The King's Lover
Chapter 221: Ruined

Chapter 221: Ruined

Rose stood with her back pressed against the closed doors and her hands over her mouth. The bouquet fell to the floor, one of the flowers coming loose. It didn’t make a single sound as it dropped to the floor, just as Rose did her best to keep her screams in.

She couldn’t believe the sight in front of her, and she just stood unmoving by the door as her eyes scanned the room. Who could have done this? But as soon as she mentally asked the question, Rose already knew the answer.

She pulled her hand away from her lips when she was confident that she wouldn’t scream. Rose took a shaky step forward, kicking the bouquet out of the way, but she was too dazed to pay attention to it. She staggered forward, one step at a time.

She stopped and bent to pick up a piece that was just at the edge of the bed. She could easily recognize the wine garment anywhere. Rose moved around the room gathering several pieces; she lost count by the tenth one.

The pieces varied in size from very small to large. It looked like someone had viciously ripped it. She doubted they had used any kind of cutting instrument. It looked like the dress had been attacked by a pair of strong hands.

The pieces led her to the front of her wardrobe—it had been flung open and remained so. At the foot of the wardrobe was the largest part of her dress. She couldn’t call it that anymore; it was nothing but a rag. It was beyond fixing.

The dress she wore to the ball had been ripped to shreds and the pieces were scattered around the room. Rose gathered all of them in her hands. She knew this was the handiwork of the Queen, but the fear and horror she felt weren’t because of the dress she saw. Rather, it was because the Queen now knew it was her—and this had been done to the dress. Who knew what the Queen would do to her?

Rose gripped tightly onto the fabric and immediately jerked her head towards the dresser. The pieces fell from her hands as she walked toward it, her heart nearly beating out of her chest.

She didn’t know if whoever had come into her room had just destroyed the dress or perhaps destroyed something else. Rose turned the key and pulled open the drawer; the relief she felt was enough to make her legs give out.

They were still there—her father’s gifts. Rose shut the drawer and walked back toward the dress. Someone had come into her room and done this. Her heart squeezed, and it suddenly felt hard to breathe as she recalled the time when she had been kidnapped.

The stranger had invaded her space just like this and taken her away. If it weren’t for Lady Delphine, she couldn’t imagine where she would be right now. She wasn’t safe—and now that she had pissed off the Queen even more, Rose didn’t know what might happen to her.

Rose heard a knock, but she was too lost in thought to react, sitting right next to the ruined dress. The door burst open and a worried Chelsy rushed into the room. She didn’t look surprised as she saw the torn dress; rather, she ran straight toward Rose, who was hunched on the floor.

"Rose!" she cried.

Rose lifted her head at the call, genuinely shocked to see Chelsy. She hadn’t even heard the door open. "Chelsy," she whispered.

"Rose," she called again and grabbed her.

"I’m fine," she said but remained on the floor. "Just shocked, as you can see."

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "Isla and I came here during lunchtime. We didn’t know you weren’t in. We knocked a lot and started to get worried that it might be a repeat of this morning—so we walked in, and saw this. The dress was ruined and everything was spread all over, but there was no sign of you. We left but only found out you weren’t in the castle later. We didn’t tell anyone because we were scared. I rushed to your room as soon as I heard you were back." <a href="https://.com">.com

Rose nodded her head at Chelsy’s explanation. She knew the girls didn’t have anything to do with this. She knew the Queen hadn’t done it herself—she must have sent someone.

"Did you see who did this?" she asked, even though she knew it was useless. It didn’t matter who was sent—her enemy was the Queen; the rest were disposable pawns.

Chelsy shook her head. "I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything either."

Rose didn’t say anything as she stood to her feet. She stared at the pile of clothes while Chelsy stared at her with worry in her eyes.

"Can you get me Welma?" she asked.

Chelsy frowned a little, then started speaking. "I haven’t seen her since last night, but I’ll search for her."

"Thank you," she said. "I’d appreciate that."

Chelsy rushed to the door. She hesitated as she reached for the handle and slowly turned back. "Would you like to eat now?" she asked softly.

Rose shook her head. "I’m fine." She doubted she’d have any appetite for the rest of the night. Her head was spinning in different directions, but what was hard to ignore was the intense fear she felt.

She glanced towards the door, instantly spotting the bouquet. The flower that had gotten out of the bunch had been crushed and its purple petals were scattered on the ground. Rose wasn’t sure if it had been her or Chelsy.

She rushed to the bouquet, picked it up, and stared into it. The flowers in the wrap were fine—only the one that had gotten loose had been destroyed. She brought the bouquet to her nose and took a deep breath. It had a sweet smell, and Rose found it mildly soothing—but she doubted anything could put her at ease right now.

She glanced down at the crushed flower but didn’t pick it up. Instead, she walked to her bed and sat on it, still holding the bouquet as she waited. It was the only thing she could do for now.

It took a while for Chelsy to return, and she had an exhausted look on her face as she opened the door. Behind her was Welma, who looked even worse.

"I’m sorry I took so long," Chelsy was saying as she walked in. "I couldn’t find her on time."

Rose lifted her head from the flowers and met eyes with Welma, who quickly looked away. Rose’s eyes darkened—she had hoped the maid wouldn’t know anything about this, but by the looks of it, she was wrong.

"Thank you, Chelsy," she replied, forcing a smile. "I’ll see you later."

Chelsy nodded, bowed, and then sprinted out of the room. She was both relieved and worried as she closed the door as softly as she could.

Rose stared at Welma for the longest time, but the maid didn’t lift her head nor did she move away from the door. Welma, who was usually chatty, rude, and snarky, was now silent as a mouse, not even asking why Rose had called for her. Rose had half expected her not to show if she was guilty.

"Won’t you ask why I called you?" Rose asked.

Welma didn’t lift her head. "I’m sure you have a good enough reason, and you’ll just tell me when you’re ready."

Rose’s eyes narrowed. She was starting to get angry but controlled herself. Welma wasn’t the person to get angry at, and it was a good thing she was somewhat on her side, she hoped that. At least she could ask questions.

"Do you know what happened here?" she asked, proud of herself for not raising her voice.

"What exactly are you asking?" Welma said and finally lifted her head.

Rose frowned as she took in the maid’s expression. Her eyes looked tired, and there were bags under them—she didn’t look like she’d gotten any sleep.

"The dress. Are you the one who did this?" she asked directly.

Welma blinked, and then her expression saddened. "You think I did this?" she asked.

"Did you not?" Rose asked.

"I did not," Welma repeated.

"But you know who did," Rose replied.

Welma didn’t respond.

"I know you work for the Queen, and I remember what I saw at the party. I’ll still get to the bottom of that, but for now I need to know this."

"I don’t exactly have a choice here," Welma whispered. "I’m in the castle. I can’t exactly not work for the Queen."

Rose shot her a dark look. "I don’t care what your reasons are. I’m simply asking if you know what happened here."

Welma blinked at Rose’s tone, and for a moment she looked anxious. "I know who did this. I was here when it happened. I brought her here."

Rose raised a brow, but her expression didn’t change more than that. "Brought who?" she asked.

"One of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting. She ripped up the dress and scattered it around the room while I stood in the corner and watched."

Rose considered her response for a second, then she nodded and said, "Thank you."

Welma’s expression changed. "Is that it?" she asked, slightly raising her voice.