The King's Lover
Chapter 26: Delphine

Chapter 26: Delphine

Rose realized as Martha spoke that it wasn’t just her and Edna in the room. Standing in the corner, close to the exit, was Martha with her arms folded and her nose in the air as she looked down at Rose lying in the hay bed with contempt.

"Martha!" Edna scolded. "Don’t say things like that."

"Why not?" Martha replied, rolling her eyes. "I only speak the truth. What did she think was going to happen? The crown prince was being very nice. He didn’t even throw her in the dungeons after."

"I wasn’t tryin’ to escape," Rose said as she accepted Edna’s assistance. "I fell." The maid gently helped her to her feet, and Rose murmured her thanks.

Martha scoffed. "If you want to lie, you best find a better one. Nobody is going to believe that. Besides, weren’t you the one who said if I find a way for you to escape, I should let you know?"

Rose didn’t reply to this. Clearly, no one would believe her, but she couldn’t help but say it. She had spent the entire day preparing for tonight. She knew the crown prince wasn’t the least bit patient. She was angry, in severe pain, and tired, but it was a little sad that all she could think about was that she was happy he had directed his anger at her and not her father. .com

"I can stand by mi’self," she said to Edna, who didn’t seem to want to let go of her. She stood next to Rose, holding her arm.

Edna nodded and slowly pulled her hand away. Rose took a step forward and another, wincing with each step, but she had to at least act strong. Edna wasn’t lying when she said they cleaned her up. Not only that, but they had also changed her clothes. They had to, the last one had been ripped by the whip.

She tightened the robe around her body as she walked out of the room, not even glancing in Martha’s direction as she marched out. She made her way to the crown prince’s wing. At this point, she could find it in her sleep. The path felt longer than usual, and all she could think about was if the crown prince was expecting her to lay with him while she was in such a state. Her back hurt, and her legs were still sore from all the walking she had to do to find her way out.

Rose grabbed the wall as she took a breather. The balm was taking a little too long to work, and the dress rubbing against the open skin with every step was enough to have her rolling in pain. But Rose pushed through it, and soon enough, she got in front of his chambers.

As though they were waiting for her, as soon as she appeared, the guards opened the door. Rose took a step inside, and the door was immediately shut behind her. The loud unexpected sound was a shock to hear but it was nothing compared to what was going on in the room. Rose had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop from screaming out at the sight in front of her.

The room was dimly lit. The fire in the fireplace looked to have died, as only the embers from the burnt wood could be seen, but even the darkness didn’t hide what she saw. About two candles were lit, but they weren’t enough to brighten the room. Though silhouettes, the shapes were still as clear as day. The crown prince lay on his back, a robe draped around his shoulders and a woman sat atop him, her back to his front. She bounced up and down, grabbing her breasts as her head tilted back a little.

The sight was astonishing, but what was even more shocking to Rose was the sounds the woman made. It was loud, and she expressed her pleasure with such reckless abandon. It was absolutely wanton, and Rose didn’t know how to react to this.

She stood rooted to the door and stared. She couldn’t move, and just as she was about to look away, knowing she had stared longer than she should have, she met his eyes, clouded with desire as he stared at her. He didn’t look away, and Rose didn’t like how she felt about it. The woman moved with such vigor and seduction yet he just stared at her.

"Come," Caius said, his voice hoarse with passion. It sounded even thicker than normal.

Rose’s feet moved before she could even give them the command, but she stopped immediately at the loud moan that echoed in the room. The woman had completely dropped her weight onto the crown prince, and she touched—Rose couldn’t complete the thought. She turned away, palming her face.

Caius chuckled. "Behave yourself, Delphine. You have an audience."

"I am sorry, Your Highness," she whispered, slurring her words a bit. Her half-lidded eyes glanced in Rose’s direction, and she let out a small smile. The woman didn’t sound annoyed. Rose didn’t think she could stand the thought of another person watching.

"Come," Caius repeated. "This is not for you, Delphine."

The way he said her name grated on her nerves. He rolled it around his tongue; it was alluring and casual, almost personal. Rose hated the next thought she had, but no matter how much she hated this, she had to do as the crown prince requested. She turned around slowly, making sure to keep her eyes on her feet as she walked to him.

Rose shut her eyes and wished she could shut her ears too as she heard the woman go, "Your Highness, I just came, I need a moment," followed by another loud moan.

Rose locked her eyes on her toes. She didn’t want to see, didn’t want to know, and didn’t want to be a part of this. At least, that was what she repeated in her head as she slowly walked to the prince. Delphine was already screaming, and by the sound of skin hitting skin, she could guess that another round had commenced. Rose stopped beside the bed.

"Take off your clothes," Caius ordered.