The King's Lover
Chapter 91: The Letter

Chapter 91: The Letter

Caius got to his private study and walked toward his desk while servants rushed in and lit up the space. They placed about two lamps on his desk, making sure the room was bright enough. As soon as they were done, they bowed and left the room, leaving Caius by himself. fr\eewebno vel .c(o)m

Caius slipped out of his coat and tossed it onto one of the chairs in the study before dropping onto his seat. He moved quickly, bringing the lamp to the letter. His brows dipped as he started to read.

To His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Caius Ravenor,

I humbly beg your permission to present what I carry with solemn duty and nothing but faithful intent. May this letter find Your Highness in good health and untroubled mind. I write to inform Your Highness that I have found Rose.

Three days past, I came upon her at the masked auction, where Rose was cruelly placed for sale. I purchased her for thirty thousand gold pieces, not knowing how she came to be there. Though I feared the worst, I dared not assume your involvement in this and chose instead to act in what I felt was right.

At the time, I knew nothing of her disappearance. When I finally spoke with her, she revealed she had been taken from the servant room where she slept during the night by a hooded stranger. Upon waking, she found herself caged among other girls, where she was then auctioned off.

I must ask Your Highness’ forgiveness for not writing sooner. Rose was gravely ill when I received her, and I wished to see her restored before returning her to you. Furthermore, at the time, no word of your search had reached me, and I needed to better understand the circumstances before taking any action.

She is now well. I have done all that is within my means to care for her, and I intend to send her back to you as soon as you give the word.

I know it is bold of me to ask, but if Your Highness would see fit to reimburse the sum I paid, I would be ever in your debt. Thirty thousand gold pieces is no small cost, and the lives of my girls may well hang in the balance.

I send this letter instead of the girl herself to ensure her safety. I fear someone within the castle orchestrated her removal. Until the truth is known, I could not risk her return without discretion.

Ever in service to the Crown,

Delphine, once Lady of Haiyes

Caius crushed the letter just as he heard a knock.

"Come in," he said.

It was Rylen. Caius couldn’t hide his disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" He asked menacingly.

Rylen stopped mid-walk and stared at Caius with a dumbfounded expression. freeNovelFire

"What might you be asking, Your Grace? You asked me to come in. Did you perhaps think I was someone else?" freeNovelFire

When Caius didn’t reply, Rylen took it as an invitation to step closer. He walked in and took a seat, staring at Caius. He saw the crushed-up letter on the table and tried to pick it up, but Caius swatted his hand away.

"Are you not supposed to still be keeping Mother company for the rest of dinner time?" he asked.

"I sensed something was wrong." This was true and false at the same time. He did sense something was wrong, but it wasn’t enough to come to check on the crown prince—until a guard told him the prince had been yelling at Henry. The guard, however, didn’t know what had been discussed.

Caius frowned at his words and was about to reply when another knock interrupted. His gaze slowly flickered to the door, and he gestured to Rylen to open it.

Rylen was annoyed by this, but he was more curious about who was behind the door. He could clearly see that something had happened. He walked to the door without a word and pulled it open. Rylen’s mouth almost fell open as he looked upon the scene in front of him with shock.

A strange man stood at the door with two guards on either side and Henry behind him. The man looked like he would bolt if he got the chance. He appeared somewhere between his mid-twenties and mid-thirties—it was hard to say exactly. His face had a young look to it, but the way he carried himself made him seem older.

"Prince Rylen," Henry said with a surprised look on his face and bowed. The guards also bowed, pushing down Slade’s head.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, confused.

"They are here on my orders, Prince Rylen. Let them in."

Rylen turned to look at the crown prince, a frown slowly appearing on his face. Something told him he wouldn’t like this.

"As you wish, Your Grace," he said and stepped away from the door.

He walked back to his seat, hearing the men walk in behind him. Rylen sat down. There was no way he could leave now, and by the death stare Caius tossed his way, yeh crown prince would have preferred him not to be there at all.

"Your Highness," Henry said with a bow.

The guards bowed and pushed Slade to the ground. He almost fell on his face as he was forced down to his knees.

"This is Slade. He says he is Lady Delphine’s messenger."

"Leave us alone," Caius said darkly.

The guards turned around and started to leave. However, Henry didn’t make any move until Caius glared at him. Then he jerked and fled to the door. He hadn’t thought the crown prince would chase him out too.

Henry frowned as he wondered what Caius would want to speak to the commoner about—without his presence too. Did it have anything to do with what he thought about?

Henry stepped out of the private study, but he didn’t leave the vicinity, and neither did the guards. They all stood close enough to respond to the crown prince’s call as soon as he needed their presence.