The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Chapter 178

’Why did she look so scared?’ Kiara wondered, trying to understand her mother’s behaviour throughout dinner.

Kiara couldn’t place if it was all about the possibility of them having another half sibling or if it was about her mentioning Lord Ambrose.

"If I ask father, he will only get angry with me for mentioning the lord. What secret does mother have?" Kiara asked, trying to fill in the missing dots.

Knowing one of her mother’s secrets would work in her favour. It wasn’t a good feeling to be arguing with her mother so she needed something to silence her mother.

’Did she have an affair?’ Kiara first wondered but then she dropped the thought as her mother was too weak to do such a thing.

"Tonight was entertaining. Mother finally spoke back a little though it didn’t help her to stay in the palace. One of you," Kiara addressed the maids behind her. "Find out anything said between the king and queen tonight. I will reward you handsomely if you do."

Something was happening right before her and Kiara did not want to be left out of knowing secrets. Secrets got her the things she wanted.

Kiara smiled when she noticed a familiar face waiting outside her door. This one was more well-behaved.

"Princess," Mathias bowed his head slightly. "Your maid came to me."

"That is because I wanted to see you. Leave us," Kiara ordered her servants.

Mathias was puzzled by her calling upon him since she was always more interested in Alexander but he welcomed her showing him some attention. He had always offered his help to get Alexander closer to the princess and now she might be finally seeing his worth.

"Where is Alexander?" Kiara asked, straight to the point. She didn’t have time for pleasant greetings when Alexander could be anywhere with another woman. "You are the one he is closest to so do not lie that you have not seen him."

"You must forgive me, princess. Alexander and I have not been getting along lately so he left without telling me. It came as a surprise to me and also a slap in the face that he just left. I feel like I have lost a brother," said Mathias.

Mathias truly considered Alexander a fool now since he gave up what he worked so hard for just to chase after Rose. Again, Mathias had to wonder why it was that Kiara set her eyes on Alexander instead of him. He would have married the princess a long time ago if she only gave him the chance.

He would even settle to be her secret lover if she would help him raise his status.

"So, he has not hurt only me. Do you have a woman like a sister to you named Rose? You do," Kiara noticed, his expression giving it away. "Is she truly like a sister to Alexander or has she been something more?"

Mathias hesitated to speak on Rose. Why was everyone so curious about a simple whore? Their interest in Rose started to fuel his curiosity about Rose once more. Was she that charming as a whore?

"Speak before I lose my patience with you," Kiara said, annoyed by his hesitation.

If not for Mathias’s close relationship with the man she loved, she would have sent him out of the palace long ago. Kiara sensed that he was greedy, which she liked since it was easy to make use of him but he couldn’t stay beside Alexander.

"Rose was a friend we took care of. She was an orphan like us so we cared for her but then we didn’t see each other for eight years. I have been warning Alexander to stay away from her since we are different now. He is in a better position where he might be used by her. I don’t know if I should say something like this to-"

"Be out with it now," Kiara encouraged Mathias.

"She was once a woman who sold her body in a brothel. While Alexander and I worked hard to make something of ourselves, she turned to using her body. She knows the past of Alexander and I would like to keep it hidden. How we have struggled and I know she must be angry that we could not take her along with us in the past," Mathias revealed.

He continued, "Alexander once saw her as nothing more than a sister and I fear she is making use of that for her benefit. I don’t want her around my friend but he will not listen because of her sad story of turning to men. He feels like he let her down. That is why he goes to her."

"It appears that I greatly underestimated her. Her innocent look works well to hide her cunning ways. He is too kind for his good but I know you have twisted the story," Kiara replied, knowing Mathias was not to be trusted. "The only truth I know is that you hate her and the brothel story might not be a lie."

It made sense to Kiara how Rose was standing beside Zayne. He would make a wonderful customer if she was still selling her body. The dress Rose wore had been out of season yet pretty, giving away she gathered what little money she had to buy it.

"Her charm is dangerous. She has the general and Alexander both caring for her. If it is true that she knows secrets from his past then she is a danger to him and my future. Forget what you were tasked to do. You now must bring Alexander back to the palace and kill Rose," Kiara ordered Mathias.

Mathias resisted the urge to smile as he knew the princess’s jealousy would leave her wanting to get rid of Rose. His only concern was him being the one to do it since it would never repair his friendship with Alexander.

He had to think about the future. If Alexander ended up with the princess, he might still hold on to Rose’s death and punish Mathias.

"Are you thinking about your friendship? You can pay someone else to be the one to take her life. I am only placing the responsibility of her dying on you. If she doesn’t die, then you will not step foot back in the palace. If you succeed you are in luck as I am thinking of replacing the commander," Kiara said, knowing he would take the bait.

Mathias wanted more in life and he would do just about anything to get it. It was why she didn’t want him around Alexander to later stab Alexander in the back.

Mathias’s smile finally showed as he thought about replacing Richard. "I will leave right away to do as you instructed me. This loyal servant will not disappoint you."

Mathias already plotted how he would get rid of Rose. It was easy to hire a few men to kill her and hide his part in it. ’Commander Mathias,’ he thought. It was far higher than where he thought he would be in the army.

Kiara remained by her door watching as Mathias walked off like an excited little fool. If he was smart he would have had her swear that he would be the one to replace the current commander instead of hinting at it. "Fool," she shook her head. "He needs to die as well."

She couldn’t have anyone leeching off of Alexander and from what Mathias said, he also knew Alexander’s secrets. These secrets would die with Alexander’s old friends.