The King's Lover-Chapter 433: Useless

Thomas gripped the reins a little tighter than he needed to as he rode to the castle. He was going back alone, contrary to his orders to bring Rose back to the castle at sundown.

That way they would arrive during dinner, and he would be able to get her to her room without any accident, unlike this morning. But that wasn’t happening, and Thomas was now riding back to the castle alone.

He urged the horse to go faster. He wanted to get to the castle before dinner began so he could speak to the crown prince. Thomas dreaded this conversation, but Rose had pleaded with him with fear in her eyes, and he understood her reasoning. It was the only reason he would attempt something so risky.

He leaned forward on the horse as it sped up the hills that led to the castle. He was let into the castle compound almost immediately, only stopping so they could unlock the gates and let him in.

He rode along the pathway with tall trees on either side. The sun was barely visible now, staining the sky with beautiful orange rays; one finally attempted to shine before it was completely hidden from view.

Thomas stopped the horse in front of the castle and dismounted immediately. He didn’t even wait for the stable boy to get to the horse before he let go of the reins and rushed toward the main entrance.

He took the stairs two at a time, and when he entered the castle, he headed straight for the crown prince’s private study, hoping to run into him before he made his way to the dining hall.

However, as Thomas rushed up the stairs, he could tell he was already late. He spoke to one of the guards standing post around the area of the private study.

"Has His Highness gone for dinner?"

At first, the guard was stunned that Thomas was talking directly to him, but he recovered quickly and responded. "Yes, My Lord."

Thomas cursed. Unfortunately, he could not wait for dinner to be over. He didn’t have much time before the deadline lapsed. If the crown prince was displeased about what he had just done, he didn’t want to think of what the consequences would be when the time was up.

He rushed to the dining hall, but he knew better than to barge in; he was not allowed in there and therefore could not just walk in. He knocked twice on the hardwood—not enough to be too loud, but whoever was standing on the other side was bound to hear.

It didn’t take long for the door to crack open, and a servant slipped out silently. He bowed as he saw Thomas and kept his head down.

"Tell Mister Henry to inform His Highness that I wish to have a word."

The young boy nodded and slipped back into the room. The huge door didn’t even make a sound as he gently closed it.

Thomas tried not to pace; he kept his composure as he held tightly onto his sword. Guards standing by the entrance of the dining hall stood as still as statues. They kept their gaze straight ahead. The corridor had splashes of the dying sunlight on the walls.

It wasn’t long after that the door opened and Caius stepped out with a frown on his face. Thomas felt all his confidence melt away, and he wondered why he had thought this was a good idea. He should have told Rose no, but he would be lying if he said that was an easy task to do, especially with the exchange he had witnessed that morning.

After the princess left, Rose couldn’t even look at him. He had seen her expression just before she bent her head, and it was a mix of horror and shame. If she wanted to stay away from the castle for some time, it was certainly understandable.

"Your Highness," Thomas called with a bow as he tried to compose himself.

"Is something wrong?"

Caius didn’t add a name, but the young lord knew he was talking about Rose, and by the intense look he could feel on the top of his head, Thomas was utterly convinced that the crown prince would not like what he was about to tell him.

"No," he simply said as he raised his head.

Caius’s brows relaxed, but only because he understood that Thomas couldn’t discuss what it was out here. "Let’s head to my study."

"I apologize for interrupting your meal, Your Highness."

Caius didn’t respond to this; rather, he briskly made his way to his study, and Thomas followed after him as fast as he could. There was almost no conversation, and this worsened the dread Thomas felt.

Thomas had barely shut the door of the study when Caius yelled out, "What is going on?"

Thomas felt a strong urge to apologize, but he composed himself and started to speak. "Your Highness, Rose has requested to remain at Lady Delphine’s manor for the night. She believes this is the best thing for her to do right now, especially with what is going on."

Caius’s expression darkened and his eyes turned bloodshot. "What did you say?" he asked and took a step forward. Thomas instinctively took a step back.

"I apologize, Your Highness, and I did try to make her see reason, but she said you would understand."

"Did I not give you an order to have her here by dinnertime?" he asked, his voice thundering in the enclosed space.

"Y-you did, Your Highness, but she insisted."

"Useless!" Caius spat out. "Get the carriage ready. I will get her myself."

At the crown prince’s words, Thomas felt his dread change to horror, and his whole demeanor changed as he took a step forward.

"I would advise against that, Your Highness."

Things were already bad, and the rumors going around were not good. Thomas did not want to imagine what would happen if the crown prince were seen going to the courtesan’s manor just a week after his wedding.