The King's Lover-Chapter 431: The Manor

"We heard what happened," Esme explained as they led Rose into the manor, completely forgetting Thomas, who wasn’t given a chance to leave the carriage as the ladies crowded the front of it while they welcomed Rose.

"I am sorry for your loss," Kali mumbled as they led her.

"Me too," Esme said and looked as though she might cry.

"Thank you," Rose said. "Really."

She felt her heart squeeze at the mention of her mother. Some time had passed but it was still very sad for Rose to recall and she doubted she would ever be able to get over her mother’s death.

"How are you?" Esme asked, holding Rose’s palm.

Rose nodded. "I am fine," she said, but Esme didn’t look like she believed her.

Rose noticed her face still held the same sympathy, but it was clearly directed at something else. Rose laughed sadly; she couldn’t know exactly what it was. Too many things were going wrong for her.

"Would you like something to eat?" Kali asked, changing the subject.

"Please," Rose said with a groan, appreciating the change of topic. She wasn’t here to remember her problems.

The ladies laughed and led her to the kitchen. The kitchen was average in size, but Rose would consider it big. There was a counter that separated the cooking area from the rest of the kitchen. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The kitchen was warm, and Rose could still smell the smoke in the air, along with chicken and spices. She wondered if they had just finished cooking.

She sat down on one of the low benches, with the table in the middle and another low bench on the other side. They handed her bread and chicken broth filled with chunks of chicken.

"Lord Thomas," she said, suddenly remembering. "I don’t think he had breakfast."

"I’ll take care of him," Esme said with a wiggle of her brows. This made Rose laugh, as she remembered Esme once saying he was like a crazed teenager.

"Lady Delphine is asleep, I presume," Rose said to Kali as she ate.

Kali nodded as she sat down beside her. She also had the same look that Esme had, and Rose couldn’t help but wonder if she was that pathetic, but she knew the girls didn’t mean any harm; they were just worried.

"She will be awake by noon. You can do whatever you want in the meantime, though I doubt Esme would give you any chance; she’ll be in your hair once again."

Rose laughed as she continued eating. She wasn’t complaining. She didn’t mind getting bothered; it was certainly better than what she would get in the castle.

Esme soon returned, and the three women talked for a long time. Rose even helped them finish their chores, even though they both insisted otherwise, but she was just glad to have something to keep her busy and her mind elsewhere.

Lunch arrived sooner than she expected. She had also helped the girls prepare lunch, so when Lady Delphine woke up, Rose was ready with her meal. Rose didn’t have to knock on the door before it opened to reveal Lady Delphine.

"Rose," she called with enough excitement to make Rose smile.

She was happy to see Lady Delphine; it had been quite a while. Lady Delphine stretched out her arms to hug Rose but pulled back when she noticed the tray.

"Good afternoon, Lady Delphine," Esme said from behind her.

"Hello, Esme. Why do you have Rose doing your chores?" she queried, but there was no anger in her voice.

"I tried to stop her, I promise," Esme stated, trying to sound scared, while holding back her laugh.

She stepped aside to let Rose into her room, and it was hard for Rose not to feel nostalgic as she walked into the familiar space. Not much had changed; the room was still the same as the last time she was here. It also smelled the same—like Lady Delphine.

Rose placed the meal on the table. There was enough for both her and Lady Delphine; the girls had insisted that she eat lunch with Lady Delphine, stating that their mistress would prefer that.

She handed the empty tray to Esme, who accepted it and left. She closed the door, and they were finally alone. Rose was quick to note that, much like her bedroom, Lady Delphine still looked the same.

She was dressed in a silky dress that looked more like an exotic outfit than a nightdress. The sides were slit all the way to her thighs to allow ease of movement. Though loose, the dress didn’t hide much of her bosom.

Lady Delphine walked to the table where Rose stood but didn’t sit; rather, she stood directly in front of her and peered at her face, then she touched Rose by her shoulders, gesturing for her to sit down. Only when she did, did Lady Delphine take her seat.

They didn’t immediately start speaking; there were too many things to discuss, and they both knew it would be best to do so after the meal. Besides, Rose thought it was bad table manners to ask for the drug during a meal, knowing the kind of drug it was.

Lunch didn’t take long, and soon enough, they were done eating and the dishes were cleared. Lady Delphine began speaking first.

"How are you?" she asked.

It was a simple question, nothing out of the ordinary, but Rose felt as though she might cry. "Not too badly," she replied with a dry laugh.

Lady Delphine’s expression remained serious. "Okay, that’s good. It is good to see you, and I am glad you’re holding up."

Rose nodded, fighting the urge to cry. "Thank you," she said. "I came for the drug. I need more." Rose spoke with a strained voice, fearing that Lady Delphine might decline her request.

Lady Delphine did her best to keep her thoughts off her face, as she already knew why Rose was here. As soon as she received the letter, she knew Rose was coming for a refill, and there wasn’t any problem with that; it was easy to prepare the drug. Lady Delphine always had enough for herself and the girls.

The problem, however, was the crown prince.