The King's Lover
Chapter 43: Requested Again

Chapter 43: Requested Again

Rose was still cleaning even after the sun went down and the sky grew dark. Opening the windows wide didn’t provide enough light, and she had to squint her eyes as she cleaned, relying only on a few candles that couldn’t even light the corner of the room.

Dinner for the maids had started a while ago, but she wanted to finish this room. She had already cleaned the shelves, and the tables, made the bed, and scrubbed the floors. All that remained was to bring in the new rugs and curtains. After this room, she could move to the next section.

Rose wiped some sweat from her forehead. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was lay her head down and sleep. To think she would have to do all of this again tomorrow—Rose shook her head, trying not to think about it.

She gave the room one last look, making sure nothing was amiss before she walked out. Edna had already told her where she could get the clean curtains from, and even if she couldn’t replace them right away, she could at least bring them to the rooms to make it easier for the next day.

Rose tried to wipe herself down as she got to her room. It wasn’t enough to get the dust out, but at least she would be able to get dinner before cleaning up. As she made her way to the kitchen once again, Rose couldn’t help but notice things seemed a little more rowdy than usual. Most of the servants ignored her and went about their duties.

It was dinnertime, so it was no surprise to Rose that everyone seemed up and about. She got to the kitchen to see it was almost empty, but at least they were still serving. She got her share of dinner and sat at the table to eat.

Rose was halfway through her meal when a frantic Edna rushed into the space with Martha behind her. There were two other maids with her, and Rose recognized the girl from earlier. She smiled at Edna, but the maid didn’t return her smile, instead rushed toward her.

"I’ve been looking all over for you," Edna said as she stopped in front of the table where Rose sat. fre\e(w)ebn ov.e l\. co.m

"Ye said to make sure to eat dinner," Rose grinned at her.

"I did say that," Edna smiled back. "Are you almost done?" f(r)eew(e)bnovel.(c)o(m)

Rose nodded. "Just a few moments."

"Are you really going to wait until she finishes her food even though the crown prince has requested her? Doesn’t she just have one job in the castle?" Martha suddenly blurted.

Edna glared at her but didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned to Rose and said, "You can finish your food. We’ll manage with the rest of the time."

Martha scoffed. "It’ll be your fault if we’re late."

Rose didn’t even look in her direction. She wondered why Martha was here. She didn’t like her, and her uncle was the steward. Rose was sure Martha could get herself assigned to a different task, but she didn’t have the time or headspace to think about this. She had to worry about something far more important: the crown prince had requested her presence again. f.r(e)e\webn.ovel.co\m

Rose felt the food become a lump in her throat, and it was hard to swallow, no matter how much she pushed it down with water. "I’m done," she said and stood to her feet.

Edna looked surprised. "You haven’t even finished your food. I told you we can wait."

"If she said she’s finished, then she is! We don’t have all night!" Martha yelled.

Rose glanced in her direction, and Martha took a step back. Her face looked better than the night before, but her lip was still injured. Rose didn’t think it was fair that she was still missing her swallows while having to clean the entire south wing by herself. However, nothing had been fair since she ran into the crown prince.

"I’m fine," Rose said, turning to Edna. "I don’t t’ink I can eat any more."

Edna seemed hesitant but didn’t argue and just led Rose to where she would be washed and dressed up. Martha was barely helpful, as usual, but instead of quietly staying in the corner, she wouldn’t stop talking. Edna and Rose mostly ignored her.

By the time they were done, Rose felt lighter. The warm water and the oils always had this effect. Her backache felt a little better, and her stiff shoulders weren’t so stiff anymore. She also smelled really nice, having been bathed in scented oil and sprayed with perfume. All she wanted to do right now was sleep, but that was impossible.

She was dressed in silk robes, and her hair was let down over her shoulders and back. Edna looked satisfied with the results and beamed at Rose. Rose wished she could smile back. She curtly said her thanks before making her way in the direction of the crown prince’s wing.

It was too much to hope that he would also be busy tonight and not call on her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t been called the night before, and frankly, she didn’t care. She just hoped it would happen again.

Rose sighed as she stood in front of the chambers. The walk here was getting shorter and shorter. She had passed the place where she had run into the Queen and didn’t like that she remembered he had given her his coat—but the coat had only brought her trouble. The guards opened the door without her having to say anything, and Rose walked in.

She immediately felt awkward. This room was too grandiose for her. She did a little spin as she looked around before walking further into the room. With everything that was happening to her, it was easy to forget where she was. Emma would have a field day here. Rose chuckled to herself.

However, her brief happy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Rose clutched the collar of her robe around her throat as horror washed over her. The crown prince was here.