The King's Lover
Chapter 34: Stolen Coat

Chapter 34: Stolen Coat

Rose’s hands twisted around her dress, scrambling to gather what was left of it. She leaned forward, trying to hide the parts she hadn’t been able to save from the court lady’s grip. She hid her face as she couldn’t bear to see what was about to happen.

This was not only so embarrassing but humiliating, to be reduced to this state in front of so many eyes. She didn’t do anything wrong. The crown prince was now standing so close to her, and the fact that he wasn’t saying anything unnerved her even more.

"I’m sure whatever she did is pardonable," Caius said.

Rose could scarcely believe her ears, and she almost lifted her head to see what was happening. Why would he say something in her favor?

"No, I want her punished," Queen Violeta insisted.

"And she has been. Wasn’t she slapped and almost stripped naked, Mother?" Caius asked darkly, staring down at the ladies beside the Queen.

"What? She was already in this state when I found her," Queen Violeta retorted.

Caius narrowed his eyes, but instead of speaking further on the issue, he abruptly changed the subject. "Henry told me you were looking for me. Here I am." He spread open his hands.

"Yes, I was," The Queen admitted.

"Why?" he asked.

"I had a few matters to discuss."

Caius pulled his coat off his shoulders and dropped it on Rose. "Then shall we?"

"What are you doing?" she asked in horror, but Caius was already leading his mother away.

The ladies-in-waiting looked back and forth, and having no other option, rushed after the prince and his mother. Only Rylen and Henry were left with Rose.

Rose watched them go as she held the coat in her hands. She had wondered what had dropped on her head and was surprised when she saw what it was.

"You can use that to cover up," Rylen said at her hesitation.

"Can I really?" she asked, looking from the steward to Rylen.

"Yes."

Rose nodded and threw the coat over herself. It smelled familiar. She stood to her feet. She wasn’t going to ask too many questions. It clearly wasn’t an accident that he dropped his coat, but she’d rather ask than make a mistake.

The coat was bigger and taller than her. The ends touched the ground, but all that was irrelevant; getting out of the wing was her priority. Rose bowed to the two men before bolting in the direction of the servants’ quarters. She didn’t stop walking until she got to the door of her room.

As soon as she pushed open the door and shut it behind her, Rose fell to the floor and sobbed. She covered her face with her hands as she cried. She would have sat there longer if she hadn’t suddenly felt a sharp pain from the door being hit.

Rose stood to her feet and walked toward her side of the room, making way for the door to open. Martha didn’t seem very happy that the door had been blocked, so she hit it even harder to get it to open, and it crashed against the wall, almost flying off its hinges.

"Why did you lock the door?" Martha asked as she walked into the room and carefully closed the door.

"I didn’t," Rose said without looking at her as she busied herself with her bag. She was looking for a change of clothes.

Martha gasped as she stepped forward for a closer look, her eyes squinting as they rested on Rose. "Did you steal the crown prince’s coat?"

"No," Rose replied, exasperated. Of course, Martha would say something like that.

"Then why are you with it?" Martha asked, stomping toward her.

Rose didn’t answer, and Martha stretched out her hand as if to pull it from her. Rose jerked her head in Martha’s direction, not caring that her face was red and streaked with tears. Her eyes were also red from all the crying and her nose was sore from sniffing.

She didn’t have the energy to deal with Martha. If the royals were going to beat her down and she couldn’t do anything about it, the last thing she would condone was bullying from a maid who was no different than her. fre ewebno(v)e\l.(c)om

Martha looked taken aback and instantly withdrew her hand, but then her face hardened, and she tried again. Rose didn’t hold back; she smacked Martha’s hand before it could reach her.

"If ye t’ink I stole it, report it. Now leave me alone!" she yelled right in Martha’s face, then turned around and continued searching through her bag.

"You just wait and see," Martha said, rubbing her hand. "That’s exactly what I’m going to do!"

Martha stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her with a force that made the walls shudder. Rose flinched but didn’t turn around. Her hands trembled as she looked through the bag. She finally found a clean dress buried at the bottom and quickly changed, tossing the prince’s coat onto her bed.

The fabric was rich and heavy, a reminder of the world she didn’t belong to—a world that had just torn her apart and left her to pick up the pieces. She stared at it for a moment, her mind racing. Why had Caius given it to her? Was it pity? Rose shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. She didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on it.

She wiped her face with the ripped dress, trying to erase the evidence of her tears, but her eyes were still red and swollen. There was no hiding what had happened, no pretending she was okay. She wasn’t. And she didn’t know if she ever would be again.

The door creaked open, and Rose tensed, expecting Martha to come barging back in. But it was only Edna. She paused in the doorway, her eyes widening as she took in Rose’s disheveled appearance and the prince’s coat lying on the bed.

"Rose...?" Edna’s voice was soft, hesitant. "Are you alright?"

Rose forced a smile, though it felt brittle and foreign on her lips. "I’m fine," she replied curtly and turned her attention to the coat. She didn’t know what she should do with it. Should she keep it? Wash it and return it? What was she supposed to do with it?

She had no intention of acknowledging his actions. It didn’t count. She hated his guts and everything that had to do with him, and she knew she didn’t want any reminder of what had transpired.

Edna didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her. "Martha’s in a rage," she said, her tone cautious. "She’s telling anyone who’ll listen that you stole something from the crown prince."

Rose wasn’t even fazed. She had expected nothing less from the maid. She still couldn’t understand why Martha disliked her so much to go out of her way, and she discovered she didn’t care to find out. "Let ’er talk."

"Are you sure? Isn’t that the crown prince’s coat?" Edna asked, a little worried.

"Yeah, but I didn’t steal it. ’E gave it to me." freeNovelFire

Edna looked at her with disbelief, but she didn’t counter Rose’s words. "Okay. Are you going to give it back?"

Rose nodded. "I want to clean it first," she replied.

"Yes," Edna nodded, agreeing with her. "That’s a good idea. I’ll show you where."

Rose knew Edna found it hard to believe her words, but the maid was still going along with her. "Just a moment," Rose said and slowly lay on the bed. "I just need a little rest. I’ll feel better by evenin’. I just really need to lie down."

Edna paused for a bit, as if contemplating, then blurted, "Would you like me to wash it for you?"

Rose thought she might cry again. "You would?" she asked.

"Of course. If you have any other clothes that need cleaning, just give them to me. I’ll help you wash them while you rest," Edna smiled at her.

"Why are ye nice to me?" Rose couldn’t help but ask. free we\bnove(l).com

"I know what happened. We all do. I’m engaged. I’ll get married just before winter. Liam is currently traveling the kingdom, but he’ll return before the wedding. I couldn’t imagine how devastated I’d feel if I found out I couldn’t marry him or if I was taken away from him." Edna’s expression was genuine as she spoke. Her eyes lit up when she mentioned Liam.

Rose gave Edna a sad smile, and just as she was about to reply, the door burst open again, and Martha marched in, her face flushed with triumph. Behind her stood two guards, their expressions stern and unyielding.

"That’s her," Martha said, pointing an accusatory finger at Rose. "She’s the one who stole His Highness’s coat."

Rose was in disbelief. Martha had actually found a bunch of guards. She wasn’t sure if Martha was that dumb or if the maid just utterly despised her. There was clearly no way she could have stolen it. She literally had to pass through dozens of guards to get here. At least one of them would have noticed the coat.