The King's Lover
Chapter 94: A Farewell Paid In Full

Chapter 94: A Farewell Paid In Full

Rose’s face softened at Lady Delphine’s words. She couldn’t thank the woman enough. She would owe her for the rest of her life, and she hoped the words she spoke were true—but months was too much. Still, it was better than nothing.

She knew the crown prince couldn’t keep her forever. Right now, all she needed to do was grow some nerve to endure everything he might require from her for the next few months—and at least now she didn’t have to worry about carrying his child.

"Thank you," Rose said, dropping the spoon on the table and sealing up the jar. Making sure none of its contents would spill, she picked it up and placed it into the bag Lady Delphine had given her.

It wasn’t too big, but it held some of the clothes she had worn during her stay here. Esme had given her some goodbye snacks, Beth had given her a doll she made, and Kali had hugged her goodbye.

Rose had tried not to cry at any of this, but she had ended up failing. She knew she probably wouldn’t see the girls again and couldn’t even see them before she officially left—that was why they all said their goodbyes before nightfall.

"You’re ready," Lady Delphine said.

Rose nodded and held onto her bag. "Thank you again."

"If I let you thank me as much as you want, we’ll be here all night."

Lady Delphine dropped the pipe on the nearest table. The smoke had faded, and though her eyes were still dazed, she seemed fully aware of herself. fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m

"You don’t think the crown prince is going to send anyone?" Rose asked.

"I think that’s your thought, not mine. I’m very certain someone will be here on his behalf—and soon."

A knock.

"Lady Delphine," Slade called.

"As I said," she smiled at Rose and stood to her feet. This time, she walked to the door herself.

"Lady Delphine," Slade said with a bow as the door opened in his face.

"What took so long?" she asked, clear irritation in her voice.

"I apologize, Milady, but a few unforeseen circumstances arose, and it caused a bit of delay. However, worry not—as everything went smoothly."

"What happened?" Lady Delphine asked.

"Henry, the steward, is here in a royal carriage." He didn’t want to bother her with unnecessary details, so he told her what he knew she’d find important. "He also brought the money as you requested, but he’s refusing to hand it over unless he sees Rose."

Lady Delphine nearly fell to the floor in relief. She grabbed Slade for support as her legs gave way—he was the only thing keeping her from falling headfirst to the ground.

Lady Delphine had been worried that her calculations would be wrong. That the crown prince didn’t like Rose as much as she thought—or worse, that he did but had no intention of helping her with the debt she was in and was charging her with treason instead. But here was Slade, saying there was nothing for her to worry about.

"Lady Delphine," Rose called.

"Rose," she said with a bright smile she couldn’t help. "Did you hear that?" she asked. "The crown prince is willing to—" .com

Lady Delphine couldn’t finish the rest of her words. She didn’t have the heart to. Though this was great news to her, she imagined it was the complete opposite for Rose.

"I’m sorry," Lady Delphine said softly.

Rose laughed. "What are you apologizing for, My Lady? I owe a lot more to you. Shall we then? Please lead me to the carriage so you may get your money back."

Rose clutched her bag a little too tightly. The tight grip was the only thing keeping her from bursting into tears. She stepped closer to the doorway, and Lady Delphine stepped aside for her to pass.

"At the back," Slade said. "The steward didn’t want the royal carriage to be seen."

Lady Delphine scoffed. "Why not? Before Rose came, the crown prince would patronize these walls very often. The royal carriage has been seen here more times than I can count."

Realizing Slade was still holding onto her, she pulled her hands from his. Even though it was chilly outside, his hands were warm, and she could feel it through her thin gloves—but Delphine didn’t think much of it.

She stepped forward and walked beside Rose, grabbing her free hand—the one that didn’t hold the bag. Rose turned to look at her, and she couldn’t even smile. She just slowly nodded her head. They didn’t walk to the back in a hurry, and Slade followed after them.

When they got to the carriage, Henry looked to have lost his patience. He was peeking through the curtain and yelling at the carriage rider to go into the house and get them.

Rose pulled her hand away from Lady Delphine and walked toward the carriage. Henry stopped speaking immediately, and his eyes widened. "Rose!" he yelled, pushing the door open.

"Mister Henry," she called. Unfortunately, she didn’t have as much enthusiasm as he did, and her voice sounded bland.

"I’m so happy you’re okay, Rose," Henry said, holding the door open for her. "We’ve been looking for you for days."

Rose nodded. "Do you have something for Lady Delphine?" she asked, changing the subject.

Henry’s eyes immediately darkened, but he simply nodded and grabbed the bag that lay on the seat beside him. Rose heard the clinking of coins. However, instead of handing it to her, he tossed it on the ground.

Rose was shocked and immediately bent to pick it up. Wiping the dirt from the bag, she gave Henry an odd expression before handing the bag to Lady Delphine.

"Thank you," she said.

Lady Delphine accepted it. "You shouldn’t have bothered."

Rose smiled and started to pull away, but Lady Delphine tossed the bag of coins to Slade and grabbed Rose in a bear hug. "I’m really going to miss you. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but if we do cross paths, don’t forget to say hello."

Rose’s eyes watered, and she nodded in Delphine’s embrace. She slowly pulled away and bent her head to enter the carriage. She waved as the door shut and the carriage started to pull away.