Said No to the Prince and Yes to the King novel Chapter 64

Rejected by the Crown Prince? | Married His Uncle

Chapter 64 Taken

Finished

The other man appeared ready to haul Theodore away, but before he could act, a sharp call came from outside the window.

“Quit lingering in there! Get a move on!”

“Right–coming!”

The younger man’s voice carried in again, brisk and dismissive. “Leave the fellow be. He’s not worth the coin anyway. Just take the woman.”

The middle–aged man lingered beside the bed, letting out a regretful sigh. “Pity to abandon such a fine- looking lad. If we weren’t pressed for time, I’d circle back for him later. Best pull out for now.”

His companion’s tone turned scornful. “What’s a man’s price these days? Only worry is he might wake and make trouble tomorrow. Rather than bother tying him up and dragging him along, we might as well slit his throat and be done.”

“The boss said no killing.”

“Then let’s go. Stop wasting daylight.”

They moved briskly, and soon Margaret was tossed onto a wooden cart.

She lay perfectly still, mind racing.

They had taken only her. Surely Theodore would track them quietly–wouldn’t he?

She wondered whether the gamble was worth it.

Perhaps she should have simply killed the men outright.

But if she had, setting aside all else, she would have lost any chance of finding Carol’s granddaughter.

Remembering the gentle warmth in Carol’s eyes, Margaret felt conviction harden within her.

She had to save those poor girls.

The cart rattled over uneven ground for a short while before Margaret felt herself being lifted off–likely by the same two men.

The middle–aged man grunted, “She looks sturdy enough, but she’s light to carry. What were you panting about earlier?”

“Carrying her’s one thing–try hauling her over your shoulder yourself,” the younger one shot back.

As they spoke, they gave her a rough heave. Margaret felt a jolt of pain through her body before she struck hard, packed earth.

That hurt.

11:33 am

Chapter 64 Taken

Those two clearly had no notion of handling a woman gently.

Then their footsteps began to fade, though snippets of conversation still reached her.

“Not many young maids left in this hamlet. Tomorrow we shift elsewhere.”

“Didn’t you hear the boss? We need to move this lot before first light.”

“The ones we took from other villages–most are sold already?”

“Aye. These local girls need to be taken farther to market.”

Finished

The voices drifted away. Carefully, Margaret opened her eyes. Darkness enveloped her, broken only by a faint, flickering glow in the distance–likely from a doorway where the voices had been.

As her vision adjusted, she made out the shape of a simple, barren room. In one corner stood a narrow cot; scattered across the floor were several motionless figures.

Some lay with garments in disarray, others trembled uncontrollably. All shared the same fate: hands and feet bound tightly, some gagged with coarse cloth, their eyes hollow and fixed ahead.

Margaret’s own wrists and ankles had been tied while on the cart. With effort, she managed to sit up.

She counted quietly: at least six or seven women in the room, surely those taken from the village.

One of them, noticing her movement, let out a muffled whimper.

Working by the dim light seeping under the door, Margaret quietly sawed through her bonds with a small blade she kept concealed. Then she crept closer and gently removed the gag from the nearest woman’s mouth.

“I’m here to help you. Stay quiet,” she whispered.

The woman lying beside her was little more than a shadow, her expression unreadable in the gloom. Her breath came in ragged hitches. “Don’t… don’t move. They’ll catch you.”

Margaret glanced toward the door where the ruffians still chatted idly. Slowly, she helped the woman sit up, leaning her against the cold stone wall behind.

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