The King's Lover
Chapter 223: Punish Accordingly

Chapter 223: Punish Accordingly

Rose sat still as the maids, Chelsy and Isla, helped her prepare. The air around her was so tense that the girls didn’t even try to converse with her. Rose preferred that—she was too anxious to indulge in any form of conversation. The girls seemed to think she was still upset about what had happened during the day, and Rose didn’t try to correct them.

She had casually told Welma she was speaking to the crown prince, but truth be told, it wasn’t as easy as she made it sound. The crown prince wasn’t someone she wanted to owe any more favors to, because at this point, she might never get home. But if she didn’t try to find a solution against the Queen, she would indeed never get home.

She slowly stood up after they were done with her hair, and Isla helped her wear the robe. The young girl tied a sturdy rope, and Rose smiled at her as she pulled away. She wondered if Isla had explained the situation to her younger sister, or perhaps the child had figured it out herself. <a href="https://.com">.com

Rose glanced at the table which held the dahlias. She had asked the maids to help her put them in a vase. The flowers were looking better and less droopy. She knew they wouldn’t last, but at least she could keep them for a few more days.

Rose headed for the door while Chelsy and Isla waited behind, watching her leave. They still had some cleaning up to do—she had finally told them to get rid of the dress.

Welma had told her concerning news. She already had her suspicions, but for them to be proved right was worrisome. Rose didn’t like what it meant—that the crown prince didn’t care about her. If he had deliberately put her in this situation, then speaking with him was simply a hopeless endeavor.

However, she couldn’t just wait until the Queen had her way this time. She was lucky the Queen chose someone like Welma this time. Who knows what might have happened to her already? She wrinkled her forehead as she recalled just how much trouble Martha had put her through.

The crown prince’s bedchambers were only a room away, but the walk to his room always felt either too long or too short—but tonight, Rose was unsure which it was. She got to the front of the door, and the guards opened it—no questions asked.

She stepped into the room and was immediately hit with the familiar fragrance. She walked right to the seats clustered around the lit fireplace. If the fireplace was already set, it meant the crown prince was going to be here soon.

Rose dropped onto one of the seats, choosing the one the crown prince rarely used. She got comfortable and looked around, noticing that she couldn’t see the chessboard. It had been a while—she almost missed it. Well, she couldn’t pretend the crown had called her here for anything else.

Rose didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing the steward, Henry, who walked in with his head low as he spoke to the crown prince behind him. Rose thought the older man seemed to have more white hair, but it might be the lighting. She had seen him that morning—he hadn’t seemed different.

She lifted her gaze and was not surprised when she met eyes with the crown prince. She didn’t look away, nor did she acknowledge his presence—she just stared at him.

Caius frowned. Something felt terribly wrong. He had expected nothing but excited gratitude for fulfilling her wish. Thomas had told him it had gone very well, but right now, something was clearly wrong.

"Leave us," Caius said, interrupting Mister Henry.

"Your Highness, please forgive me, but this is important. We do not know exactly what happened to Lord Elrod, but we have reasons to—"

"Tell Prince Rylen," Caius said dismissively. "Do not let me repeat myself."

Mister Henry looked very worried but bowed and said, "As Your Highness wishes." He left the room, taking the servants with him.

Rose remained seated as she watched this exchange, and even after the conversation ended, she didn’t move a muscle. She had heard the conversation about the lord and from Mister Henry’s words, there seemed to be trouble.

Caius tilted his head, a smile lingering on his lips as he watched her. She was being blatantly disrespectful. This was new—but surprisingly, it amused him more than it annoyed him.

It was not hard to notice that she hadn’t said a word to him, and even though she didn’t look away once, she wouldn’t pay her respects to him. Caius’s smile widened as he walked toward her.

He stopped in front of her and stared down at her, but she didn’t look away. Caius grinned. "Are you asking me to punish you?" he asked, towering over her.

He leaned forward, grabbing the arms of both chairs, locking her in the middle. Caius bent his head even lower, his eyes showing just how amused he was. "Very well, Caius continued with a sultry tone in his voice. "I can make sure you’re adequately punished." The smirk on his face turned into a sly smile as he lowered his head even more.

"Your Majesty," Rose said and bent her head, avoiding his lips so they brushed on her cheek instead.

Caius squinted his eyes, his lips thinning but he didn’t pull his head away. "What is this about?"

Caius wasn’t particularly asking because he cared. He was rather starting to get irked because he hadn’t gotten his thanks yet, and something was clearly wrong—but Rose didn’t seem to want to spill it out.

"Did Thomas not take you to the wedding you wouldn’t stop whining about?" Caius asked.

"He did," Rose said, still keeping her head down, even though her body tingled with how close he was. He was literally breathing down on her, and she was starting to worry that he might be getting really angry.

"This is about a different matter," Rose said.

Caius pulled away and stood to his full height, folding his arms. "So, there is something? Stand up!"

Rose stood up without hesitation but kept her gaze lowered. One might say she was throwing a tantrum, but she was hoping her unusual demeanor would show the crown prince just how important this situation was.

"Your attitude irks me. When I walked in, you wouldn’t stop looking at me, and now you won’t even look at me. If you do not say what is wrong, I will take your behavior as disrespect and punish you accordingly."

"No, Your Majesty," Rose cried, doing her best to fake the panic. "I do not mean to anger you, Your Majesty. I am just scared," she whispered, pressing her hands to her chest.

"Scared of me?" Caius frowned as he peered at her, but she still wouldn’t look at him.

Rose shook her head. "Not Your Majesty," she said, shaking her head as she thought hard about how to phrase what she was about to say. Regardless of whether the crown prince was on her side or not, she was still talking about the reigning Queen. One wrong word, and even the crown prince would turn against her.

"The Queen," she whispered. "I fear I may have angered her beyond rectification."

Caius’ eyes narrowed as he realized the problem. "Worry not," he replied.

Rose almost scoffed. He wasn’t the one who got kidnapped, and he certainly wasn’t the one who had to face any consequences.

Rose shook her head, visibly shivering. "I have more than enough reason to worry, Your Majesty."

Caius’s brows nearly touched each other as he frowned. He undid his arms and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Do you doubt that I can keep you safe?" he sounded angry.

Yes, you obnoxious heir to the throne! Though Rose screamed this in her thoughts, she managed to keep it only in her head.

"No, Your Majesty. I just don’t want to be sold off again. While I was away from the castle, someone got into my room and completely ruined the dress you had made for me. They scattered the pieces all over the room."

Caius’s grip on her chin tightened. "This is news to me. When did this happen?"

"I do not know," Rose whispered, adding a hitch to her voice. "But when I returned, the damage had already been done."

"Was anything else tampered with?"

Rose shook her head. "But if they could do that," she said and shivered excessively, "I worry."

Caius’s eyes darkened. He knew exactly what she was implying—she might get taken again. Caius was embarrassed. From Rose’s reaction, she truly believed his mother could do the same thing again, right under his nose.

"I said, there is nothing to worry about. And as for the dress, I’ll get you even more."

Rose nodded, but her expression didn’t change. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the crown prince’s words, but he was a little oblivious to her plight. She knew he only remembered she was a peasant when it suited him. He didn’t mind putting her in front of the royals. They wouldn’t see his actions; rather, they would all act as though she were the problem. So she did not believe for one moment that there was nothing to worry about.