The King's Lover
Chapter 240: From Father

Chapter 240: From Father

Thomas scrutinized the envelope, turning it front and back. He glanced at Rose, and she looked up at him eagerly. He took a step back, putting some more space between them.

Rose did her best not to move forward, following after Thomas. If it were up to her, she would have climbed onto his shoulders just to see. Not like that would make any difference—she couldn’t read. <a href="https://.com">.com

He pulled on the wax seal, and Rose heard a snapping sound as it broke. She instinctively held her breath as he pulled out the folded letter.

Thomas handed her the envelope, and Rose accepted it as though it were the greatest gift ever. She stretched out both hands as she collected it graciously. Thomas gave her another odd stare, but there was no anger in his eyes.

He turned his attention to the folded paper and unfolded it. His eyes did a brief scan, and Rose shuffled on her feet as she waited for him to begin reading.

"Dear Rosie,

This is your father. I know I should have written to you sooner, but I couldn’t. At first, I tried to speak to the baron, but I wasn’t granted any audience. It wasn’t until the letter arrived that he decided to give me the grace to write one.

You shouldn’t have, Rosie. Your father is but an old man. You did not have to sacrifice your future for me.

I know you have much to deal with, and I want to tell you we are fine, but I know you will never forgive me. I am fine. Your mother isn’t. I fear the worst.

I love you. We love you. I will take care of her, but I don’t want to lie to you.

Take care of yourself, my little Rosie. I know you will come back. Worry about yourself more. You always forget to do that."

Thomas folded the letter and looked at Rose. Her eyes were a little red, and there were tears at the corners of her eyes. He stiffened, at a loss for what to do.

"Is that all?" Rose asked when he wasn’t reading again.

"Yes," Thomas said and handed her the folded letter.

Rose was hesitant to accept it. There had to be something more. Her father didn’t even mention Ander and Emma, but that was inconsequential compared to the state her mother was in.

Her father said he feared the worst. He was never one to exaggerate or understate. He always said things as they were. If he was worried about her mother enough to mention it to her, it was bad.

"Rose," Thomas called when she didn’t take the letter from him.

She blinked and looked up at him. It was hard not to notice he didn’t call her wench or peasant rather her name. The more pathetic she seemed, the nicer he was.

Rose sobbed. It was the first genuine cry since she was forced to leave home. She couldn’t even control it. It started with a little tear slipping down the side of her face. She wiped it and tried to accept the letter, but just as her shaky hand gripped it, the cries she had held in for so long erupted.

Rose cried as tears poured from her eyes, and with the folded letter in her hand, she tried to wipe them.

"I-I am sorry, Lord Thomas," she said, still crying. "To show you a state like this."

She lifted her head and tried to smile at him, but her lower lip quivered, and she started to cry again. Rose bent her head and covered her face with her palms, the letter falling to the ground. She had dropped it on purpose as she was getting it wet with her tears.

Thomas bent and picked it up, along with the envelope. He walked past her and carefully placed them on the table. He walked back, glanced at her, and then walked out the door.

As soon as the door closed, Rose fell to the ground and wailed. Eventually, her cries reduced and her shoulders stopped shaking. Her eyes were red and a little swollen, and her face was wet with tears.

She tried to wipe at them as she lay on the cold floor. She didn’t want to move. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her mother. Rose feared she might never see her again.

After it felt like she wouldn’t cry at the slightest thought, Rose wiped her face and got off the ground. She had a determined look on her face as she walked to the table.

She sat down and picked up the letter. She unfolded it, recognizing the first letter that spelled her name because Lady Delphine had spelled it out for her—but that was all she understood.

Rose folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. She brought it to her chest and held it there. The crown prince had fulfilled her request. Surely, she could ask him this. She would promise to return. She just wanted to see her mother—and as much as she didn’t want to think about it, she knew it might be the last time.

It wasn’t too much of a request. She would be back. She just had to see her mother and her father. He said he was fine, but she knew it couldn’t have been easy to simultaneously take care of his wife and provide at the same time.

Her mother needed someone to be with her at all times, as she couldn’t even clean after herself. The only thing that was still as sharp as ever was her mouth—even her sight was starting to deteriorate.

She should have escaped or done what she needed to do to get the crown prince to let her go. She shouldn’t have stayed away for so long.

"Mot’er," Rose whispered, still holding onto the letter.

A soft knock roused Rose from sleep. She didn’t even know she had fallen asleep. She opened her eyes, and it felt as though someone had shoved a handful of sand into them.

She rubbed at them, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, just as her door opened and Welma slipped in. Rose lifted her head, and for a moment, she forgot her own worries at how pale Welma looked.