The Forgotten Princess Rose-Chapter 276

Lucy was reluctant to leave because Rose asked her to. This was Zayne’s carriage, not Rose’s. Rose didn’t own anything to be acting like this. Lucy didn’t care what anyone had to say as Rose would always be the girl from the brothel leeching off of Zayne’s name.

Lucy was certain there would come a time when Zayne would wake up and see that he had used all this time.

"Lucy," Catherine spoke up since Lucy refused to move. "She has told you to leave. It was my mistake to invite you into the carriage. Being one of the soldiers Zayne trusted and took with him, I thought you would have known Rose. I have much to apologise for."

Catherine had never seen Lucy act like this before which made her think Lucy was too convinced she would be the one to marry Zayne.

"She’s a woman from a brothel-"

"Rose is the daughter of a lord and now the wife of your prince. Your departure made you miss Rose reunite with her family who holds a noble title. So, you must stop thinking of her as just a simple woman. Speaking so carelessly on her name might have you end up in a dungeon which I would hate to see," said Catherine.

While Catherine liked Lucy it wasn’t more than she liked Rose and family came before anyone.

"There are rules when dealing with royals," Catherine reminded the young woman. "Your problem is you see yourself as part of the royal family since you were so convinced that you would wed Zayne. You are not a Hamilton therefore you do not get to speak as you like toward us."

Rose didn’t try to ask Lucy to leave again as she was occupied with watching Catherine speak for her and their family.

"You must hold your tongue regardless of how you feel as your head might end up rolling. How you knew of Rose is no more and when you see her, I expect that she is treated with the utmost respect even if you hate her. You must control yourself," Catherine advised Lucy.

Lucy knew not to speak to the former queen the same way she did with Rose. She could only bow her head to avoid the queen’s eyes. How was it that Rose got Catherine on her side? Many were counting on the king and his mother to end Zayne’s marriage.

Lucy started to get out of the carriage before she put herself in a bad spot with Catherine. Rose was powerless, only having Zayne’s name to throw around but Catherine still had a lot of influence around the kingdom. Should Catherine get in her father’s ear then Lucy knew she would never see the end of his wrath.

"And Lucy dear," Catherine added before Lucy could walk away. "I urge you not to speak on what you do and don’t know about Rose because I will come after you and all your family. You will never see another day with you calling yourself a soldier or anyone else in your family for that matter. We both know how much your father prides himself in being a soldier."

"I will not say anything," Lucy replied and then moved quickly to get away from the carriage. She knew so much yet she couldn’t speak. Her only hope was someone else speaking about Rose but what if she was blamed for it coming up?

Rose felt relieved when the guard quickly closed the door before they could be spotted by someone else. Rose stayed clear of the window so no one outside would see her.

"I ask your forgiveness, Rose. It was a grave mistake to welcome her inside the carriage without asking you first. I got a little ahead of myself and I won’t do it again," Catherine promised.

Rose couldn’t feel angry with Catherine. "It is fine. I was bound to see her again."

"You will see her quite a bit when you leave the estate. Her family lives quite close to your home which is why it was so easy to bump into her here. I have not seen that side of her but then again, she must be upset that she lost Zayne so she’s acting unusual. Was she terrible to you?" Catherine asked.

"I wouldn’t say she did something to me but she certainly believed I was there to sleep with Zayne and wanted me out of his camp. I wasn’t surprised she thought I wanted to sleep with Zayne. My appearance then was that of a woman from a brothel though it wasn’t how I acted. No matter how I acted, I was always seen as one of those women," Rose answered.

"Well, I don’t like that she was willing to send you out all so she wouldn’t lose Zayne. It’s a tough world for us ladies no matter the position we are in. It’s always a shame when we turn on each other. She will need to learn to hold her tongue at times. I can speak to her father," Catherine offered since Lucy’s father listened to her.

"You don’t need to. All she knows is that I was once in a brothel and many know of that already. It will slip from someone eventually. As long as your family continues to love me then I don’t care about anyone else. I’ve wasted too much time worrying about what anyone thinks," Rose said, seeing it as worthless to hide her secrets.

"You are strong. I don’t know of anyone who would be this carefree about it. To hide the truth is stressful," Catherine tried to see it from Rose’s view. "There would be many trying to pull out the truth and you’ll have to keep up with lies. You know, many won’t believe you weren’t with a man before Zayne."

"I know," Rose replied. "I am lucky they are not my husband."

Catherine smiled. "They are in for quite the surprise should they ever speak to you. You appear to be so innocent and shy but there is a fire to you when you speak. We mustn’t let that fire die. I misjudge Lucy being a friend for you but I have other ladies who would be suited to be your friends. Ladies who have yet to find their place among their peers."

"You mean for me to find friends in other outcasts?" Rose asked, not bothered by it but she had to ask.

"They are ladies from families with great status but sometimes that isn’t enough to help you fit in and have lifelong friends. Most of them recently wed just like you and their families would do anything for them to find a group to socialise with. You might not find a friendship in all of them but maybe you will find one,’ Catherine suggested.

Catherine knew that many of the women would not be so keen to jump right into welcoming Rose. She stole the prince as some were saying. Catherine thought it to be fine since she didn’t want Rose to be friends with the women who were a little bit too serious and judgy. They would be quick to turn their backs on Rose once her stories came out.

"How about when Zayne returns you invite them to the estate for lunch? It is your home so you would be in control. You will need friends eventually. Waiting for Zayne to entertain you will get boring," said Catherine.

"I know. Very well but only when Zayne returns will I do it. Seven days is enough time for me to plan," Rose said, excited to host again. She trusted that Catherine would not put her in the same situation she was in with Lucy again.