The seven days passed as though they were seven long years. Inside the palace, Rona succeeded in returning the necklace to its hidden chest without anyone noticing. Yet she was no longer the calm princess she had once been. She watched the guards in the corridors with wary eyes, seeing them not as protectors, but as instruments of injustice. Alden's words about his father and their confiscated cart lingered heavily in her thoughts.
Meanwhile, in the marketplace, Alden felt as though someone was breathing down his neck. Fenwick—the greedy overseer of workers, known for his connections with certain palace guards—had been watching Alden's alley ever since the day of the inspection. He had seen the "veiled woman" entering and leaving Yassin's house, and he knew that behind that veil lay a secret worth its weight in gold.
Thursday—the awaited day:
Rona slipped through the streets as usual, but this time she carried a small pouch hidden beneath her cloak. Inside were gold coins she had saved over years. She intended to compensate Alden's family for what the guards had taken from them.
She reached Alden's house and knocked lightly. He opened the door at once, pulling her inside, his face filled with worry.
"You came… I thought you had come to your senses and wouldn't return to this danger," Alden said, glancing through the crack of the door before shutting it tightly.
"I couldn't sleep, Alden," Rona replied, placing the pouch on the table. "This isn't charity. It's only a small part of what is rightfully yours… of the blood that was lost because of my procession. Take it, and rebuild your family's life."
Alden looked at the gold with bitterness. Before he could speak, a disgusting laugh suddenly broke through the silence, followed by a violent pounding on the door—so strong it nearly tore the wood from its hinges.
Fenwick.
"Well, well… what a generous visit, Alden! A poor boy hosting a lady in a royal veil? Don't you think such news deserves to reach the Captain of the Guard?" Fenwick shouted from behind the door.
Rona froze. Alden's face turned pale. The danger was no longer only the guards—it was now a snitch from the marketplace, hungry for the reward of betrayal.
"Hide in the cellar. Now!" Alden whispered urgently to Rona, gripping an old axe beside the hearth. "If he comes in and sees you… he won't leave alive."