The King's Lover-Chapter 458: Cave First

Rose sat at her desk, waiting for the crown prince to walk through the secret passageway. While she waited, she went through the tasks she had done earlier in the day to make sure that nothing was wrong.

She was sure nothing was wrong but it was more to give her something to do than to just sit around waiting. To remain in the confines of this room for days on end took a toll on her.

Just as she finished, the wardrobe moved to the side and Caius appeared, his silhouette visible in the dark space. If Rose didn’t know it was him, she would have been terrified by how he looked in the dark. He walked forward and the wardrobe shut back in place.

"Your Majesty," Rose called out as she glanced at him before turning her attention back to the desk.

Caius didn’t respond to this; rather, he stood in front of her and said, "Can’t you act happy to see me?"

Rose tried not to let her real emotions slip. Regardless of how she felt, he was still the crown prince. Besides, as she lifted her head, now that he was closer she could tell that something was wrong.

"Did something happen?" she asked with concern.

Caius’s brows furrowed. He hadn’t expected her to read him so easily. Caius had deliberately kept any news about his father’s ailing health from Rose, but somehow she had caught on now.

He wondered what he had done to give it away. Besides, as he had said multiple times, he didn’t care what happened to the old man and would prefer if he died as soon as possible so he could put his plans into motion.

"Nothing," Caius said and turned his gaze away.

He walked towards his seat and dropped down, but Rose didn’t seem ready to let this go. She pulled her seat closer to him and leaned forward to study his face.

Caius smirked. "If you come any closer, I shall take that as an invitation." He placed his hand on her thigh and slowly inched her nightdress upwards.

Rose was unfazed; then she leaned backwards and folded her arms. "As it pleases Your Majesty. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Your Majesty. After all, I am nothing but a peasant who can barely read or write, Your Majesty."

Every time she called his title, she made sure to do it in the most annoying tone ever, and as she spoke, she didn’t look at him.

"I didn’t say that," Caius protested.

It wasn’t that he had any issues with telling Rose; he would tell her anything she asked. However, he was almost certain she would make him go see his father.

"If you say so, Your Majesty." Rose picked a few of the papers off the table and handed them to Caius, still without looking at him. "Here are my tasks, Your Majesty."

The sound grated on his ears, and the fact that she was clearly addressing him by his title every chance she got. She had called him by his title more in this conversation than she would in one night.

"I promise it is nothing you have to worry about."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Rose replied immediately. "Your Majesty knows best. Your Majesty, shall we begin my lessons for today?"

Caius grabbed his temple, wondering if this secret was worth him having to deal with her being passive-aggressive the whole night. And with this hanging between them, she might decide to ignore him. Caius didn’t want that; he wanted her to pay attention to him the whole night, not to keep worrying about something he didn’t tell her.

He dropped the papers she had handed him on the desk, loud enough to make a sound. Rose didn’t even flinch; she had expected some kind of resistance from him. However, she was willing to bet who would cave first, and Rose knew it wasn’t her.

It was a nice feeling to know that no harm would come to her. Perhaps she had concentrated too much on trying to leave to consider anything else. Rose would like to know just how much things had changed and if she had a say.

Caius groaned loudly and lifted her off her seat and placed her on his lap. It was hard not to let a smile slip as she knew she had won, but at the same time, she realized just how serious it was for him to need physical contact before he spoke.

Rose leaned into him immediately; he was lying when he said this was nothing. Whatever the issue was, it distressed him greatly.

She sat across his lap, and her head rested in the crook of his neck. The chair didn’t have arms, so there was no discomfort as she sat sideways.

Caius took a deep breath as she sat on his lap; she smelled as lovely as ever. He wanted to bury his nose everywhere. His hands caressed her skin, but he knew he couldn’t get away by distracting her.

So despite his wishes, Caius told Rose about his father’s physician who had come by his study earlier in the day, and his father’s odd request.

"And what did you say?" she asked immediately, drawing a circle on his chest.

"No. We haven’t played chess in a decade. He has no reason to request one from me."

"That’s all the more reason you should honor his request," Rose said as sweetly as she could muster.

"No!" Caius stated.

He was speaking in that manner again, the one that left no room for any more discussion, and if things were the same, Rose would have let it go, but not this time.

She sighed and mumbled, "You leave me no choice, Your Majesty."

She lifted her head so they could see eye to eye. If the king was requesting a game out of the blue, especially after so long, Rose was almost certain he didn’t have long. This was not something Caius could refuse, regardless of the relationship he had with his father.

Rose did not doubt that Caius gravely disliked his father, but she didn’t want only his dislike to remain. She didn’t doubt that King Gaius was a terrible father and his actions were unforgivable. She also didn’t care that he was dying, but Caius did, and she didn’t want that hanging over his head. Whatever unfinished business they had, this was the last chance he had to complete it.

"What do you mean?" Caius asked with a frown.

"Well if you don’t see your father, I shall refuse to play any more games with you, and should you force my hand, I shall play worse than the first time we ever played together."