The King's Lover
Chapter 257: A Crazed Teenager

Chapter 257: A Crazed Teenager

Rose adjusted the coat over her shoulders as she exited the carriage. It was a little high, but Rose was already used to getting down herself. Her feet hit the ground with a little force as she jumped, but she didn’t lose her balance.

Thomas stood in front of her with a scowl on his face. He was left in his doublet after giving her his coat, but it seemed to be a decent covering, as he didn’t look like he was cold. Not that Rose cared she was sure she needed the coat more than him.

Rose pulled the coat closer. It smelled like the young lord, and for some reason, she remembered when Caius gave her his coat. Rose gripped the lapels even tighter. There was no reason to have thoughts about the crown prince.

Rose would be lying if she said she had been shocked when Thomas tossed his coat on her head while they rode here. He was so disrespectful, but she was too cold to be mad and had worn it. She didn’t say thank you, though.

"We are here," he said.

Clearly. But Rose didn’t say this out loud. Instead, she nodded her head. They had entered the manor’s compound without any difficulty. She wondered if it was because she rode in a royal carriage. It wasn’t as glamorous as the rest, but it still had the crest of the royal family.

Rose looked past Thomas and her gaze rested on the manor’s main entrance. Not much had changed since she left. She smiled, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Slade approaching them. He bowed to Lord Thomas, then turned his attention to Rose.

Rose stiffened at his piercing gaze. "I am here to see Lady Delphine," she explained.

"Does my lady know you’re coming?" Slade asked, his tone flat.

"Does that matter? Shouldn’t you be informing her that she has guests?" Thomas snapped as he stared down at Slade, who was still hunched from bowing.

Slade did his best to hide his reaction, but he did a terrible job. However, they all knew he couldn’t go against a knight, and Thomas was also a lord.

Thomas rested his palm on the hilt of his sword when Slade looked a little hesitant to move, and Rose couldn’t help but panic. She looked from one person to the other. They were the worst personalities to clash.

Rose heard the sound of something opening and looked up to see Esme slowly opening a window, a floor above them.

"Aha, I knew I heard voices. Rose!"

"Esme," Rose said with a smile that reached both her ears.

"Slade, what are you doing? Get out of the way. Better yet, I am coming down."

She bolted away from the window, and Rose heard a voice ask, "Who is that?"

"Rose is here," Esme giggled. "Tell Lady Delphine."

Slade stepped back and walked toward the doors of the manor to let them in, but Esme beat him to it, opening the doors wide as she fled out, almost hitting him. Thankfully, Slade got out of the way in time.

Esme didn’t slow down, not until she wrapped her arms around Rose, crying excitedly. She pulled back and looked at Rose’s face.

"When Lady Delphine said you promised to visit, I told her she was lying. I never thought you’d come to see us so soon. It’s so good to see you. You look good—have you been sleeping well, though? I can’t wait to see Lady Delphine’s reaction when she sees you." She giggled again.

Rose laughed. She had forgotten how much Esme would talk. She was happy to see her. The young woman was as giddy as ever. She wasn’t wearing revealing clothes, and the dress was pretty normal—it wasn’t business hours yet.

"It’s good to see you again, Esme," Rose whispered.

Esme smiled, but it suddenly froze on her face as she turned to see Thomas glaring at her. Esme pulled back immediately and curtsied.

"I apologize, Lord Thomas. I was too excited to see Rose."

Thomas scoffed and turned away, walking toward the door. "Where is Lady Delphine?"

"Inside. Kali is letting her know of your arrival," Esme said to his back.

Rose was surprised at how casually she spoke to him, as though this wasn’t their first conversation. She even knew his name.

"You know him?" she whispered to Esme.

"Yes, of course. Lord Thomas comes often with His Highness."

Rose put a hand over her mouth as she gasped exaggeratedly. "Lord Thomas!"

Thomas turned around to look at Rose. "It’s not what you think!" he said with a glare and turned away again, his face red as a beetroot.

"Esme," Rose whispered, not ready to drop the subject. "Do you know if Lord Thomas is as fiery as he is in—"

"Shut up! Would you rather return to the castle?!" he yelled out without turning around.

"No, I apologize, Lord Thomas," Rose said, doing her best to hold back her giggles at his red ears. It was definitely not the cold.

Esme looked at Rose and nodded, then she whispered, "Like a crazed teenager!"

Thomas turned to face them, and Rose feared he would swing his sword at them this time. However, Kali appeared at that exact moment, ending the exchange.

"Rose," Kali called from the open doors.

"Kali!" Rose cried and rushed forward, past Thomas. She was very happy for the interruption. It looked like she might have pushed Thomas a little too far.

She rushed to Kali, going through the open doors, and stopped in front of her. "It’s good to see you, Kali."

Kali smiled at her. "I can’t believe you came to visit. Lady Delphine should be here—or better still, I will take you to her."

"There is no need for that," a voice said.

Rose turned, and Lady Delphine stood at the top of the stairs with a fur coat around herself. Not a single hair was out of place, and there was a little makeup on her face. She truly looked like the lady of the house.

"Lady Delphine!" Rose cried and rushed towards the stairs.