The King's Lover-Chapter 377: B O Y

"B, O, Y," Caius said as he sat next to her.

Rose nodded as she tightly held onto the quill, listening to the crown prince dictate a set of letters to her which she hastily wrote out as best as she could. If her strokes had been getting better before, now they were gnarly from exhaustion.

Rose had woken up that morning to Caius looking at her, his hand on her bosom and his erection pressed against her leg. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it.

However, as soon as she woke up, he let her go to her room to dress for the day. Rose was stunned when he said this, but not too stunned to refuse his offer.

She had rushed to her chambers, happy to have some privacy again. After she was done dressing, she was told it was time for breakfast, and that she had to return to his chambers where she now was.

She had fed him during breakfast, and once again Caius acted as he had done the night before. He made no crude comments and had followed her instructions to the letter.

Lessons had started after breakfast despite the crown prince’s sprained hand. Unfortunately, it also meant that Rose had done a ridiculous amount of writing, as her tutor couldn’t write.

She was exhausted and was starting to feel a pain that felt like she was the one who had sprained her hand. Caius didn’t ease up on her; rather, he was extremely strict while also being just as patient. It was an annoying contrast, as she couldn’t annoy him, but she could also never get her way.

"Done," she said as she stared at the letters she had written.

"What do you think it says?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. She couldn’t sound them out just yet. Caius had taught her today, but it certainly wasn’t as easy as learning the letters themselves.

"Can you try?" he asked as he stared at her.

"Sa..." Rose began, though the sound barely held any confidence.

"Not bad," Caius said, "but that is ’Castle.’ You must try to separate the sound from the letter. The letters do not always speak as they look."

Rose frowned at the page. "But isn’t that the letter K?"

A small, surprised smile touched Caius’s mouth. He actually looked proud. "It sounds like it, but no—that is a ’C.’ The two can sound alike, though they are not the same. The ’C’ before an ’A’ takes on a hard sound—like a ’K.’ You must learn to hear the letter and the sounds, not guess at it. The script will trick you if you do not mind it."

Rose let out a loud sigh. Was she going to get anywhere at this rate? It was pretty clear there was so much she didn’t know, and that wasn’t the worst part; it was also designed to confuse her.

"Don’t panic," Caius suddenly said. "I am sure with enough practice you will understand. You are already doing so well—better than I could have anticipated."

Rose gripped the paper tightly as her heart overflowed. Anyone else would have said this and she would have just been grateful, but for some reason, hearing it from him sounded like she had been given a chance to try something completely new and different.

Was it because of all the horrors that he had put her through that made his words have so much weight? Or perhaps, she was secretly pining for his approval—for him to see her as more than his sex slave.

It was annoying; his words didn’t sound like an act. It was almost indifferent, as though he was making a passing comment. However, in her mind, she was doing backflips of joy.

Rose didn’t say anything; rather, she looked at the page. She feared that if she spoke immediately, he would be able to tell just how much effect his words had on her.

She took a breath as she tried to concentrate on the two words in front of her, and Rose’s expression quickly changed to horror. She had been so engrossed in trying to learn that she didn’t realize what the crown prince was doing.

It was easy to guess the rest of the word, not because the letter ’B’ sounded similar to its name, but rather because she could easily guess what the crown prince was capable of. He would do something like this, and she realized too late. She lifted her head and looked at him in horror, and he smiled as their gaze met.

"Go on then," he encouraged, his sly smile widening by the moment. "What do the words say?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. He might try to put up the act that he was not a threat, but he couldn’t pretend for too long, his true personality always poked its head through.

Rose met his gaze and puffed out her chest. If he still intended to keep throwing these words around, then she was going to meet him head-on.

"Castle Boy." Rose was proud of herself when she said it without any stutter.

"Wonderful," Caius praised. "Now you know how to read and write ’Castle Boy.’ Perhaps you will write me a letter: ’Dear Castle Boy.’"

Rose was mortified; pretending not to be fazed only made it worse as Caius moved to the next phase. "Your Majesty," Rose softly called. "I apologize, multiple times. Do you still intend to hold it over my head?"

Caius tilted his head and looked at her with feigned confusion. "Whatever do you mean? Did I not tell you I quite fancy the name?"

"But Your Majesty, I can tell—" Rose froze as they both heard a sharp knock.

They lifted their gaze to the door, and Rose wondered if it was already time for lunch, but the knock sounded louder than the servants would dare knock.

After a moment, the door opened to reveal Thomas. Caius frowned at his presence, as though he could instantly tell that something was wrong.

"Your Highness," Thomas said as he stood in the doorway. "Lord Paul is here."

Caius’s gaze darkened. "Thomas," he called rudely. "What did you do?"