The King's Lover
Chapter 19: Summoned

Chapter 19: Summoned

Rose made her way to the servants’ quarters as quietly as she could. It wasn’t as busy as when she left, but some servants were still awake, and a few gave her odd stares as she approached. Rose clutched the robe she was wearing a little tighter. It was flimsy, and the night was a little cold.

There wasn’t any sign of Edith or any of the maids she had seen earlier. Not knowing what to do or where to stay, she made her way to the kitchen and sat on one of the benches. She pressed her knees together under the table and placed her head on the table. She didn’t know if she could stay there, but since no one asked her to leave, she would take that as a yes.

It took her a while to fall asleep. She was exhausted from the journey, but she was worried. She was certain the crown prince was angry, but all he had done was chase her out. Rose grabbed her head. He wasn’t that forgiving; she was certain she would pay for it one way or another. She just hoped it would be her and not her father.

"Wake up!"

Rose jerked, but her body was sluggish, and her eyes didn’t open immediately. They flew open the instant her hair was yanked, lifting her head off the table. Rose locked eyes with Martha, who let go of her hair.

"I said wake up!" she stated.

Rose rubbed her eyes, trying her best not to react to the stinging pain at the back of her head. The kitchen was quite busy; a servant was cooking by the fireplace, and others were rushing in and out of the kitchen. Rose still felt drowsy, so she knew it wasn’t that she had overslept—they just woke up pretty early.

"Edna, give her some dishes to wash. If she’s here, she might as well make herself useful."

"Are you sure?" Edna asked. "Her back must still be sore from last night."

This caused snickers to erupt from the rest of the maids. Whispers echoed in the small kitchen, and all Rose could do was pretend she didn’t hear them.

"That’s not your concern," Martha said, cutting the whispers short. "If she’s here, she will work."

"Well, I don’t know about that," Edna replied. "If Mister Henry asks, I’ll say it’s you."

Martha narrowed her eyes at her, and Edna turned her face to Rose. "Come here, Rose. If you don’t start now, you won’t finish the dishes in time for breakfast."

Rose slowly rose from the chair and made her way to Edna. It was no lie; there was a mountain of dishes to wash, but it didn’t look like she had to do it alone. Rose didn’t hate it; if she had chores to do, at least she wouldn’t think of her other failures.

---

Rose sat at the foot of the well at the back of the castle, close to the servants’ kitchen. She was still dressed in her clothes from last night. They were wet and sticking to her body, mostly around her legs. After she was done with the dishes, Martha didn’t think it was enough and had asked her to fetch water too.

She squinted her eyes as she stared at the sky. It was dawn not long ago, and she could see the sun peeking over the horizon. The heat was nice. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Was this how she was going to live from now on?

Rose had lost count of how many times she had taken water to the kitchen, and the drum she was filling didn’t seem to be getting close to the top. She was tired, famished and a nice bed to lie on would be nice. She had only just sat when she heard a voice. Rose sighed; she couldn’t catch a break. freew\ebno\vel..(c)om

"What are you doing here?" Martha asked as she marched over.

It was pretty clear what she was doing, so Rose didn’t bother to dignify Martha’s question with a response. She didn’t answer to the little lady. She only did as she said because what else could she do? She was in a strange place, didn’t know the rules, and couldn’t even speak because the maids always snickered whenever she did.

"I am speaking to you," Martha said with a glare. She walked closer and pulled on Rose’s arm, lifting her.

Rose pretended to stagger, being close to the well, it looked like she might fall in. The sheer panic and fear that appeared on Martha’s face gave her some respite from the hellish duties she had to endure this morning.

She used the edge of the well to support herself. "I am ex’austed. I am only takin’ a little break. I will get back to work soon enough."

"I am not calling you for more duties," she said. "The Queen has summoned us to the courtyard. We are to go there now."

Rose met Martha’s eyes. "’Ow does that concern me?"

"She said everyone in this household. You’re in this household, Rose. If the Queen calls, you come running."

Rose looked at her clothes. She couldn’t appear in front of the Queen like this. It was the Queen of Velmount. It would be disgraceful and disrespectful, but before she could comment on this, Martha grabbed her again and pulled her into the castle.

"Wait," Rose cried, but they were already through the side door. fr.eew eb novel..com

"Whatever it is, it can wait. If the Queen gets to the courtyard before the both of us..." She turned to look at Rose. "I like my head on my neck." fre\e(w)ebn ov.e l\. co.m

Rose swallowed the rest of her words. If Martha didn’t think there was anything wrong with her clothes, then it must be fine. She let the maid lead her toward the courtyard.

The courtyard was located in the middle of the castle. A huge oak tree stood in the center. Its branches stretched until they almost touched the walls. The huge oak cast a shade over most of the open space in the courtyard. There was a fountain at the right edge of the courtyard. The rushing water was the only other sound besides the chirping of birds coming from the oak tree.

The maids and manservants lined up. The men on one side and the women on the other. Martha placed her at the extreme end and rushed up to the other side. Rose tried to stretch her neck to see where Martha was headed, but the steward announced the presence of the Queen.