The King's Lover-Chapter 403: Stay With Me

Her body tingled from the aftermath, her chest steadily rising and falling. It was easy to give in, Rose thought as the Crown Prince wrapped his arms around her. It was easier than facing any of the things happening now.

There was also the undeniable fact that they didn’t have much time together. Regardless of what the Crown Prince wanted, Rose knew it wouldn’t be possible to keep her in the castle once he was married. It was too much of a stain, and not one she could bear for much longer.

"I will be away for a few days," he said lightly as they lay close together, his words pulling her from her thoughts.

"Your Majesty intends to keep me?" Rose blurted the words out without thinking, as the fear of being kept here still consumed her.

"You want to leave?" Caius sounded shocked.

Rose sighed sadly. "Yes." She had lost count of how many times he sounded surprised at this.

Caius was silent for a bit, then said, "No, I couldn’t let you go. I don’t want to."

"You can’t keep me here," she said with urgency, turning so she could see his eyes.

"Why not?" he asked, softly lifting a hand to caress her face.

"What do you mean, why not?"

Rose was getting exasperated. It felt like she was once again explaining to the Crown Prince why she would want to leave. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get short with him; she could only try to explain softly, hoping he could be just a little less selfish and understand her situation.

"It would be unfair to the princess," she replied. It was a reasonable enough, clear-cut argument.

"What if I find a way around it?"

There was a plea in his eyes. Rose wasn’t used to this; it felt almost imaginary, yet annoyingly effective.

"No," she shook her head, refusing to be swayed. "This can’t go on any longer. It must come to an end."

From the very beginning, she had made it obvious she wanted to leave. Why would that change now, and why wasn’t he convinced? He had proved his point, had put her and her family through enough. Hadn’t she been punished enough?

"Is that how you see this?" he asked with wide eyes.

Rose frowned, unsure of what they were discussing now. "Is there some other way to see it?"

"I suppose not," he frowned.

"Then you will let me go?" she asked softly, hopeful that this was it. She would finally be free of the Crown Prince.

Caius stared at her hard, then reached out to pull her to himself. He buried his face in her hair as his arms wrapped around her chest. His legs entangle with hers as they lie naked beneath the sheets.

"No," was a soft whisper against her head.

Rose felt all the strength leave her body as tears pooled in her eyes. "Why?"

She was trapped, both literally and figuratively. He truly wouldn’t let her go, even though his wedding was only days away.

"I can’t, Rose. Get some sleep and leave the other matters to me."

"Why not? How long does Your Majesty intend to keep me, then? Wouldn’t you say it is only fair if I know..." How much longer I have in this hellhole? How much longer until I’m freed?

"Stay with me, Rose."

It sounded like a request, but Rose knew it was far from it. It was a command she had no choice but to follow. Tears spilled from her eyes, and she closed them. She should have known this would be futile.

She wanted to pull away from him, away from this room, and away from this space. It would be suicidal for her to remain; she didn’t have any more dignity for them to shred. Surely he knew this. Or did that not matter to him?

It didn’t, she knew. From the moment she had refused him, he had been determined to get his revenge and embarrass her in the same manner. Rose almost smacked herself; it was so naive of her to think he was any different.

When she woke up the next morning, Rose was alone and naked. She looked to the door; it felt as though she had just missed him. It was for the best—she wasn’t sure she had the mental fortitude to face him this morning.

She rubbed at her eyes, which had dried crust from all the crying she had done the night before. Rose laughed at how pathetic and sad she looked. Nothing had changed. Things were back to what they normally were. What else was she expecting?

He no longer smelled like lavender.

Rose forced herself out of bed, wrapping the sheets around herself. Her maids would arrive any minute now. She rushed to the wardrobe; at the foot of it, in the left back corner, was her little helpful drug, wrapped in clothes.

She uncapped it and took a sip; the familiar taste poured down her throat, and she winced a little. She tightly closed it again, shaking it slightly. She needed a refill soon. Even with the Crown Prince’s absence, it would only last her a few more times. She had to get more before then.

Rose couldn’t afford the consequences of not using it. She refused to extend this shameful situation to an unborn child. No child of hers would be called a bastard. She had already borne enough name-calling for both of them.

She placed it back. If she couldn’t leave, she had to find a way to get a refill. That wasn’t too hard; she had already visited Lady Delphine once. Caius might let her go again.

The only issue was that she might have to wait until the wedding was over and the commotion died down before she could go out. She wished there was some way to get to Lady Delphine without going out herself, but Rose didn’t trust anyone else with the drug. It was best she did it herself.