The King's Lover-Chapter 379: Grief

Rose sat anxiously in her room as she waited for the Crown Prince to call on her. It had been some time since she left his chambers with Thomas, and she still had not heard a single word since then.

She found herself worried that Caius might have been more injured than he let on, and Thomas had noticed it—that was why he had called on Lord Paul.

Thomas had not said much to her as they left the Crown Prince’s chambers. He had seemed a little anxious, and Rose couldn’t blame him. The Crown Prince had seemed pretty angry.

Rose understood where Thomas was coming from, she also understood that the Crown Prince was annoyed and might intend to punish Thomas. He was just that sort of person. She wondered if she could plead for Thomas. Would the Crown Prince even listen to her?

Rose thought this line of thought was ridiculous. She couldn’t even plead her own case. Why did she think she could plead for someone else?

But she was worried; if there was anything she could do to help Thomas, she truly would. He was one of the people she could actually trust and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. He has also proved on several occasions that he stood for her.

It still wasn’t time for lunch yet. Rose figured she would be called on to help him eat, and she was waiting for that.

A knock startled her, and she jumped. She turned her neck to look at the door just in time to see it open and her maids walked into the room.

"Rose," they squealed as they rushed in.

Rose smiled at them; it was hard to be moody in front of these cheery girls. She was starting to get used to them; she knew she would miss them when she left Castle Catherine.

It was illogical to think she could remain here. Besides, the Crown Prince did speak as though their time here was short. He said they would come back in the summer. Perhaps that was something to look forward to, but Rose couldn’t dare consider it. She hated the idea of being stuck with him for any longer.

"It is time for lunch," they announced.

The maids helped her get dressed, chatting about the young physician who came from the capital. Rose was amused; Lord Paul wasn’t even that young, but he was young in comparison to most physicians, so she understood what they meant.

Rose neither contributed to nor stopped the conversation. It felt nice to listen to the ladies speak and that was enough.

When they were done dressing her up, she left for the Crown Prince’s Chambers even though the maids didn’t tell her to. All they had told her was that lunch was ready.

Rose got to the front of the Crown Prince’s Chambers and softly knocked. She didn’t get an answer at first and was just about to knock a second time when the door opened right in her face, causing her to yelp as she stepped backwards.

"I didn’t mean to frighten you," Paul’s gentle voice reached her ears.

"Lord Paul," Rose called. "I shouldn’t have been standing too close to the door."

"No, that’s no fault of yours, Rose. I don’t think we’ve properly met since I arrived. It is good to see you again, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help your mother. I’m sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences."

It suddenly felt as though everything froze, and for a moment Rose couldn’t even remember how to speak as her thoughts spiraled and memories of her mother’s life and death rushed through her mind.

She knew Lord Paul meant no ill will and was truly sorry about her mother’s passing, but the unexpectedness of it was crushing.

"Thank you," she managed to say as tears pooled in her eyes. She bent her head down to hide her face from him. She was on the verge of tears, and she knew the slightest thing would push her over the edge.

It was weird how grief worked. Some days didn’t feel any different, but right now it felt as though she had just heard her mother had died.

Lord Paul stepped aside to let her into the room, and Rose nodded at him but didn’t lift her head. Paul stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

The Crown Prince sat on the further side of the room, by the dining table. From this distance, Rose was sure he had not heard the conversation between her and Lord Paul.

Lunch had been served, and Rose could smell the different delicacies as she walked in.

"Your Majesty," she said as she slowly approached the table.

An empty chair was placed next to the Crown Prince. She could tell he was looking at her, but Rose did not lift her head. She rounded the table and sat next to him.

Caius stared at her suspiciously, but Rose didn’t give in. She noticed that his bandage had been changed. His injured hand was carefully placed on his thigh.

"Is something wrong?" Caius asked.

"No," Rose said stiffly as she moved her hands toward the food on the table. "What would Your Majesty like to eat first?"

Caius squinted his eyes at her. "Nothing," he said starkly. "Not until you say what is wrong."

"I promise it’s nothing," she said with a dry chuckle.

"Rose," he called, his voice steady, comforting, and deceiving. "You look like you’re about to cry. Perhaps I should call Paul back in here and interrogate everyone you made contact with since you—"

Rose jerked her head in his direction, her eyes wide and red. "Please, Your Majesty, don’t do that."

Caius frowned and wiped her tears with his uninjured hand. Rose turned her head away from him and wiped at her own tears. She didn’t even realize she was crying until he did that.

Caius’s hand hung for a moment; then he slowly brought it down to the table. "What happened?"

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty," she said and kept wiping the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. "There isn’t really anything wrong. I don’t know why I’m crying so much. Lord Paul just told me he was sorry about my mother’s death and the tears won’t stop flowing."

Rose tried to explain even as the tears made it harder to speak. She didn’t want to tell him, but she knew the Crown Prince; he wouldn’t let it go until he knew.

A loud scraping sound echoed in the room as Caius pulled her chair closer to his until there was not a single space between them. Where his chair stopped, hers continued.

"Your Majesty?" she called, lifting her red eyes and running nostrils to look up at him.

Caius stretched out his uninjured hand and placed it on her shoulder. He proceeded to pull her against his chest, forcing her to lay her head on him.

It was awkward, stiff, but surprisingly effective. Rose felt herself loosen as her head made contact with his chest. She wept as he held onto her without saying a single word, just his sturdy hand on her shoulder.

She cried silently, her shoulders shaking. After some time, the shaking subsided and her cries went silent. Rose eventually lifted her head from him. She wiped at her face, trying to clean the mess, and noticed that she had made a wet patch on his shirt.

"I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to do that," she cried as she tried to clean him up.

He stopped her. "I’m hungry," he said, changing the subject.

Rose lifted her head to look at his face; her own was red from all the crying. She just slowly nodded. She wiped at her face one last time and prepared to help him eat.

Conversation was nonexistent as the Crown Prince diligently took the food from her hands. He didn’t ask any questions, didn’t speak on the subject, just ate.

He didn’t look angry either, and he didn’t seem to mind her crying. Rose didn’t think she had ever cried in front of him before. She had begged him and pleaded for his mercy, but this was different.

It felt a little vulnerable, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as shameful as she thought it would be. However, Rose made a mental note not to lose her composure in front of him anymore.

He already had too much of an edge over her; she didn’t want to give him more supply. She had to keep reminding herself that this was not a person who meant well for her.

By the time lunch was over, Rose felt better; her composure was back and the incident was a little forgotten. Servants came to clear the dishes, and still the Crown Prince had not said anything.

"What did Lord Paul say?" she asked more for conversation than to know.

"No different from the first physician. I should be healed in a few weeks."

Rose nodded, realizing she had not asked him what the first physician said. "That’s good," she replied.

"Perhaps," Caius said with a shrug.

"Perhaps? You don’t want to get better?"

Caius leaned back in his seat, a puppy look on his face. "It would mean you wouldn’t have to feed me anymore."

Rose didn’t know what to say to this, especially when the Crown Prince was looking at her in a way he had never done before. She was not only speechless; she was also flustered.

"Will you punish Thomas?" It was the wrong thing to say, she knew. But Rose didn’t know what else to say. What would she even say to that?