The King's Lover
Chapter 23: Find Her

Chapter 23: Find Her

"Where is she?!" Caius’s thunderous voice echoed in his room.

The maids jerked, yelping simultaneously. They looked from one to the other, clustering together in fear. Henry stood to the side, distraught. He had been the one to discover she was missing. Arriving in the prince’s room first, he noticed it was empty. Thinking the maids forgot to bring Rose in time, he had rushed to the servants’ quarters to rectify this.

It didn’t take him long to discover that wasn’t the case. He had immediately requested the castle be searched, and the result had been fruitless. Relaying the news to the crown prince was the hardest part. Henry kept touching his neck, praying he wouldn’t lose it on the account of a peasant.

"W-we led her here, Y-your Royal Highness," Martha spoke. She was the only one who could muster some courage; the rest of the girls just shivered in fear.

They had never entered the crown prince’s wing in all the years they had stayed in the castle, let alone into his private chambers. Women were more or less prohibited; it wasn’t a known rule, but any woman who was found here simply had one job.

Caius took a step closer to them, and the maids shrank. Edna had tears running down her face, and the other two covered their mouths with their hands to keep from crying out. Only Martha didn’t look on the verge of a breakdown.

"Do you see her here?" he asked darkly.

Martha shriveled. This was the first time the crown prince had addressed her directly, and the fact that it was because of Rose dampened her joy. He was as scary and handsome as they said. What did he see in the peasant?

Martha hurriedly shook her head. "B-but she said if I found a way she could escape the castle, I should let her know."

Caius’s brown eyes narrowed. He suspected this was the case, and the maid just gave him conclusive information. "Get out!"

The maids scrambled, screaming as they rushed for the door.

"Not you, Henry!"

Henry shut his eyes before slowly turning around. "Your Highness?" he said softly. The crown prince looked very pissed off, and Henry knew the smallest things could set him off.

"Send for Delphine," Caius said.

The courtesan? But Henry didn’t ask this out loud. "As you wish, Your Highness."

"Also, increase the number of guards searching for her and make sure you find her!"

"Yes, Your Highness," Henry bowed before he left the room. fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m

Caius knew Rose must have found one of the many secret passageways in his room. There was no way to guess which one she must have found, and the worst part was they all led to very different places—a different room, a different wing, outside the castle, and even outside the castle walls. Trying to figure out which one would take all night and even if he eventually did, she would be far gone by then. It was best to put people in places where she might appear.

This was the third time she would elude him. Caius’s gaze darkened. Letting her off easy the second time was where the problem lay. He could remember how she groveled to save her father’s life. Perhaps he would have to repeat that method. She didn’t seem to have a clue as to who she was dealing with, he would enlighten her. .com

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There was something above Rose’s head, like a door—more like two doors. That was where the light was coming from; it seeped through a little crack in the wood. It wasn’t much light, but it was bright enough to guide her to it. Rose lifted her hand and pushed, but the door wouldn’t budge. She tried again and winced as she put pressure on her injured shoulder.

Rose moved her hand around the door, wondering if there was a latch or a bar, something that prevented the doors from opening, but she didn’t find anything. It was hard to search for anything with such minimal light.

"A key?" Rose yelled out in horror. If a key was the only way out, she was trapped.

"Nay, nay, nay, nay," she cried as she frantically moved her hands around the door, but she found nothing.

Frustrated, she pulled, and the doors opened, dumping sand all over her. Rose wasn’t even mad; she was just happy she found a way out. She stretched out her arms, feeling the cool breeze on her sand-covered face. Rose wiped as much of the sand as she could, wondering why the doors were made in such a strange manner. She got out and tried to shut the door back. It was a bit of a hassle, but when it eventually clicked into place, Rose couldn’t help the bright smile that appeared on her face.

There was sand in her hair, eyes, nose, and mouth, and try as she might, she couldn’t get rid of the musty smell from the secret passageway. Even the fresh air didn’t help, but she was finally out, and that was all that mattered. Standing up, she looked around as she tried to figure out where she was. Rose gasped at the sight before her.

She was somewhere—the problem was where. There was a field of trees not far from where she stood, and when she turned to the left, she could see the castle. The distance was unexpected; it was quite far. Rose winced as she looked at it. Her soles were sore, and she just wanted to sit and not move an inch.

Rose squinted her eyes as she looked some more. She could see the castle walls. Could she scale it? It was a simple thought, but as soon as it appeared, she crushed it. She might be able to escape the crown prince, but her family couldn’t, and they were more important than anything else.

Rose winced as she took a step forward, and a pebble dug into her sole. Rose sighed. It was going to be a long walk back. She couldn’t clearly see the ground, but at least the castle was like a beacon, leading her with all the lights around it. Who would have thought a secret passageway would lead this far from the castle?

Rose had not gotten far when she heard the sound of dogs barking. She stood rooted to the spot. From the sound of their barks, there were at least three dogs. She knew better than to run; they would rip her to shreds. The barks got louder as the dogs got closer, and Rose could pick out two people coming toward her.