Page 69 of The Hunter's Empire

I almost laugh. Not because the situation is funny. Because she didn't answer my question. Not even remotely.

"Roisin."

She looks away. "This alliance is important."

"Roisin."

Her jaw tightens. "It will secure our relationship with the Lindbergs for decades."

I stare at her for several seconds before finally asking the only question that seems to matter.

"Did anyone actually ask what you wanted?"

That finally gets a reaction. A real one. Not anger. Not sadness. Just silence. The kind of silence that tells me everything I need to know.

For a brief moment, she looks younger than she normally does. Someone who is simply tired. Very, very tired. And suddenly I understand exactly why she spent yesterday sitting alone while everyone else enjoyed themselves. Because none of this feels like a celebration to her. It feels like a sentence.

Roisin lets out a slow breath and lowers her gaze to the floor.

"This marriage will strengthen the family." She says again. "The Lindbergs control important routes throughout Scandinavia, and their influence reaches far beyond Sweden. This alliance secures relationships that the Keegans have spent years building."

The words sound practiced. Not because she believes them. Because she has repeated them so many times that they have become easier to say than the truth.

I study her face carefully, searching for some sign of excitement, some hint that she actually wants this future being handed to her. I find nothing.

"Helping your family doesn't mean sacrificing your entire life for them." I say. "And it certainly doesn't mean marrying a man you don't love."

Something flickers across her expression before disappearing. Pain. Resignation. Maybe both.

For a brief moment, an uncomfortable realization settles heavily in my chest. From an outsider's perspective, I probably sound like a hypocrite. My engagement to Sebastian wasn't exactly born from romance either. Business, politics, influence, security, those factors played a role in my decision too.

The difference is that nobody made that choice for me. Nobody stood in front of a room full of strangers and announced my future before I had the opportunity to speak. Nobody treated me like a bargaining chip.

Looking at Roisin now, I cannot shake the feeling that she never had the luxury of choosing anything for herself.

Almost immediately, her walls come back up. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." Her voice is polite. Firm. Final. "I'm tired."

With that, Roisin gives a small, distracted nod before turning away and continuing down the corridor.

I let her put some distance between us before I move. A few seconds pass. Then I quietly follow.

I tell myself it's because I'm worried. Maybe that's true. Maybe it isn't. All I know is that there was something in her expression back in the hall that I haven't been able to shake. The announcement had barely ended before she looked like she wanted to disappear entirely, and every instinct I possess is telling me not to let her out of my sight just yet.

The farther we move from the main hall, the quieter the estate becomes. The sounds of conversation and laughter gradually fade behind us, replaced by an almost eerie silence broken only by the distant echo of footsteps.

Roisin turns into one of the more secluded residential corridors. Then suddenly stops. Someone is standing in her path.

Instinctively, I step back behind the corner before I can be seen. It takes me only a second to recognize him. Conall Keegan.

At first glance, the interaction appears harmless. A concerned uncle stopping his niece after a major family announcement. That illusion lasts less than ten seconds.

Even from a distance, I notice the immediate change in Roisin's posture. Her shoulders stiffen. Her hands curl into tight fists at her sides before one of them drifts almost unconsciously to the sleeve of her dress, tugging the fabric lower despite the fact that the high neckline and long sleeves already leave almost nothing exposed. Most telling of all, she refuses to look directly at him.

A feeling of unease settles heavily in my stomach.

"There you are." Conall says, stepping directly into her path. "You've been avoiding me all morning."

"I haven't been avoiding anyone, uncle."