Though she had studied the map of the palace and roughly memorized it for the mission, Rosa hadn't expected the Queen's back garden to be such a maze. If it weren't for the King's towering palace in her line of sight, she might have genuinely lost her way. She was almost there when she overheard guards talking nearby and quickly hid herself among the bushes.
"Did you see Count Highmore just now?" one guard said.
"Yes, I heard he was granted an audience with His Majesty," the second guard replied. "He looked very pleased walking out of the King's palace. Must mean His Majesty is doing better."
Damn it! I'm too late. Rosa's inner rage flared when she realized she had missed Dorian's exit. No, he can't be too far. My mission has not failed yet.
