The King's Lover
Chapter 142: More To Lose

Chapter 142: More To Lose

Rose was not surprised when she was skipped for lunch—at least they brought her breakfast. The day before, she had only had lunch and dinner, but the two meals were mostly enough to make up for the rest of the day. freew\e bnovel.com

Dinner was especially better and Rose knew without a doubt that Edna was behind her last night’s dinner. The difference between that and the breakfast was enough for her to know.

In her bid to pass the time, she had played some flute, hoping that since it was daytime, the sound might not carry too far. She played softly at first, but soon enough she got lost in the melody. Rose played until she was tired, taking advantage of the fact that no one came to stop her. It was only when her throat started to hurt that she stopped playing.

The next time she saw another person after breakfast was when it was time for dinner. Rose half expected not to get dinner, but when she heard a knock, she jumped to her feet and rushed toward the door. She pulled it open to see Lily standing outside with a tray.

This tray was much better, and it didn’t look like the serving was meant to feed a dog. As soon as the door opened, Lily immediately stretched out the tray for Rose to take, but Rose pretended not to see her gesture because she knew as soon as she took the tray, the maid would be gone before she could ask any questions.

"Lily," she called, her face expressionless. She didn’t even have the energy to pretend she was happy to see her. "’Ow’s Edna?" she asked.

Lily narrowed her eyes and stretched the tray to her. "Here, better take it. I have to go now."

Rose glanced down at the tray but didn’t take it. "If I take this, you’ll leave, and I don’t know when next I’ll see you. You’re the only one I can ask about Edna."

Lily glared at Rose. She was still angry about the incident and even more so because Edna was currently overwhelmed with work. The maids were also forbidden from helping her, but Lily made sure to sneak in help whenever she could.

If only Edna had listened to her, she wouldn’t have to deal with the Queen’s wrath. But try as she might, Edna never listened. Edna had also forbidden Lily from telling Rose that she had been given more chores instead.

Edna said it wasn’t a big deal, and considering she had slacked off for almost a full week, it wasn’t such a bad deal. Lily couldn’t comprehend why Edna would walk through fire because of a stranger. Unlike her, neither of them had the favor of the crown prince and would get burned if they weren’t careful.

However, despite all this, she couldn’t completely be angry at Rose. Rose had tried to help Edna as soon as Lily told her. Rose was the only reason Edna didn’t get whipped, and Lily knew this. Though she still blamed Rose—as it was her fault in the first place—at least she got Edna out of the dungeons. She wasn’t all bad.

"If you don’t take it, I won’t say anything."

Rose looked torn, and it was clear she didn’t believe Lily, but what other choice did she have? Lily was the only other person who would speak to her and answer questions. With a dejected look, she stretched out her hand and accepted the tray.

"Edna said to tell you that she’ll try to see you when she can, but for now you have to manage on your own. Also, she said you should remember to ask the crown prince to let you leave the room, as staying locked up without seeing the sun can make one ill. That’s all!"

"Thank you, Lily," Rose said coldly. "Why didn’t you want to tell me in the first place?"

Lily glared at Rose, not appreciating her complaint. She sighed as though it were a chore to start speaking again. "Edna said she already told you all this, but I should still let you know because, knowing you, you won’t do anything unless she hammers on it. I thought it was pointless to repeat a message you’d already heard." free\we\bnov(e)(l).com

"It’s not pointless," Rose said, turning her back. "Thank you for bringing my food." She then shut the door loud enough to make it shake.

Rose angrily walked to her seat and ate. Perhaps she should speak to the crown prince about letting her out, but the only reason she hadn’t done that was because she was waiting for some time to pass. Rose didn’t think she could make requests from the crown prince without consequences.

This meant, considering the last one, she might not be able to make requests for a while—or could she? Rose stopped eating to stare into space. She didn’t know what to do. Should she completely take advantage of this? The crown prince was also unpredictable. Even if it looked like things were going her way a little, she had more to lose.

She was glad he had helped Edna, but who was to say he would listen to her next request? So, if she wanted to make a request, it needed to be important—and Rose already had the perfect one lined up. She had to send a message home. It was long overdue.

She had wanted to make this request as soon as the crown prince asked for her, but then the incident with Edna had taken precedence. Rose didn’t regret it; she knew she would do it again if asked.

If she was going to make a request, she might as well make it count. She was worried about her mother—and more importantly, she knew her parents were worried about her. She just wanted to let them know she was fine.

Perhaps she would ask that tonight. Or should she wait? There was no point— the crown prince was going to call on her as usual. It was best to hear his refusal and perhaps find some other alternative rather than stall any longer. If she couldn’t leave, she could at least send a message home.