gold beneath darkness.

Silent, distant and untouchable.

He sat near the edge of the rooftop calmly, one arm resting against his raised knee while shadows gathered naturally around him.

Like the night itself belonged to him.

A lone king above a sleeping empire.

The butler arrived shortly afterward carrying a silver tray covered carefully with dark cloth. He approached respectfully before kneeling slightly beside him.

Without a word, he uncovered the cup resting atop the tray.

Dark crimson liquid shimmered faintly inside.

Fresh.

Warm.

The scent alone thickened the air immediately.

The butler lowered his head respectfully while offering it toward him.

Xandros took the cup silently.

"Leave." freēwēbnovel.com

"Yes, Your grace."

The older man bowed once more before disappearing again without another question.

Alone once more, Xandros lifted the cup slowly.

Then drank all of it in one swallow.

The effect came instantly.

The poison inside his body recoiled violently beneath the fresh strength flowing through his veins. Heat faded gradually from beneath his skin while the dark cracks near his collarbone disappeared little by little.

Silence returned afterward.

Then...

someone appeared beside him.

A woman.

Long black hair moved softly beneath the wind while familiar green eyes rested quietly on him. Her pale dress shifted against the rooftop stones as though she had always been standing there beside him.

Saline.

Xandros looked at her for several seconds.

Then softly...

he smirked.

"I was wondering when you’d appear."

The woman said nothing.

Of course she didn’t.

She never truly spoke anymore.

Not since becoming only memory.

Xandros leaned back slightly against the cold stone afterward, his silver-grey eyes lifting toward the distant moon.

"I suppose I owe you an apology."

Still silence.

A faint breeze passed through Saline’s dark hair.

Xandros exhaled quietly.

"For a long time..." he admitted softly, "...I kept searching for you in everyone else."

His voice remained calm.

But quieter than usual.

"I hated that you died."

The words lingered heavily beneath the night sky.

"And I hated even more that the world continued afterward."

Saline remained beside him silently.

Beautiful.

Untouched by time.

Exactly as he remembered.

Xandros lowered his gaze briefly afterward before letting out a soft breath.

"But then she appeared."

For the first time that night...

something genuinely warm crossed his expression.

Small.

Barely noticeable.

Yet real.

"Rosaline is troublesome," he murmured quietly. "She argues with me constantly. She stares too much. She nearly broke my nose five minutes after waking up."

A faint chuckle escaped him.

Soft and low.

"And somehow..." his voice lowered slightly, "...I like her exactly as she is."

The rooftop fell silent again.

Xandros looked toward Saline afterward.

His expression softened fully this time.

Not grief.

Not guilt.

Acceptance.

"I ..." he admitted quietly, "...I’m finally letting you go."

The wind shifted gently through the rooftop.

Then slowly...

Saline turned toward him.

For the first time since appearing, she smiled.

Warmly.

Proudly.

And then she vanished quietly.

Gone like moonlight disappearing beneath dawn.

Xandros remained seated there quietly for several seconds afterward.

He had known for centuries that she was dead.

But tonight...

for the first time...

he stopped waiting for her to return.

Because somewhere along the way...

without realizing it...

Rosaline had already entered the empty place inside him.

Not because she resembled someone else.

Not because fate demanded it.

Not because of magic.

Simply because she was Rosaline.

And somehow...

she had taken his heart with her.

Dangerous woman.

Xandros eventually stood afterward before returning quietly through the silent mansion halls.

When he stepped back inside the chamber...

Rosaline was still asleep exactly where he left her.

One wing remained half-curled around the blankets while moonlight rested softly across her pale hair.

Xandros watched her for a moment.

Then finally moved toward the bed again.

This time...

he laid beside her.

Carefully.

Rosaline shifted instinctively in her sleep moments later, unconsciously moving closer until her head rested lightly against his chest.

Xandros looked down at her silently.

Then closed his eyes.

Morning arrived softly.

Golden sunlight filtered through the curtains while distant birds echoed faintly outside the estate.

Rosaline woke first.

For several seconds, she remained still in confusion.

Warmth surrounded her.

Steady and comforting.

Then the realization struck.

Her eyes widened instantly.

She was laying directly on top of Xandros.

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her head rested against his chest while one of his arms remained loosely around her waist.

Rosaline froze completely.

Oh no.

Very carefully...

very slowly...

she attempted to escape.

One inch at a time.

If she moved quietly enough, perhaps..

A strong arm suddenly tightened around her waist.

Rosaline gasped softly.

Before she could react, Xandros pulled her effortlessly back against him until her entire body rested fully atop his this time.

Her breath caught instantly.

Xandros finally opened his eyes afterward.

Grey met wide green.

His voice came low from sleep.

"Where exactly do you think you’re going," he murmured, "after sleeping on my chest the entire night?"

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Thank you everyone for reading this book and power stones.

Xx.