The King's Lover
Chapter 154: The Men

Chapter 154: The Men

"The men who kidnap—"

"Shut it!" Caius said and sprang to his feet. For some reason, he didn’t want Rose to know anything about what he was doing until he had all the answers.

Rose couldn’t help the smile on her face as Caius rose. She was so relieved that she almost didn’t process Rylen’s words, but they were too clear to miss. She was the only one who had been kidnapped—unless there was someone else she was unaware of.

Was the crown prince doing something about it?

However, his reaction made it a little hard to say for sure. She watched him walk away from the table and toward the door. But instead of walking out, he turned to her. Rose held her breath—he was close enough to touch. He loomed over her, their height difference obvious as she tried her best to appear small.

"I will see you tonight. Don’t be late! I expect thanks for my help," he smirked and turned away from her. He walked out of the door, shutting it behind him.

Rose collapsed to the ground and remained there for a moment. How much longer did she have to bear any of this? How long did he really intend to keep her here? None of their conversations had entailed that, and Rose prayed she wouldn’t have to deal with him again during the day.

"What was that about?" Caius asked angrily as the door shut behind him.

"How else am I supposed to let you know this is important?" Rylen asked with a straight face. fre\e(w)ebn ov.e l\. co.m

Caius glared at him and then started walking to his private study. He was still annoyed. He knew Rylen wouldn’t have given anything away, but he had said enough to give Rose a clue. Caius didn’t like that.

"Is this the prior engagement, Your Grace?" Rylen asked when Caius didn’t reply.

"Are you mocking me?" Caius asked without looking at him.

"Absolutely not, Your Grace. I’m simply inquiring, considering I had to tell the Queen you had something of the utmost importance to attend to."

"You know your tone enrages me," Caius replied.

"I would prefer it no other way," Rylen replied without missing a beat.

His words stopped Caius dead in his tracks, and he turned around to give his cousin a death stare. "What did you just say?" Caius asked.

"I jest, Your Grace," Rylen replied, but the twinkle in his eyes said otherwise.

Caius turned away from his cousin. He had a way of saying things like this with a straight face. He knew his cousin was behind him no matter what he did, but Rylen tended to let him know exactly what he was thinking whenever the chance came.

They got to his private study, which was located downstairs, and Caius stopped just as they reached the front of it. "You," he pointed to a guard. "Get me Henry."

The guard bowed and moved to obey Caius’s order without saying a word. Rylen stood by the entrance as he waited for the guards to open the door. He gave Caius a puzzled look at his order.

"What?" Caius asked as he walked into the study first.

Rylen was quick to follow after him. "The steward—will he be joining us?" Rylen asked with a furrowed brow.

"Of course not. The matter with Henry is completely different from this one. I simply need him to do a few things for me." Caius dropped into his seat and stared into space with a smirk on his face.

Rylen didn’t like that look. He knew exactly what it meant, and something told him the redhead might have something to do with it. Rylen neither approved nor disapproved of her presence.

He was glad Caius had something to be obsessed with instead of causing havoc as usual, but he wasn’t sure about this. He was also worried about how long this would carry on—and he knew the poor woman had a fiancé.

Rylen didn’t like to think of such things. Being the future King of Velmount must be a heavy burden to bear, and worse, Caius’s childhood was nothing like a normal one. Furthermore, his decisions haven’t failed them yet. Rylen truly believed in the crown prince.

"Now, what about the men that kidnapped Rose?" he asked.

"They are dead!" Rylen said.

"What?" Caius asked, but he wasn’t really shocked.

"You don’t sound shocked."

Caius shrugged. "I suspected. How do you know they are dead?" He had thought about the possibility— the lord seemed to be cleaning his tracks pretty well.

"The guards found their bodies in a nearby empty well when the trail turned cold. They’ve been dead for a while. They only just left the capital."

"That was fast," Caius replied. "Sounds like they were killed the same night."

Rylen nodded. "I agree. Nothing useful was found on them."

"I didn’t expect any less. They were simply used by whomever sent them here." Caius’s gaze turned cold.

"What else would Your Grace like me to do?" Rylen asked.

Caius shook his head. "Nothing for now. Just keep an eye on the masked auction. As soon as they break any rule, let me know."

"At once," Rylen replied.

Caius’s main goal was to find out who was in charge of it. He knew it would go a long way in resolving everything. However, his father seemed to be protecting this lord. Caius narrowed his eyes. Still, regardless of his irritation about the situation, he could be patient.

He doubted the lord would appreciate the new change. Caius expected some kind of revolt soon enough. In the meantime, he would get himself ready.

A soft knock pulled him from his thoughts and toward the door, just as it was thrown open and the steward walked in with a worried look on his face. He bowed to both princes.

"Your Highness, Prince Rylen."

"Henry," Caius called with an upbeat tone.

This did nothing to cheer Henry up; rather, it frightened him even more, and he started to sweat. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Come closer, Henry. I have a small, simple task for you."