The King's Lover-Chapter 376: Harmless And Helpless

Caius watched Rose’s diligence as she fed him. It was fascinating how quickly she changed from reluctance to efficiency. She was careful not to spill anything and would even cup his jaw with her free hand to further prevent spills.

She was so gentle that it was easy for him to forget he was faking and go along with the act that he was truly incapable of eating by himself. This plan was working better than he imagined. He had expected some reluctance but didn’t think she would agree so easily.

Her expression was serious as she moved from the plate to his mouth. Caius was so preoccupied with watching her that it didn’t even occur to him to tease her about it.

"Open up," she would say when he took too long to take the meal from her hand.

Her voice was unusually high-pitched but very comforting. It felt as though if he refused, she might sing to him to get him to eat. Almost immediately, an image popped into his head.

Rose is feeding their child.

It was so clear and vivid, it physically hurt. He knew it was not going to be possible, and Lady Delphine was the reason she wasn’t already pregnant with his child.

"Does it hurt that much?" Rose asked as she brought another bite to his lips.

Caius realized he was scowling. He softened his gaze and took the food before slowly nodding.

"Were you given herbs that would help with the pain?" Rose turned away from him to look at the plate. She carefully diced the lamb so it would be easy to feed the Crown Prince.

"I declined," Caius replied. "I didn’t expect it to hurt this much."

Rose shook her head as though disappointed, but she wasn’t judgmental. "You should take some, at least for the first couple of days."

"Hmm," Caius replied as he accepted a spoonful of food.

Asking her to feed him had simply been in the moment. He knew he couldn’t eat with his right hand, but his left hand could handle it. He might just need help cutting the meat. He wasn’t completely incompetent.

"You should eat," he said. "I’m full."

Rose didn’t believe that he was; she had seen the Crown Prince eat multiple times. He ate as though he might never eat again, inhaling pounds of food that would take a normal person at least two days to eat.

She found herself annoyed at how much effect this simple sentence had. She was thinking that perhaps he was worried that she wasn’t eating and he wanted her to eat, so he was willing to lie about being full.

However, the Crown Prince wasn’t a selfless person; all he cared about was what he wanted, the consequences be damned. Yet, right now he was acting like a completely different person. She couldn’t keep up with it.

Rose didn’t argue; rather, she smiled and ate her food. Caius was quiet as she ate, and she noticed him being careful with his hand, either by holding it with his left hand or gently placing it on the table.

Rose couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He just seemed so harmless and helpless. These were words she would never associate with the Crown Prince.

After she was done eating, the servants came to clear the dishes, and not long after, her maids arrived to help her get ready for the night. There was no question about which chambers she would be spending the night in. The answer was pretty clear.

Soon enough, they were left alone. Caius was dressed in his usual night robe and Rose in her silk nightdress. He sat on the bed while she stood in the middle of the room.

He acted oblivious to her presence as he rolled over onto the bed, wincing as he brushed his injured hand on the bed. Rose also found herself squinting in reaction to his pain.

He placed his hand carefully beside himself as he got into a comfortable position, his left hand under his head as he faced her directly.

"May I leave, Your Majesty?" Rose asked as she stood still.

Caius frowned and looked visibly displeased by her words. He shook his head. "I don’t want you to leave. Stay."

"I wouldn’t advise that. With a sprained hand, it is best you sleep alone."

"No," Caius stated stubbornly. "It is only a sprain."

Says the prince who couldn’t even feed himself.

"And letting it heal will be the best approach."

Caius narrowed his eyes and awkwardly raised his right hand. "Come."

Rose didn’t like that her first instinct was to do as he said. She didn’t like this man, yet as soon as he was incapacitated she forgot all that. Besides, he wasn’t even incapable of doing anything; he was just putting on an elaborate act. Rose knew this, but somehow she gave in.

Caius dropped his hand as she got into bed. Rose was careful to put some distance between them, even though she was on his left side and his right hand was on the other side of his body.

Without saying a word, he took his left hand from under his head and used it to pull her closer to him, slipping his arm underneath her and grabbing her breast to hold her in place.

"Your Majesty," Rose called out in horror as he squeezed.

"Goodnight, Rose," he said with a bland expression as he shut his eyes.

"Your Majesty," Rose called again as she tried to move his hand, but Caius held firm.

She eventually sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. Her acceptance prompted another squeeze, and Rose jerked and glared at him, but he kept his eyes closed.

She sighed again, utterly befuddled by the situation, but it didn’t seem as though Caius was going to do anything more. Rose wasn’t used to being teased like this by the Crown Prince and was unsure how to react to it.

It was a little early to sleep, but Rose soon found herself falling asleep. Perhaps it was because of the events of the day and all the writing that had tired her out, or maybe the warm body clinging to her; she wasn’t sure, but Rose found that she was falling asleep with ease.