The King's Lover-Chapter 474: Your Majesty May Stay

When her maids arrived moments later, they easily accessed the room since the door was unlocked. Rose had been worried they would knock too loudly and wake Caius, but after about two knocks, Isla had turned the handle, surprised that the door opened—but the next thing she saw superseded her shock at the unlocked door.

She could barely hold in her gasp as she saw the crown prince wrapped around Rose, and there was a glint of excitement in her eyes. Rose tried to wave them both away with her hands, as she didn’t want to make any unnecessary movements that would wake Caius.

However, Isla didn’t budge and attempted to fully enter the room. Chelsy was the one who pulled her out of the room and shut the door.

Rose found that she wasn’t as embarrassed as she usually would be, and since they were her maids, she was certain she could trust them not to say anything to anyone. But Rose was worried about Isla—not that she would say more than necessary, but rather that her excitement would be noticeable.

Rose sighed. What was she thinking about? But she knew she couldn’t chase Caius away, not when he was like this. Did it please her that he came to her? Rose frowned; there must be something wrong with her.

She wondered what could have happened. She was almost certain it had something to do with his father and was glad she had forced him to see the king. If Caius had waited a day longer, he wouldn’t have seen his father before his death.

She caressed the top of his head, and he moved closer to her, and Rose had the urge to giggle. She couldn’t understand how he was so clingy, but at the same time, she couldn’t imagine him not being clingy. She wished he would talk to her; it was easy to comfort him when he told her what was wrong.

It wasn’t until lunchtime that Caius finally woke up. Rose had also fallen asleep, as there was nothing else she could do while she was in his arms. When she woke up, Caius had his fingers tangled in her hair, staring at a nonexistent object in the air.

"Your Majesty," Rose softly called and sat up so she could get a proper look at him.

However, as she leaned over him, Caius stretched out his hand and placed it on her back, gently caressing her.

"Rose," he whispered as he looked up at her.

"Do you feel better?" she asked as her eyes roamed his face.

His brown eyes looked darker, but he was no longer pale. However, it was pretty clear he was still distressed, but at least he no longer looked as though he was physically in pain.

"I don’t know, Rose," he whispered and lifted his hand to touch her face.

"Is this about your father?" she asked again as he held her gaze, curious to know what the problem was. "Is that who you meant when you said you ruined it?"

Caius’s eyes darkened, and his hand fell from her face. His eyes unfocused for a bit.

"I heard the king passed yesterday morning."

"Yes," Caius replied and pulled her down so she was lying on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and pressed her against himself.

"I am sorry."

Caius shrugged. "Don’t be. Did you eat breakfast?" he suddenly asked.

Rose was surprised at the change in subject. She lifted her head to look at him, and Caius stared back at her.

Rose shook her head. "I couldn’t," she replied. "Not with Your Majesty fast asleep. I didn’t want to bother you."

"Shall we have breakfast, then?" he asked.

Rose chuckled. "Don’t you mean lunch?"

"Was I asleep that long?" he asked with an amused expression.

"Uh-huh," she said and moved to a sitting position. "Would Your Majesty dine with me?"

Caius lifted his gaze to look at her. "Do you refuse?" he asked.

Rose looked at him with an unimpressed expression. "Your Majesty asks as though you’d leave."

Caius looked at her for a little longer before he started to speak. "I would," he stated matter-of-factly. "But right now, I would greatly prefer it if you let me stay."

Rose’s expression appeared conflicted. It would be cruel to chase him away when he was in this state, but she couldn’t ignore that this was a bad idea. But perhaps it was okay just for today.

"Your Majesty may stay, and if you would let me go, I will ask that lunch be brought over."

Rose looked down at where Caius held her by the waist; she didn’t recall when he had grabbed her. He groaned in dissatisfaction, but he let her go, albeit reluctantly.

"Send word to Henry," he said as she got out of bed. "He will make sure there is enough for both of us."

Rose glanced at him; she had been worried about that. "Alright, Your Majesty."

Rose summoned her maids and told them to let Mister Henry know so that Caius could be served appropriately. Lunch eventually arrived, and Welma had to come along with the sisters, carrying heavy trays to bring up their meal.

Rose’s meals paled in comparison, and hers were already better than anything she was used to. The table was covered with chicken, lamb, and beef, soups, rice, bread, vegetables, fruits, and a jar of sweet wine.

"Anything else?" Welma asked with a bow.

Rose shook her head. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Welma kept her gaze straight ahead, pretending not to see the crown prince through the slit in the drapes. Rose had insisted on keeping them drawn; she didn’t want the maids overwhelmed by his presence, and though Caius showed obvious dislike for this, he had agreed.

The door had barely closed before he burst out of the bed and, instead of approaching the table, walked right to Rose and wrapped his arms around her.

"Would you help me with my meal?" he asked.

Rose’s eyes widened in horror. "Your Majesty," Rose cried. She should have expected nothing less.