The Crown and The Rose
Chapter 66: A Corpse

Chapter 66: A Corpse

The Crown

The bustling streets of the red-light district are doing little to penetrate Rosalia’s pointed stare and the tension between us. Erick has a confused look in his eyes as his eyes bounce between us. I can feel Zhen Xin squirming inside my pocket as I lower my head and contemplate what should I say now.

Rosalia has caught me off guard and now she knows just what is going on in my mind. This is the last thing that I wanted to happen.

"You have an explanation?" She demands, from her voice, she doesn’t really seem all that pleased.

I scrunch my nose as various scents of flowers and incense graze my nostrils. It’s oddly infuriating, "You can’t expect me to forget him overnight, Rose." I say in my defense.

"But you can try to." She inclines her head toward the buzzing streets of the pleasure districts. The lanterns are swaying from the night breeze and it’s buzzing with light. I can even faintly hear the moans of pleasure from the nearby building, making me even more uncomfortable than I already was. "And this is the best option, Lush. Sleep with people. It will get your mind off him."

"Excuse me?" Erick intercepts us, "May I know, exactly what is happening? Who are you guys talking about?" He is clueless about what is happening here.

Rosalia turns to him exasperatedly, "And you call yourself, his guard dog? You don’t even know what is your owner going through?"

"What?" Erick tilts his head to the side a little, "Is he horny?"

I can’t help but snort, biting my lip so that I won’t laugh. Rosalia looks dejected, "What the fuck...?"

I burst out laughing and I feel Zhen Xin too shaking with laughter inside my pocket, "Oh, Erick, can you not think about anything but sex?"

"Well, Lush, this is the only thing that I am best at," He blinks innocently, "So, I think it’s pretty natural to think about it only. I just can’t help but think when I will be able to relieve myself again." His demeanor changes to a slightly excited one.

I chuckle. It’s good that I still have Zhen Xin and Erick by my side to keep me entertained and light-hearted. Though I still miss Edward a lot.

Rosalia slaps her forehead and shakes her head in defeat, "Okay now, we have to find a job." There is a long heavy hood pulled over her head, blocking her face from everyone else in the streets.

She is the crown princess of this Empire so, it is pretty obvious that everyone would know her. But it’s a bit different for me. I doubt anyone here would even know what I look like, so I let the hood fall from my head, brushing against the silver strands of my hair. Though I have tied the long hair into a braid, the wild strands are slipping free, making it look messy.

"What job?" I ask, blinking in confusion.

"Have you lost your brain as well in love, Lush?" She snickers, "How do you plan to investigate the area if you don’t want to get a job? There is no inn or hotel in the area. I can blend into the prostitutes."

"No, you are not." I grab her elbow, my grip firm, "You are not acting like a prostitute for my sake. I won’t allow it. You should return to the palace now. Everyone is maybe freaking out that you are not there. I can handle it from now on."

"No." She retaliates, "I am not leaving you alone, Lush." She is looking deeply into my eyes, there is a look of determination on her face, "Not when you need me the most. Hell, even Edward isn’t here. What the fuck did he choose over you?" She reaches out and creases my cheeks with her thumb, warmly.

I lean to her touch, "Please...? Do it for me?" I look at her with a pleading look in my eyes, hoping she will melt.

She looks conflicted as she replies to my plead, "Lush... I don’t—"

"Will you guys please stop being like this? All lovey-dovey?" Erick scoffs, he is looking like he is about to get sick, "This is a poison to my eyes. Other than that, we can also investigate from the palace. We will just have Zhen Xin give us a drive here."

"I am only giving His Highness rides." Zhen Xin retorts from my pocket, making Erick grimace.

"Or we can just take a few horses," Erick adds.

"That sounds good." I acknowledge, "This just might work."

"Yes, so no one has to be a prostitute or no one has to fuck random girls. And nobody has to be so lovey-dovey." He says pointedly.

Rosalia rolls her eyes at him and I grin smugly. So Erick’s brain does work when mine doesn’t.

There is suddenly a commotion, people are shouting, and running in a particular direction. They all are horrified. The three of us don’t think twice before we start to run with them. There is a large crowd surrounding a brothel. The three of us push through the huge amount of people, there are horrified shouts everywhere. I can hear a few women crying.

My heart clenches as I continue to push past them. Zhen Xin gets out of my pocket and climbs onto my shoulder as the crowd gets denser as I push forward. I at last manage to invade the thick assembly of the people. My lungs expand as I take in a full breath. But my breath catches in my throat before it can even enter my lungs. My pupil shrinks as I take in the sight before me.

There are times when I have seen far disgusting things but there are rare occasions when I actually get to see this kind of thing.

It’s a corpse. A corpse of a prostitute, And this is a corpse that makes my stomach sick. For the first time in my life...