The King's Lover-Chapter 432: Betrayal

One day, not more than a month after Rose left the capital, Lady Delphine received a letter. From the seal, she had known it was from His Royal Highness.

Arriving with the letter was a scroll, equally bound and sealed with the crown prince’s personal mark. Lady Delphine noticed this scroll had dirt stains, and she couldn’t understand why the crown prince would send her something like that.

She would have doubted the authenticity of the items if his seal wasn’t boldly on them. Lady Delphine started with the scroll, and as she began to untie it, she was immediately filled with dread. Even before fully opening it, Lady Delphine recognized it.

She spread it apart, and her dread changed to terror as she saw the map she had given to Rose. She quickly read through the letter, and its contents were enough to make her bedridden for days. And now, here Rose was, making the same request the crown prince had anticipated months ago.

Lady Delphine tried to keep her expression neutral. There was nothing she could do, and she particularly hated that the crown prince was willing to go this far to keep Rose by his side.

At first, she had been convinced that the crown prince had some affection for Rose, but now, she wasn’t so sure, because his request was cruel—and instead of doing this all by himself, he made sure she would betray Rose, too.

To safeguard herself, her girls, and her mansion, Lady Delphine was ordered by Caius to give Rose a harmless concoction instead should she ever return to ask for more. In return, he would excuse her former behavior that had resulted in the loss of his child and her role in Rose’s escape and his attack.

Lady Delphine hadn’t known about it, at least to the full extent. Rose had never mentioned it. If she had known, she never would have let her drink it. She was even more fearful that the crown prince knew and she wondered if Rose knew about this.

But the miscarriage wasn’t the only problem for Lady Delphine; Caius also planned to blame her for the attack. Considering Rose had only escaped the guillotine because he came to her rescue, Lady Delphine knew he was referring to that.

The only evidence that linked her to the incident was the map that had arrived with the letter which she long burnt, but the problem wasn’t even his threat; it was the fact that the crown prince was the major reason she wasn’t prosecuted. He was the reason she could run her business. If she angered him and lost his backing, she was doomed.

"Of course, Rose," Lady Delphine said with a huge smile, even as her heart broke, sweat leaked out of her palms and she wiped it on her dress.

The poor child had been through so much, and still the crown prince intended to keep her by his side in this manner.

"Thank you, Lady Delphine. I don’t know what I would have done without you." Rose shivered at the thought of being tied to the crown prince forever.

"You don’t have to thank me. The last time I tried to help, I almost got you killed."

Rose knew Lady Delphine was talking about the map, but she was truly grateful for that. She had just been really unlucky about the time she had chosen to escape. If only she had gone earlier or later, she wouldn’t have encountered the bandits.

However, it didn’t matter, because regardless of the outcome, Rose had still been able to go see her mother, and she wasn’t so sure she would have been able to do that if she had not tried to escape. Lady Delphine had made that possible for her.

"No, I can’t begin to put into words how grateful I am for your help," Rose replied.

"How’s life in the castle?" Lady Delphine asked, changing the subject. She couldn’t handle the guilt as Rose thanked her when she was about to betray her.

The drug she was about to give her would have no effect except to cure minor headaches. It physically hurts her, because in this way, the crown prince would have complete hold over Rose. Lady Delphine knew Rose was not the type to abandon her child, and the crown prince was counting on that.

However, no matter how she looked at it, it was never going to get better for Rose. Right now, it was significantly worse, as he was married and Rose was seen as the wedge trying to take the prince from his wife—but that was far from the truth. Rose wanted nothing more than to get away.

"Tough," she admitted. "There was an incident and..." she paused as she looked to the side. "May I ask you for a favor, Lady Delphine?"

Rose knew she couldn’t get away; the crown prince wouldn’t let her. But perhaps she could stay away from the castle for a few days, just for her safety and to let things calm down a little. Also, she was hoping her absence might encourage the crown prince to go to his wife.

"Go on," she urged.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she asked, a plea in her eyes.

Lady Delphine’s eyes widened; she had clearly not expected Rose to ask this. Rose was unsure if there was a hint of fear in her gaze. She didn’t want to cause any problems for Lady Delphine, but unfortunately, she was the only option Rose had.

"May I ask why?" Lady Delphine asked with concern.

"I think it’s best if I stay away from the castle, at least for tonight. I don’t know if you have heard—I highly doubt it."

Rose was almost certain that only the inner circle of the castle and some close maids of the princess knew that the crown prince wouldn’t lie with her, as the rumors had been about the one night the princess had been seen crying. However, everyone was aware of her presence. She wanted to at least help with that part.

"The Crown Prince won’t lie with the princess. Two nights ago, tired of waiting, she went to His Majesty, and he chased her off. Servants saw this, and I can’t imagine how incredibly embarrassing it must be for her. There’s a rumor going around that I’m the reason they have problems. I figured my absence would help a little."

Lady Delphine listened attentively as Rose explained. She didn’t think Rose’s plan would make any difference, but she had no plans to turn her down. She couldn’t betray her twice.

"I see. Of course, you can stay here."

However, Lady Delphine didn’t think this would go as smoothly as Rose hoped. She was more worried about the crown prince’s reaction to this. If he was willing to sabotage Rose’s drugs, she doubted he would let her go that easily.