The King's Lover
Chapter 236: A Rumor

Chapter 236: A Rumor

Rose’s grip on the ropes tightened as she wondered why he was coming toward her, but Caius only spared her a glance as he walked the other way, heading for the washroom. Rose snapped out of it and rushed for the door, the ends of the robe dragging on the floor.

Rose stepped out of the room and froze in her tracks. Right outside was Prince Rylen—and he wasn’t alone. Servants stood right behind him, and Rose also saw Mister Henry.

Prince Rylen was dressed impeccably as always. His platinum blonde hair was brushed and fell across his forehead, the pale color drawing attention to his face. In the right light, it would look almost white.

Deep blue eyes narrowed at Rose as she stood before the double doors. It was unclear whether he stared at her with concern or vexation.

"Prince Rylen," Rose said instinctively, curtsying in the crown prince’s robe, which was also playing the role of a mop.

He didn’t reply; rather, he waved his hand at her, and Rose nodded before immediately going on her way. She glanced back and could see Prince Rylen going into the crown prince’s room.

Rose turned her attention back to her path and sprinted to her room, which was thankfully not far off. She got into her room, resting her back against the door.

Rose took a deep breath as the incidents from last night and this morning played in her mind. She was more bothered by the incidents that occurred this morning.

Rose couldn’t decide what to make of it. Her room was literally a few feet away from the crown prince’s—he didn’t have to let her stay the night. Rose couldn’t recall what happened after she passed out, and it slightly bothered her.

She pushed herself off the door, trying to push the thoughts away. Right now, she had to clean up before her breakfast arrived. She didn’t like that the sisters tended to see her in this sort of state.

Physically, Rose felt a little worn. Mentally, she was unsure. She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked toward the bed. However, she would be lying if she said she didn’t notice the crown prince treated her differently from before. The sex didn’t change much, but everything else felt different.

Doing as he wanted might have something to do with it and Rose found she wasn’t scared of him for the same reasons anymore. She was more worried that her body might not be able to keep up with him.

Rose glanced at the candlelight by the dresser. She was surprised it was still burning. The candles the nobles used were clearly different from the ones she had seen at the merchant’s shop.

They smelled different too—almost sweet. The other candles at the merchant’s shop smelled like burning fat.

Candles were expensive, and the Vallyn household couldn’t afford them even if they tried. They had only gotten candles a few times, because her father was often paid in kind, and they neither lasted nor smelled this nice.

When her breakfast arrived, Rose was seated at the table waiting. She had chosen one of her old dresses to wear. It felt weird and a little too much to wear the dresses the crown prince had gotten for her when there wasn’t any occasion.

"Rose," Chelsy called with a bright smile as she placed the tray on the table.

Isla also called her, but there was a giggle to her voice, and she kept staring strangely at Rose. Rose frowned but didn’t think much of it. After last night, she was famished and would worry about things when she had the energy to do so.

Rose adjusted her hair so it stayed over her shoulders and covered her neck properly. Thankfully, the crown prince had limited his biting and sucking to the back of her neck, or Isla might think she was attacked by a wild beast again.

Rose chuckled to herself and picked up her cutlery to dive into her food, noticing that Isla was shuffling with impatience. Rose glanced at her, and the teenager immediately took it as a cue to speak.

"Rose," she called, her voice very soft. "There is a rumor going around the castle."

"Oh, shut it! I should have known you would want to tell Rose about the stupid rumor. Rose, please don’t pay my little sister any mind. She can’t seem to tell what is appropriate or not," Chelsy said, glaring at her sister.

Rose paused, looking from one sister to the other. "What is the rumor?" she asked.

"It’s inconsequential," Chelsy immediately said. "And it’s no different from all the other rumors." <a href="https://.com">.com

"There are other rumors?" Rose asked.

Chelsy looked conflicted as she realized that she was trying to help the situation but seemed to be making it worse.

"Yes," Isla quickly answered. "But all the others are ridiculous. This one is making a lot of waves because a few servants said they saw it," Isla said with glee.

Rose never cared for rumors, as she knew they said all sorts of things about her, and it would be better if she didn’t know the extent. However, Isla’s reaction made her a little curious.

"What is the rumor?" she asked again.

"Some servants," Isla immediately started to say and moved closer to Rose, "said they saw the crown prince carrying you last night. Is that true?"

Rose blinked at Isla’s words while her sister just stood to the side, looking exhausted. She didn’t know how to respond to this. She had hoped no one would see her in such a manner, but to think it was a tale that was spreading through the walls of the castle—Rose didn’t know how to feel. But one thing that bothered her more was the Queen’s reaction to this rumor.

She had barely escaped the ball, and now this—especially since she had dinner with the crown prince last night. She could never catch a break or a moment of peace.

Rose noticed Isla was still looking at her eagerly, waiting for a response. She couldn’t comprehend why the young girl was so excited about this. Was it just gossip, or...? Rose couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

"Please, ignore my sister," Chelsy said and grabbed Isla’s wrist, pulling her to the door.

"No," Isla cried, but Chelsy didn’t give in, and they left, leaving Rose alone.

Rose sighed in relief. She didn’t know what to tell Isla, but there was no way she would confirm that the rumors were true. She was grateful to Chelsy for taking the hint.

In a few days, she would leave the castle with the crown prince. Rose didn’t like how she was almost looking forward to it.