The King's Lover
Chapter 181: Insufferable

Chapter 181: Insufferable

Rose could see the frown lines on Thomas’s face. She could not believe he was falling for such a simple trick. It was hilarious and unbelievable at the same time. She was also having a hard time holding her laugh in.

Footsteps drew their attention to the stairs, and Rose saw that the guard was back. She forgot all about trying to get Thomas to tell her where the crown prince was and paid full attention to the stairway.

At first, it seemed like he was alone because Edna was that short, but soon enough, her black hair peeked out over the top of the stairs as she climbed up and reached the landing.

Edna seemed a bit worried as she looked left and right, but as soon as her eyes rested on Rose, a bright smile appeared on her face, and she forgot she was being led by the royal guard. She rushed past him to meet Rose.

"You’re out of the room! When I heard I had to come here because of the crown..." Edna stopped speaking, and her eyes widened in horror when she realized Rose was not alone. "Lord T-Thomas." Her voice shook as she curtsied.

She turned her head to the side and asked Rose, "What is he doing here?" She asked by just moving her lips.

"I don’t know," Rose mouthed back.

"Is this the servant?" Thomas asked Rose, refusing to acknowledge Edna’s greeting.

Edna slowly stood to her full height but kept her head down and scooted toward Rose. "He seems insufferable," Edna whispered, but it was still loud enough for Thomas to hear.

"Ah, yes!" Rose replied loudly, hoping to cover what Edna had just said. \n(o)v.e\l.com

"You!" Thomas said, pointing rudely at Edna. He didn’t seem to have heard what the maid said about him. "Take us to the place." freeNovelFire

Edna looked at Rose. Her expression seemed to ask if Thomas was okay, and Rose had to do her best to hold back her laughter. The maid hadn’t changed one bit—she was still as reckless as ever.

"Remember the spot you said you’d take me to if I did leave the room," Rose explained further.

Edna smiled. "Of course, I remember. This way," she said and grabbed Rose’s arm.

Rose let herself get pulled toward the stairs while an angry Thomas stomped behind them.

"Why are you with him?" Edna asked.

Rose closed her eyes. Did the maid not care if Thomas heard? "The crown prince’s orders. Lord Thomas makes sure I leave my room every day," she whispered.

"Oh, so that’s what the rumors were about."

"What rumors?" Rose asked in horror.

"That you’ve been going around with the knight Thomas. They meant literally."

Rose’s eyes widened, but she didn’t dare ask Edna in what other way she had thought it was meant. She didn’t want to know. She was more concerned that it wasn’t only Edna who had these thoughts.

"Don’t look like that," Edna smirked. "I was only teasing."

"Hey! Stop!" Thomas suddenly ordered.

Edna glanced at Rose, and Rose said a silent prayer, but the maid managed to hold her tongue. "Yes, Lord Thomas," she said and came to a complete stop.

"That’s not the direction of the front doors," Thomas said as he walked closer to them.

"No, Your Lordship, the side doors by the servants’ quarters are a shorter route. Going through the front door is almost twice the journey."

"The servants’ quarters," Thomas said, completely appalled. One would think Edna had asked him to go through the sewer.

"Yes, Lord Thomas," Edna said softly, with the tone one would use to speak to a pet.

Rose was scared for Edna, but Thomas didn’t seem to notice her tone. Rose wondered if it was because Edna used his title every time she addressed him. Was that why he didn’t realize she was being a little rude, or was he too stupid to realize?

"Absolutely not!" Thomas said, adamant. "We go through the front doors." .com

"This is faster, Lord Thomas," Rose tried to join in, but all this seemed to do was make Thomas even angrier.

"As you wish, Lord Thomas," Edna said, realizing the situation might get out of hand.

Edna started walking again and changed direction toward the front doors. Rose hated this decision as soon as they were closer to the main section of the castle. It was filled with servants and guards. Rose’s gaze narrowed—it seemed even more crowded than it had the day before.

"Guests have started arriving," Edna whispered. "The servants’ quarters would have been less crowded."

She caught sight of two ladies walking down the stairs. One glance and Rose could tell they were nobility. They both had on hats and held fans over their faces, so it was hard to see what they looked like, but Rose couldn’t miss the condescending glare.

Rose was happy when they got out the front doors, but it didn’t seem like the troubles were over. The front was just as busy. She caught sight of Henry barking orders at a few servants but he didn’t seem to notice her. Some were trimming the hedges, and another set were polishing the statues. Rose thought it odd, as they had all done it the day before.

"This way," Edna said and led her to the side of the castle.

This part was less rowdy, and a few servants were tending to this section. Edna led them quickly until they got to the end of the castle, almost to the stables. It was quite the walk.

Rose’s eyes narrowed as she started to recognize the scenery, even though this was the first time she had seen it during the day. Thomas never took her behind the castle. She knew if she paid attention, she could almost find the exit of the secret passageway.

"Hey! Stop!" His voice suddenly called out once again, interrupting her thoughts.

Edna stopped immediately and sighed. The both of them slowly turned around and faced Thomas. Both wondered if Thomas didn’t know more words.

"Your Lordship?" Edna said in that same tone. She kept her head low as she spoke.

"Where are you going? At this point, we might reach the forest," his eyes narrowed as he stared at both of them suspiciously.