The Forgotten Princess Rose-Chapter 256

Catherine feared she got a little ahead of herself. "Do not think about it now. Your husband is stuck in the palace so it is not a good time for you to have your head in a book unless you need a distraction. Luckily for us, Zayne intends to keep you away from where there will be a lot of attention."

That gave Catherine time to help Rose.

Had Rose been thrown right into the palace they would have needed to move fast.

"I still need a distraction. I am good at overthinking so I might think the worst about where Zayne is now," Rose replied.

"Then I will distract you. You haven’t added your touch to the estate from what I have seen so far. It screams that only a man lives here. There aren’t any flowers to liven up the place. Then there is your dress," Catherine said, inspecting the dress that Rose wore now.

Rose looked down at the dress she knew came from Charlotte. She thought it was beautiful. "What is wrong with my dress?"

"It is beautiful but the styles of the kingdom are different. If you want to stand out, you should keep them but if you want to blend in I know where you can get plenty of lovely dresses. It is up to you," Catherine gave Rose the choice.

"My dresses were made by special friends at home and Zayne gifted me many as a wedding gift. It was never my intention to stand out. I am just grateful for what Zayne and my friends have given me. I will not get rid of my dresses but I do not mind getting a few in the future to match what the ladies wear here," Rose answered.

Catherine smiled. "That was a wonderful response. You were calm and firm with what you wanted while also pleasing me by being open to our styles. The potential is there and you seem willing to learn. All hope is not lost."

"You can say no to me, Rose. I am told that I can be a bit scary and as a former queen, many have trouble saying what is on their mind to me but I am granting you the freedom to say what you feel. If you don’t, I know that Zayne will speak on your behalf and I don’t want to feud with him," Catherine said, knowing when she faced a lost battle.

"News of your marriage is starting to spread and what many will look at first is if I have accepted you and then if the current queen has. I can’t tell you what she may do. She is awfully quiet most of the time so I can never guess what she is thinking but I will show support to you," Catherine promised.

She still had some influence amongst ladies to create a way for Rose to settle in with her peers.

"Thank you," Rose said, grateful once more for Catherine lending a helping hand.

"The best way to show that I am supporting this marriage would be for us to be seen together. Zayne wants you here but it is up to you to decide if you want to attend parties. It was always expected of his wife and you can’t make friends if you are here. Don’t tell me you planned on making friends with soldiers?" Catherine asked, hoping Rose knew better.

"I don’t mind who I make friends with. The soldiers are not bad. One of the women amongst them is my friend. I think it is lovely how women can join the king’s army if they want to. After she has rested, I will invite Mary here. I can send an invite to you the day she comes," Rose planned.

Rose wondered if Mary would be ecstatic to sit with the queen. How many could say that they did?

"I meant friends like yourself. Ladies married to men with grand titles. I am not telling you to end old friendships but you should start thinking of surrounding yourself with people who will help you in the future. To go into this alone without ladies by your side puts you in a terrible position."

Rose didn’t see approaching anyone for the reason of having protection to be making friends. It was looking to use others. She didn’t want anything from Mary other than her time. Someone to speak to and have fun with.

Their friendship came naturally over time though Mary tried to keep some distance because of Rose’s new title.

Rose had to think of how Anna lost someone she called a friend. She would end up in that position if she sat with ladies just because their husbands had good titles.

"I want to make genuine friends whether they are married to a man with a good title or not. I’ve had too much time unhappy to do something I do not enjoy. I will be positive that I can find ladies who accept me for me and if I cannot then I am satisfied with what I have now," Rose said, satisfied with her life.

Catherine thought Rose to be different from most ladies around the kingdom. It could be from Rose being taken from her home so she was not raised as a proper lady. It explained why Rose was so simple.

"Again, I will not force you to do anything. I am only offering you advice so I will not be offended when you do not take it. Now, what are we to do while we wait for Zayne to arrive? Thanks to you, this is the most I have gotten to visit Zayne’s home during one of his returns. I’ll be lucky if I get to stay for dinner," said Catherine.

Rose smiled, picking up on what Catherine wanted. "Would you like to stay for dinner?’

At this point, Rose didn’t know if Zayne would be home by then and she didn’t want to eat dinner alone.

"Wonderful!" Catherine clapped her hands. "I can give you some tips for what to do when you host the family dinner. There is one other thing I am still stuck on. A child. Have you and Zayne been performing your duties?"

Why weren’t they eager to grow their family? She could not believe what Rose said about not being ready.

Rose wanted to hide somewhere. This was just as awkward as if her mother were to ask her about this. "We have. A child is just something we do not seek now like I told you before. One day we might have one of our own but not now. I will apologise now if the wait will be long."

"Hmm."

Rose couldn’t tell if the sound Catherine made meant she was happy or angry.