The King's Lover
Chapter 59: A Little Sad And Dejected

Chapter 59: A Little Sad And Dejected

Rose heard the door creak open and was surprised to see Martha walk into the room. Her countenance was sinister as she walked in, but the instant she noticed Rose’s gaze on her, she broke into a forced smile that didn’t even reach her eyes.

Rose adjusted on the mat. She had literally been seated here since Edna left. She couldn’t find it in her to do anything, and she couldn’t exactly move around the castle nor do any chores, so sitting here was all she could do.

It was already past lunch, but she wasn’t hungry, and even if she was, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat. It would choke her, so she just sat here, and she couldn’t even play her flute to keep herself company as she had given it to Edna to keep safe for her. She couldn’t help but feel a little sad and dejected.

She turned her gaze from Martha and looked to the window. The sun was high up in the sky, which meant there were still hours before the prince would call on her. Usually, the time passed before she could even notice, and she barely had to think about it, but now it was all she could think about.

She had tried going to sleep, had shut her eyes, and counted sheep. Even though she didn’t know how to write numbers or what they looked like on a piece of paper, at least she knew how to count and could count off her hands and toes. However, this didn’t help, and her eyes were still as bright after lunch was over, and it was still as bright when Martha walked into the room.

Rose heard some rustling and turned her gaze to see Martha sitting on her bed, replicating her position. She moved her legs, and Martha did too. She moved her hand, and the maid mirrored her. She didn’t have the energy for this, so she just looked away.

"I wanted to apologize," Martha said.

Rose whipped her head so fast that she almost broke her neck. She could scarcely believe her ears, and though her face showed surprise, her mouth didn’t move to acknowledge Martha’s words.

"I shouldn’t have taken your items, and I didn’t, and maybe if I had been a little nicer to you, you would have believed me."

Rose rolled her eyes. She was annoyed that she had even believed Martha’s words even a little. However, one look at her face was all she needed. There was no trace of an apology, just an amused expression.

She hadn’t even apologized to her after she took her to the dungeons until her uncle pulled her ear and threatened her, and yet here she was, sitting on the bed talking about an apology while lying through her teeth.

Rose didn’t have the mental capacity to think too much about it. Right now, she was just hoping she could catch a break or, better still, find something to distract her from all this.

"Did you not hear me?" Martha asked, but she wasn’t getting angry, just more amused. "I said I was sorry."

Rose frowned, but it wasn’t her apology she was listening to; rather, she remembered how much work was left in the South Wing, but somehow Martha had time to bother her. It must be nice to be the steward’s niece, Rose thought. She could get the maids to help her with her chores.

"You should answer me; you don’t know when you’ll hear me say it again."

Still, Rose didn’t say a word. She knew better than to speak with a lunatic. When Martha saw she wouldn’t be getting the response she wanted, she scoffed and left the room. fre ewebno(v)e\l.(c)om

Rose sighed and fell onto the bed. As much as she didn’t want to be alone, it was certainly better than Martha’s company. She closed her eyes, and after a few moments, she eventually fell asleep. It wasn’t much of a sleep, but it was better than nothing.

When she opened her eyes, Edna was in front of her, a worried expression on her face. "Edna," she said softly, wiping her face as she moved to a sitting position. "What are ye doing ’ere?"

"I didn’t mean to wake you," Edna said and sat next to her.

"Nay, I’ve slept long enough. Is somethin’ wrong?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes, adjusting so Edna could join her on the bed.

"No, I just had some free time and decided to check on you. I heard you didn’t eat lunch."

Rose shook her head. "I wasn’t ’ungry." This wasn’t a complete lie.

Edna watched her face closely, but she didn’t push. "Just don’t starve yourself," she said.

"I won’t," Rose said a little too quickly. She wanted Edna to drop the subject.

Edna nodded and turned to the door. She gave it a moment before she turned her gaze back to Rose. "Has Martha been here?" she asked with a worried expression.

"Aye," Rose replied without thinking too much about it. .com

"Did she bother you?" Edna asked, turning her whole frame to face Rose.

She wouldn’t call what Martha did a bother. She was completely unfazed by it. She slowly shook her head. "Nay."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Rose nodded her head, wondering why Edna seemed a little agitated.

"Did she seem odd?" Edna asked, not letting the subject go.

"Mart’a is always odd," Rose smirked.

"You know what I’m talking about. Did she do anything she wouldn’t normally do?"

"Mart’a apologized. It was a terrible apology, but it surprised me. She didn’t say sorry about takin’ mi wooden pieces; she just apologized." .com

"That doesn’t make any sense," Edna said with a frown. "And Martha never says sorry."

"Nay, not sorry. She said, ’I wanted to apologize,’ but she also said she didn’t take my items. Somethin’ about if she ’ad been nicer to me, maybe I would ’ave believed ’er."

"That’s bullshit!" Edna said immediately.

Rose smiled. "I think so too, so I didn’t reply to ’er."

"That’s also good," Edna said, shaking her head vigorously. "I think something is up with her."

"What do ye mean?" Rose asked with a frown.

"I don’t know, but after this morning, she hasn’t been to the South Wing. Other maids are cleaning it. I tried to find out why, but I wasn’t told anything, and she looks..." Edna paused, looking left and right, "happy."

"Good for ’er," Rose replied with a shrug.

"No, no. If Martha is happy, especially after all that was done to her, then something must be horribly wrong. I’m worried she might try something again."

Rose shook her head. "She is scared of me. I slapped ’er silly the last time. She would t’ink twice about botherin’ me."

Edna nodded, but she didn’t look like she believed the words.

"And yer keepin’ mi treasures," Rose said with a big smile. "There is nothin’ she can use to trouble me. I am fine."

Edna reluctantly nodded her head, but she wasn’t completely convinced. However, there was nothing else she could do except wait. Martha could be smart sometimes and also exceedingly stupid, especially when she thought she would get away with something. However, Edna was hoping her stupidity would be the one to come into play now.

"You should stay in my room," Edna suddenly blurted.

"Nay, I can’t do that. I told ye I am fine," Rose replied immediately. As much as Rose liked the idea, she didn’t want to bother the other maids that Edna shared a room with. They didn’t like her one bit, and she would rather be uncomfortable than make things awkward for Edna.

"Okay, but if you’re not, you will tell me?"

"At once," Rose said.

Edna nodded and started to get to her feet. "I have to go. I will stop by later, and don’t miss dinner!" she scolded as she walked to the door.

"I won’t," Rose mouthed, watching the door close before she turned her attention to the window.