The King's Lover-Chapter 531: Quieter

The old hag, Violeta, wasn’t at dinner, and neither was the princess. Prince Gayle also wasn’t in attendance, which meant only three people sat at the dinner table.

Conversation was minimal, and Rylen looked too sad to join them. He barely ate his meal, and as soon as dinner was over, he left. Caius didn’t try to stop him, nor did the King make any attempt to find out what was wrong.

Rose didn’t mind that the dining room was empty; she preferred it as she was able to eat without being worried about the crazy old hag.

Not long after Rylen left, Caius led her out of the dining room with her hand clasped in his as they walked through the dimly lit walls of the castle.

Night had long fallen, and the only sources of light in the castle were the torches on the wall and the bright moonlight slipping through the open windows.

Rose leaned into Caius as servants stepped out of the way, bowing to both of them, their heads low enough to see their backs.

She closed her eyes as she felt the soft breeze that floated through the castle, barely paying attention to the way, because she knew Caius would lead her to her chambers safely.

And he did.

Rose slipped her hand out of his grip as they arrived at her door. Caius seemed reluctant to let go of her at first, but his hesitancy was only for a moment.

She smiled at him, knowing he would be back soon, before she shut the door.

"Your Majesty!"

Rose jerked, the smile on her face freezing before she realized the voices were her maids. "Chelsy, Isla! Where have you two been all day?"

She was smiling as she asked; she wasn’t angry, just worried. And now that she could see that they were fine, she was just happy to see them.

Isla stepped forward, ready to speak, but her sister quickly pulled her back, cutting off her words. "We apologize, Your Majesty, but we lost track of time, and I assumed you wouldn’t need us until sunset since we shan’t be bringing your meals."

"You are not wrong," Rose admitted, "but I do need to freshen up before each meal, and I will prefer it if you both come by as you usually do."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chelsy dug her fingers into her sister’s hand to keep her mouth shut.

Isla glared at her sister in response, but she kept her lips shut. And after Chelsy’s vague explanation, they helped Rose get ready for the night and were gone before the King returned.

Rose did notice the girls seemed quieter than usual, especially Isla. She didn’t want to press; it was pretty clear it was something they didn’t want her to know about.

But Rose had no plans to stay on the sidelines, and as soon as she felt she needed to intervene, she would.

When Caius arrived in her room, she was seated at her desk with a book in front of her, the candle as close as it possibly could be without getting any wax on the book.

She lifted her head to see him standing by the open door as he walked in. He didn’t even try to knock. She shook her head at him; she had purposely left the door unlocked as she knew he would be coming in, but he didn’t know that, yet he had confidently turned the handle.

"I see you left the door unlocked for me," he said with a smirk as he closed the door and clicked the lock back in place.

"You didn’t even knock," she stated.

"Knock?" Caius sounded appalled. "To see my wife? Now, why would I do that?"

As he spoke, he walked towards where she was sitting by her desk, staring at him with a wide smile on her face. He had a knowing look on his face as he approached her.

"What if the door was locked?" she asked, annoyed that she couldn’t stop grinning at his look of utter pride.

"You wouldn’t lock your husband out," he said with a confidence that would have annoyed her if things were different.

He leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of her hair. "You smell amazing." His face lingered on the top of her hair as he took a deep breath.

Rose blushed, unsure how to respond to that, so she just smiled and said, "Thank you. But don’t get distracted; you have work to do as my only tutor."

"A duty I take with pride," he said and sat next to her. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty?" he repeated.

Rose lifted her gaze to meet him and shook her head while smiling. "My husband. Happy now?" she asked with a chuckle.

"I am delighted." He pulled her seat closer while he leaned forward.

Rose quickly picked up the book she was reading and put it between their lips. "You promised not to get distracted."

Caius narrowed his eyes and pushed the book aside before kissing her. He pulled away with a smug look on his face. "A kiss is hardly a distraction."

Rose glanced down, and he was immediately proven otherwise. However, she knew better than to make it obvious that she knew, so she turned her attention to the table and picked up the quill.

They spent some time on the lessons, and after teaching her, Caius wanted to play a game of chess. She humored him even though she was tired.

She wasn’t even surprised when he won, because halfway through the first game she couldn’t stop yawning, and by the time the game finished, he had to carry her to bed.

Rose yawned as she lay in his arms. It felt like the most normal thing in the world, and not once did she feel embarrassed. He lay her in bed, pressing her against his body as he covered them with the sheets.

Rose let out another yawn as she rubbed her eyes. She was so sleepy, but she couldn’t fall asleep yet; she had a few questions to ask him.

"May I ask you a question?" she asked as she stifled another yawn.

"You do not need to ask for permission. You may ask me whatever your heart desires."

Rose was smiling. It was a nice feeling. Even in her sleepy state, she could feel just how warm he made her feel.

"Thank you," she said and pressed her face against his chest.

Caius’s hand on her back drew circles. "What is your question?"

"Did you speak to your mother?"

Rose didn’t have to lift her face to see Caius’s expression, but she wasn’t asking because she cared. Rather, she wanted to give that illusion so when she made her little request, it would play on the fact that she was at her limit.

"No."

Rose sighed as though she was disappointed. "She is your mother," she simply said.

"And she is disrespectful to you!"

"I am sure she will come around." Rose made faces as the words left her lips, glad that the King couldn’t see her face.

"Until she does, she deserves no special treatment," he said and ran his hands through her hair.

Rose thought her heart was going to burst. How did he keep saying the exact words she wanted to hear? She nodded against his chest.

"I have a request this time. May I go see my father tomorrow?"