The King's Lover
Chapter 101: Disoriented

Chapter 101: Disoriented

Edna was only a foot into the hallway in the servants’ quarters when a figure appeared and blocked her path. She almost threw the herbs in her hands at the person. fre ewebno(v)e\l.(c)om

"W-What is going on here?!" Edna yelled, clearly irritated and startled.

"Edna," a soft voice said. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you."

Edna’s eyes narrowed as she recognized the voice and saw the face. The hallway wasn’t brightly lit, and Edna wasn’t holding a light. She couldn’t take the lamp from Rose’s room, and at the time she didn’t think she needed it, as she knew her way and assumed there would be a decent number of torches in the servants’ quarters.

Edna would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised to see Martha—especially with how timid she sounded. She even apologized for startling her. If Rose wasn’t unconscious, she would have thought today was a great day.

"I wasn’t frightened," Edna said, her irritated tone intensifying. "I was just startled. What do you want?"

"Is Rose awake yet?" she asked.

"Why do you care?" Edna asked. She didn’t have time to chit-chat with Martha; she just wanted to do what she had been asked to do and return to Rose. For all she knew, the physician might need her presence.

"I was just wondering and worried. I spoke to the maids. They said she arrived at the castle bleeding."

There were tears in Martha’s eyes as she spoke, but Edna knew it had nothing to do with Rose’s present state and everything to do with Martha herself.

"Has she said anything about what happened to her?" Martha pestered when Edna didn’t respond.

"How is that any of your business? Didn’t you say she snuck out of the castle? What she has to say shouldn’t matter to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do," Edna said and brushed past Martha, almost pushing her to the ground.

She didn’t turn around to see if Martha fell or not. She hoped Martha would get everything she deserved. At first, she had been unsure if Martha lied, but after what just happened, she was certain Martha had lied about it and now she was worried Rose would tell everyone what really happened. f .r e\ewebnov(e)(l).c om

Edna giggled to herself. They weren’t completely out of the water yet, as Rose was still asleep and bleeding, but at least she was back in the castle. Edna had a feeling this place was much safer than anywhere else she could have been. .com

After the herbs boiled, she took the kettle and a cup, placed them on a tray, and quickly made her way to the crown prince’s wing. She also took some snacks and tea for the physician. He didn’t ask, but she figured anyone would want some. There was no sign of Martha on her way back, and truthfully, she was grateful she didn’t run into Martha again.

Edna got to the door and knocked twice before pushing it open. She opened the door to see the physician reading a book. He pulled the book away from his face as Edna walked into the room.

"I boiled the herbs, Your Lordship," she said with a curtsy before walking closer.

"Just place them on the table," he said absentmindedly and returned to reading.

"I also brought snacks and tea," Edna said.

Paul visibly paused and took his eyes off the book. He stared at nothing for a bit as if considering her offer, then he shrugged. "Let me have some."

"At once," Edna said happily and quickly served them to him, pulling a small table next to Paul. She placed the tea and snacks, then moved away.

He slowly ate as he read while Edna stood to the side of the bed. She kept her head low and stayed quiet. Her job was to watch Rose and she intended to do it properly even if it took all night.

———

Rose woke up slowly. The first thing she noticed was the burning sensation in her stomach that seemed to have spread everywhere. She turned on the bed, trying to run away from it, but she couldn’t fall asleep again.

"I think she’s waking up," she heard a familiar voice say.

"Yes, it would seem that way," a strange voice replied. They both sounded tired, but this particular voice sounded a little too close.

Rose’s eyes flew open, and she was met with sparkling green eyes staring down at her. She yelped, shocked and scared.

"Whoa," he said with a lazy smile. "I wouldn’t advise you to move too much."

No sooner did the words leave his mouth than Rose felt like she had been hit by a horse. She grabbed her abdomen and slowly breathed in and out to keep from crying out.

"Here, drink this," he said, shoving a cup right in her face. "It should help you feel better."

Rose blinked. She had just woken up; she was still disoriented and couldn’t even recognize her surroundings. There was also a strange man trying to force her to drink something equally strange.

"Would you like me to help you?" a familiar voice offered.

Rose slowly turned her head, and there was Edna. She had been directly beside her head, unlike the doctor who sat right in front of her, so it had been hard to see Edna unless Rose turned her head slightly to the side.

"Edna," she called her name like a prayer as tears pooled in her eyes. She was happy to see the petite woman and instinctively stretched out her hands to her.

"Rose," Edna called, and her lower lip quivered. She grabbed Rose’s hands and squeezed. "It’s so good to see you again. I’m so glad you’re awake."

When she was in the cage, aside from her family, Edna was the person she thought of the most. She had worried that she might never see her again. As much as she hated the castle, Edna was a ray of sunshine to her.

"I have so many things to ask you, but for now, I need you to drink this." She pulled her hands away from Rose and took the cup from the doctor.