The King's Lover-Chapter 275: Distance Between Them

Caius and his men didn’t return to the castle until sunset. Rose was seated with Lady Deana, watching the snow fall as she played the flute. Lady Deana had taken a liking to it as she had done the swallows. Rose had her spend a significant portion of the day together.

A servant rushed to the side of the mansion where they sat in the loggia. The loggia overlooked the frosted gardens, its arched openings framing the gentle snowfall, creating a scene Rose couldn’t stop looking at.

"My Lady," the servant said with a bow as they approached. "His Highness and the Lord have arrived."

Lady Deana was on her feet immediately. She glanced at Rose, and it was the first time Rose glimpsed how worried the lady was. Lady Deana had completely avoided the subject while they conversed, but it was clear it wasn’t because of a lack of interest—rather, she had wanted to distract herself from her worries.

Rose stood, clutching the flute to her side. She smiled at Lady Deana and nodded, trying to tell her she understood wordlessly.

"I apologize, but we’ll have to cut this short. Hopefully, you’ll play some more for me tomorrow. I absolutely enjoyed watching and listening to you play. I don’t think I’ve heard anything that good in such a long time."

Rose couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she was praised so much, and all she did was play an old tune.

"Thank you for your kind words, my lady, but I’m not as good as you say. I’m honored that you quite like it."

"Quite?" Lady Deana exclaimed. "I love it." She started walking, and Rose was quick to follow after her. "I would listen to you play all day if I could."

"Just let me know," Rose said truthfully. "I’ll play whenever you like." She winced at the irony of her words but she did mean it.

Lady Deana nodded and slightly increased her pace as she followed the servant who was leading them out of the loggia and toward the main part of the mansion.

"I’d like that," she replied to Rose and didn’t speak further on the matter, but Rose noticed the way her palms opened and closed as they walked.

The main entrance was thrown open when they got there, and Caius walked in side by side with Lord Leopold and Prince Rylen. Lady Deana called from the top of the stairs, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Lady Deana," they all said simultaneously as they looked up, but Rose didn’t miss the fact that Caius looked past Lady Deana and his gaze rested on her.

She kept her gaze down, holding onto the flute. She shouldn’t have come, but it seemed like the thing to do and by the look on Lady Deana’s face, she had expected Rose to accompany her.

Lady Deana rushed down the stairs; her husband rushed toward her. With the speed she ran, Rose was worried she might trip. However, Lady Deana got to the bottom just as her husband reached the stairs.

He grabbed her, and she collapsed into his arms. "There, there," he said as he steadied her.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. "How did it go?" she asked softly, resting against him.

"Not very well," he whispered.

"I’m glad you’re back home safe," she mumbled and stood by herself, stepping away from him. "All of you."

Lord Leopold grabbed her wrist. "Come," he said, and started pulling her away. "I’ll see you during dinner, Your Highness."

"Very well, Lord Leopold," Caius replied.

It was quiet for a bit as Lady Deana was led away by her husband. Rose could hear whispers of him trying to console his wife as they walked together.

"Prince Rylen, Thomas—take care of things. If there’s anything that needs my attention, let me know. Tell the men we’ll set out again tomorrow. They should get enough rest. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck this time."

"Yes, Your Highness," Prince Rylen replied.

Caius walked toward the stairs where Rose still stood. He took the stairs two at a time, and she scooted closer to the wall. With every blink, he got closer and closer to her.

Caius was dressed in armor that covered his chest, arms, and thighs. His hair was windblown, and his face was red. Rose wondered if it was all the riding in the cold.

"Your Highness," she said with a curtsey. It was not her concern what he did. "Welcome back."

Caius simply glanced at her and walked past. Rose didn’t know if she was relieved or annoyed. Perhaps it would have been better if she had stayed away.

She stood to her full height and saw Thomas look away from her. She would have liked to ask him how it went, but Rose doubted she could do that.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Rose turned her head to see Caius a few feet away, staring at her. "Your Majesty," she called with a frown. Was she supposed to go after him?

He narrowed his eyes at her, but instead of speaking, he continued walking. Rose internally sighed. She only had to bear this for one more night. Tomorrow, she would be on her way to Edenville. By the time he returned, she would be long gone—and he would have his hands too full to come after her.

Caius didn’t glance back the entire time. He just walked straight ahead. They got to the room, and he walked in first. Rose followed right after, closing the door behind him.

It was hard not to notice they were alone. No servants had accompanied them, and Rose shuffled on her feet. She didn’t want to lift her head immediately; she could tell he was staring right at her.

Suddenly, his feet turned to face her, and Rose instinctively took a step backward. But there was nowhere to go as he was still in front of the door.

Caius took just one step forward, his armor clanking as he moved. He closed the gap between them and lifted her chin with his hand. His gloves were cold, and Rose looked up to see his brown eyes looking down at her.

"Do you intend to keep ignoring me?" he asked.

Rose was left speechless at this. There was no doubt about it—the crown prince was certainly not right in the head.

"I wouldn’t dare ignore Your Majesty," Rose simply replied.

It was strange. She didn’t feel the slightest twinge of fear as she stared up at him. It was something else, but Rose didn’t think it was important enough to dwell on.

His eyes moved to her lips, and his hand on her chin slid down toward her neck. His pupils dilated, and the lustful look was back in his eyes. Rose couldn’t help but think the crown prince thought only with the thing between his legs.

He bent his head, and a loud knock caused Rose to jump. She was grateful for the interruption—and by the look on the crown prince’s face, he noticed.

He glared at her and pulled his hand away, while Rose didn’t waste any time stepping away. She could have left the room if she could, but that was clearly out of the question.

The servants came to tell them dinner would be ready and to help the crown prince prepare. Rose sat on the bed all through this, her gaze on a spot on the wall.

She still had a lot of thinking to do. The last thing she was worried about was whether the crown prince was upset with her or not. She didn’t care what he thought, as long as he didn’t take out his anger on her.

Rose heard footsteps walking toward her, and she turned around. Caius was dressed in dinner clothes. The armor was gone, his face looked slightly refreshed, but it was hard to say with the glare he sent her way.

"Stand up," he said, even though she was already getting to her feet. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Rose nodded and walked out of the corner. Caius didn’t step out of the way; he just stared at her while she looked at her feet.

What did he want?

He was keeping her away from her mother. Yet, he had the guts to act as though she were the one doing something wrong. She didn’t understand him. Besides, it would be a waste of time to try.

The crown prince was not someone to spare such thoughts on. He was nothing but selfish, and all he cared about was what he wanted. That was all she needed to remember and see—not the slight sad look in his eyes as he glared at her.

Rose told herself she was just seeing things. The crown prince didn’t care for anything other than what he could get from her. He had made that clear many times over.

Suddenly, he turned and walked toward the door. Rose closed her eyes briefly and walked after him, making sure to keep some distance between them.